THE restoration of the Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive should herald delivery for people at the start of a new decade, according to South Down SDLP MLA Colin McGrath.
Mr McGrath was able to take his seat in the Assembly chamber for the first time in three years last Saturday, an occasion which he described as a “momentous day” for Northern Ireland and its future.
He said that with so many issues staring people in the face including Brexit, lengthy hospital waiting times, workers’ rights and wages, welfare issues and an education system in crisis, Northern Ireland needed a restored and fully functioning Assembly and Executive to deal with these mammoth issues.
The Assemblyman described his party’s decision to re-enter the Executive as an act of “trust and goodwill”.
He continued: “We all know the reasons why the last Executive failed and these have been well covered. While elements of this need to be addressed, which we wait for patiently, the SDLP team is firmly rooted in looking forward to a brighter future for all our people.
“We now have our new Minister for Infrastructure in place in our deputy leader Nichola Mallon. Like all constituencies, South Down will benefit greatly from having as hard a working, fresh thinking and energetic a Minister in place as Nichola. The Infrastructure Ministry is also essential to our shared future.”
Mr McGrath said the SDLP had always been committed to “uniting people’s hearts and minds first”, suggesting that in Ms Mallon, his party had a minister in place who was “rooted in this and will now unite and connect the physical landscape of the north and the wider island of Ireland.”
The MLA declared: “These are exciting times and I look forward to meeting all of our new ministers and addressing the needs of the people in South Down, such as the protection of local and rural healthcare centres and rural schools etc. While these times are exciting, they are also faced with very serious pragmatism.
“People have been crying out for MLAs to get back to work as fully as possible. The SDLP has been fighting for this for three years and we can finally do it. Now, however, as we enter this new decade, is the time for delivery.”