Ulster Unionist Parliamentary Party




Friday 16 July 2004 Volume 11, Number 24

HERMON DEMANDS ANSWERS OVER STORMONTGATE

North Down MP Lady Hermon has spoken out on behalf of the 1426 prison staff who were forced to move home when the Stormontgate spy-ring operation was exposed in October 2002. Speaking from Westminster, where a response to a Parliamentary written question revealed that £17 million has already been spent in protecting Prison Officers following the Stormontgate security breach, Lady Hermon said: "Whilst the focus will inevitably be on the cost of Stormontgate - anticipated to be in the region of £30 million - we mustn't allow ourselves to forget the personal trauma faced by many prison officers and their families who through absolutely no fault of their own were forced out of their homes at very short notice. It was and remains only right that steps are taken to protect these brave officers, their families and their homes."

The Ulster Unionist Home Affairs Spokesperson continued: "This response reveals that the personal details of 1426 prison staff were compromised by the Provisional IRA…not a dissident group, not the Real IRA or Continuity IRA, but the mainstream Republican paramilitaries. Despite the very serious breach of their personal security, I know that the experience of many prison officers in North Down was made even more traumatic by the attitude adopted by the Prison Service. There is no doubt in my mind that a great deal more could have been done by the prison authorities to lessen the deeply felt anxiety of many prison officers and their families." In conclusion, Lady Hermon stressed: "Of course, the overall cost of Stormontgate should not be allowed to detract attention from those responsible for this major breach of national security and many questions remain unanswered. Not least, who masterminded the whole spying operation?"

BLAIR HIT BY DÉJÀ VU

Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble confronted the Prime Minister in the House of Commons this week when he compared Mr Blair's record in Iraq to his handling of the Belfast Agreement. Following the Prime Minister's statement on the recently published Butler Report into Intelligence on WMDs in Iraq, Mr Trimble told the Commons: "I wonder if the Prime Minister would agree with the following summary, as we stand back from things and look at them. There was, and continues to be, a very good case for the action that was taken with regard to Iraq, but the Government, in their anxiety and eagerness to get the widest possible support for that action, oversold the case, and the reaction from that has led to an undermining of the good case and results in a situation whereby it is now more difficult for us to make progress." Referring to the Prime Minister's handling of the Belfast Agreement, the Ulster Unionist Leader then jibed: "Does the Prime Minister remember once making a similar mistake?"

A rattled Mr Blair responded: "I do not agree with him. Even if one put in all the caveats, as the report suggests, the fact is that what we said at the time, back in September and in March, is that Saddam Hussein is an active WMD threat and has actual deployable weapons. That was the effect of the intelligence. No matter what changes we made to the way in which it was put, that fundamental thing would have remained." He continued: "I say to the right hon. Gentleman, as I have said to others, that the fact is - this is why I am afraid that I cannot say that we were wrong in taking the action that we did - that even if we accept what is in Lord Butler's Report now, that does not mean going to the opposite extreme and saying that there was no threat at all."


HERMON FURIOUS AT STATE FUNDING OF REPUBLICAN PROPAGANDA

Ulster Unionist MP Sylvia Hermon has described as "absolutely outrageous" news that £560,000 of public money has been used to fund the Andersonstown News Group. When details of funding by the Northern Ireland Administration were revealed to her through a recent written parliamentary question, the North Down MP commented angrily: "It is absolutely outrageous that public money has been used to fund an avowedly Republican newspaper group. Not only has the Andersonstown Newspaper Group already received over half a million pounds but, if successful in their current applications with Invest Northern Ireland, they will have been granted close to £1 million of state funds. Let's just put the shoe on the other foot and imagine the Ulster Unionist Party knocking on the door of No.10 Downing Street and asking for money for a Unionist newspaper. Not only would the proposal get no further than the doorstep but we would be laughed all the way down Whitehall and rightly so. Why should taxpayers' money be used to peddle a Republican message? This is totally unacceptable. For a start I am sure it is incompatibility with European law which outlaws the state funding of newspapers. Let's see how Tony Blair explains this one." Lady Hermon wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, and is also awaiting responses to further parliamentary questions into the issue.

BEGGS WELCOMES EXTRA £100 FOR PENSIONERS

Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader, Roy Beggs MP, has welcomed the Government's payment of an extra £100 to pensioners to help with living expenses, but said they must do more to encourage all elderly people to take-up their benefits. Mr Beggs was the only MP from Northern Ireland present at a House of Commons committee debate on the Draft Age-Related Payments (Northern Ireland) Order 2004, which enacts the Government's Budget pledge to give pensioners over 70 who are in receipt of the state pension credit an extra £100 this year. While he welcomed the step to alleviate the financial hardship facing pensioners, the East Antrim MP said he was concerned that "the measure is selective and, to some extent, discriminatory." He said: "Many people will feel aggrieved by their exclusion from it. I seriously hope that the Government are not so foolish as to imagine that they can solve the long-term problems facing elderly people throughout the UK with quick-fix payments. The fact is that if there was an adequate state pension in the first place, there would be no need for the order or similar short-term approaches to tackle fuel poverty in so piecemeal a fashion."

Mr Beggs went on to highlight a recent report from Help the Aged which stated that the deaths of 1,300 elderly people in Northern Ireland last winter were related to the cold weather, and a further report showed Northern Ireland had some of the highest levels of fuel poverty in the UK. He said: "Sadly... the Government have failed successfully to eradicate those long-term problems. In 2004, that is nothing short of a national disgrace. It is shocking when up to a third of households in Northern Ireland are not properly heated because of financial difficulties." The East Antrim MP continued: "We urgently need benefit take-up strategies to be pushed through with public awareness advertising campaigns and departmental initiatives to ensure that the message gets across to those who could be benefiting but are not. Help the Aged reports that up to a third of elderly people are not claiming the benefits to which they are entitled. If that is the case, it is no wonder that so many of them struggle needlessly. In the most extreme cases, some die of cold-related illnesses during the winter. I strongly urge members of the Committee to take a minute to think about the old people whom they know, to spend some time checking to ensure that they are aware of the benefit options open to them and that they are not suffering unnecessarily." Mr Beggs therefore called on the Government to do much more "to root out the problem of pensioners sitting freezing through winter after winter. The Government must be proactive, not reactive, in their efforts to ensure that low-income pensioners throughout the country are adequately provided for during the winter months."

Also this week, the Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader, Roy Beggs, called on the Chancellor to provide extra incentives for the unemployed to take up jobs in community care. Addressing Mr Brown during Treasury Questions in the House of Commons, the East Antrim MP said: "The shortage of Home Helps and Community Care Workers must be tackled so that we can deliver proper care in the community." And he asked: "Will you seek to provide incentives through training and the New Deal to encourage more unemployed people to offer such a service? Our hospitals will benefit, and we will get patients into their own homes much faster if a proper care in the community service is available."



Friday 9 July 2004 Volume 11, Number 23

BEGGS HAMMERS GOVERNMENT OVER COSTELLO WHITEWASH

Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Roy Beggs has exposed as "misleading and misrepresentative" much of the Government's arguments for implementing Costello's recommendations for post-primary education arrangements. Speaking during an Adjournment Debate at the Northern Ireland Grand Committee, initiated by the East Antrim MP, Mr Beggs said: "The Government are tampering with an education system that has, over the years, proved to be not only uniquely successful but socially inclusive. Rather than provide reasoned, well-researched and considered arguments to support Costello, the Government have been fed, and have publicly voiced, inaccurate information and flawed arguments." Addressing Education Minister, Barry Gardiner, Mr Beggs said: "You appear to be suggesting that arguments against Costello are made merely for the sake of argument - that they are not voiced out of serious concern for our children and the future of our education system, but have come from some an old-boy lobbying network that is determined to destroy any reforms." Picking apart arguments made by Mr Gardiner and Department Officials in previous debates or in response to questioning, Mr Beggs said that statistics the Minister was using were either out-of-date or misleading and that his arguments were flawed.

