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UUP MLAs call for improvements to Mental Health Services for Children
Marking World Mental Health Day, Ulster Unionist Party Health Spokesperson Rev Robert Coulter MLA and Children's Spokesperson Esmond Birnie MLA have supported the call of mental health charity Rethink for dramatic improvements in mental health services for children and young people.
In a statement, Rev Coulter said: "The Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability published its report on child and adolescent mental health services in July this year. It revealed the scandalous lack of investment in services in Northern Ireland.
“It is a shameful fact that 200 children in Northern Ireland last year were placed in adult mental health units. If our society is to be serious about our obligations to these and other children, it is essential that the Bamford recommendations are implemented."
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Ulster Unionist Assembly Group Deputy Leader Danny Kennedy has said that, following the DUP’s enthusiastic embrace of the IMC report yesterday, it is clear that Paisley’s Party was making maximum use of ground well-laid and prepared by Ulster Unionists over many years.
In a statement, Mr Kennedy said: “The DUP is feathering its nest with the political gains of rivals they vehemently attack – which is hardly a position of principle. It is to be expected that the DUP would like to spin the IMC as validation for all that they do. But the DUP fought tooth and nail against the creation of the IMC."
“Yet the IMC – of which the UUP was the key architect – is now held up as useful by the DUP. It seems to me that the DUP are making maximum use of ground well-laid and prepared by Ulster Unionists over many years.”
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UUP East Belfast MLA Michael Copeland has raised the astronomical differences in spend on the Saville Inquiry compared to the spend of the Historical Enquiries Team and today asked what kind of justice is this?
The Saville Inquiry, to date, has cost £400 Million of which some £34 Million has gone on computers alone to investigate the killing of 13 people in Londonderry on ‘Bloody Sunday’. The Historical Enquiries Team – the group set up within the PSNI to investigate some 3266 unsolved cases has an equivalent total spend of some £32 Million.
"One has to ask however how the issue can be satisfactorily resolved when we have a precedent such as the Saville Inquiry - which in crude terms and while we can never put a value on a human life – has cost almost £40 Million per person out of the 13 killed.
Compare this astronomical figure to the spend of the Historical Enquiries Team, they have £32 Million to try and investigate 3266 unsolved crimes. Again, in crude terms, this equates to some £9,000 per person."
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Photos of Young Unionist Training Day at Castle Upton
Photos of Newry & Armagh Annual Barbeque 2006
Photos of Young Unionist Omagh Training Weekend organised by Youth Development Officer Kenny Donaldson
Photos of Fermanagh & South Tyrone Annual Barbeque 2006
Lagan Valley Constituency - Hillsborough Branch
Hillsborough Branch is pleased to announce a Formal Reception and Dinner to be held in The Ulster Reform Club on Friday 13th October 2006 at 8pm where the Guest Speaker will be Colonel Tim Collins OBE.
Colonel Collins will be speaking on the following subject matter: “Leadership Experience Translation – from Battlefield to Everyday Life”. The Branch invites applications to attend from Party members and friends at a cost of £75 per person. As numbers will be limited to 100, early booking is advisable. Overnight accommodation can be arranged at reduced rates.
Dress Formal. Further details can be obtained from Hillsborough Branch Secretary Dr. David Keith, tel: 028 9263 8352 or email: t.j.davidkeith@btinternet.com. Details may also be obtained from Branch Chairman Mr Colin Shilliday, tel: 077 1125 9993 or email: colin.shilliday@btinternet.com.
Only 10 places remain - Please send in your Booking Forms to Hillsborough Branch in order to avoid disappointment.
South West Down Divisional - Meeting on Rural Concerns
South West Down Divisional are hosting a public meeting on farming and other rural concerns on Thursday, 19th October 2006 in Rathfriland Young Farmer's Club, starting at 8pm. Jim Nicholson, UUP MEP and Tom Elliott, UUP MLA (Spokesman on DARD issues) will address the gathering.
