SDLP Opposition leader calls out Executive parties for passing motions with no legal effect

The SDLP’s Matthew O’Toole said a retrospective bill brought to authorise Northern Ireland’s spending plans did have legal effect – unlike the dozen motions brought by MLAs since the restoration of devolution.

In the chamber on Tuesday, the South Belfast MLA said the Assembly had pledged support for – amongst other things – a childcare strategy, support with the cost of school uniforms, a strategy on violence against women and girls, capital investment in the fishing industry, a rescue plan for Lough Neagh and yesterday a strategic framework for a shared future.

He said they were “all motions supported by Executive parties, and the list could go on and on.

“What we’re debating today is somewhat surreal but it still has some kind of legal effect, which is unlike any of those motions which we’ve debated over the past two and a bit months”

“Members of the public who have been crying out for political institutions to work and deliver for them, who have seen video after video of executive ministers – indeed including the first minister – make videos about motions that are being passed here, would be forgiven for thinking that those…. motions that were being debated had some kind of legal effect.

“That they were going to create some new obligation on public bodies. Or going to commit a penny of spending towards those issues. They don’t.”

In a social media post about an Assembly motion on violence against women and girls in February, the First Minister Michelle O’Neill said “I welcome all parties agreeing to our motion today that ending violence against women and girls is a priority for this Assembly, and I will work with everyone to transform our society for the better”.

The Sinn Fein Assembly motion called for “the Executive Office to urgently implement, in full, the Strategic Framework to End Violence against Women and Girls to transform how society understands and responds to violence against women and girls”.

The executive directed the Executive Office (TEO) to create a “whole of government, whole of society approach” to ending violence against women and girls in 2021, in response to the widespread revulsion at the murder of Sarah Everard in London at the hands of a serving police officer.

TEO – run jointly by Ms O’Neill and the DUP’s Emma Little Pengelly – has yet to finalise and implement the strategy.

However, speaking on her party’s motion in the Assembly after devolution was restored, Ms O’Neill said “we must take action now to stop this violence” – and asked everyone to play their part. “Lets get to work. Lets not waste any more time. Lets make this happen. Lets break the silence”, she said.

A flurry of motions hit the Assembly floor – often with the support of Executive parties who could bring forward legislation or allocate budgets to the issues. It seems unlikely that all of the calls made by the governing parties will have the necessary funding allocated by the same parties to fulfil the aims they set out.

Motions in the Assembly from government parties include a DUP motion on Miscarriage Leave and Pay, calling for “regulations to provide a statutory entitlement to miscarriage leave and pay”.

A Universal Basic Income motion from Alliance called on the communities minister “to scope the actions required to introduce a trial of universal basic income, including funding from Westminster and other external sources to help finance the trial”.

However, some require little in the way of funding – such as an Alliance Enhancing Tree Protection motion, noting “the significance of trees as vital infrastructure”.

Matthew O’Toole also said that Stormont hadn’t got down to delivery yet – and criticised the failure to have an agreed budget. He said that “First Minister Michelle O'Neill said there should not be a hurry to get a programme agreed. Sinn Féin and other Executive parties have been having meetings on priorities for more than two years. The people of Northern Ireland deserve better.”