The Ulster Unionist Education Spokesman said: "Grammar schools have already agreed that the current 11-plus tests must go, and have sought to put forward practical, workable and affordable alternatives. At every step of the way, however, they and their supporters among political representatives have been met with insurmountable Government intransigence. Clear and reasoned arguments are falling on deaf ears, and so are the wishes of 64 per cent. of the parents of Northern Ireland who expressed a desire to retain some form of academic selection. Ministers and officials appear determined to press ahead, regardless of how often the arguments are exposed as misleading and misrepresentative." Concluding, he said: "Flawed arguments make for flawed policies. We do not wish to see a flawed education system in Northern Ireland. The education of our children and the future of our region must not be based on over-generalised, over-simplistic educational theories. I trust the Minister will not be giving us more of the same in his response, but will finally start to listen to the views of those closest to the issue, not those closest to Costello. I hope that he will ensure that the best interest of our children remain paramount."
The Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader, Roy Beggs MP, also called on the Education Minister to withdraw his "scurrilous allegations" against school Boards of Governors and Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland. Mr Beggs quoted from an interview the Minister, Barry Gardiner MP, had recently given to the Belfast Telegraph and invited him to "point the finger at the handful of schools and the Education and Library Boards that have been failing." He acknowledged that "some do have financial problems" but asked the Minister to "also accept that in some cases the problems have been contributed to by failure or delay in decision making by departmental officials." Drawing on his own involvement with the North Eastern Education and Library Board, the Ulster Unionist Education Spokesman asked Mr Gardiner to acknowledge that there, "only five of 274 schools have a budget deficit of more than 20 per cent." He continued: "I would go so far as to say that, with falling enrolment and the lack of additional funding being attracted to those schools, the only way they will get out of their difficulties is with special assistance or closure. Perhaps that is part of the plan." Mr Beggs therefore demanded that the Minister "point the finger where responsibility lies and let those who need a kick in the butt feel the boot. I hope that he will concede that those schools that have planned services in school budgets give an indication of prudent financial management."

TRIMBLE CRITIQUE OF NORTHERN IRELAND BUDGET

Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble has delivered a detailed critique of the latest budget for Northern Ireland. Speaking at the last Northern Ireland Grand Committee before the House rises for the Summer Recess, Mr Trimble urged the Government to ensure that Northern Ireland also benefits from education spending proposals announced this week by the Secretary of State for Education. The Upper Bann MP drew attention to Charles Clarke's promise to 'refurbish or rebuild every secondary school to 21st century standards in the next 10 to 15 years' saying: "That is a very bold claim…I would love to think that that is possible in Northern Ireland, and I am sure that the Government will let us know what the position is. However, what I have heard so far about the capital expenditure in education is not encouraging. My impression is that only just over half that capital programme is being implemented through public-private partnerships. If that is the sort of proportion that is maintained, any comprehensive rebuilding programme will not be achievable. We must move a much higher proportion of capital expenditure in education through public-private partnerships and private finance initiatives. We would be delighted to hear the Government confirm that the Secretary of State's target for England and Wales will be a target in Northern Ireland as well."

Addressing Finance Minister, Ian Pearson, Mr Trimble continued: "One complicating factor in secondary school provision in Northern Ireland is the huge uncertainty resulting from the poor report that people refer to as Costello, which has a completely flawed approach. If the Government is thinking about a capital programme for education, he needs to look out for the problems that will arise if Costello is implemented, because it will have implications for the viability of schools, the need for additional schools and the construction of replacement schools. That construction would come out of a purely political attempt at social engineering, rather than any genuine educational needs. In addition to educational need, the Government needs to bear it in mind that there might be problems due to the rather outdated ideas that Costello is recycling."

The Ulster Unionist Leader also questioned the Government over the proposed substantial increase of funding for the Civic Forum. The Upper Bann MP asked Mr Pearson why funding for the Civic Forum - which was suspended along with the Northern Ireland Assembly - was to be increased from £176,000 this year, to £516,000 for 2004-05. He said: "One wonders how a body that is still suspended will have that almost threefold increase. There must be a reason why there will be a threefold increase in that non-existent body's expenditure."

Speaking in the same debate Ulster Unionist Health Spokesman, Rev Martin Smyth has called on the Government to promote a coordinated interdepartmental strategy to address the problem of under-age sex. Rev Smyth pressed NIO Minister Ian Pearson to "consider the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Department of Education coming together in a community where there is great concern about under-age sex, with children under 12 bearing children." The South Belfast MP added: "The schools cannot cope with their budget, and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety says that that project is not its business. Frankly, that Department will have to carry larger expenditure later if we do not curb the problem in the earlier stages." He also criticised the Government for withdrawing finance from the 'Love for Life' initiative "which has been doing such a wonderful job in many of our schools."

Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader, Roy Beggs, pressured the Government to ensure that Northern Ireland will not face economic crisis when Peace II funding is brought to an end. He urged Finance Minister, Ian Pearson MP, to give the people of Northern Ireland "some comfort about the future of Peace II funding. It has been very important to communities and has helped to build better relationships and growing stability." The East Antrim MP continued: "We expect that, some time in the not too distant future, there will be an announcement from Brussels, and probably from Stormont, that the Peace II funding moneys will be extended. However, we would appreciate it if the Government has given consideration to what will happen beyond the duration of Peace II funding, because there is concern about how projects and community groups can be funded after the period in which we expect to have such funding."




ASBOs UNDERMINED BEFORE THEIR INTRODUCTION
North Down MP Sylvia Hermon has severely criticised the Government for undermining the value of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders only weeks before they are finally introduced in Northern Ireland. Lady Hermon was the only representative from Northern Ireland appointed to the Committee to consider the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, which met over 10 lengthy and often heated sessions. She confronted Criminal Justice Minister, Paul Goggins MP, over a Clause in the Bill which provides that Restraining Orders will no longer be limited to those who are convicted of an offence, but can now be made on acquittal. The Ulster Unionist Home Affairs Spokesperson said: "Restraining Orders are intended to go way beyond family courts and domestic violence, and to be a sweeping broadening of the criminal law to include those who have no conviction and are going to be acquitted so that they can have a Restraining Order. That will completely undermine ASBOs." She continued: "I am greatly worried that, under the Clause, a person might be punished without a conviction for any offence, as long as their behaviour comes within the definition of harassment. The Minister has said that a Restraining Order can apply whenever there is criminal damage to property. Let us suppose that a judge in Northern Ireland has the option of issuing an ASBO or a Restraining Order. Will the Minister explain why such a provision is being drafted now and which factors will be uppermost in the mind of the judiciary in Northern Ireland? I accept that that question is hard to answer, but will he explain the guidance and the factors that a judge in Northern Ireland will take into account when deciding whether to issue an ASBO or a Restraining Order?"
Lady Hermon and her Ulster Unionist colleagues have been highly active in bringing about the extension of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, available in Great Britain since 1997, to Northern Ireland. She therefore added: "ASBOs are intended to ensure that a young person or a not so young person does not get a criminal record, but now restraining orders will be issued more frequently than ASBOs, and more people will therefore have criminal records. Can he reassure me that ASBOs are still worth while in Northern Ireland?" Concluding, she promised to keep a close eye on the operation of Restraining Orders and how many are issued compared with ASBOs. She said: "I hope that the Government bear in mind the difficult circumstances that we have in Northern Ireland, particularly coming into the marching season. Where one might have anticipated ASBOs being issued, we may now have restraining orders. I will watch with interest."
The North Down MP also urged caution over the Government's intention to make Common Assault an arrestable offence. She asked Constitutional Affairs Minister, Christopher Leslie MP, to carefully consider the particular impact this could have in Northern Ireland. She said: "I ask the Minister to focus his attention on Northern Ireland, as we are heading into the parading or marching season. Perhaps the Minister would like to come over and witness it first hand. He would see that tempers get frayed in those circumstances. The potential application of this Clause is very wide and it might aggravate the situation considerably." Lady Hermon went on to ask whether the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission had been consulted about the implications of the Bill for enhancing community relations but was extremely surprised to hear the Minister admit that he had not even heard of the Commission. Enlightening the Minister, Lady Hermon explained that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission had been set up under the Belfast Agreement as a statutory body charged with examining the adequacy of the law and ensuring that it is compatible with our human rights obligations. She therefore urged Mr Leslie to "act post-haste after this Committee or at least when he next has the opportunity. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is a substantive body and it should have been consulted on this legislation."

Lady Hermon also raised further concerns with provisions in the Bill relating to applications by the prosecution for certain counts to be tried without a jury. Introducing the provision, Home Office Minister, Paul Goggins MP, said that it would provide protection for vulnerable defendants, ensuring that they will not appear before a jury if unfit to do so. Lady Hermon said: "I am pleased that the provisions will be extended to Northern Ireland. He said that these defendants are vulnerable. I could not agree with him more. Perhaps I am wrong, but am I right in thinking that the provisions do not apply to youth courts? We are discussing vulnerable young people, but the provisions apply only to people over 18." Mr Goggins confirmed that these measures would only be available to the Crown Court and would therefore apply to young people under the age of 18 who are before the Crown Court.



