Statement by UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey on Preparation for Government Committee
Speaking today, Ulster Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey said of the Preparation for Government Committee,
“We will nominate a senior delegation to take their places on this committee.
We have long campaigned for a serious attempt at resolving outstanding issues. While the proposals that have been put forward by the Secretary of State are more restrictive than we had wished, we will test out the committee and other parties to see if there is a real desire to remove the roadblocks that are standing in the way of devolution.
Attempts by parties to pretend that negotiations with government can substitute for agreement between the parties are naïve. The difficulties lie not between individual parties and government but between the parties themselves, otherwise our problems would have been resolved many years ago.”
Referring to the business committee, Sir Reg added,
“We hope that there will be business to transact at the Assembly next week. The Secretary of State should permit the Assembly to discuss issues such as the Review of Public Administration, education, industrial de-rating and the economy.
We believe that these issues should be dealt with quickly so that government knows, at an early stage, what our views are on these issues are. This would also test the Secretary of State’s statement that he would listen closely to what people are saying.”