Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“This afternoon’s announcement by the Sinn Fein Speaker on behalf of the Assembly Commission of events to mark the creation of Northern Ireland is a slight on what should be a significant date for everyone. To include a meeting of the North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association in the programme of events is hard to see as anything other than a calculated insult.
“This anniversary should have been marked by events which capture the imagination of the public. That is sadly not the case with the uninspired programme announced today.
“Coming off the back of a budget announced by the Executive which doesn’t contain a penny to mark the centenary Unionists will be left wondering what Stormont delivers for them.
“Can anyone think of another country in the world which would not see a significant celebration at its parliament or assembly to mark the centenary of the state’s birth?”