SDLP Mid-Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone this week said he is seriously concerned about the cavalier attitude of Education Minister Caitriona Ruane to her duty of accountability to the Assembly.
He said: “It is the primary role of the Assembly to hold ministers accountable for their actions and ministers must take their responsibilities to the Assembly seriously. We have a mechanism for asking direct questions to ministers with the expectati
on of a straight answer within a reasonable period of time, with an absolute maximum of ten working days.
“For priority issues we are entitled to an answer within two working days.
“I put a question down to the Minister for Education on 23rd November, and another on 26th November, and to date I have got absolutely nothing. But these were no ordinary questions because I was in fact asking the minister to account for her delays in answering both ordinary and priority questions.
“It is important for the public and indeed for voters to know how their interests are being looked after by ministers on the one hand and by the MLAs who must hold them accountable on the other. As far as I can find out in Stormont, Caitriona Ruane now holds the undisputed record for late and missing replies. This is not a matter of the content of question and answer – the answers I needed this time could have been put together in half an hour. The fundamental problem seems to be one of attitude whether in the Department or the Minister’s office.”
The full article contains 263 words and appears in Mid Ulster Mail Cookstown newspaper.
