The South Belfast MLA stated: "The Covid Inquiry Report contains food for thought in many areas for the Executive Office, including its management of risk registers and its ability or otherwise effectively to direct other Departments and authorities in an emergency situation. The Report is clear, despite some protestations to the contrary, that the system has become too complex and too bureaucratic. It is clear that urgent reform is needed.
 
"However, what also emerges extremely clearly from the Report is the significant disadvantage that was caused to officials working to respond to the pandemic by the fact that the institutions had only been operating for a few weeks of the previous three years when the Coronavirus arrived here. It has been plain for some time that this was exacerbated by the absence of effective scrutiny and the inability to make changes effectively, even where they were obviously required, over the entire 2017-19 period immediately before the pandemic.
 
"Frankly, even though no one could have foreseen the immediacy with which contingency arrangements would have to be put into place, it is obvious that bringing and keeping the institutions down over that period ended up costing lives in the emergency which directly followed. Devolution cannot be a plaything of political parties; it is fundamental to the system of government in Northern Ireland and to the effective administration of public services, including of emergency provisions when these are necessary.
 
"This reinforces the absolute need for the incoming UK Government to put in place reforms to the system to block the use of a sectarian veto to crash the entire system of government here. In the meantime, a clear statement from Sinn Fein and the DUP that they are now committed to working within the devolved institutions and that they will never again bring them down for partisan gain is long overdue."