The night promises to be highly informative and is expected to throw up a raft of challenges facing rural communities. Our elected representatives will give their insight as to how these challenges might be addressed.
South West Down Divisional extends a warm invitation to all interested individuals to come along on the night and input into proceedings.
For further information please contact, John McAllister on: 07833668602
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On the 1st July 1916 the 36th (Ulster) Division took part in the opening actions of the Somme offensive. By the end of the first day of battle over 2,000 men of the Ulsters had paid the supreme sacrifice. Families across this part of Ireland - in industrial Belfast, in the provincial towns, and in rural communities - and from all social backgrounds lost fathers, sons and brothers as the Ulsters fought and died at the Somme.
The losses borne by the Ulsters represented 1/4 of all Allied losses on 1st July 1916. The sacrifice at the Somme - while weighing particularly heavily on the people of Ulster - was also shared by others. The Somme offensive lasted for 3 months. The Canadian Army endured some 24,029 casualties. When the 16th (Irish) Division engaged in action at the Somme in September 1916, they lost 1,167 men.
As the people of Northern Ireland join in commemorating the Somme with those elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada and other parts of the Commonwealth, we can share a just sense of pride in those who gave their all to defend the freedom of Europe against aggression and re-commit ourselves to the cause of peace and reconciliation so that future generations will never have to pay such a heavy price for a Europe at peace and free.
Historian Gary Sheffield has said of the 36th at the Somme, "the Ulsters had done everything that could possibly be asked of them" - it is with that same determination that we who remember those who fell at the Somme should dedicate ourselves to peace and justice.
The Ulster Unionist Party was represented at last weekend's Ceremony of Remembrance at Belfast City Hall by Party Leader Sir Reg Empey and Lady Sylvia Hermon MP. The UUP was also represented at the Islandbridge Remembrance Ceremony in Dublin by our Party Chairman David Campbell and by Assemblymen Alan McFarland, Tom Elliott and Billy Bell. The Young Unionists were represented at Islandbridge by Rebecca Black. In France, Lord Maginnis represented the Party at the formal ceremony attended by the Prince of Wales, whilst Leslie Cree attended the ceremony at Thiepval.
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Social cohesion, economic opportunity, health, transport, education - these issues and more are the concerns of all in Northern Ireland, in both urban and rural communities. But the unique challenges facing rural communities make the impact of these issues different. If we are to see a Northern Ireland that has a growing economy, first-class health care, educational opportunity for all, and strong, cohesive communities, Government requires a strategy to empower rural communities to address these challenges.
There is a unique sense in which the Ulster Unionist Party's history and ethos is rooted in both our urban and rural communities. While other parties have spoken for sectional interests, or only parts of our community, the UUP throughout its history has sought to represent all of Northern Ireland, recognising that rural communities are an integral part of our social fabric in this part of the United Kingdom. We will continue to represent the interests of our rural communities and will promote policies to secure their sustainability and cohesion.
[Read our new Policy Paper in Full]
[Download the easy-to-print PDF]
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Speech by the Rt Hon Lord Trimble to the Conservative Party Conference
Iain Dale in extending the invitation to me to speak at this event suggested that I say something about political parties in Northern Ireland. This is a subject that I considered when addressing the Conservative Conference some years ago, and I am happy to return to it.
Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom and, as a Unionist, my most fundamental objective is to –strengthen the union. Yet in terms of political parties, Northern Ireland is clearly apart from the rest of the United Kingdom. You would be forgiven for thinking that from a Unionist perspective, this is quite wrong and that it ought to be the objective of all Unionists to bring Northern Ireland wholly within the United Kingdom’s political set-up."