Friday 2 July 2004 Volume 11, Number 22

SMYTH INTRODUCES SEVERE LEARNING DISABILITY BILL
The Ulster Unionist Party's Health Spokesman, Rev Martin Smyth, has introduced a Bill to the House of Commons which will make provisions for people with Severe Learning Disabilities in Northern Ireland. Addressing a packed House of Commons as he introduced the Northern Ireland (Severe Learning Disability) Bill - which has already received tremendous cross-party support - the South Belfast MP said: "A learning disability is a lifelong condition acquired before, during or shortly after birth, and can affect someone's life in many ways, causing difficulties in learning, communicating or doing everyday things. Two percent of the population - or 33,000 people in Northern Ireland - have a learning disability." He continued: "I am introducing the Bill because the needs of people with severe learning disability, their parents and carers are so pressing…the Bill confronts the problem of the allocation of, and access to, services for people with a severe learning disability. It also confronts the problems that carers and parents encounter in their struggle to ensure that the person for whom they care has the best possible services."
He stressed: "We must recognise the needs of families as well. The frustration that they experience often leads directly to stress and exhaustion. They have to fight for services again and again. Rather than having easy access to services for the person with a learning disability, many parents find that there is a postcode lottery - that the quality of service depends on where they live rather than on what they need." The South Belfast MP said: "The Bill provides a route to services, as well as clarity about what is needed. In contrast to provision by the Department of Health in England, there seems to be little published information in Northern Ireland about the criteria used to decide whether people are eligible for services…Northern Ireland has no Community Care Act, and the 'people first' policy that is our equivalent does not have the same strengths. 'People first' does not cover the full range of needs in Northern Ireland."
Rev Smyth continued: "Parents, particularly those whose children are leaving school, face problems in finding their way through the maze of needs and services. They must move from a relatively structured education environment, with well-established points of contact and relationships, to adult health and social services, where they will have to negotiate a system that is fragmented, diffuse and diverse. There is no clear process to help them identify their needs and those of the person with a learning disability. The difficulties are compounded by the absence of any clear statement of what services will be provided in response to the identified needs. As a result, families must fight to retain services. People with learning disabilities and their families require a clear process, involving clear statements about needs and the services that will be provided to meet those needs." The Ulster Unionist MP concluded: "The Bill aims to provide a definition of severe learning disability; an entitlement to an assessment of needs for people with severe learning disability; an entitlement to implementation of the recommendations of the assessment by a responsible agency; and an entitlement to an independent advocate to support the person with a learning disability in the processing of the assessment and its implementation." The Bill is due to receive it's second reading in October.

ONE LAST PUSH FOR ASSEMBLY - TRIMBLE
Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble has urged the Government to close down the Northern Ireland Assembly if agreement on restoring devolution is not reached through revived talks in the autumn. Confronting Secretary of State Paul Murphy during Northern Ireland Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Trimble said: "I welcome the fact that the Government are finally planning in the autumn to have a series of intensive discussions, which, unfortunately, are much postponed." He asked: "Will the Secretary of State make it clear that this really is a deadline and not just another disposable target, and that if the deadline is not met, there will be firm action by the Government to make it clear to the parties that have been dragging their feet over the past couple of years that the Government will move on, close down the Assembly and put in place alternative arrangements?" Mr Murphy agreed that "we cannot go on for ever in this way." He continued: "There is an appetite for devolution in Northern Ireland to return, we understand the issues that must be dealt with when we return in September."

Also at Northern Ireland Questions, the last one before the summer recess, South Antrim MP, David Burnside, questioned the Government over its commitment to ensure the IRA decommissions all of its weapons. Mr Burnside challenged Security Minister, Ian Pearson, over the Government's total failure to punish the IRA for missing the original decommissioning deadline. The South Antrim MP asked: "Why should the IRA decommission?" He said: "The deadline was June 2000. The Government did not stick to the deadline. The Blair promise of action and expulsion was not adhered to. Why should the IRA decommission when it has a very useful negotiating tool for the next raft of concessions to Sinn Fein/IRA?" Responding, rather weakly, Mr Pearson said: "What is important is to recognise that the decommissioning process has started."

IF IT ISN'T BROKEN, DON'T FIX IT
Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader, Roy Beggs, took the opportunity to hit out at the Government's blatant attempt to destroy Northern Ireland's successful grammar school system. Speaking during Northern Ireland Questions, an angry Mr Beggs said: "It has been clearly shown that our education system in Northern Ireland is socially inclusive, that a higher percentage of pupils gain university places than elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and that standards of achievement in our secondary schools continue to improve." The East Antrim MP then asked NIO Education Minister Barry Gardiner if he would explain "why the Government seeks to destroy our grammar school system?" Mr Beggs pointed out that the Government's reform proposals had been rejected by a majority of respondents in the widest consultation ever to take place in Northern Ireland. He asked Mr Gardiner: "Why has no alternative to the existing transfer procedure been proposed; and why are you helping to wreck an education system that has proved successful for all the people of Northern Ireland?" Speaking after Northern Ireland Questions, Mr Beggs said: "We must be vigilant to ensure that our excellent schooling system is preserved. It's a simple case of 'if it isn't broken don't fix it.'"

HERMON WELCOMES U-TURN ON ASYLUM SEEKERS
North Down MP, Sylvia Hermon, has welcomed the Government's u-turn on their policy not to grant visits to groups wishing to meet asylum seekers housed in Northern Ireland's prisons. Following intense pressure on Security Minister Ian Pearson during Northern Ireland Questions, Lady Hermon was relieved to learn that out of Northern Ireland's 140 asylum seekers only 1 is now being held in Maghaberry Prison. The Ulster Unionist Home Affairs Spokesperson however stressed that she remained "unhappy and concerned about the conditions in which asylum seekers are kept at various locations in Northern Ireland," and therefore asked the Minister to facilitate a visit for herself and various Church representatives to all the locations were asylum seekers are currently held. Despite having previously been refused a similar request made to former NIO Minister Jane Kennedy, Mr Pearson readily agreed to facilitate the visit.

UUP HOLDING FORT AT WESTMINSTER
Speaking after Northern Ireland Questions, Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader, Roy Beggs, congratulated his parliamentary colleagues on their "excellent and robust all-round contribution." He said: "As this was the last Northern Ireland Questions session before the House rises for the Summer Recess, it was imperative that we raised a number of key questions and local issues with the Government." He continued: "It was interesting to note however that while the UUP were, as always, working at maximum strength for the good of the people of Northern Ireland, the DUP were nowhere to be found. Clearly the DUP have yet to learn that representing the electorate requires more than just sound bites and spin doctoring. It requires real engagement on the issues that matter with the powers that be and, with the Assembly suspended, that means at Westminster. The electorate will decide whether they want to vote for and support a party that consistently represents Northern Ireland's interests or for party that is consistently absent from debates in the House of Commons and its Committees."





Friday 25 June 2004 Volume 11, Number 21

TIME'S UP FOR REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT - BURNSIDE
The Prime Minister must tell the Republican movement that "time has run out" for them to join a democratic Executive in Northern Ireland, and accept that he should move on without them, South Antrim MP David Burnside demanded this week. Confronting the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, ahead of the all-party talks at Lancaster House on Friday, Mr Burnside asked: "Would you not attempt, when you're talking to all the political representatives there, to tell the Republican leadership their time has run out. They are holding up the establishment of Stormont." The South Antrim MP continued: "Will you tell them their time has run out, and will you then turn to the leaders of the democratic parties, the Ulster Unionist Party, the DUP, the SDLP and the Alliance Party, and facilitate, if necessary by legislation, the formation of a cross-community Executive so we will have devolution up and running at Stormont and no longer be vetoed by Sinn Fein/IRA?"

In his response, the Prime Minister said: "I've been making it clear since the speech I made in November 2002, the so called 'acts of completion speech', that there is no way that we can get these institutions back up and running unless there is a complete and total cessation of all paramilitary activity. That has been made clear throughout, and I can assure you I will be making exactly the same points again." He continued: "I think it is important that we try, if we possibly can, and reach agreement on the basis that includes all political parties. Now that has to be on a clear, shared democratic understanding, but I can assure you there is no way that we will be trying to force people into an Executive and share power with people unless they're prepared to give up their paramilitary activity completely."

