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Good morning John

Yesterday I met with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce to discuss the pressures facing businesses across our economy and the changes needed to unlock investment, growth and better jobs.

The message from employers was clear. Northern Ireland has huge potential, but too often that potential is being held back by planning delays, underinvestment and systems that simply do not work quickly enough.

Businesses are frustrated by wastewater constraints blocking development and major infrastructure projects remaining stuck in limbo year after year. Thousands of new homes and investment opportunities are effectively being held back because some within Government have failed to keep pace with the needs of a growing economy.

Northern Ireland cannot tax or regulate its way to prosperity. We need an economy built on investment, competitiveness and delivery - with faster planning decisions, modern infrastructure and Government focused on removing barriers to trade and growth, rather than creating new ones.

But underpinning all of this is a wider reality which cannot be ignored: Northern Ireland is being asked to deliver first-class public services with second-class funding.

Across Northern Ireland, people are feeling the strain. The patient waiting longer than they should. The family watching local services slowly disappear. The commuter travelling on roads that deteriorate year after year. People are paying more but too often feeling they are getting less in return.

The clearest example is in education. Education Minister Paul Givan faces a funding shortfall running into hundreds of millions of pounds. Without additional support, officials have warned that the equivalent of more than six thousand teaching posts could be lost.

That would mean larger class sizes, reduced support for children with additional needs and growing pressure on already overstretched schools. No parent should accept that as normal.

The DUP has been making this case directly to Government. I met the Prime Minister and made it clear that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and must be funded fairly as part of it. A strong Union must mean a fair Union.

This week we again pressed the Chancellor for a better financial settlement and for borrowing powers that would allow Northern Ireland to build more homes, improve infrastructure and support economic growth.

At the same time, Government must get its own house in order. Around £350 million is lost every year through fraud and error, while inefficiency and unacceptable absenteeism continue within parts of the civil service.

A recent Audit Office report highlighted rising sickness absence costs, growing reliance on temporary staff and poor workforce planning within the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Taxpayers are entitled to expect better value for the money they already provide.

This week we also heard concerns regarding proposed cuts to public transport services, particularly in rural areas and during evenings. There is little point in the Infrastructure Minister freezing fares if passengers end up with fewer services, unreliable timetables or routes quietly withdrawn.

Working families and businesses across Northern Ireland are already under enough pressure. They do not need new charges or stealth taxes from Stormont on top of continued Treasury underfunding.

Talent, hard work and potential - Northern Ireland has them in abundance. What has been missing for too long is government willing to match that ambition with proper investment.

Our people have shown time and again what they are capable of when given the opportunity. They deserve a government - at Stormont and at Westminster - that matches their determination. The DUP will keep making that case until they get the fair deal they are owed.

Yours sincerely,
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Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP

DUP Leader

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