Our wee country has a proud history of sporting success. From George Best lifting the European Cup in 1968 to McIlroy, Clarke, and McDowell’s hat-trick of Open wins; from ‘Hurricane’ Higgins’ swagger, Willie John McBride’s grit, and Jonathan Rea’s speed, to Carl Frampton’s power—these are just a few of our greats.
On Thursday night, I had the pleasure of joining our Olympic ‘Golden Girl,’ Lady Mary Peters, to celebrate the success of Northern Ireland’s Olympians and Paralympians.
The event, hosted by our DUP Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, was a spectacular occasion at a ‘sold out’ SSE Arena. Local heroes from Team GB and Team Ireland came together to celebrate, in a way that captured all that is good about Northern Ireland. It was wonderful to see hundreds, if not thousands, of young people in attendance. I’ve no doubt many left inspired, dreaming of becoming Northern Ireland’s future Olympians or Paralympians.
Gordon Lyons was able to demonstrate our plan to build on the success by announcing £100k will be divided between sports clubs nominated by the Olympic medallists.
Before attending the event at the SSE Arena, I listened to the PSNI Chief Constable refute Sinn Fein’s claim that informing the British Heart Foundation about the child sex abuse allegations against their former Press Officer, Michael McMonagle, would have prejudiced the PSNI investigation.
Let me be clear: there are few greater responsibilities than the safeguarding of children and vulnerable people. The public must have confidence that those in public office handle such matters with the utmost seriousness and integrity. This issue is far too serious for half-truths —or indeed silence—from Sinn Fein. It is long overdue for the Sinn Fein leadership to show transparency and honesty. I urge Michelle O’Neill to reflect on how she can best address the growing public concern surrounding Sinn Fein’s handling of this scandal.
Looking ahead to next week, I will return to Parliament with our DUP Westminster team as Conference season has come to a close. We are already engaging with the Government and Treasury ahead of this month’s Budget. We have key requests to support households and businesses in Northern Ireland and to strengthen our public finances to help reform and improve local public services. On that note, Professor Bengoa will return to Northern Ireland this week to outline his vision for reforming our health service.
Our health service is in desperate need of reform to address the waiting list crisis and deliver better health outcomes for our people. We will listen closely to Professor Bengoa, and we urge the Health Minister to present a detailed plan for delivering the necessary reforms. It is time for action. It is time to deliver change.
Have a great weekend,
