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East Antrim MLA Ken Robinson has added his voice to the demand for a settlement of the long running pay dispute involving lecturers in Further Education.

The Ulster Unionist Party Spokesman for Further and Higher Education commented, “I am appalled that this needless dispute has been allowed to drag on by the Government.  There exists a large degree of agreement between the employers and the unions representing lecturers in FE Colleges.  Unfortunately, the original dispute, dating back to 2001, has now become entangled in the Government’s current cap on pay settlements within the public sector.

“In the meantime college lecturers have seen their salaries fall further behind their colleagues in the schools.  This situation is intolerable and needs to be resolved before untold damage is caused to this vital sector of the educational world.

“At this point in time, the further education sector is being asked to restructure with colleges merging to face the challenges of the future.  This major reorganisation is dependent for its success upon the expertise and goodwill of a highly skilled and motivated staff.  Upon that staff, will rest the task of ensuring that a refocused and increasingly skilled workforce is available for the business sector.

“Business needs to be in a position to drive forward the wealth creation that Northern Ireland needs if it is to have a vibrant economic future.  It is therefore vital for this community that this needless dispute is settled before that goodwill from the lecturers is damaged further.

“I would call upon the Departments of Finance and Employment and Learning to get their collective acts together and find a solution to this problem.  It is important that the newly instituted colleges get off to a positive start.  The spectre of staff, forced to engage in further industrial action, will do nothing to ensure that smooth transition.  The long term impact of this dispute will, unfortunately, fall upon the growing body of students.
“Further Education, after many years of being the Cinderella sector in the educational world, now has the opportunity to ensure its students can reap the rewards and benefits that high quality tuition, provided by a well motivated, highly skilled and contented body of lecturers can deliver.

“I would urge the Minister to immediately intervene in this dispute and ensure that “FE Means Business” is not just an empty departmental slogan but becomes an achievable aim.”

In a statement today UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey said,

“Today’s vote is the inevitable outworking of the peace process begun in the mid nineties, requiring as it did that all parties commit to exclusively peaceful and democratic means.

The UUP has been saying for months that Sinn Fein had nowhere else to go as they had to sign up to the Pledge of Office to support law and order before joining any future Executive.

It should also be noted that the decision of the SDLP to support policing in 2001 made today only a matter of time.

The tragedy is that it has taken republicans so long to wake up to change and play their last card. They have used this card as leverage and government has run, bent over backwards and offered sweetener after sweetener to them when there was no necessity to do so in order for them to show their hand.

Nonetheless today’s move is a massive step change in the Republican psyche. It is an admission that the violent ‘cause’ has been abandoned and that Sinn Fein are prepared to support the forces of law and order in this part of the United Kingdom.

The motion also vindicates the UUP view that politics based on the consent principle coupled with the fundamentals that my Party fought for is the only way forward. Consequently as a Party we are calling our Executive together this week to discuss our collective response to this move.

My sense is that it could potentially herald the beginning of a new era if the follow through is clear, swift and unequivocal. The people of Northern Ireland want progress and they want to move on. Today’s vote is a critical piece of the jigsaw in getting the much needed devolved institutions back up and running.

It is important today to recognise the tremendous debt our society owes to the service and sacrifice of the RUC and other security forces - without the RUC holding the line against terrorism for three decades the transition to normal policing in a normal society would not have been possible. Today is a vindication of the RUC’s service and sacrifice as republicans finally recognise that there can only be one legitimate source of law, order and policing in our society. On behalf of the UUP I acknowledge our debt of gratitude to those who served in the RUC, those who paid the supreme sacrifice and their families especially at a time when there have been attempts to tarnish their reputation and courage.”

Marking National Holocaust Memorial Day, Ulster Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey MLA, has spoken of the ongoing need for our society to remember and reflect on the events of the Holocaust.  Sir Reg said, “National Holocaust Memorial Day is an annual opportunity for all in the United Kingdom to recall the darkest hours of European history.  Millions of children, women and men were murdered in an outpouring of unspeakable evil.  Alongside the genocide of the Jewish people, Roma, gay people, people with disabilities and political and religious dissidents were robbed of all dignity, exposed to unimaginable cruelty and then deprived of the right to life.