TRIMBLE CRITICISES PM OVER EU CONSTITUTION
Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble has accused the Prime Minister of putting an "optimistic gloss" on the new EU constitution. Speaking in the House of Commons following the Prime Minister's statement on the new consitution for Europe, as agreed in Brussels last weekend, Mr Trimble said: "The Prime Minister puts an optimistic gloss on the new constitution, but the truth of the matter is that it does not matter what the Government say, because the important interpretation of the meaning of its many vague provisions will be given by the European Court of Justice." The Upper Bann MP continued: "All the energy that has gone into the Treaty and that will go into trying - I believe futilely - to sell it to the British people is a diversion from the main issue that Europe should examine: namely, the relative economic failure of the core Eurozone countries. That is the real problem, and the Treaty diverts energy from it." And he warned: "The Prime Minister and his Government will make a fatal mistake if they go to the country in a general election before a referendum is held on the constitution." Responding, the Prime Minister said he agreed with Mr Trimble that it "is important for Europe to concentrate on economic reform and change" adding, however, "we are less likely to get that if we opt out of Europe."

'NO JUSTIFICATION FOR NO VICTIMS COMMISSIONER' SLAMS HERMON
Ulster Unionist Home Affairs Spokesperson, Sylvia Hermon, continued to challenge the Government over Northern Ireland's exclusion from new legislative proposals to create a Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses in England and Wales. Lady Hermon, who is currently serving on the Committee scrutinising the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, took the opportunity to raise the issue with NIO Justice Minister John Spellar at the Northern Ireland Grand Committee. She demanded an explanation for the Government's intention to omit Northern Ireland's victims from the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill. "Will the Government explain why the whole of Part 3, which relates to the new Victims Commissioner, does not extend to Northern Ireland?" she queried. In response, Mr Spellar undertook to "examine the Bill's applicability to Northern Ireland. We shall consider not only the measures that are proposed, but the implications for Northern Ireland and for the different arrangements that we have in this country." Speaking after the Committee, Lady Hermon said: "At least the Minister has opened his mind to exploring the possibility of broadening the remit of the Victims Commissioner. Why should victims of domestic violence and other crimes in Northern Ireland be regarded by the Government as somehow less worthy of protection than those in the rest of the UK? They are not. I hope that the Government will now see sense and extend the legislation in full immediately."

ELECTORAL COMMISSION MUST GET ITS ACT TOGETHER
Ulster Unionist MP for South Belfast, Rev Martin Smyth, has called on the Electoral Commission to ensure that all those who are eligible to vote have every opportunity to have their names put on the register in time. Speaking during a House of Commons debate on the Electoral System, Rev Smyth said: "In Northern Ireland, the Electoral Commission has managed to get people off the electoral roll. In the European poll, not only did the figure go down in percentage terms but the total number of people on registers decreased." The South Belfast MP concluded: "The Electoral Commission will have to get its act together, because it is robbing people of the right to vote."

PEERS BAMBOOZLE GOVERNMENT OVER CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS BILL
Ulster Unionist Peers this week delivered a severe blow to the Government's Civil Partnerships Bill. During the Bill's Report Stage in the House of Lords, Lord Maginnis joined forces with Conservative Peer, Baroness O'Cathain, to secure an amendment to the Bill which recognised that families, carers and other couples who live together deserve the same protection as those being advanced to gay couples through this legislation. Their amendment was accepted by 148 votes to 130. The former MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone explained that the amendments "would add family members to the list of beneficiaries, and they are very straightforward." He asked fellow Peers: "Are homosexuals to be the only beneficiaries? Why must we go through this whole legislative process with our eyes closed to the plight of family members who could benefit and who deserve to benefit?" Lord Maginnis continued: "We are talking about a very deserving group of people. The amendments state that they must be close relatives who have lived together for 12 years and they must be over 30 years of age, which means that they have lived together as adults. Living together as minors does not count. The amendments require proof that the relationships that are to be rewarded are long-term, committed relationships."

Ulster Unionist Peers also made a concerted effort to force the Government not to extend legislation which will grant gay couples similar rights to married couples to Northern Ireland. Lord Maginnis said: "Within Northern Ireland there is a general consensus. People will not accept having this legislation imposed on them. That is not the basis on which to move forward in a region of the United Kingdom that has other problems to solve during this transitional period." Speaking in the same debate Lord Kilclooney said: "Historically in Ireland one of the great political problems has been the perception of England imposing laws in that island and, since 1921, in Northern Ireland. Let us not repeat the error again today. It is a matter not of human rights but of democracy and devolution. If you accept the policy of devolution for Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland, and since you agree that Scotland can make its own decisions in its own Parliament on this issue, then logically you should also accept the right of the people of Northern Ireland through their elected Assembly to make their own decisions. They will not be ones of discrimination against marriages for people of the same sex." He continued: "I think we should wait for the Assembly to be brought back into operation in Northern Ireland; and supporters of devolution should leave it to that Northern Ireland Assembly to make its decision for the people of Northern Ireland and not to impose a decision from outside." Lord Molyneaux agreed saying: "There should not be any doubt about the attitude of the elected Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly [towards this Bill]. It has always been a tradition that those matters that affected the entire community right across the religious divide would be dealt with by its own elected Assembly." He said: "It is true that the Assembly looks to be some way off…but that should not in any way give us the opportunity to impose on the people of Northern Ireland of all religions and all political views something that they clearly would not want any more than they wanted, for example, abortion legislation when it was carried through these two Houses." Speaking after the debate Lord Maginnis said: "This has been a bad day all round for Government, as it is clear from this vote that the opposition to Northern Ireland's inclusion in this legislation is well reflected in the House of Lords."


Friday 18 June 2004 Volume 11, Number 20

BEGGS CALLS FOR INQUIRY INTO CLAUDY ATROCITY
Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Roy Beggs has called for a full public inquiry into the IRA atrocity at Claudy in 1972. Speaking at the Northern Ireland Grand Committee this week, Mr Beggs said: "More than thirty years ago, three car bombs exploded without warning, ripping the heart out of Claudy village in Co. Londonderry. Five Catholics and four Protestants were murdered and thirty others suffered horrific injuries." He therefore asked NIO Minister John Spellar: "Why have we not had a full public inquiry along the lines of Bloody Sunday, as previously requested by my hon. Friend, the Member for Upper Bann (David Trimble)? Why have the Government persisted in covering up the involvement of the late Father Chesney of the Roman Catholic Church, the Church hierarchy, the Northern Ireland Office, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and former Cabinet Minister William Whitelaw - or 'Willie Whitewash', as he is remembered in Northern Ireland? The bereaved families and the victims deserve no less than a full public inquiry. We will persist until we get one." Mr Spellar however refused to be drawn on a public inquiry, insisting that it would be inappropriate for him to comment while a police investigation into the atrocity is still ongoing.

PEARSON MUST TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CIVIL SERVICE DISPUTE
North Down MP Lady Hermon has accused NIO Minister Ian Pearson of single-handedly "bringing Northern Ireland almost to a standstill" by refusing to take personal responsibility over the Civil Service pay dispute. Also speaking at the Northern Ireland Grand Committee, Lady Hermon angrily challenged Mr Pearson to "sit down at the table and negotiate with representatives of the civil service unions." She asked him to "explain how you can sit back and not take responsibility for bringing Northern Ireland almost to a standstill through MOT testing not being available?" "People will go out of business. What are you personally going to do about it?" she asked. Mr Pearson replied: "It is important that we take all steps to resolve the dispute. We have paid what we believe is a fair and reasonable award…It simply is not possible to change the 2003 pay award, and NIPSA needs to realise that we cannot negotiate over it. We are perfectly happy to discuss the 2004 pay award with the union; indeed, we shall do so shortly. We shall also take all reasonable steps to ensure that we protect and deliver high-quality services to the public."

