Ulster Unionist Chief Whip, Robin Swann MLA, delivered the following speech at the Limavady Branch of the Ulster Unionist Party.
"18 months after the election and five and a half years after the DUP/SF partnership took control let’s have a look at how things are going…
Health
On Wednesday it was revealed that not one of our local emergency departments is meeting the four-hour target for treating patients.
Two days before that, it was reported that nearly every emergency medicine consultant in the Belfast Health Trust had raised concerns with management about the safety of A&E departments. This was compounded then with the decision of the clinical director of the Royal Victoria Hospital to step aside.
Does this sound like a Minister in control of the health service?
We warned the Minister that when he decided to close the A&E unit in the City Hospital that it was inevitable that the Royal Victoria Hospital was going to come under pressure. Did he listen? No.
Instead he simply wasted time by holding a charade of a consultation on an issue on which he had already made his mind up and now we are unfortunately seeing the consequences of that.
When you have senior staff voluntarily demoting themselves, and taking the 20% reduction in salary which comes with it, then that is when you know there is something badly wrong.
Of course it is not difficult to see the root of the problem for even these most recent issues - we can all remember the rabid cries from the DUP in the run up to the 4 year budget last spring that the Health Service was overfunded, wildly bureaucratic and undeserving of any additional resources – it would be obscene to give more money to the health service was the quote from Peter Robinson when we held the Ministry.
Well – only two weeks ago in the Assembly the Finance Minister gave the Department an additional £32m. This was on top of an extra £10m he gave it only a few months before.
Therefore whilst they may have been late to the party, at last the DUP are recognising that few things are as valuable and deserving of proper investment as a viable public health service. It’s just unfortunate they allowed themselves to play petty party politics with it for so long.
Education
One of the most frustrating things about sitting up in the Assembly is seeing how little the two big parties care about fixing some of the gaping holes in our education system. On the most well-known problem – academic selection - the DUP have given up on the fight.
It interesting watching their reaction as they meekly try to follow the arguments for something they know is fundamentally flawed yet are bound to support because of the Heads of Agreement signed by their leader.
Whilst they claim to still support it, they have clearly found that it is neither in their own interest or Sinn Fein’s to find an equitable resolution to it, for fear that it may cause ructions in their otherwise harmonious relationships.
For any of you here who sit on Boards of Governors, or work in a school, you may have already seen the letter which the Ulster Unionist Education Spokesperson, Danny Kinahan, has sent to every school. It was on the topic of the Education Bill. However behind this innocent enough sounding Bill is what we believe to be the Sinn Fein ideological machine in full swing.
Whilst our Party position is to support a single Education and Skills Authority, or ESA, we do not support these most recent proposals which have the First and deputy First Minister’s finger prints all over them.
For instance, we have seen what Sinn Fein have done at the top of the Department and now this is an effort to get them into every school, effectively onto every board of governors, and give them a far greater say in the day to day running of our schools than they have ever had to date.
We are the only main Party in the Assembly that are opposed to this piece of legislation. We voted against it at the first opportunity and if the DUP don’t come in behind our amendments and attempt to fundamentally change the focus of it, then we will no doubt vote against it again.
I would urge you all to speak to your local schools and ask them to respond to Danny’s letter which includes a confidential survey. By doing so you will be helping us to demonstrate in the Assembly that this Bill is not what the schools want and if parents were actually being told about the detail of it, then it’s something they would most certainly not want either.
Unemployment
The Unemployment Rate in Northern Ireland recently reached a record high of 8.2% in September. That was above the UK average and the situation is little better this month as shown in the latest Labour Force Survey.
The significant job losses at FG Wilson, Thales and Patton’s construction which have had such a devastating impact in my own constituency show that the unemployment rate shows no sign of improvement.
When looking at the number of our citizens who are claiming unemployment related benefits, called the claimant count, it is clear that dole queues are growing longer by the month. The seasonally adjusted number of people claiming unemployment related benefits stood at 64,100 in October 2012 – this is up 600 from the previous month.
The Northern Ireland claimant count rate which was 7.0% in October 2012 and was the second highest among the twelve UK regions – the UK rate was 4.8%.
That should outline the scale of the challenge as we seek to move people who are able to work from benefits into employment.
Youth unemployment is also of huge concern with over 1 in 5 people aged between 18 and 24 unemployed and struggling to find work. Again this is above the UK average and Northern Ireland is clearly lagging behind in providing our young people with the best possible opportunities after they leave school, college or university.
Yes the First and deputy First Ministers have made modest attempts to rectify our ailing economy but to no avail.
We need more than an overhyped reprioritisation of £200 million as announced within the Jobs and Economy Initiative . . .
