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Deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly has defended Stormont’s budget delay saying that setting one would lead to “brutal” and “devastating” cuts to public services in Northern Ireland’s current financial position.

SDLP MLA and leader of the Opposition at Stormont Matthew O’Toole asked if the DUP minister’s top priority was “reviving a 30-year-old parading dispute”, referring to the reignited row over Drumcree.

The powersharing executive has not agreed a budget for the current financial year, with departments operating on contingency budgets since April.

Ministers from across parties have said the available funding package is not adequate to support public services in Northern Ireland and have called on the UK Treasury to increase support.

On Monday party leaders met with Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant in a bid to break the long-running budget impasse.

Speaking in the Stormont Assembly chamber as MLAs reconvened after summer recess, Mr O’Toole said there is “fear” amongst the public that devolved institutions “simply cannot or will not deliver”.

“We are defined by dysfunction and division,” he said.

“We are nearly six months into the financial year, a budget has not been set, that is plunging our public services into chaos, but your party and others in the executive seem to think that’s fine.

“Can I ask, in the context of a lack of a budget, with half a million people waiting for their first consultant appointment, with Lough Neagh back in crisis and racist scenes on our streets that haven’t been addressed, deputy First Minister, genuinely, sincerely, do you and your party think that the biggest priority facing this place is reviving a 30-year-old parading dispute?”

Ms Little-Pengelly replied: “The reason we do not have a budget at the moment is because the budget envelope that we have is not adequate for our public services.

“The very first thing that would happen if we were to set a budget with this budget envelope is that ministers would have to go away, have a conversation with their accounting officers about what they are going to cut in-year, brutally and devastating, not just to our public services, but particularly for those people who need to use them.

“Every person using a school, every person using a hospital, every person who’s driving on our roads will see the impact of severe cuts unless we get a better budget settlement.

“That is why I have been at the forefront of pushing the UK government and the Secretary of State to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible.

“I will never apologise for putting up the strong fight for every person, no matter what their background is, across Northern Ireland, to get the best funding envelope that we can, the best budget to enable us to improve and deliver public services.”

Mr O’Toole responded saying that “in refusing to set a budget you already are pushing public services into crisis”.

“I have had public servants contact me with the real-world consequences across health, education. You yourself have acknowledged them before on the floor of this assembly of not setting a budget,” he said.

“The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in this city over the summer proved that this region, this wonderful region, that diverse as we are, does not have to be defined by division and dysfunction, but sadly, your party and others here are determined to make it so.

“Do you agree with me that if your executive cannot set a budget and agree fundamental reform of how this place works, then the public out there will simply have had enough because they will conclude the people in the executive are more than happy to take wages, take office, as long as it doesn’t include responsibility?”

The deputy first minister said it is “absolutely inexcusable” for Mr O’Toole, who also chairs the finance committee “not to understand the process”.

“If we set a budget which is short a billion pounds this year, the immediate result of that is an accounting officer could not sign off on anything further within those budgets, immediately be out there cutting, cutting, cutting in-year.

“That is not something that I am prepared to stand over to the people of Northern Ireland, the people that I am here to serve.”

She added: “I will never apologise for putting up the strong fight for every person, no matter what their background is, across Northern Ireland, to get the best funding envelope that we can, the best budget to enable us to improve and deliver public services.”