Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has called for an end to the lack of decision making at the heart of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Mr Nesbitt said:

“Today`s six month review of the Stormont House Agreement was thoroughly depressing. There is no sign of any momentum in the implementation process. The main parties are taking dogmatic and irreconcilable positions, and as a result, everyone suffers.

“This lack of decision making is causing untold damage, not only to the vulnerable, but everyone.

“It affects the many thousands who want off benefits and into work and like us, saw the devolution of the power to set our own rate of Corporation Tax as the key. It is clear the opportunity to lower Corporation Tax in 2017 is now gone, and everyone will have to wait at least another year.

“It affects the many thousands who have expressed the desire to avail of the Voluntary Exit Scheme and leave the public sector. That scheme is at risk and with it, so are the budgets of our government departments, which were based on a set of assumptions that included lower pay rolls.

“It affects all those victims and survivors who thought we had finally agreed a set of mechanisms for dealing with our troubled past. We have disappointed this group so often, it is hard to imagine we are in danger of yet again reneging on our promises.

“The DUP can refuse to move position until welfare reform is sorted and Sinn Féin can flip-flop on their previous commitments, but all they achieve is to bring devolution further into disrepute, locally, nationally and internationally, where it is clear potential Foreign Direct Investors do not see signs of the stable, functional government they consider a key pre-condition to setting up business here.

“OFMdFM is meant to be our equivalent of 10 Downing Street. No Prime Minister would be allowed to get away with the amount of flip-flopping, indecision and posturing we are seeing from the heart of our own Executive.”