The ongoing Stormont stalemate is “totally unsustainable”, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill has said.
Following a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris at Hillsborough Castle, Ms O’Neill said engagement would continue, but stressed it had to be meaningful and lead to the restoration of the devolved powersharing institutions.
Mr Heaton-Harris is concluding a round of talks with party leaders in the latest bid to break the Stormont stalemate.
The Assembly has been in flux for more than a year amid DUP protest action over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
This vacuum isn't good enough, all it is serving is to punish the public— Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein vice president
The Windsor Framework was agreed by the EU and UK earlier this year as a way to reduce red tape on trade between GB and NI.
But the DUP has insisted it will not return to Stormont until the Government provides further legislative assurances around Northern Ireland’s place within the UK internal market.
Senior civil servants have been left running Stormont departments and face having to make substantial cuts following a budget set by Mr Heaton-Harris.
Following her meeting, Ms O’Neill said the British and Irish governments had to do more to bring Stormont back.
She said: “We have just had our meeting with the Secretary of State and we have made it very clear to him that the current position is totally unsustainable, this vacuum isn’t good enough, all it is serving is to punish the public.”
Ms O’Neill added: “Whilst people within the DUP take themselves off on summer holidays, workers and families are left struggling and worrying about how they are going to deal with the cost-of-living issues.
“We have impressed upon the Secretary of State that both himself, the British Government and the Irish Government must do more; this position just isn’t tenable.
“We need to see action, the public rightly expect that everybody will work together.”
“We have heard from the Secretary of State that they intend to be engaged over the summer, but there is a difference between engagement, and engagement which is actually meaningful and leads to a restoration of the executive.”
Mr Heaton-Harris met earlier this week with the DUP, Alliance Party and the SDLP in London.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said after his meeting on Wednesday the “ball is in the Government’s court” with regards to action which would see the restoration of the Stormont powersharing arrangements.
Sir Jeffrey said there had so far been a “lack of meaningful action” from Westminster in addressing his concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Mr Heaton-Harris has been pressing the parties on their plans for a costed programme for government for any incoming executive.
