The Executive at Stormont is “refusing to govern” and “ducking its responsibilities”, by failing to act on welfare reform, according to NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Mark Brotherston.
“If you wanted a perfect example of the Executive refusing to get on with the most fundamental tasks of government, this is it”, Mark explained. “There is a very simple choice. Ministers can either implement welfare reform, like the rest of the United Kingdom - with some special provisions for our unique circumstances - or they can go their own way and pay to maintain the old system, using money that would otherwise be spent on schools, hospitals and other public services.”
“It’s time for the Executive to finally step up, take responsibility and make the decisions they’re paid to make. NI Conservatives believe that welfare reform is necessary, to guarantee fairness for taxpayers, to make sure that work pays and to ensure that benefits are targeted at the people who need them most. If the parties at Stormont disagree, they should at least be up front and honest. Devolution allows Northern Ireland to go its own way, but the business of government is about stepping up and taking these decisions.”
“The Assembly has been up and running for far too long to keep ducking its responsibilities every time it encounters a difficult issue. The people of Northern Ireland deserve so much better than parties which pretend to govern, yet fail to make the basic decisions of government. The Executive owes everyone a clear answer to this simple question: will it reform welfare for the good of taxpayers and benefits claimants, or does it intend to maintain the current system and take £200 million per year from other services? ”