Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Anger as DUP ‘obstructing’ all island plans
North-south meeting ditched
THE DUP has been accused of “obstructing” north-south institutions.
Sinn Fein and the SDLP say it failed to nominate a unionist minister to attend two North South Ministerial Council meetings recently which prevented them from going ahead.
One accompanying minister from the opposing political view must attend NSMC meetings to allow them to proceed.
Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said an NSMC transport meeting could not go ahead as no unionist had been nominated.
Sinn Fein Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said an NSMC languages meeting was cancelled on March 31 for the same reason.
She wrote to the Executive earlier this week to express her disappointment at the situation.
Ministers discussed the matter under the any other business section of Thursday’s Executive meeting.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill has asked the head of the civil service to ascertain if all ministers are continuing to participate in northsouth ministerial structures. The next scheduled NSMC sectoral meeting is set to take place on April 28 and will concern agriculture.
Ms Hargey said: “I raised the failure of a DUP minister to attend the languages meeting at yesterday’s Executive meeting. I made it clear this was unacceptable.
“Properly functioning northsouth structures are critical to the successful operation of the Good Friday Agreement framework.
“Unionist ministers do not get to cherry-pick which meetings or structures they want to participate in, it’s an obligation and must be fulfilled.”
Ms Mallon accused
First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster of having “failed to fulfil her ministerial requirement” by not nominating a unionist minister to attend the latest meeting on Friday. She said: “Today the DUP have once again blocked the proceeding of an important north-south ministerial meeting,” she said.
“Irish Government Minister Eamon Ryan and I were waiting to join our meeting, which was blocked from proceeding because no accompanying unionist minister would make themselves available.”
In February, the DUP warned north-south relationships will be “impacted” by their opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol governing post-brexit arrangements.
The party also pledged to oppose all protocol-related measures in the Assembly.