“The theme of this year’s commemorations - the dignity of difference - is a solemn reminder to us all to cherish the rich diversity of our society.  The ugly reality of anti-Semitism and racism throughout today’s Europe, fanned by the hate-politics of the far right, makes the message of National Holocaust Memorial Day especially relevant and challenging.  We owe a debt to the millions murdered during the Holocaust to ensure that such hate never again goes unchallenged.”

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey today said Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan has a moral responsibility to issue a public statement making it clear that there was no institutionalised collusion within the RUC.

In a statement Sir Reg said,

“Last week was a difficult one both for RUC victims and the families of many former and serving police officers. The manner in which the Ombudsman’s report was leaked, spun and ultimately presented was unprofessional. In addition, the manner is which Nationalist and Republican political representatives have used the report as an opportunity to try and discredit the entire Royal Ulster Constabulary is unacceptable.

The Ombudsman has an opportunity to undo some of this damage. She has a moral responsibility to issue a public statement in which she makes it perfectly clear that there was no institutionalised collusion within the RUC. This needs to be spelt out beyond the confines of her question and answer session at the Policing Board earlier this week.

There has been damage done to community relations this week. The perception, whether intended or not, within the entire community is that many are seeking to use the report to accuse the RUC as a whole. To the many families who lost loved ones or to those who once served in the RUC and who are now within the PSNI, this is an insult and deeply unsettling.

The Ombudsman has a duty to clear the name of the RUC. Now.”

Ulster Unionist Environment Spokesperson Samuel Gardiner MLA has today backed the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre’s campaign to urge households to conserve energy by topping up their loft insulation.

In a statement, the Upper Bann MLA said: “According to new research, over a quarter of households, or over 350,000 lofts in Northern Ireland, are insufficiently insulated.

“Insufficiently insulated households are effectively throwing away £70 a year – that’s up to £19 million taking Northern Ireland as a whole.

“We are wasting money and energy. The end result is that we’re doing damage to our bank accounts and our environment. That’s why energy conservation and energy efficiency are vital in the fight against climate change.”

He added: “Just as it is for the global community, here in Northern Ireland resisting the effects of climate change is a priority. Northern Ireland is not too small to hide from the impact of climate change.

“The recommended level of loft insulation is 10.5 inches (270mm) – and loft installations typically cost around £470.

“However, initiatives such as the ‘Loft Insulation Cashback’ scheme can offset some of the costs. I would urge anyone with queries to contact on the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre on 0800 512 012.”

As Trade Ministers and other economic leaders prepare to meet in Davos for the World Economic Forum, international pressure is growing for a breakthrough to be found on the Doha round of WTO talks which collapsed last summer. However, Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has warned EU agriculture Commissioner, Peter Mandelson today not to sacrifice the future viability of agriculture in Northern Ireland and across Europe in his haste to strike a deal.

It is now over 6 months since the so called ‘Doha’ round of World Trade Talks collapsed amid a very public blame game and war of words between the EU and the US over who was at fault for the failure to reach a deal. However, recent newspaper reports have speculated that Mr Mandelson is keen to do a deal and that he believes that the outline of a deal is not far away.

Speaking today Mr Nicholson said,

“My message to the EU trade Commissioner is simple – do not sacrifice agriculture in Northern Ireland and across Europe in order to strike a deal at the WTO. In the interests of farming in Northern Ireland, no deal is better than a bad deal.  Farmers in Northern Ireland have long been aware of the global pressures and international policy framework in which their businesses must operate and as a new year dawns the situation is no different.

“Critics of European agriculture have huffed and puffed loudly about the need for further reform of the Common Agricultural policy and for Europe to give more in WTO talks. What those critics conveniently forget is that the CAP has been subjected to ongoing major reforms for two decades now. The most radical of these reforms was only in 2003 in preparation for the current Doha round of WTO negotiations and these reforms are only just in their second year of implementation.

“Hard working farm families in Northern Ireland need stability not the prospect of further reform. However, it seems that no matter what our farmers do, it is never enough. What we should be focussing on now is how to create a viable, sustainable future for agriculture in Northern Ireland and across the EU by looking at how we re – structure our dairy industry and how we protect our beef farmers from cheap, sub standard South American imports.

