Sinn Féin MLA and communities minister Deirdre Hargey has tonight asked for legal advice on a judicial review against ministers who refuse to attend North South Ministerial meetings.

Deirdre Hargey was acting following the failure of a DUP minister to attend a north south ministerial meeting on languages today, the second time a minister has failed to attend the meetings.

Deirdre Hargey said:   

“North south ministerial meetings are an integral part of the political institutions of the Good Friday Agreement alongside the Executive and the Assembly. They need to be functioning properly with ministers from all parties attending.

“Today was the second occasion that a minister failed to attend a meeting on languages with Dublin ministers and preventing the meeting from going ahead. 

“As well as being disrespectful to the Irish language community it is totally unacceptable for government business to be impeded in this way by a DUP boycott of one of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.

“This arrogant disrespect cannot be allowed to continue.

“This action may be in breach of the ministerial code and tonight I have asked the Department for Communities for legal advice on bringing this matter to the courts in a judicial review.”