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Kenny Donaldson addresses Strangford Gathering
“Ulster Unionism needs to get its’ message out to a wider audience; we need to court local, National and International support. Without our movement there would be no Northern Ireland, we won the right to call this part of our Island, Northern Ireland and a Constituent Province of the United Kingdom. It is us who have fought throughout our history to bring about peace and cohesiveness within and between our communities. It is us, who sacrificed our electoral supremacy in exchange for the better good of our Country, it us who continue to provide responsible political leadership to all the people of Northern Ireland.
We may not be the lead electoral voice within Unionism, but our words our based upon the principles of equity, diversity and interdependence between our people. Our words and actions are not exclusively motivated and are not designed to augment sectarian rivalries. We offer the best hope for the future of this Province, we have a vision which accommodates our diverse peoples, and it is that vision which each of us must evangelize out there in wider society.”
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Sir Reg Empey - Speech to the Labour Party Conference
The UUP believes, however, that despite the past, now is the time to decide whether or not it is possible to re-establish Stormont. We have had long enough, over 10 years, and we will make our decision when we see everything that is on the table. But the Secretary of State has left the back door open with the ongoing existence of the 2003 Assembly to May 2007, creating the opportunity for people to procrastinate at St Andrews, and delude themselves that perhaps what they will not do in November, they will be able to do in the spring.
This very thinking is what led us to suspension when the republican movement thought it could play the long game. That, and government turning a blind eye to Sinn Fein’s activities, led to the present suspension, and the same thinking will lead to failure again.
That’s why I repeat the importance of getting it right this time. This could be our last chance for a generation.
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Platform Piece on Manufacturing by Cllr Mark Cosgrove
We all agree that Northern Irelands private sector is too small and whilst it is great to see the service sector go from strength to strength I believe that this is only sustainable if we have an innovative, world-class, manufacturing sector, creating wealth and employing the resources that the thriving service sector will supply. It is against this back drop that the plans for Industrial De Rating defy economic rational. We are investing millions trying to attract world class manufacturing here through Invest NI. Why then risk our indigenous manufacturing base for the few millions that this policy, if fully implemented, will bring in?
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David McNarry speech, Assembly Economic Debate, Sep 12th 2006
"Madam Speaker – to those who freely gave of their time to contribute to this first report on the Economic Challenges facing our country – Ulster Unionists would record our sincere gratitude and thanks. There is in the report a consistency of clarity. Confirming that the restoration of a devolved Assembly would not only be good for Northern Ireland it would also be better for the economy.
I suspect that the evidence given from the economic coalface was indicating a sense of despair with our Direct Rulers. I believe that those we depend on to drive the economy would trust locally elected representatives to talk-up Northern Ireland, to boost its opportunities for economic outreach and go the extra mile in encouraging investment rather than apply the N.I.O invective to imply that Northern Ireland was a failed economy."
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Let the Debate Begin says Nicholson
"If the Government does not place restrictions on workers from the 2 new EU Member States, it will ultimately lead to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in our society being exposed to the crudest of market forces and effectively hung out to dry. An unchecked flow of workers from the new Member States could disadvantage the members of our society who can least afford it. At present Northern Ireland’s public services are having difficulties coping with the number of migrant workers and their families already in our society. Rather than making the problem more difficult, we should be addressing this issue.
In addition we cannot afford to ignore recent Police statistics that indicate an increase in racially motivated attacks. Society in Northern Ireland must clearly signal its rejection of such racism and fascism. This can have no place in a decent society."
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Platform Piece on Victims Issues - Derek Hussey MLA
"This week has marked the eighth anniversary of the Omagh bomb - one of the most horrific days in the history of Northern Ireland.
The geography of Northern Ireland bears witness to the depth and extent of conflict. Names that ought simply to map out locality instead catalogue atrocity – places like Omagh; Enniskillen; Darkley; Greysteel. Communities have experienced tragedy throughout Northern Ireland. Many of these communities still experience a collective legacy of pain and suffering which society must deal with.
This is a vast challenge which must be faced up to. However, government policy on victims' issues has been allowed to drift. Commissioners, reports, investigations and consultations have all come and gone in the past number of years – yet we still lack a clear strategy, or even, understanding on how to deal collectively with the events of the past 35 years."