GOVERNMENT MUST CONSIDER RESTORING DEVOLUTION WITHOUT SINN FEIN
South Antrim MP David Burnside has challenged the Government to state what alternatives they have in mind to restore devolution in Northern Ireland should Sinn Fein-IRA refuse to halt their paramilitary and criminal activities. Addressing Political Development Minister, John Spellar, during Question Time at the Northern Ireland Grand Committee, Mr Burnside said: "You will realise that we do not have devolution because Sinn Fein is not a democratic party." The Ulster Unionist MP asked: "Can you outline what alternative routes the Government will embark on to establish devolution within the Province because Sinn Fein-IRA refuse to give up their terrorist army and their criminal empire? What will the Government do to establish administrative devolution and voluntary coalition? What form of devolution will we get at Stormont?" Responding, Mr Spellar said he agreed with the South Antrim MP that "the restoration of the devolved institutions can take place only in the context of a definitive end to paramilitary activity." He said: "That is why over the past couple of days we have had extensive discussions with the political parties on how to achieve that. We are meeting again next week. We will come back with a summary of discussions held this week and previously to try to bring what I am sure we all desire - a restoration of the devolved institutions."




TRANSFER FULL-TIME RESERVE TO PSNI
South Belfast MP Martin Smyth has this week called for the immediate and unilateral transfer of experienced members of the full-time reserve into the PSNI. Speaking at the Northern Ireland Grand Committee at Westminster, where MPs questioned Security Minister Ian Pearson over the future of the PSNI's full-time reserve, Rev Smyth said the Minister was wrong to cite the forthcoming marching season as the only reason why the full-time reserve was a necessary resource at the moment. Rather, he argued, "terror, burglaries and petty crime are continuing and the Reservists bear much of the responsibility for dealing with such matters." Referring to the experience and expertise of those serving in the full-time reserve, the Ulster Unionist MP asked: "Is not time that we use a system of the unilateral transfer for men who have been trained in policing rather than recruit novices to deal with such matters?"

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BILL MUST BE EXTENDED TO NI IN FULL
North Down MP Lady Hermon has described the NIO's reluctance to allow all provisions of the Government's eagerly awaited Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill to be extended to Northern Ireland as "totally unjustifiable." The Ulster Unionist Home Affairs Spokesperson said the NIO had effectively created a "two-tier system of victims in the United Kingdom" by stopping certain provisions of the Bill, particularly those which will establish a Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses in England and Wales, applying to Northern Ireland. Speaking during the Bill's second reading, with no representatives from Northern Ireland's other political parties present, Lady Hermon said: "Domestic violence is a very serious problem in Northern Ireland and, if the statistics are correct, six people there died as a result of paramilitary violence last year, but on average six people a year die as a result of domestic violence. As has been said many times before, murder is murder is murder - whether it is the result of paramilitary or domestic violence. The victims were loved by someone and their loss is very sad and should be taken just as seriously whatever the cause." She told MPs that "the people of North Down expect to be treated in exactly the same way as those in North Devon" and warned that there must be "no hierarchy of victims." The Ulster Unionist MP said: "The way forward for the Government and the many thousands of victims of Northern Ireland would be to extend the Bill - lock, stock and barrel - to Northern Ireland as quickly as possible." Lady Hermon, who has been granted a place on the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill Standing Committee which will commence proceedings next week, also vowed to "ensure no difference was made between victims in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK" and promised to "keep a high level of pressure on both the Home Office and Northern Ireland Office until every aspect of the Bill is extended to Northern Ireland in full."

BEGGS CALLS FOR SENTENCING DEBATE
Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Roy Beggs has called for an urgent debate on sentencing levels for serious crimes. Speaking during Business Questions in the House of Commons this week, Mr Beggs told MPs: "There was uproar and outrage recently at Belfast Crown Court about the sentencing of Conor Doyle, who brutally murdered his girlfriend, Angela Snoddy, by stabbing her more than 70 times, almost severing her head. Conor Doyle was sentenced to serve only 10 years before being considered for release." He therefore asked Leader of the House Peter Hain: "Could we have a debate on sentencing for serious crimes? The House should have the opportunity to discuss sentencing levels, so that magistrates and the judiciary are aware of the concerns of right hon. and hon. Members and their constituents that, in far too many cases, sentences do not fit the crime. Life appears to be cheap, especially for women, and we need an opportunity to urge the Attorney-General to review all low sentences automatically." Responding, Peter Hain said: "As you know, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has been anxious to ensure that life genuinely means life for the most serious murders and other crimes. He has introduced changes in the tariff arrangements and the sentencing procedures to ensure that the seriousness of crimes is taken into account by the courts. I agree that the case he mentions is appalling, and my right hon. Friend is taking a close interest in it."

BEGGS & SMYTH MOUNT NI CHALLENGE IN RACE FOR INDIA'S KIDS
Also this week, Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Roy Beggs MP and South Belfast MP Martin Smyth took part in Sport Relief's 'Westminster Mile' race, to raise money to provide safe shelter for street children in India. Sponsored by their Parliamentary colleagues and sporting some rather daring shorts, the Ulster Unionist MPs cut quite a quick pace, even if they didn't quite manage to finish ahead of fellow participant Steve Redgrave! Photographic evidence is available on request.


Friday 21 May 2004 Volume 11, Number 18

GOVERNMENT'S 'CARROT-LED, SOFTLY, SOFTLY PROCESS' HAS FAILED
Ulster Unionist Leader in the House of Lords, Lord Rogan, has urged the Government to view the IMC's Report as a turning point in the political process. Speaking in the House of Lords during a debate on the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Modification) Order 2004, which empowered the Secretary of State to take action in respect of the financial sanctions recommended by the Independent Monitoring Commission, Lord Rogan said: "The IMC's continuing work and future Reports must be properly used as a mechanism for testing whether or not certain organisations are eligible to be in the political process given their broken commitments under the Belfast Agreement. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has accepted the findings of the IMC and has finally come to hold the view of the vast majority of those living in the Province; that the PUP and Sinn Fein are not committed to non-violence and exclusively peaceful means." The Ulster Unionist Party President continued: "Whilst most of the paramilitary organisations in question are apparently still on ceasefire, the people of Northern Ireland are faced with the shocking reality of daily newspaper and television reports detailing murders, shootings, beatings, abductions and expulsions by these very same groups. There comes a time when one has to say enough is enough, and now is the time for this Government to state unequivocally that the transition phase of the political process is over. The inter-Governmental strategy of a carrot-led, drip-fed, softly, softly process - placating those who purport to be weaning their organisations off violence and rehabilitating their members through the cold turkey of their apparent conversion to democracy - has totally and utterly failed."

Lord Rogan said: "The Government must shut down the halfway house that it has allowed parties such as Sinn Fein and the PUP to take refuge in for the last six years. This situation has created a political vacuum in Northern Ireland and those who have prospered and grown in this void of political uncertainty are the political extremists who feed off inter-communal tension and fear." He warned: "The Government's response to the IMC's Report must not simply be a token knee jerk reaction to stave off criticism in the short-term. It must be the beginning of a phase in the political process that drives it home, loud and clear to all those who still cast a shadow of terror over our Province. The gun and the baseball bat must have absolutely no place under the negotiating table in any part of the United Kingdom." The Ulster Unionist Peer concluded: "The time for an inch-by-inch process, defined by the pace of the slowest political learner, Sinn Fein, has passed. The Government must use the powerful IMC to ensure that those refractory parties engage in the acts of completion that they have long promised and denied us. It is my belief that the IMC will provide the Government with the means to enforce these requirements."

Speaking in the same debate, Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Maginnis praised the work of the IMC but said the constraints that followed were only the "tip of the iceburg." The former MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone told Peers: "I take some satisfaction from the fact that the first IMC report was to the point and highlighted the matters that those of us who live and work in Northern Ireland know as day-to-day realities. It underpins the judgment of my party, the Ulster Unionist Party, to press for an IMC. The idea was scoffed at, and it was said that it would not make a great deal of difference. I believe that it has made an immense difference in so far as it has shown to the greater public and the international community the extent to which the present situation is being exploited by those still involved, or willing to be involved, in the violence, intimidation and community bullying that is affecting the lives of young people in Northern Ireland." Lord Maginnis said: "While I and most people will welcome the partial constraint on providing money to Sinn Fein and the Loyalist paramilitaries, it is only the tip of the iceberg."

'SLAB' MURPHY MUST BE STOPPED - TRIMBLE
At the Northern Ireland Grand Committee in the House of Commons this week, Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble called on the Government and other authorities to urgently take action against the well-known illegal activities of Thomas 'Slab' Murphy. The Upper Bann MP asked Security Minister Ian Pearson: "You will know of Thomas 'Slab' Murphy, who some journalists say is the IRA's Chief of Staff. You will also know that Mr. Murphy is heavily involved in fuel smuggling, to the extent that he charges other fuel smugglers for the right to use the road past his farm over the border. You will also know that one of the watchtowers retained by the authorities in south Armagh is there for the specific purpose of observing what Mr. Murphy does." Mr Trimble therefore asked: "How come neither the Police nor Customs and Excise - or anyone else - seems to be able to inhibit his activities, which, according to press reports at the weekend, have resulted in Mr. Murphy having a personal fortune of between £35 million and £40 million?" He warned: "Until the authorities manage to do something about that scandal, racketeering in general is unlikely to improve."

