Executive must get back to work to tackle cost-of-living crisis

The Stormont Executive needs to get back to work after next month’s Assembly elections to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and hospital waiting lists, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald has said.

Mrs McDonald addressed an election candidate launch event held in the Titanic area of Belfast, where she also said that no party could should hold people to ransom by refusing to enter an Executive.

Prior to the launch, Sinn Fein leaders held a meeting to discuss the cost-of-living crisis and spiralling energy costs.

The Sinn Fein leader then told an audience of party members that the cost of living and the health service were the priorities for the May Stormont elections.

She said: “In less than five weeks we will go to the polls

“The big priority for Sinn Fein after this election is to get back to work quickly so that the Executive can get money into people’s pockets to help with the rising cost of living and to provide badly needed investment into our health services, and in particular to deal with waiting lists.

“Rising costs are putting a huge burden on workers and on families who are struggling to keep food on the table and to keep their homes heated.

“Alongside this we have a health service which is crying out for investment after a two-year pandemic and after years of Tory cuts.

“It is intolerable that the Executive has been blocked from passing the budget because people cannot wait. People and families need support now.”

Mrs McDonald added: “The waiting list crisis needs to be addressed now.

“Health is a key priority for Sinn Fein and we are committed to making health the Executive’s number one spending priority for the next three years.

“We want additional investment of £1 billion in our health service over those three years to tackle waiting lists, to recruit doctors and nurses, to fund cancer and mental health services and to transform health.

“We want to extend the £200 home heating payment which has already gone to 270,000 homes.

“We want to give businesses an additional rates holiday to help protect jobs and give farmers a payment to help protect with rising feed and fertiliser costs.

“And we will continue to push the Tory Government for a further cut to fuel duty, the reinstatement of the red diesel rebate for firms using plant machinery and industrial equipment and a reduced VAT rate for hospitality.”

There is continued uncertainty whether a functioning executive will be formed post-election with the DUP continuing to call for major changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol and the contentious Irish Sea trading arrangements.

Mrs McDonald said: “The people cannot be held to ransom by any party which would second-guess the democratic decisions of the people.”

Referring to a DUP election launch, also being held on Monday, the Sinn Fein president said: “I have heard that other parties have presented five-point plans and that is great, but you are not delivering any plan if there isn’t a functioning Executive.

“If we all accept that the health service, waiting lists, cost of living, the real need to provide opportunity, good jobs, if we agree that those are the big priorities then we need to recognise that you need the Executive to be functioning to deliver all of that.

“We are facing a very challenging autumn and winter and we believe that the least people can expect is that they have a functioning Executive, people rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the job they are elected to do, led by a first minister who will work without fear or favour for every citizen right across the north.”

The event was told that Sinn Fein will run 34 candidates in the May poll, the most of any party in Northern Ireland, and that more than half would be female.