Speaking at a business breakfast in East Belfast this morning, DUP Leader and First Minister Arlene Foster MLA said,

“The restoration of the Assembly and Executive was not only welcome but essential.

The clear message from not only our voters but all voters was that Northern Ireland could not continue to drift after three years without local decisions on everyday issues like our roads, schools and hospitals.

This vacuum could never provide businesses with the clarity, certainty and long-term stability to plan for the future.

The results of recent elections on either side of the border have demonstrated the electorate are more focused on what we call the bread and butter politics, but what to everyone else is simply real life. Those are the issues on which we must focus.

This is not to say we will be complacent in defending and promoting the overwhelming social and economic benefits of being part of the United Kingdom.

But rather that right now our priority should be working to make Northern Ireland a better place to live, work, grow up, raise a family and do business.

It is time to deliver better hospitals, schools and infrastructure through our devolved government.

That was the basis of our approach in multi-party talks prior to Christmas.

And whilst the final deal is not perfect we believe it is a fair and balanced settlement which recognises there are people who live here with a British, Irish, Northern Irish or even a new and emerging identity who want to make their home here.

I want everyone to feel at home here, regardless of their identity.  No one should feel their identity is being denigrated or threatened.

It will not be all plain sailing, mistakes will be made, but we should be ambitious and flexible about what can be achieved.

We should not lose sight of the fact that the best way of countering the case against those who wish to take us out of the United Kingdom is to create a social thriving and economically prosperous Northern Ireland where everyone everywhere has a true stake in their future.

Preparing well for the future requires forward-thinking and long-term strategy.

The path to delivering the positive and ambitious vision I have set out very briefly this morning will not always be easy.

There will undoubtedly be bumps in the road.

But there is a responsibility on all of us to work collectively in the best interests of households and families across Northern Ireland.

We all have a role to play and I look forward to getting this place we all call home moving in the right direction again."