Irish Language Bill an ‘expensive sop to republicans’ - Swann
Mr Robin Swann, the North Antrim Ulster Unionist Assembly candidate, has said any new legislative Assembly must “urgently review the costs of imposing the so-called Irish Language Bill on Northern Ireland Government departments”.
Mr Swann said an economic appraisal to estimate the costs of the Bill should be carried out as soon as possible by any future Executive to firmly establish if there was any genuine need for such a measure.
“The core question which any new Assembly must address is could the cash saved by axing the Irish Language Bill be diverted into cutting the hospital waiting lists and improving school buildings?” he said.
“There is considerable suspicion among the Unionist family that the Irish Language Bill, envisaged in the St Andrews Agreement, is merely an expensive sop to hardline republicans in exchange for their support for policing.
“If this is the case, then the Irish Language Bill is not about protecting the rights of a minority language, but is being used as a senseless political football which will waste taxpayers’ money when that budget could be usefully diverted elsewhere, especially to health and education,” said Mr Swann.