The South Belfast MLA stated: “During the pandemic there was clear abuse of so-called ‘cross-community voting’ – in reality, vetoes along the lines of sectarian designation – which both blocked important public health measures and led to a loss of confidence in the Executive’s response. This has been reinforced by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in both modules to which the Executive Office has responded so far, yet the First and deputy First Minister still refuse to confront this evident reality.
“It obvious from the Inquiry and from what went on particular in November 2020 that the solution to ensure a more effective response to future public emergencies and to end Executive dysfunction in general is fundamental reform of the institutions, both to prevent collapse and to enable effective decision-making.
“The fact, laid bare by the Inquiry, is that without institutional reform we are unlikely to see a truly effective response to a future emergency. There should be no issue of reviewing how decisions are taken in the event of collapse; the task is to prevent collapse in the first place. We also need to end the nonsense of allowing sectarian vetoes to block effective decision-making in the public interest.
“Today’s response from the Executive Office again fails to address this obvious and significant issue. The First and deputy First Minister need to get much more serious about their response to the Inquiry and specifically to ensuring the recommendations contained within it are actually carried out. This is far too serious an issue to do otherwise.”