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"Reconciling Orange and Green - Have we lived together but didn't integrate?" - Tom Elliott MLA
Firstly I thank you for the invitation to be with you this evening. I come from just a short distance away in Fermanagh.
I must remark what a change this is from 10, 15, 20 or 30 years ago. Throughout that time we had snowballs being thrown at the Irish Premier when visiting Belfast, abuse being directed at some Unionist politicians who dared to visit the Republic of Ireland to put forward our case to the southerners, for decades I never visited the Republic of Ireland and the greatest violation of all was how this part of Ireland was used by republican terrorists as a safe haven, often following the brutal murder of innocent victims from Northern Ireland. It always appeared that this was at the least being overlooked by the Irish government or at worst being facilitaed by them.
However things have now progressed. It is our collective shame that in the year 2006, in a developed world country, we still have to make speeches on how to reconcile orange and green.
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Unfairness still Reigns in Water Charge proposals - Leslie Cree MLA
There are other bigger issues in the Governments intentions. Water charging is planned to commence next year and by 2010 the full charges will be applied. At this time water and sewerage services will transfer from the Government to the Regulator, he or she will then decide the charges. It may be that the sole purpose of separate charging is to prepare the water service for a quick sale.
The experience across the water does not provide much comfort. The water companies wrote off £960 million in bad debts last year. Fifteen percent of householders consistently refuse to pay their bills. Leakage targets set by the Regulator are not achieved. Thames Water applied for an emergency drought order. These are the “benefits” of 17 years of privatisation.
Whilst I have no difficulty in supporting private industry as a principle the Government has left too many imponderables for the matter to be a success. Government must cease their “suck it and see” approach to this important issue and return to the drawing board.
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Rural Communities a vital part of the fabric of Northern Ireland Life - Elliott
Rural communities are a vital part of the fabric of Northern Ireland life. Yet too many people in the countryside have inadequate access to public services and experience a deep sense of isolation. Too often public policy is formulated as if Northern Ireland society consisted only of cities and towns. It is painfully obvious that Direct Rule Ministers are removed from the realities on the ground. These are not champions of the countryside. Policy is often made without meaningful consultation with rural communities or organisations representing rural interests.
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Time for a Separate City Centre Police Unit - Newsletter Platform Piece by Michael McGimpsey
At the moment Belfast is divided up into four different policing sections, known as District Command Units: North, South, East and West with each area allocated a full-time quota of around 250 police officers. So far, so reasonable.
However in the South Belfast DCU the City Centre is added in. This creates a clear discrepancy when compared to other parts of the City. Looking at the most recent figures for total offences recorded in each DCU for 2005-2006 we can see that North Belfast has 8,637 offences recorded, East Belfast has 5,372, West Belfast 6,625 and South Belfast has 13,080.
Over the past two years South Belfast has registered almost double the crimes than any other part of the city. These figures reveal much about the unique conditions which exist within the area. The City Centre, with all of its shops, pubs and restaurants is naturally busy. With so many people concentrated in a relatively small area the crime figures will of course be higher.
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Keynote Address to the Royal College of Nursing by UUP Health Spokesperson Rev Dr Robert Coulter MLA
"I contend that it is the responsibility of Government to create a regime of law and order which contains penalties which will act as a real, effective and specific deterrent to those who would threaten the security of the person in the workplace, thereby creating at atmosphere where individuals may feel secure in the execution of their duties at work.
Nowhere is the Government more in dereliction of its duty than in guaranteeing the security of the person of health workers engaged in the normal course of their duties whether on Hospital premises or on emergency call or on a mercy mission. This includes the security of nurses and doctors in accident and emergency wards and it includes the security of ambulance staff and fire-crew on emergency call-out."
