DUP News Update - 30th August

Forward

DUP News Update - 30th August 2019

Forward

Time to deliver - the public are sick of process arguments

Writing in the Belfast Telegraph, Party Leader Arlene Foster MLA said that those shouting the loudest about Prime Minister are missing the mood of the public. Men and women trying to get on with lives are tired of the process arguments.

She said, "The Prime Minister’s decision to prorogue Parliament for an extra four days is, democratic and entirely sensible. Afterall, the current Parliamentary session has extended over three calendar years and now holds the record as the longest session since the English Civil War.

A new Session will be opened by a Queen’s Speech and will enable us to review our Confidence and Supply Agreement and ensure Northern Ireland’s priorities align with the Prime Minister’s. We want to see a better legislative programme which can help improve our schools, hospitals and ours roads as well as making our streets safer."

Continuing, she said, "In the summer of 2017 you elected ten DUP MPs to speak up and deliver for Northern Ireland. Those votes enabled us to form a Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Conservative Party and secure one billion pounds more for our schools, roads and hospitals.

We are using our position in Westminster to deliver a better deal for Northern Ireland. No other party in Northern Ireland has delivered a single extra brass penny for your local school or hospital.

Money alone will not solve our problems though. We need a local government with Ministers. Ironically Sinn Fein, the party most outraged by a four day proroguing, is the same party that doesn’t take its seats in Westminster and which is blocking the Assembly being restored for the last two and a half years.

Rather than faux outrage about a new Parliamentary session in Westminster, its time for those blocking the return of Stormont to lift their boycott and get Ministers appointed.

The faux outrage wasn’t just confined to Sinn Fein. Others cried “constitutional outrage” or claimed that it “undermined democracy”. Yet those hypocrites had no such qualms last January when the Speaker set aside all Parliamentary precedent, apparently even against the advice even of the Commons Clerk.

When some local representatives today are gravely warning that Parliament must not be ignored they carefully ignore the fact they have spent a great deal of time and effort campaigning to do precisely that. On each of the three “meaningful votes”, Parliament rejected Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement and the backstop contained within it. After each one of those clear and overwhelming Parliamentary defeats we heard no such warnings that Parliament’s view must be heeded."

Read the full article here

£500million extra for NI schools

Following the Prime Minister's announcement today DUP Leader Rt. Hon. Arlene Foster said,

“I have already spoken with the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson who has confirmed that there will be a Barnett consequential for Northern Ireland of £500m. This is a much needed boost for education resource funding over the three years starting from 2020/21.

This will be on top of the additional funding which has already been delivered for education through our Confidence and Supply Agreement.

I also welcome the priority that is being placed on special educational needs. I have asked to meet the permanent secretary in the Department of Education to press for special needs to be prioritised in Northern Ireland too.

Money alone will not fix education in Northern Ireland. It is deeply frustrating that there is no Northern Ireland Assembly with a local Minister to set the priorities and change approaches. Sinn Fein continues to place their preconditions above getting on with the job. It’s time for them to lift the boycott.

Whilst some focus on refighting process arguments, this is delivery on matters of importance. We will continue to work with the Government to deliver more funding for schools and hospitals as well as ensure our police is properly resourced to tackle crime.”

PSNI investigation alone will not fix broken system in Muckamore

DUP East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson is seeking a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary of State Julian Smith to repeat his call for a public inquiry in to the Muckamore care home.

Mr Robinson said,

“In February 2019, I challenged the former Secretary of State to establish a public inquiry in Muckamore. With Julian Smith only in his role a matter of days, I have requested a meeting with him to explain why I made that call five months ago.

In August 2017, I was first approached by a whistle-blower. Since then I have been deeply saddened as other stories of abuse have been brought to my attention. But I have also been horrified by the official handling of this sorry catalogue of abuse. Candour has been severely lacking.

The focus today is on the 1500 offences which the police have established from just one ward. I fully support the criminal work being taken forward by the police but I also want the systemic failures of the Belfast Trust to be fully investigated. Every element of this horror story must be reviewed. Every system. Every decision. We must ensure that the flawed systems which allowed this abuse to continue are changed.

The police investigation will hold people accountable for their criminal actions but it will not make recommendations to fix the system. The criminal investigation alone will not safeguard vulnerable people in the future.

There must be a full open public inquiry so that abuses like this can be guarded against ever happening again.”

Support for review of Londonderry policing decisions

DUP Policing Board members met with the Chief Constable this week to discuss issues including recent republican paramiltiary displays and events in Londonderry during the annual Apprentice Boys parade.

Speaking after the meeting East Belfast MLA Joanne Bunting said, “Over recent months there have been a number of republican paramilitary displays. Such scenes should never be part of any community and everyone must be clear that glorification of any terrorism is wrong. The police have a vital part to play in bringing those responsible to justice and we will continue to speak to the Chief Constable about these efforts.

The tactics used to gather evidence and how these compare to other incidents are important. Whilst there will always be operational issues to consider, it is important that the public can see consistency in how the police operate right across all parts of Northern Ireland."

Foyle MLA Gary Middleton continued “The questions which arose following events in Londonderry on 10th August were primarily about the policing decisions taken. Evidence has emerged since the day in relation to the policing operation and we believe there should be an independent review of the events of that day and how they were handled both by officers on the ground and the senior command structure.

It is vital that the rationale for policing operations can be seen to be justifiable and the entire community can fully support the actions taken. An independent review of the entire policing operation in Londonderry that day can help in that process.”

Victims should not be ignored by Commissioner

Commenting on the reappointment of Judith Thompson as Victims Commissioner for 12 months, South Belfast MP Emma Little Pengelly said,

“Last month I wrote to the Victims Commissioner explaining the loss of confidence she has suffered amongst victims and urging her to change course. That such a large swathe of those the Commissioner is tasked to represent do not have confidence in her makes it impossible for Judith Thompson to carry out the role fully. This is something she should reflect on.

This is about ensuring victims are heard. It is a scandal that so many victims feel ignored by the very office which was created to be their voice.

The Secretary of State must also explain his decision to the people who matter most - the innocent victims. Most victims will feel let down by the decision. Mr Smith should now outline what engagement he had with innocent victims before making this appointment.

The DUP will continue to stand with innocent victims to ensure their voice is heard. We are seeking a new UK-wide definition of a victim which would exclude terrorists injured by their actions. That is the core of the problem we face and as the Victims Commissioner is a creature of statute, a key way to help transform how Commissioner acts is to change the law under which the post operates.”

Dates for your Diary

Annual Party Conference - 25th & 26th October - Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shaws Bridge Belfast.
Autumn Policy Development Forum - A Vision for Unionism - Saturday 7th September, 9.30am at Corr's Corner Hotel, Newtownabbey

For more information or to express interest in events where not otherwise indicated, please email [email protected]

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