Lord Empey has called on the Secretary of State to review how the Northern Ireland institutions have been corrupted since 1998.

Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey said:

“I listened in despair to the statement from James Brokenshire earlier today. Nowhere was mention made of the real victims of the shambles at Stormont - ie those hundreds of thousands on waiting lists and especially over 64,000 people waiting for over a year for an appointment with a consultant.  There was no mention of schools under financial strain and the voluntary sector which is living from hand to mouth.

“The Secretary of State suggests that the talks can continue, but why adopt a policy that has failed and failed again? There have been no all-party talks involving all those who are entitled to a place in the Executive, since June.  This is one of the reasons why the community is being held to ransom as these talks have been conducted in secret and on an agenda that is miles away from the needs of ordinary people.

“It is clear that Sinn Fein, who never asked for an Irish Language Act during the talks leading up to the Agreement, have a totally different agenda to the rest of the parties.  It is also true that the last Administration was the most incompetent Northern Ireland has endured since 1921. The fact is that neither the DUP or Sinn Fein are temperamentally equipped to deal with shared government - it is all about domination not partnership.

“James Brokenshire would do well to review how the Institutions have been corrupted since 1998 and may discover that going back to the original Agreement - which received overwhelming public support in a referendum - and starting again is one possible way forward.”