Keeping the pressure on the Government regarding paramilitary involvement in racketeering, South Antrim MP David Burnside asked the Minister to give a commitment that no protection or immunity will be given to paramilitaries in criminal investigations. Mr Burnside said: "It is surely a sad state of affairs that it takes the media - I refer specifically to the BBC 3 programme on the criminal 'Rich List', and to The Sunday Times - to show the courage to take on the Republican criminals in Northern Ireland. They have shown more courage than Her Majesty's Government." The Ulster Unionist MP told the Committee: "The Minister knows from security information that Thomas 'Slab' Murphy is the Chief of Staff for the Provisional IRA, and that the president of Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, and its chief negotiator, Martin McGuinness, sit beside him on the Army Council of the Provisional IRA, which the IMC Report said was inextricably linked with the continuation of criminal violence." He therefore asked Security Minister Ian Pearson to "give a commitment that he will have urgent talks with the Chief Constable of the PSNI and the Head of the Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland, to ensure that no protection or immunity is given to Republican or so-called Loyalist criminals in investigations or prosecutions."

MPs QUESTION GOVERNMENT OVER SCHOOLS BUILDING PROGRAMME
Also at the Grand Committee, and following a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Parliamentary Party with a delegation of Grammar School Principals from Northern Ireland, North Down MP Lady Hermon questioned Education Minister Barry Gardiner over whether the Costello Report and it's recommendations, had any influence over the decision to turn down a new building application at Bangor Grammar School. Referring to the Department of Education's recently announced School Building Programme, and the criteria involved in reaching decisions for school buildings, Lady Hermon asked: "Will you assure me that the Costello Report never entered your head in the application of the criteria, particularly to Bangor Grammar School's application for new build in the current round in my constituency?" Party Leader David Trimble went a step further, issuing a warning that the Government's "back-door comprehensivisation" policy for Northern Ireland's education system will have huge implications for future school building programmes and called on the Education Minister to "bin" the Costello Report. The Upper Bann MP said: "The Report contained a scheme for back-door comprehensivisation which was rejected by 64 per cent. of the people of Northern Ireland in the Department's consultation exercise. If that discredited and rejected report is implemented it will have huge implications for school building, will it not?" Mr Trimble continued: "Changing to a comprehensive structure will mean amalgamating schools and building schools that are larger than the existing ones. Have you considered that, or will he do the sensible thing and bin the Report?"

South Antrim MP David Burnside also told the Committee that there is a "certain irony" in the Labour Government's acceptance of the Costello Report. Mr Burnside asked Education Minister Barry Gardiner: "Do you not see a certain irony in the fact that you, as a member of the Labour Party and perhaps even a socialist, are presiding over the implementation of the Costello report?" He said: "It will lead to the biggest-ever private sector building programme in education in Northern Ireland and to the creation of independent schools, to which the rich, reacting against comprehensive education, will be able to send their children - just as in England." Mr Burnside therefore asked: "Do you see no irony in the fact that this meritocratic, socialist, Labour Administration will destroy our state grammar school system?"



Friday 14 May 2004 Volume 11, Number 17

TRIMBLE WARNS PARAMILITARIES AGAINST "HOTTING UP" VIOLENCE
Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble has warned paramilitaries that, in the wake of the first IMC Report, any plans they may have to escalate violence over the summer will only lead to a harsher second report and many more sanctions in the autumn. Mr Trimble was speaking at the House of Commons during a Committee debate on the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Modification) Order 2004, which empowered the Secretary of State to take action in respect of the financial sanctions recommended by the Independent Monitoring Commission. Mr Trimble said: "There is no pleasure to be gained from these proceedings. This is not how it was meant to be. It was intended in the Agreement, and in the proceedings that led up to it, that we would have a ceasefire after people had adhered to the Mitchell principles that bound them to end all punishment attacks; that that ceasefire would rapidly become the complete cessation of all paramilitary activity; and that all paramilitary weapons would be decommissioned within two years, after which the former members of the paramilitary organisations would turn their activities to exclusively peaceful and democratic means and their former organisations would wither on the vine. It is because that did not happen that we are here today."

Mr Trimble however went on to warn the Committee that paramilitary groups appear to be preparing to escalate violence at Northern Ireland's interfaces over the coming months. He said: "We are coming to the summer, during which time we always worry about what will happen at the interfaces. I am sure that the Minister will have heard rumours of silly talk among various paramilitary groups. I have heard reports of people saying things like, 'Oh, well, we'll let the IMC keep the peace at the interfaces this summer.' Such rumours circulate among Republican as well as Loyalist paramilitaries."
Mr Trimble continued: "I mention those rumours only because I want to say to paramilitary groups that they are making a huge mistake if they think that they can respond to this Report by directly or indirectly hotting up the interfaces and letting the situation in Belfast deteriorate in the summer. Anyone who thinks in those terms should consider what the consequences would be when the next IMC Report comes. There is a simple principle in such matters: when someone is in a hole, they should stop digging. Paramilitary organisations are foolish if they think that they can continue to dig, in that respect, or that they can find some way of stirring up trouble without being detected. The whole point of the IMC is to ensure that the game that the paramilitaries played immediately after the ceasefires of not claiming responsibility and hoping that the authorities would turn a blind eye is over - not just because the IMC is determined to keep a spotlight on things, but because the Northern Ireland Office and various statutory agencies are determined to ensure that no one turns a blind eye."
Mr Trimble said that other statutory agencies must do more to combat paramilitarism. He said: "Although we, quite rightly, focus primarily on paramilitary organisations, we must also recognise that there are hard questions for the Police, Customs, the Inland Revenue, the Assets Recovery Agency and the Electoral Commission. If the IMC Reports repeatedly detail all sorts of criminal conduct, including racketeering and smuggling, members of the public will increasingly ask why the Police and Customs are not doing more to deal with the problem. They will ask why the Inland Revenue is not being more effective, why the Assets Recovery Agency is not doing more and why the Electoral Commission is turning a blind eye to the fact that one political party in Northern Ireland is funded by criminality, racketeering and paramilitary activity. The IMC will therefore be asking hard questions not only of the paramilitaries, the parties related to them and the Government but of a whole range of statutory agencies. I hope that those agencies are listening and thinking, and that they will not be found wanting come the next Report, because there are challenges to be met."
Concluding, Mr Trimble told the Committee of his Party's "appreciation of the work of the IMC and our congratulations to its individual members, who, given a difficult job, have met the challenge in exactly the way that we hoped they would when we first argued for the creation of the Commission in spring 2002." However, he added: "I am sorry to have to say again how much better things would have been had the Government acted promptly in spring 2002 and put such a body in place. If they had, the Assembly might never have been suspended, and the Northern Ireland political process might have continued to develop positively. It is with regret that I must end by saying that much of the time wasted over the past two years, with the consequent suspension of the Assembly and the immobility of the Northern Ireland political situation, has been due to the failure of the Northern Ireland Office to respond to the suggestions that we made in spring 2002."

SMYTH CALLS FOR EQUITY FOR RICHARDSON'S FERTILISERS EMPLOYEES
South Belfast MP Rev. Martin Smyth has asked the Government to address the status of pension schemes effecting Richardson's Fertilisers in Northern Ireland. Speaking during Business Questions in the House of Commons the South Belfast MP asked Leader of the House, Peter Hain if he would speak with the Minister for Pensions on behalf of workers at Richardsons Fertilisers. Rev. Smyth said: "When the Richardson's Fertilisers pension scheme was transferred, it was fully funded. The Dublin Government will fund the pensions of workers for firms in the Republic of Ireland that were linked to Richardson's Fertilisers, which leaves the Richardson's Fertilisers workers completely isolated." He then asked Mr Hain if he would "examine the situation to see whether equity can prevail." Responding, Mr Hain said: "We all want equity to prevail, and you are right to call for it. The Minister concerned will want to study what you have said very carefully."