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has said today that it is almost certain that his UK Conservative Party colleague in the European Parliament, Neil Parish MEP will be the new chairman of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee.

Welcoming the announcement Mr Nicholson said,

“I warmly welcome the news that my UK conservative colleague in the EPP - ED Neil Parish will be the new chairman of the Parliament’s agriculture committee. I have worked extremely closely with him for almost 9 years on a range of issues and most recently on voluntary modulation, the lifting of the beef ban and on the future of the dairy sector in Northern Ireland.

“It is good news for farmers in Northern Ireland to have someone such as Neil in such an influential and key position in the Parliament. He has opposed this current Labour Government and their damaging policies on farming tooth and nail.

“I have already invited Neil to come to Northern Ireland when he has settled into his new post to meet with key stakeholders within the industry and to see for himself what some of the problems are within agriculture in Northern Ireland and I am delighted that he has agreed in principle to this invitation.”

UUP Assembly candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Kenny Donaldson has welcomed the launch of the Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, which took place in Cookstown on Friday last.

In a statement Kenny said: “I am aware of the significant lobbying which occurred over a considerable period of time in bringing this new Network to fruition. NIRWN will receive mainstream funding from DARD’s 2000-2006 Rural Development Programme and I have no doubt that this new Regional Network will complement the existing efforts of rural women’s networks across Northern Ireland.

“For too long women have been marginalised within Northern Ireland society and have been denied the opportunity to input into decision making processes and policy formulation.

“There are issues specific to rural women which must be brought to the forefront and then addressed by policy makers. Adult Education, childcare provision, lack of rural transport provision and gender wage imbalances are some of the areas which require immediate action.

“Women are lynchpins within rural areas; (especially over the Troubles period) and now that we are entering a new future, it is incumbent upon Government to ensure that rural women are given their rightful place within society. I have little doubt that NIRWN and others will challenge the established order in the months and years ahead. Rural women have much to give and it is time that their voices are heard.”

The West Ulster Unionist Forum meets in Omagh this evening.

The forum set up by Ulster Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey is for Unionists who live in the West of the Province to articulate and have their views reflected by the Party as whole.

The meeting will focus on the outworkings of the Bain Report on rural school closures. The impact on rural schools is alarming:

60.4% of rural primary schools fall below the required 105 pupils - 309 of 512 rural primary schools

77% of rural post-primary schools fall below the threshold of 500 pupils -  34 of 44 rural secondary schools  and 4 of 4 rural grammars

The thresholds for viable schools were established by the Bain Report - despite increasing international evidence that smaller schools can have educational advantages.

The forum will also be looking at ways to support the Ulster Farmer’s Union campaign to cut bureaucratic red tape and how victims issues can best be addressed.

Ken Robinson MLA, Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for East Antrim, said today that any peace dividend injecting large amounts of additional cash into Northern Ireland as part of an overall settlement should make a real long-term difference to the Province.

“There is a strong connection between infrastructure and economic development and if any economic package is really to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland it needs to take account of this. We need to put in place a road and rail infrastructure which supports economic development and encourages inward investment. That is the best way to attract new industry and new jobs into the Province. By spending on a proper 21st century infrastructure Northern Ireland would be given a fighting chance to attract inward investment.”

“I have been pushing for years to achieve significant improvements to roads like the A8 through dualling schemes and by lobbying year after year, it has been possible to persuade the DRD and the direct rule Ministers to improve sections of the A8, which is itself an important part of the European roads network. The scope of these schemes was, however, limited by year on year budgetary considerations. The Government just did not inject sufficient money to do more, constrained by the size of Northern Ireland block grant.”

“At present an overview of the roads network in Northern Ireland demonstrates that it is just not fit for purpose when compared, for example, to the scale of improvements to roads and motorways in the Irish Republic. The opportunity to spend on the scale necessary to effect these improvements only comes along on rare occasions. The Peace Dividend is one of those rare occasions. Normally, the money to undertake work on this scale would be beyond the scope of annual budgets. This should be regarded as seed-corn money, a process that will in the long term reduce the Province’s dependency on the largesse of London. Such money will put Northern Ireland in a competitive position to attract inward investment. Only this kind of vision will carve out a brighter future for our people.”