Member's statement: Executive Delivery

Member's statement by Mr Daniel McCrossan on 3 February 2026.

MLA

Mr Daniel McCrossan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

3 February 2026

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Executive Delivery

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5362307

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Today marks two years since the return of the Assembly and the Executive to power-sharing. It has been two years since the institutions were restored after being collapsed not because of crisis or necessity but because of political self-interest. People were told that stability would bring delivery, that restoring the Executive would mean progress and that ordinary families would finally see positive change. Two years on, that promise has not been kept. Across our communities, people are struggling, and the Executive have failed to deliver for them on their basic needs. Let us be clear about what failure from the Executive looks like. Waiting lists remain among the worst anywhere in these islands. People wait years for appointments for surgery and even basic assessments. Lives are put on hold while the Executive dither. Social care is stretched to breaking point. Carers are exhausted, families are left without support and skilled staff are walking away from a system in crisis. Housing is a scandal. Families are trapped in temporary accommodation and young people cannot afford to pay rent. Homelessness levels continue to rise because the Executive have failed to act. Childcare is still unaffordable and inaccessible, locking parents, especially women, out of work and opportunities. The cost of living continues to hammer households. Energy bills, food prices and everyday costs rise while wages and support lag behind. Schools are being pushed to the brink. Principals are cutting essential services, special educational needs provision is failing children, and classroom assistants are undervalued and ignored. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Roads, water systems and public transport are neglected because long-term planning has been replaced with short-term fixes. Economic ambition is lacking. Small businesses are closing, regional investment is stalling, and there is no coherent plan to grow our economy or create good, well-paid jobs. Public-sector workers remain underpaid and demoralised. Pay disputes are dragging on, morale has collapsed across our public services, and people are losing patience. Trust in politics has been completely eroded. People see delay, dysfunction and drift, and they are losing all faith. When delivery fails, what do we get instead? This Executive, particularly the two senior parties, retreat into rows, rehearsed outrage and party point-scoring, picking fights with one another to distract from the fact that they are not fixing a single problem that ordinary people face. Those are real consequences for real people, felt every day in hospital waiting rooms and overcrowded homes, in struggling classrooms and in household budgets stretched to breaking point. Two years on, the Executive can no longer hide behind excuses, past collapses or institutional fragility: it is not good enough. People did not wait years for power-sharing to return just to get stagnation, distraction and division. They want delivery; they want leadership; and they want the Government here to work. Until that happens, the Executive deserve to be called out loudly, clearly and without apology.

481 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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