Also this week, in preparation for 3 days of debate in the House of Commons on the Pensions Bill, Ulster Unionist MPs signed an all-party amendment to the Bill which would force the Government to compensate victims of collapsed company pension schemes. Led by the Party's Trade and Industry Spokesman, David Trimble, they also tabled a separate amendment which would ensure the Bill extends to Northern Ireland in full from the time of Royal Assent, rather than having to wait for an Order in Council.

BEGGS WELCOMES CARERS BILL
Ulster Unionist Chief Whip Roy Beggs has welcomed the introduction of the Carers (Equal Opportunity) Bill, which brings to England and Wales many of the rights carers already have in Northern Ireland. Speaking during a debate on a Private Member's Bill in the House of Commons, the East Antrim MP said: "It is only right and proper that carers have access to information to help inform their life choices. The Bill will bring to England and Wales some of the rights that carers in Northern Ireland have already achieved through the Carers and Direct Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 and through section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. One of the most important effects of this legislation is that public bodies have had to talk to carers and to educate themselves about the needs of carers." Highlighting the role of public authorities in this sector Mr Beggs said that: "When developing policies, they must promote equality of opportunity for persons with dependants. At the moment, there are still many carers who cannot access vital information on benefits, services and other opportunities because of the isolation that can come with the caring role. Research consistently shows that information is the No. 1 need for carers. Too many carers still struggle for years before they find out that there are organisations out there that could help them to cope. Too many pensioner full-time carers on low incomes are having to pay from their pension savings for respite care for a spouse or other family dependant in order to restore their own strength to enable them to continue to care."

The Ulster Unionist MP continued: "Health, social services and other public authorities have a responsibility to reach out to all the hidden carers in their area. It is unreasonable to ask carers to book two weeks' respite care a year ahead - as a pensioner in Northern Ireland told me recently she had been asked to do -to facilitate the allocation of limited public funding. That funding must be increased to match the needs in this aspect of care in the community. Carers have an equal right to full opportunities in education, training, employment and leisure. Carers of working age who stop caring are potential employees who can participate in lifelong learning and will gain new skills that will maintain the economic viability of our work force. The sacrifice of carers must be recognised and they deserve every support to rebuild their careers after caring." Mr Beggs concluded: "When enacted, the Bill will help to improve life for both carers and the cared for and I fully support


Friday 7 May 2004 Volume 11, Number 16

POLITICS "FUELLED BY OPPORTUNISM" - ROGAN

Ulster Unionist Leader in the House of Lords, Lord Rogan, has criticised political parties for allowing today's debates and contests to be fuelled by "opportunism" rather than "deeply held ideological beliefs." Speaking in the House of Lords during a debate on the Role of Political Parties in Public Life, Lord Rogan said: "The 2001 elections marked a highly significant downturn in the numbers of people turning out to vote in Britain and, if public disillusionment over domestic and international events during this Parliament have been anything to go by, that is a problem that politicians have seriously failed to address and a trend that looks set to continue." He continued: "We must ask ourselves why voters are turned off by politics, what we can do to address the problem, and how we can ensure that our political parties play a positive role in society in every aspect of their interaction with the public."

The Ulster Unionist Peer said: "One of the key findings of research into public opinion on the 2004 elections carried out by MORI on behalf of the Electoral Commission and published in September 2003 stated: 'The widely reported voter apathy and disconnection seems to stem largely from the political process itself'. It is my belief that the most negative side effect of that is that we frequently see debates and political contests between the main parties that are fundamentally based upon opportunism, and are driven by competition for votes as opposed to any deeply held ideological debate or belief on a point of principle." He argued: "There are many issues in British politics that are far too delicate and fundamentally important to the public to be defined primarily by idiosyncratic party political interests. Consequently, there is a vacuum in British politics that can be filled by a more mature approach to political debate and policy formulation."

The Ulster Unionist President continued: "This House should be in no doubt that many citizens have become disillusioned with the lack of participation in British politics that has been uppermost and apparent in recent years. It is clear that our political system does not take public opinion into consideration to the same extent as many of our European counterparts. We must remember that politicians are merely the representatives of the British citizenry and if we fail to exercise the general will of the population, we have failed them, failed the system, and failed ourselves." He concluded: "Political parties are society's role models and the sounding board for all the issues that influence and dominate people's lives. As such, political parties have an intrinsic duty to conduct politics in the most meaningful and constructive way possible. That means having honest debates about issues such as immigration, race relations and crime. The Government should start by paying more attention to what is said in this House on such issues, adjusting their policies on the basis of the needs and interests of the voters, and creating a progressive culture of political co-operation between parties when our national interests are at stake."

SMYTH CALLS FOR DEBATE ON TROOP DEPLOYMENT TO IRAQ

Ulster Unionist MP for South Belfast, Rev. Martin Smyth, has called on the Government to hold a debate on troop deployments to Iraq and examine the attitude of employers towards releasing reservists to serve their country. Speaking in the House of Commons during Business Questions, Rev. Smyth asked Leader of the House Peter Hain: "As we are currently sending more reservists out to Iraq - for example, some members of the Royal Irish Regiment will be going out - may I press the Government for a debate on troop deployment?" The MP for Belfast South continued: "At the same time, we could examine the attitude of employers who have not played fair with reservists mobilised to serve their country." Responding, Mr Hain said: "If employers are not playing fair, that is an important issue because members of the Territorial Army do a valuable job and should be treated fairly. On troop deployment generally, and the role of the Royal Irish Regiment, the Ministry of Defence will have carefully noted what you have said."

RACIST THUGS MUST BE SHOWN NO QUARTER

Ulster Unionist Chief Whip Roy Beggs has hit out against the neo-Nazi British National Socialist Party (BNSP) which has been distributing racist propaganda in schools across the Province. Speaking from Westminster, where he met with the Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, Patrick Wu, the East Antrim MP said: "I have been aware for some time that groups such as the BNP and the British National Socialist Party, or Nazi Party, have been stirring up their sickening brand of bigotry and racism on the streets of our towns and cities. It comes as no surprise to me to learn that they are peddling their rancid ideas in school playgrounds. There is clearly no platform too low for these bullies to stoop." Mr Beggs continued: "Whilst their views represent only a tiny minority of the community as a whole, we must take such violations of our civic society seriously. People must embrace our ethnic communities and ensure that these racist thugs are given no quarter." The Ulster Unionist MP said that Patrick Wu had expressed serious concern at the development of groups like the BNSP and BNP and highlighted the growing unease among ethnic minority communities over the increasing number of attacks against them. Mr Beggs said: "The Conservative Party Leader Michael Howard recently denounced the BNP on the mainland, calling on all decent people to ensure their message is rejected as they have no place in British political life. I reiterate and endorse those sentiments, but it is not simply up to political and community leaders to tackle this problem; citizens who see and hear these thugs preaching their racism, and conducting violent hate campaigns, must also speak out against them." He added: "I call on anyone who holds any information concerning racist attacks on ethnic minority communities to come forward in confidence to help the PSNI with their present enquires, and for parents and school teachers to be vigilant to ensure these narrow minded bigots are kept away from our playgrounds and youth centres."

NORTH DOWN MP DEMANDS ACTION TO SAVE HERITAGE

North Down MP Lady Hermon has urged the Department of the Environment to spotlist the historic buildings under threat in Holywood, County Down. In a letter to the Environment Minister, Angela Smith MP, Lady Hermon called for Building Preservation Notices to be placed on the properties, and reminded the Minister that the powers were now on the statute-book to do so. Lady Hermon recalled that during the debate that had introduced these powers to Northern Ireland in February 2003, the Minister had remarked that "we need to be more pro-active, and make far earlier interventions to protect the buildings that we care about". Speaking from Westminster, Lady Hermon said: "These buildings are standing today because of the efforts of the Holywood Conservation Group. It was the prompt action of this Group in seeking an injunction on Friday evening that prevented the bulldozers from moving in." She continued: "It is clear that the people of Holywood care deeply about these historic houses, and about the implications for their townscape if they were to be lost. I urge the Minister and her Department to act swiftly, to recognise the strength of feeling in the Holywood community and to allow this historic and beautiful town to retain the type of buildings that make it special."