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Sunday Life Platform on the National Stadium - Michael McGimpsey
The government is intent on pushing the Maze project ahead. We’re told there’s no plan B. This is an issue that cannot be got wrong. Let’s examine the key questions. Is the location right? Are the finances right? Are the aims and intentions right? Launching the Maze blueprint, David Hanson argued that the Maze site could see security installations turned into “symbols” of renewal and growth.
This is very similar to what Tony Blair said during a visit to Belfast four years ago. Announcing plans to hand over installations to the public in 2002, the Prime Minister said there was a “great symbolic importance” in handing over assets from the “bad old days”. Symbolism is a driving principle behind the Maze. But symbolism is not a decisive argument for committing hundreds of millions of pounds from the public purse to a landmark development. Labour did that once before – and the result was the Millennium Dome."
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Lord Trimble's Maiden Speech in the House of Lords - Two questions for Hain and a Challenge for Adams
"Tonight we are considering the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. There are so many matters in it on which one could comment, many of them mentioned by other noble Lords, but I should like to focus on one main issue and to raise a query on another. The query relates to a disturbing story in the press yesterday with regard to political fund raising. The story suggested that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is pressing the US Government to allow leading members of Sinn Fein to raise funds in the United States. If this is true, it would undermine the admirable position that the United States Government have adopted. It would also be contrary to the basic principles of the 2000 Act on political donations. I hope that in his reply the Minister will be able to comment on this matter."
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Platform Piece in Fortnight Magazine by UUP Chief Negotiator Alan McFarland
The moderate centre ground parties have shown that consensus-building can work, and that politics can work. It is a matter of lasting regret that government failed to keep to its promises and properly protect democracy here from the criminal excesses of others. Centre ground politics plays the necessary role of counterbalancing the extremes. Because we know what can happen, or what little can happen, when the extremes take the lead role.
That said, we are concerned about the structure of this new Assembly. The Northern Ireland Assembly has not been recalled – the Northern Ireland Bill 2006 creates an entirely new institution. This Assembly has no legislative, financial or Executive powers, and has an agenda and standing orders determined on the whim of the Secretary of Secretary. This is not a good start."
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Kenny Donaldson addresses Edenderry Central Branch relaunch in Upper Bann
“I believe that this issue has caused so much controversy in recent times because it is a wake-up, this issue and its’ associated outworking has pricked the conscience of many within mainstream unionism who have lived in denial as to their responsibility for the conditions which led to the conflict, which fuelled its’ continuance and which continue to be its’ legacy. Mainstream unionism used and abused loyalists throughout history and yes there is substance to the argument that the DUP were and are the worst offenders. However it’s not good enough for us simply to pass responsibility for the wrongs of the past onto others. We too need to look at ourselves squarely in the mirror and set about building a more peaceful and stable future. We must remove the shackles of the past which continue to haunt us to this very day.”
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Armstrong exposes Republicanism's Failed Strategy
Twenty-five years later Republicans commemorate the Hunger Strikers, hailing them as heroes for the Republican cause. However, Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Mid-Ulster, Billy Armstrong asks is this just a cover act for Sinn Fein’s guilt trip in forfeiting the lives of republican bigots in order to gain a seat of power in Stormont under British Rule?
“This certainly seems to be the case as early republican activists accuse Sinn Fein of ‘moving its party away from its roots’. Barney McFadden, a former republican prisoner, whose four brothers were all in jail and whose father was interned recently asked of the PROVO leadership: ‘Did we go through all that to make Sinn Fein a good political party? Where is the United Ireland?’
Billy Armstrong MLA asks: “Were the lives of those hunger strikers lost to convince the British Government of their commitment to a democratic process, to tactfully get rid of extreme bigots within the Republican Movement? Was all of this enacted to enable Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness to move into a Stormont Assembly, to provide accountable government for the people of Northern Ireland through a British administration?
For all the bluster from anti-Agreement Unionism, there is no question that the Belfast Agreement represented a defeat for physical force republicanism, and their so-called “armed struggle.
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