SDLP Environment Minister Mark H Durkan has blasted the DUP and Sinn Fein for hijacking the Planning Bill in what he called their relentless pursuit of power.

The Foyle MLA was speaking at the annual party conference at the weekend in Armagh where he told members the SDLP must use their one seat at the Executive table "to project a voice for the people who put us there".

Mr Durkan said: "The SDLP voice is a voice of reason, a voice of morality, a voice of fairness and a voice of vision.

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"A voice that says 'no' to the DUP and Sinn Fein's attempts to hijack the Planning Bill. In OFMDFM's relentless pursuit of power they took a piece of legislation and distorted it. How could anyone expect OFMDFM to deliver anything? Where is the Childcare Strategy? Where is the Social Investment Fund?

"OFMDFM are a paragon of dysfunction. We must get the message out to people that voting SDLP works because the SDLP works for people."

The Foyle assemblyman paid tribute to his predecessor and the party's Europe candidate Alex Attwood for his "outstanding" work as Environment Minister, describing the West Belfast MLA as "tactically astute and technically brilliant".

(CD/JP)