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DUP and Sinn Fein ministers fail to show for transparency debate

No Stormont Executive ministers were in attendance for the start of an Assembly debate calling for greating government transparency
No Stormont Executive ministers were in attendance for the start of an Assembly debate calling for greating government transparency No Stormont Executive ministers were in attendance for the start of an Assembly debate calling for greating government transparency

THE DUP and Sinn Féin have been criticised by the Stormont opposition after Executive ministers failed to turn up to a scheduled debate on government transparency.

None of the Executive ministers was in the Assembly chamber on Tuesday for the start of a debate pushing for greater transparency and accountability at Stormont.

The debate included a motion calling for the creation of a Standards Commissioner to investigate alleged breaches of the ministerial code, but was defeated by a combined vote from DUP and Sinn Féin MLAs, alongside Justice Minister Claire Sugden

SDLP South Belfast MLA Claire Hanna hit out at the Executive ministers for their non-attendance.

“Today the government had the chance to show that they are open to transparency, that they can handle scrutiny. They failed. Instead they circled the wagons of their own self-interest and voted down the opposition's perfectly reasonable proposals," she said.

During the debate the UUP also voiced their discontent.

North Antrim MLA Robin Swann said: "The currency of leadership is transparency, and if we use that to measure the Executive's response today, the Executive are bankrupt.

"They have failed to send a single minister to address the issue of openness and transparency, and the concerns raised by a significant number of members in the house. That is where the failure lies,"

Alliance Party South Antrim MLA David Ford said the ministers "insulted" the Assembly and the general public through their non attendance.

"During today's debate, those two parties and the Justice Minister first decided to not even grace the chamber with the presence of any of their ministers until the last two minutes of an almost two-hour debate.

"Throughout, their MLAs also openly mocked calls for more openness, which says a lot about their approach to transparency," he said.

"It showed arrogance and contempt at an attempt to get to the truth of alleged financial scandals, efforts to expose secret changes to the law and more.

"The disrespect displayed at trying to end secrecy around the majority of executive decisions shows the disdain the DUP and Sinn Féin truly hold the Assembly in," he added.