Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the DUP on 15 November 2022.

The DUP’s East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson has said that no-one should use energy payments to Northern Ireland households as political leverage.

He was commenting after calling for the Government to deliver the £400 payments to Northern Ireland customers before Christmas. He made the call at Treasury Questions in the House of Commons today.

Speaking afterwards the DUP MP said,

“There have been repeated claims, including this morning on Radio 4, that the £400 energy payments to Northern Ireland will be delayed because the NI Assembly and Executive are not fully functioning. These claims however are not substantiated with detail as to why the Government’s commitment that payments will be made before Christmas cannot be met.

I know that Ministers in Whitehall have worked with the Economy Minister to process the scheme and issues relating to some energy companies have been ironed out. The money is also there and indeed the Government has taken out advertisements here in Northern Ireland trumpeting the delivery of this very help.

It is welcome that the Chancellor repeated the previous Government commitment that people in all parts of the United Kingdom would have these payments to help before the Christmas period. It is also right that he investigates whether any Minister or civil servant has been deliberately holding up these payments to use them as political leverage. Such an act would be an abuse of power.

No-one should use fuel poverty as a political pawn. The ultimate way to prove that this has not been happening is for the Government to issue the payments as quickly as possible.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 14 November 2022.

DUP Lagan Valley MLA Paul Givan has said anyone pursing joint authority would be better to harness their energy and replace the Protocol with arrangements that unionists can support so devolution can be restored.

Mr Givan said,

“A poll where a vague question about ‘consultative role’ is asked, ignores the reality that the Republic of Ireland has no legal basis for the governing of Northern Ireland. Indeed, it would also be a breach of the Belfast and successor agreements.

Most people want to see the restoration of devolution. It is the Protocol alone that is stopping the formation of an Executive immediately. The warning that devolution and the Protocol could not co-exist was sounded 14 months ago by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, long before the last Assembly election.

The Protocol is harming Northern Ireland, and this is when we are not yet feeling its full effects. The ongoing grace periods being challenged by the EU and UK Government support have insulated us from those most devastating consequences. However, even this insulation comes at a cost with the Trader Support Service costing £365,000 per day to administer – that is £15,000 per hour. The cost of operating this scheme for a single day should be judged against the number of nurses salaries it could pay for a year.

The focus should be on replacing the Protocol with arrangements that can receive the support of unionists. That will provide a solid foundation for the restoration of devolution and we can get on with the task of reforming our Health Service through recruiting additional nurses and GPs.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 11 November 2022.

DUP East Antrim MLA Gordon Lyons has briefed an American congressional delegation in Belfast alongside Party colleagues Emma Little Pengelly MLA and Phillip Brett MLA.

Speaking afterwards Mr Lyons said,

“This was a useful briefing where we emphasised that there is no solid basis for an Executive and Assembly until the Protocol is replaced with arrangements that unionists can support. Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. internal market must be restored and our constitutional arrangements must be respected.

We operate powersharing not majority rule. Powersharing can only work with the consent of unionists and nationalists. Not one unionist MLA supports the Protocol.

We published our seven tests more than twelve months ago so that Brussels and London could understand what was needed. Those tests were based on promises made by the Government to the people of Northern Ireland but were never delivered.

The Government has made commitments both in New Decade New Approach and in the House of Commons, these must now be turned into actions. We tried to deal with the Protocol for two years whilst devolution was functioning but no action was taken. This was time that was squandered.

Deal with the Protocol and then Stormont can be restored.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 11 November 2022.

DUP North Belfast MLA Phillip Brett has challenged the parties who called for the ‘rigorous implementation’ of the Protocol to justify the current spending of £375,000 per day on a Trader Support Service which would multiply many times over if the Protocol was fully implemented.

Mr Brett said,

“Treasury has confirmed to my colleague Gregory Campbell MP that the Trader Support Service which helps companies deal with NI Protocol generated paperwork, cost £63m for the first six months of this year. That’s £375k per day or £15k per hour.

Those parties, namely Sinn Fein, SDLP and Alliance, who called for the full implementation of the Protocol must accept that the ending of the grace periods and full implementation would mean this cost would multiply many times over. Indeed, our main transport companies in Northern Ireland have said the full implementation of the Protocol would lead to a collapse of our supply chain within 48 hours. They even warned that people ‘better have their freezer full’.

Rather than the rigorous implementation of the Protocol, we need the Protocol replaced with arrangements which restore Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. internal market and which ensure our constitutional arrangements are respected.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 10 November 2022.

DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has called for a return to the principle of consensus and cross community support in order to see the restoration of devolution in Northern Ireland. His comments come as the British Irish Council is due to meet in Blackpool.

Sir Jeffrey said,

“As the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach meet in Blackpool there should be a recommitment to the key issue of consensus and the need for cross-community support in Northern Ireland. If the main aim of both the UK and the EU is to protect the Belfast Agreement then any solution must be built on that key foundation upon which the Agreement itself is based.

Increasingly we hear some parties in Northern Ireland claim to uphold the Agreement on one hand whilst on the other they seek to exclude and sideline unionism. Notably, the desire to exclude one political tradition was not expressed by these same parties at any point during the three years that Sinn Fein prevented the formation of an Executive.

The DUP has set out 7 tests by which new arrangements will be judged. These are not a unionist wish list, but are based on promises that have already been made to the people of Northern Ireland and that should be honoured. It is not too much to ask that the government stands over those promises.

I hope the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach are as keen to see devolution restored as I am. That can only happen however when there is a stable foundation through the provision of cross-community consensus. Restoring Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom and removing the barriers to trade created by the Protocol in a way that can receive unionist support will put that foundation in place.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 9 November 2022.

Sir Jeffrey said,

“The Secretary of State has announced he is amending legislation which emanates from the New Decade New Approach agreement yet one of the NDNA commitments from the Government which is not being implemented is the restoration of Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom internal market.

If the Secretary of State wants to restore Stormont, then he must ensure the Government replaces the Protocol with arrangements that unionists can support.”

Mr Donaldson continued,

“Whilst people speak about their desire to protect the Belfast Agreement, they fail to recognise the core element of the Agreement was consensus, yet every unionist MLA and MP opposes the Protocol.

Progress is only made in Northern Ireland when there is a foundation based on the consent of unionists and nationalists. Indeed, some of those seeking to now abandon consent were silent for 1044 days when Sinn Fein blocked devolution over the Irish language.”