ASSEMBLY MEMBERS from five parties attended a seminar at Stormont yesterday which is assessing the performance of the restored Stormont.
The seminar, organised by the Irish Association, which draws interest from throughout Ireland and beyond, asked the parties to examine critically the size of the current Assembly, the number of government departments and the prospects for 2009.
Anna Lo (Alliance) said there were too many elected representatives in comparison with other devolved regions of the UK, and there was a lack of joined-up government among Stormont's 11 departments.
Sinn Féin's Francie Molloy, in common with other speakers, said the existence of 108 Assembly members - six per constituency - was designed to ensure minority participation.
Addressing criticism of the scale of the Assembly, he said there was a public demand during the conflict for a parliament and an executive as a democratic alternative to violence.
Ulster Unionist Danny Kennedy said democracy was "not a business" and its benefits could not be measured on a profit-and-loss account. He defended the six-seat constituencies. "It mattered in 1998 [when the agreement was signed] and it still matters now."
Alban Maginness, a European Parliament candidate for the SDLP, said 2008 was "not a great year" for Stormont. Yet compared to the past 30 years, it was a leap forward, and he commended Sinn Féin and the DUP for agreeing to share power.