We need delivery of the £80 million Social Investment Fund and the £12 million Childcare Strategy with both pots of money still remaining unspent . . .
And we need real support for the construction industry through increased revenue from alternative financing such as public private partnerships and real prospects for small and medium sized businesses through improved access to finance and public procurement opportunities . . .
Corporation Tax
The devolution and subsequent lowering of Corporation Tax has the ability to provide a real boost to the economy here. Indeed the Ulster Unionist Party were the pioneers of this idea in 2010.
We are glad that all the other Parties have come on board with this policy which could create a substantial number of jobs in the private sector and therefore act as a vital component in rebalancing our over reliance on the public sector.
We are not happy with the pace of negotiations between the First and deputy First Minister and Treasury in order to secure this important economic lever and if it does not come to fruition then the people of Northern Ireland should be under no illusion that it is the DUP and Sinn Fein who have failed in their ability to represent the interests of Northern Ireland at the highest level.
The Ulster Unionist Party will remain resolute that this policy, more than any other, can provide the boost which the economy so badly needs.
Yes we have talked about a Plan B, such as increased infrastructure spending or devolution of the small profits rate of Corporation Tax – and this is right because we must be prepared for all eventualities, but we have always remained steadfast that it is the devolution of Corporation Tax which will deliver real change.
The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State know the Ulster Unionist position and strength of feeling on this issue because our Party Leader Mike Nesbitt and economy spokesperson Sandra Overend have made representations directly to them on this very issue.
Conclusion
Let me just leave you with a few thoughts –
Whilst we have had some major positives such as the Irish Open, the Titanic Centre and the Visitors Centre at the Causeway, it is clear that vital aspects of our economy are under performing as I have clearly outlined.
That is why Peter Robinson has recently announced a campaign of ‘spin’ to trumpet his achievements to the media. But surely it is a sign of a worried First Minister which has to plead with newspapers for positive, or at least less critical, coverage. Papers which I must say work in far more financially constrained circumstances than the large publically funded press offices which both the DUP and Sinn Fein manage with an iron fist.
The Ulster Unionist Party will continue to praise the Executive when it performs, but when it does not we will point it out in the strongest terms. We will also put forward the ideas contained within our policy papers and our own published Programme for Government on a continual basis.
The DUP claim to be the Party of all shades of Unionism yet they are forcing upon the people of Northern Ireland an unedited welfare reform bill which will have significantly worse impacts here than it will in England. They had 7 months to change it and they didn’t. They are failing to recognise the changes they can make across all of Government to minimise the impact of welfare reform. But no doubt they will turn around in the future and cry foul when they realise the mistakes that they made.
Let me give you an example of why we are doing this from the Housing Executive’s own explanation of how people will be affected by welfare reform.
Mr and Mrs Brown, a couple in their fifties whose children have grown up and left home, live in a housing association three bedroom house costing £72.91 per week in rent. At the moment Housing Benefit covers the full cost of their rent. Under the new rules they will be deemed to be under-occupied by two bedrooms. Their Housing Benefit will be reduced by 25% of the rent [25% of £72.91 = £18.23] to £54.68 per week. Therefore they will have to pay £18.23 per week towards their rent.
Finding that extra money each week may place a considerable burden on Mr and Mrs Brown who may decide the only choice they have is to downsize to a smaller property. In social housing terms who is responsible for the provision of such properties?.........the same Minister who knew this was going to be an issue and has as yet done nothing. Mr and Mrs Brown would like to know when this administration will build homes to meet the needs of those affected by welfare reform. Workers in construction companies across Northern Ireland would like to know as well.
They claim to be the champion of Unionism, and quite rightly supported our policy that the Union Flag should fly on Belfast City Hall 365 days a year, but then again as a consequence of their carve up with Sinn Fein on local government reorganisation they have forever changed the demographics which will inevitably produce a nationalist majority on the City council.
I hope Peter Robinson will not use the coming days, weeks and months to attempt to paper over the gaping cracks in our society which are apparent – especially in our economy . . .
What matters most is providing people with the education and skills they need in an increasingly globalised and competitive market – building an environment where local business can thrive and international business is attracted to - and giving people a health service that they can be proud off.
And I hope the First Minister is honest with the people of Northern Ireland about the scale of the challenge and avoids waxing lyrical over their many failings. He will no doubt sing the praises of his Ministerial colleagues but self-praise is no praise.
If he wants honest assessments let him ask our brightest economists, the tens of thousands unemployed, and the hundreds losing their homes.
It is one thing for political parties to take power, it is quite another for them to take responsibility.
One hundred and sixty spin doctors might mean this administration can talk the talk, for the people of Northern Ireland however the need is for a Government that can walk the walk."