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The press release issued by the DUP on 1 November 2022.

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has said the decision by Firmus Energy to remove their minimum consumption charge for customers is a welcome step for hard pressed households faced with the pressures associated with energy costs. She had been lobbying Firmus on this issue following a large number of consumers getting in touch concerning this charge.

Carla Lockhart said:

“Everyone is aware of the pressures on household budgets as a consequence of record energy prices.

As we now enter into a colder period of weather, many families will be making the difficult decision of balancing the need for heat with the extortionate cost of heat. I have no doubt that in many homes across Northern Ireland, reduction in the amount of energy consumed will be the norm this winter as people try to make ends meet.

In light of this focus on efficiency it is important that energy companies do not impose unfair charges on the basis of minimum usage. I am delighted that after engagement with Firmus Energy, they have decided to remove their minimum consumption charge. This will save households £71.99 plus VAT.

I commend Firmus Energy for taking this step. It will make a difference to some households and is a welcome and timely boost. We now need to be continuing to work to see the price of gas fall, whilst also ensuring Government energy support packages are fit for purpose and remain for as long as they are necessary.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 31 October 2022.

Democratic Unionist MLA Keith Buchanan has called on all those who represent the Mid Ulster Constituency to take a strong stand against the kind of sectarian hatred which led to the arson attack on Ballynougher Orange Hall.

The Mid Ulster MLA said, “The individual or individuals responsible for this crime are those who forced their way into the hall and deliberately set out to destroy it. It was a sectarian hate-crime perpetrated against their neighbours and they deserve to face the full weight of the law for it.

Such intolerance however can be fed by an atmosphere of hostility and there needs to be strong leadership to counter it. When there is a failure to take a clear stand against sectarian chants that glorify the IRA it fuels a toxic atmosphere. When there are calls to exclude unionism from political decision-making or to impose joint authority on Northern Ireland it only serves to increase the political temperature. When some in positions of leadership claim there was no alternative to violence and intimidation in the past then it is no surprise that others see that as a ‘green light’ to emulate those tactics today.

I would call on all those who represent the Mid Ulster Constituency to take a clear public stand against this attack on Ballynougher Orange Hall and on the kind of sectarianism we have seen all too often in recent months. The weekend’s attack is not the first Orange Hall to be damaged in recent weeks and many will feel that it is not a coincidence that such attacks increase when there has been an absence of leadership within republicanism.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 30 October 2022.

DUP Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan and DUP Councillor Anne Forde have called for political leadership from all parties in Mid Ulster after Ballynougher Orange Hall, outside Magherafelt, was seriously damaged by fire.

Mr Buchanan said,

“I visited the hall this evening as fire crews were battling to bring the blaze under control. One of the metal window-guards had been removed when the fire was discovered. The fire has seriously damaged the hall with the roof collapsed.

The police are investigating the circumstances. I call on anyone with information to contact the police in Magherafelt.

I also call on all political leaders to condemn those who continue to attack Orange Halls. It speaks volumes that this hall had to have metal sheets across all its windows and doors in the first place. There is no place for such hatred in society. The men and women of that lodge have every right to exist in Mid Ulster and live peaceably.”

Cllr Anne Forde said,

“This lodge is well rooted in the community and has been here for over 100 years. The folks in the lodge just want to be respected and be able to celebrate their Orange culture. Those who are so intolerant as to want the hall destroyed need removed from our streets. This is not an attack on bricks and mortar, it is an attack on the people who use that facility.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 30 October 2022.

DUP Director of Elections and East Antrim MLA Gordon Lyons has said Sinn Fein is more focused on convincing us the IRA had ‘no alternative’ than they are on recognising the damage the Protocol will do to Northern Ireland.

Gordon Lyons said,

“Michelle O’Neill couldn’t care less about the view of unionists. She is playing dog whistle politics, but the facts speak for themselves. Sir Jeffrey made a speech on 1 July 2021 and another one on 9 September 2021 setting out how the Protocol was incompatible with devolution and the actions we were going to take. We then withdrew our First Minister several months before the Assembly election even took place. Our actions have nothing to do with the election result.

We all know Sinn Fein don’t want Northern Ireland to work but for those of us who do want Northern Ireland to prosper the Government should focus its energy on ensuring the Protocol is dealt with and Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. internal market is restored.

Progress is only made in Northern Ireland with the support of unionists and nationalists. Not a single unionist MLA supports the Protocol. Sinn Fein doesn’t care about the view of unionists and still want the Protocol “rigorously implemented”. Indeed, Michelle O’Neill seems to care more about justifying the IRA than the fact our main hauliers say the Protocol would empty our shelves within 48hrs.

Sinn Fein should start listening to unionists because until the Protocol is replaced there will not be a sound and solid basis to see a return of devolved government.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 28 October 2022.

DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP has called on the Government to focus on resolving the problem rather than dithering over an election.

Sir Jeffrey said:

“The Government and the NIO talked up an election and now no one knows what is happening. Parliament is sovereign and can of course legislate to keep Ministers if it so wishes.

It is now clear the Secretary of State’s boss, the Prime Minister, has not yet decided how to proceed.

The Government should focus its time and energy on ensuring the Protocol problem is dealt with and Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. internal market is restored.

We are ready to fight an immediate election if one is called. An election will not solve the problem which is that until the Protocol is replaced there will not be a sound and solid basis to see a return of devolved government.

So our message to the Government continues to be that they need to get the Protocol replaced and then we will have the basis for establishing a devolved government that Unionists and Nationalists can support.

The Government has undermined its own credibility in recent weeks, instead of focusing on the underlying problem.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 28 October 2022.

A DUP statement has emphasised that violence should have no place or influence in a democracy.

A DUP spokesman said,

“Progress is only made in Northern Ireland when unionists and nationalists are agreed. Northern Ireland always succeeds when we build on foundations and arrangements that are supported by both Unionists and Nationalists.

Politics and democratic processes are the only way that we will succeed in overcoming the challenges of the Protocol.

Violence and/or the threat of it is never acceptable and the DUP always advocates the democratic route as opposed to arguing that there was “no alternative” to violence as some have recently said. We have consistently condemned violence.”