Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the DUP on 17 November 2022.

DUP North Antrim MP Ian Paisley responded to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in the House of Commons for our Westminster team and recognised that when times are tough Northern Ireland benefits massively from being part of the United Kingdom’s four nations.

After speaking in the House of Commons Mr Paisley said,

“By being part of the Union, Northern Ireland benefits from the United Kingdom’s economic strength whether that is the triple-lock on pensions, the NHS, welfare supports, energy support payments or as we witnessed in the pandemic via the Furlough Scheme. Whilst we will be critical of individual scheme details, we must recognise the broader massive benefits for Northern Ireland.

Overall this budget is challenging for households in Northern Ireland and made more difficult due to the poor planning by the former Finance Minister who failed to set a budget for Northern Ireland despite starting the process in October 2021. Departments face a £650m blackhole partially due to poor budget management by the SF Finance Minister as well as the Treasury envelope.

We welcome the retention of the pensions Triple Lock and the commitments to develop our tech sector in Northern Ireland as well as reduce regulation in other sectors but unless we have the Protocol replaced, in many cases Northern Ireland will not be able to benefit from these measures.

I recognise that the Government has listened and revised their initial £100 payment for oil users by increasing it to £200 and making it available to all households. This is imperfect but at least there is movement. We now need a clear timetable for this roll-out and the £400 electricity payment.

Hundreds of my constituents work hard but it is not paying them. I am disappointed that serious action on childcare has been overlooked. I have teachers and nurses in North Antrim, who when they pay their childcare bill have almost nothing left. We will continue to press the Chancellor to recognise that the Tax-Free Childcare allowance for working parents needs increased.

We will continue to use our seats in Westminster to press for greater support for public services in Northern Ireland and note the planned budget reduction in 24/25 for major infrastructure investment.”

The press release issued by the DUP on 16 November 2022.

DUP South Antrim MLA Pam Cameron has said the threat to the supply of medicines in Northern Ireland continues to loom large as a result of the Protocol.

Responding to formal evidence provided by one major pharmaceutical company, Teva UK, which confirmed that there are ‘current’ and ‘significant’ challenges to sourcing some products from Great Britain, Mrs Cameron said:

‘‘The vast majority of local medicines are supplied from Great Britain.

By foisting new and demanding requirements on how these products are authorised for use in Northern Ireland, the Protocol is placing future supply in jeopardy and causing deep uncertainty for patients and our health service.

The warning presented by Teva UK is stark. They say need for two product licences under the Centralised Procedure ‘‘creates an administrative and cost burden that will make many medicines unviable to supply to NI.’’

However they are not alone in holding these concerns.

In separate evidence, the NHS Confederation warned that the temporary EU legislation will expire at the end of 2024, ‘creating future uncertainty.’ PAGB, the UK trade association for manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines, also expressed concern about the ‘level of certification needed to supply food supplements’ to our Province.

This level of disruption is unacceptable and unjustifiable.

Those parties who were tripping over each other to praise the EU for allowing medicines to move within our own country need to accept that the Protocol’s problems have not been resolved. Rather than downplaying the impact it is having, they should join with us and others in calling for these provisions to be scrapped.

The reality is that Brussels should never have been allowed to use people’s health as political leverage. Medicines should not have been part of the Protocol and their unfettered supply in the future will be a crucial test of whether any Government outcome, either by negotiation or legislation, is capable of restoring Northern Ireland’s economic and constitutional position within the United Kingdom.’’

The press release issued by the DUP on 16 November 2022.

East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson has welcomed the news that British-led Team Resolute has been selected as the preferred bidder to build new support ships for the Royal Navy. Team Resolute includes Harland & Wolff and the final assembly of the three vessels will take place in Belfast.

The £1.6billion contract is to manufacture three 216-metre-long naval support ships providing munitions, stores and provisions to the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates deployed at sea.

Mr Robinson who is the local MP and a member of Parliament’s Defence Select Committee said, “This is fantastic news for Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole, but primarily for Harland & Wolff and everyone associated with the company. As part of Team Resolute they have pledged to invest £77million in shipyard infrastructure to support the British shipbuilding sector. Harland & Wolff’s Belfast operation will be heavily involved throughout the process through both construction and final assembly stages.

The majority of work will take place across the UK and I am delighted that workers in Belfast will be playing a key role in delivering these state of the art vessels for the Royal Navy and contributing to our nation’s defence capabilities.

Harland & Wolff has been part of some of the most significant chapters of our history. However, today’s announcement reminds us that it remains a significant national asset, as one of only three UK shipbuilders suitable for major MOD contract. The shipyard will continue to be a key asset for Belfast and Northern Ireland for a long time to come.”

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.”