Archive for October 25th, 2007
Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has launched a blistering attack on the First and Deputy First Minister this morning over their failure to secure a financial package for Northern Ireland.
Mr Nicholson was speaking as the Executive’s Programme for Government and budget was being presented to the Assembly. The UUP MEP has accused the DUP and Sinn Fein of brushing the issue under the carpet.
In a statement Mr Nicholson said,
“Today’s announcements in the Assembly on the budget and the Executive’s programme for Government have reminded people of the DUP and Sinn Fein’s utter failure to secure a financial package for Northern Ireland.
“During March’s Assembly election campaign both the DUP and Sinn Fein made great noise about the need for a financial package from the Treasury to underpin any return to devolution in Northern Ireland. It was a make or break issue for the First Minister who even threatened that he wouldn’t consider entering an Executive until he got a financial package from the Treasury.
“Instead of explaining to the people of Northern Ireland why they haven’t delivered the DUP and Sinn Fein have conveniently tried to brush the whole issue under the carpet. It is almost 6 months since devolution was restored and yet the mysterious financial package talked about so loudly by the DUP and Sinn Fein during the Assembly election campaign remains beyond the grasp of these politicians.
“From my perspective in Europe I still remain deeply sceptical of the First and Deputy First Minister’s commitment to engaging with Brussels in financial terms.
“After decades of the Troubles and years of underinvestment in our infrastructure, Northern Ireland needs and deserves an economic package from the Treasury that will enable a new Executive to invest in growth, innovation and enterprise.”
Continue Reading E-mail October 25th, 2007
Jim Nicholson MEP
Following today’s publication of the Draft Budget, Ulster Unionist Finance Spokesperson Roy Beggs MLA has questioned the Finance Minister’s decision to give a much greater increase to the budget of the DUP-Sinn Fein Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister than that given to the Department of Health.
Mr. Beggs said, “Today’s Draft Budget follows the Finance Minister’s recent statement in which he warned of the need to take ‘difficult and challenging decisions’. Now we know what he meant by difficult and challenging decisions – increasing the budget for OFMDFM by 5.9% over the next 3 years, while giving the Department of Health a mere 3.8% increase. It is staggering to think that the DUP-Sinn Fein Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister is receiving greater priority than our National Health Service. That this is occurring at a time when health expenditure in the rest of the UK is rising at a significantly greater level will only increase the unacceptable disparity between health care in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK.
“It is also puzzling that the Draft Programme for Government says that it is giving priority to ‘personal health and well-being’ and goes on to recognise that a ‘strong economy requires a healthy … population’. If this is so, why has OFMDFM received a much greater budget increase than our National Health Service? If the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, and the Finance Minister, had a genuine commitment to our National Health Service it is obvious that they would not have made the choice to pass by the NHS and increase the budget of their favoured department – OFMDFM.
“Under the last Devolved Administration, the OFMDFM budget was £32m – now, under this Draft Budget, it has become £73.9m. Quite clearly, the Finance Minister has judged that the ‘difficult and challenging decisions’ do not apply to OFMDFM – and that it is much more appropriate for the consequences of difficult decisions to be experienced by the NHS.
“Over the coming weeks both in the Assembly and in its Committees, the Ulster Unionist Party will continue to subject this Draft Budget to careful scrutiny. A budget that gives priority to OFMDFM over the National Health Service is not a budget that puts the needs of Northern Ireland first”.
Continue Reading E-mail October 25th, 2007
Roy Beggs MLA
UUP MLA Billy Armstrong today extended his condolences to the family of Conor Devlin, the Randalstown teenager who was killed in a road accident near Bellaghy last Saturday.
The Mid-Ulster representative said;
“I was shocked to learn that yet another life has been lost on our roads and I wish to extend my condolences to the family of Conor Devlin.
The toll of death and destruction on our roads is horrific, and I urge all road users, particularly drivers, to heed the warnings from the DoE Road Safety unit and the PSNI Traffic Branch.
Tragically, this young man was the 80th victim of our roads this year. One death is one too many, and we must all do more to reduce the casualty rate on our roads in order to spare other families the heartbreak and anguish caused by the loss of a loved one.
The Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident to come forward, and I would re-iterate that appeal.”
Continue Reading E-mail October 25th, 2007
Billy Armstrong MLA
Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Danny Kennedy MLA, has said that “though today’s Programme for Government, investment strategy and Budget represented a major effort for Dr Paisley and his partner, Martin McGuinness, they must both share a deep sense of disappointment that they were unable to get more money from Gordon Brown.”
“The First and Deputy First Minister duo may be hyping today’s events up for the media but the real story here is their failure to get more money from Gordon Brown. The Budget statement is only the beginning of a process of consultation and during the next 10 weeks of debates and forensic examination by the Committees at Stormont including the OFMDFM Committee which I chair, the lack of additional money will emerge as the big issue.”
“I am also concerned that the 6,500 jobs they are planning to create is such a long way short of the 140,000 jobs we need to create over the next ten years - just to stand still.”
“So, let us keep a sense of proportion about today’s events. I am glad the Executive is doing something at last and so soon after I put down a motion last week criticising them for doing nothing. I would extend my sympathy to Dr Paisley and his partner Mr McGuinness for their failure to extract a peace dividend from the tight-fisted Prime Minister.”
Continue Reading E-mail October 25th, 2007
Danny Kennedy MLA
