Little-Pengelly is holding up delivery in Stormont Executive – Tennyson

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has been accused of “holding up delivery” in the Stormont Executive by Alliance Party deputy leader Eoin Tennyson.

Mr Tennyson said the DUP politician was “sitting on Executive papers for months on end” which prevented issues being agreed.

On Thursday, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly formally announced that the devolved Executive’s delayed programme for government had been agreed.

The final version of the document will be made public when it is formally presented to the Stormont Assembly this week.

During an appearance on the BBC Sunday Politics programme, Mr Tennyson was asked why the devolved powersharing Executive struggled to deliver major capital projects on time and within budget.

He said: “There is a fundamental issue, to be frank about it, the deputy First Minister sitting on Executive papers for months on end.

“Take the environment strategy as one example. It took (Alliance Environment Minister) Andrew Muir six months to get the strategy, which was largely uncontroversial, through the Executive.

“Not only do we need a change in terms of the structures at Stormont but we need a significant change of attitude from some of the parties in the Executive to make progress for the people that we represent.”

Asked if he was referring specifically to the DUP, Mr Tennyson said he was.

He added: “It isn’t exclusively the DUP, in the past we have seen Sinn Fein sitting on papers as well.

“But so far in this mandate, my analysis is that it has been the deputy First Minister largely holding up progress within the Executive by refusing to even let papers onto the agenda for discussion, never mind agreement.

“That is not good enough, it is anti-democratic and it is holding up delivery in the Executive.

“I think we need to see change of the structures so that can’t happen, but in the meantime a change in attitude from our partners in government to ensure that people are respected around that Executive table as equal partners.”

Mr Tennyson said his party did not get everything it wanted out of the programme for government (PFG).

He said: “We were disappointed that the Communities Minister (Gordon Lyons) didn’t include a commitment to social strategies, and to the LGBTQ+ and gender equality strategies for example.

“We were disappointed that poverty hasn’t featured more in that section of the PFG as well.

“No party gets everything it wants. It is not a document that we would have written.

“But it is a foundation, not the ceiling, on our ambition.

“Every minister around that Executive table is free to go further and deliver more than what is in that document.”

DUP East Belfast MLA David Brooks said the Alliance Party should spend less time “trying to lecture everyone else”.

He said: “Alliance’s definition of agreement seems to be ‘if we want it, we should get it’.

“That’s not how powersharing works, and it’s certainly not how democracy works.

“The DUP has consistently brought forward proposals to deliver for families, businesses and public services.

“If Alliance spent less time trying to lecture everyone else and more time respecting that real agreement requires compromise, the Executive might actually get more done.”