We asked our readers to name one thing the Assembly could do to make a big difference to their lives and we were literally inundated with replies.
While some people expressed an opinion that life wouldn’t get any better as a result of Stormont getting up and running again, plenty of others said they wanted MLAs to put party politics behind them and just get on with the job in hand to make improvements for everyone.
Here’s a snapshot of what the public across Northern Ireland have on their Stormont ‘wishlist’.
1. Back to work
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have vowed to work together as the Northern Ireland Assembly is restored two years after it collapsed. We asked the Northern Ireland public what they want most from Stormont. Photo: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye
2. Hospital services
Not surprisingly, many of our readers feel improved NHS hospital services should be top of the agenda at Stormont, in particular reducing the length of time waiting to see a consultant. One person urged: "Sort the NHS crisis. So many are living in fear of becoming ill or have had terrible experiences of long waiting times and operations being postponed." Another said: "Bring the waiting lists down at the hospitals so people are seen quicker without having to suffer. Having to wait 4-5 years to see a specialist is just ridiculous." The length of time patients have to wait at hospital Emergency Departments is also a major cause for concern. "People are blocking A&E departments through no fault of their own. If their own doctors won't see them they have no alternative but to go to a hospital," said one reader. Photo: unsplash
3. Support for children with special educational needs
Many of our readers are voicing the difficulties and frustrations facing families across Northern Ireland with children with special educational needs. One urged the Assembly to "acknowledge and resolve the lack of nursery and primary school places and qualified staff regarding children with complex learning difficulties. Thousands of non verbal and developmentally delayed children at critical learning age are currently sitting in limbo with many of these children being placed and expected to cope in mainstream schools and as parents our hands our tied." Another added: "Give more support to our kids with SEN needs and stop fighting against us that know the kids best. Yes we understand the waiting list but try and make them shorter across the board." Another person voiced: "Give more help to working families especially those paying for daycare. People can barely afford to go to work with the price of it therefore choose to stay at home and nearly better off for it." Photo: unsplash
4. GP services
The difficulty faced by people in Northern Ireland in getting a GP appointment is another issue many of our readers feel strongly about. "Doctors need to be treating patients face to face .. giving out appointments," urged one person, while another added: "Sort out the health service so people can get an appointment occasionally." Many voiced their opinion that a lack of GP appointments is having a knock-on effect on overstretched hospital Emergency Departments. "Get the GPs back to seeing patients, might ease the pressure on the A&E departments," one reader said. Photo: unsplash