SMYTH CALLS FOR LEAD ROLE FOR MIDWIVES

South Belfast MP Rev. Martin Smyth has called on the Government to promote greater midwife services. Speaking in the House of Commons during Health Questions, the Ulster Unionist MP told Community Care Minister, Dr. Stephen Ladyman: "You agreed that it is a long time since the Select Committee advocated greater midwife services." And he asked: "What is the hindrance? Midwives, as opposed to obstetricians, still deliver more than 70 per cent. of babies, so surely they should be given more of lead role." Replying, Dr. Ladyman said: "You are absolutely right: there is a much greater role to be found for midwives in the future. We are doing as much as we can to ensure that mothers are aware of that. For example, just before Christmas I launched a guide produced along with Dr. Foster to explain to new mothers what services were available in their locality. We have to go a lot further to ensure that women have a genuine choice of a midwife-led birth if that is what they want in the future."


Friday 30 April 2004 Volume 11, Number 15

UUP PROTEST AT NORTHERN IRELAND GRAND COMMITTEE
The Ulster Unionist Parliamentary Party this week declined to participate in a sitting of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee, in protest at the refusal of some members to allow the Committee to meet in Northern Ireland. Speaking at Westminster, Party Leader David Trimble made the following statement: "Mr Chairman, on a Point of Order, is it not disappointing that this Committee is again meeting here, despite repeated calls for meetings in the Province? The Scottish and Welsh Grand Committees regularly meet in their respective localities yet this Committee is prevented from holding debates in Northern Ireland. I know the problem does not lie with the Chair. But who is obstructing? Should not the Government's representatives and the Whips tell us which Party objects to Members representing Northern Ireland, debating Northern Ireland matters in Northern Ireland? My Hon. Friend, the Member for East Antrim, raised this issue with the then Leader of the House in November 2001, in October 2002; and again in March 2003. Moreover, he has raised it at virtually every meeting since 2001." He continued: "On the subject for debate, neither I, nor my hon. Friends, were asked for our opinion. Rather, the Government made the decision and merely informed us. In October we were to debate Community Relations. That meeting was cancelled. Since then we have had 3 sittings but no sign of Community Relations, a more urgent and important issue than that before us, despite reminders - most recently by my Hon. Friend the member for North Down in a Standing Committee to the Minister of State on 24 March. To register our deep frustration therefore, neither I, nor my hon. Friends, will participate in this afternoon's debate."

IMC REPORT MUST BE "SPRINGBOARD" FOR GOVERNMENT ACTION
Ulster Unionist Party Leader David Trimble, has urged the Government to use the findings of the Independent Monitoring Commission as a tool to press intransigent paramilitaries to engage in acts of completion. Speaking in the House of Commons during Northern Ireland Questions, the Upper Bann MP said: "The Minister has referred to the IMC Report and to the need to make progress. Is not the significant thing about the IMC Report not the limited sanctions but the clear and unequivocal description that it gave? Did that not provide a very significant springboard for the Government, and should not the Government have rapidly followed up the IMC Report by pressing paramilitaries, and Republicans in particular, for those acts of completion?" Mr Trimble continued: "Has not the cancellation of the talks planned for Thursday and Friday been a huge mistake? In the light of the IMC report, surely the Government must realise that they and others cannot proceed with business as usual as if nothing had happened." Responding, NIO Minister Ian Pearson, said: "Let us be clear that the intensive talks have not been cancelled; they have been postponed. The two Prime Ministers met last week, the Secretary of State had meetings with a number of the political parties yesterday, and talks need to continue. The IMC Report clearly and graphically demonstrated the level of paramilitary activity that is unfortunately still a regular occurrence in Northern Ireland, but there will be no resolution to this situation, and there will not be the stable, inclusive institutions that we all want to see, if we do not and are not prepared to get round the table and talk, so we do need to move forward and to engage in talks, and that is what we will continue to do in the coming months."

Also at Northern Ireland Questions, North Down MP Lady Hermon called on the Government to urgently address the issue of low staff morale in The Ulster Hospital. She asked Health Minister Angela Smith to "tell the House how you propose to deal with the serious issue of low staff morale at the Ulster hospital on account of inadequate funding there?" Respsonding, Ms Smith said: "We will do everything that we can, both at a personal level and in the Department, to show the staff who work in our hospitals that we greatly value their work. I pay tribute to the staff at Ulster and other hospitals, who, as you know, have recently had difficult circumstances to deal with as a result of a nasty stomach bug. The way the staff responded to that in the interests of patients must be recognised and praised." Speaking after NIQs, Lady Hermon said: "Whilst I welcome the Government's announcement that an additional £1.6 million will be spent on acute service developments, with a further £2,865,000 to support capital development at The Ulster Hospital in 2004/5, not enough has been done to address low morale amongst hospital staff, which long-term underfunding has caused. It is utterly unacceptable for doctors and nurses to be expected to work around the clock in the most difficult of circumstances without the facilities they need and without any expectation that relief is on its way." She continued: "Low morale is a direct result of inadequate funding at the hospital, and as a first step, I reiterate my invitation to the Health Minister, Angela Smith, to accompany me to Dundonald to see the problems at first-hand and hear the views of the staff who are coping with them."

BEGGS CALLS FOR NATIONAL STADIUM FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
Ulster Unionist Chief Whip, Roy Beggs, has urged the Government to support the proposal for a national stadium for Northern Ireland. Addressing Sports Minister, Angela Smith during NIQs the East Antrim MP said: "Do you agree that participation in sporting activity not only helps develop physical fitness and good health, but helps bring about reconciliation between people with different political and religious beliefs and between nations?" He therefore asked: "Will you positively support the provision of a national stadium for Northern Ireland in order to encourage more young people to become involved in sport, and to help them and us promote a better image of Northern Ireland internationally?" Responding Ms Smith said: "I endorse your comments about the benefits of sport. Until a robust business case has been made, it is premature to make a decision about supporting a national stadium. I am very sympathetic, but the involvement of young people in sport should start, whether there is a national stadium or not."

HERMON CONDEMNS "SUBSTANTIAL HIKE" IN DEPOSITS FOR EU CANDIDATES
North Down MP Lady Hermon has severely criticised the Government over the £5,000 deposit required from candidates wishing to contest the forthcoming European Parliamentary Elections. Speaking during a Committee debate on the European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004, Lady Hermon told NIO Minister, John Spellar, she was extremely disappointed that political parties had not been properly consulted about the substantial increase to the candidate's deposit - from £1,000 to £5,000." She said: "The figure of £5,000 may well be the amount required in the rest of the UK, but in the rest of the UK there is a list system for elections to the European Parliament. The Minister will know very well that Northern Ireland does not have a list system, but a system in which an individual candidate may wish to stand as an independent. For such an individual, £5,000 is prohibitively expensive." Lady Hermon continued: "The deposit for a Westminster candidate is £500 and for an Assembly candidate, £150. At the last European Parliament election, I understand that the deposit was £1,000. It is a substantial hike in the deposit for any candidate, or for any party that wishes to field more than one candidate." The Ulster Unionist MP therefore demanded to know from the Minister what consultation there had been with political parties, the Electoral Office or the Electoral Commission, and what their views were about the hike from £1,000 to £5,000 for this election. Deflecting Lady Hermon's criticism, Mr Spellar merely confirmed that "the Regulations are broadly in line with those in place in Great Britain. However, they also reflect the unique nature of electoral registration in Northern Ireland."

SMYTH CALLS FOR BETTER SALARIES FOR UNIVERSITY STAFF
Ulster Unionist MP Rev. Martin Smyth has pressed the Government to ensure academics are prevented from leaving Northern Ireland due to the poor salaries on offer at local Universities. Speaking in the House of Commons during a debate on University Salaries, the South Belfast MP said: "As the representative of a university constituency I know that there is great concern about a brain drain in which our academic staff go abroad because we cannot pay them proper salaries." Rev Smyth went on to highlight the recent changes to the education system on the mainland and asked Education Minister Alan Johnson: "Will you consult your colleagues in Northern Ireland to see whether what is happening in England can also happen in universities there?" Responding, Mr Johnson said: "I will certainly speak to my colleagues in Northern Ireland. As the Higher Education Bill progressed through the Commons, I spoke to many Northern Ireland Members and to the vice-chancellors of both universities in Northern Ireland, who are aware of the problems."





Friday 23 April 2004 Volume 11, Number 14

TRIMBLE WELCOMES IMC REPORT
Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble has welcomed the publication of the first Report of the Independent Monitoring Commission, but suggested that use of the Secretary of State's powers under prisoner release legislation would prove a more effective sanction than financial penalties. Responding to a statement by Northern Ireland Secretary, Paul Murphy, during which he announced the Report's publication, Mr Trimble said: "Is it not a pity that we did not have the Report two years ago when we first proposed such a Body?" The Upper Bann MP continued: "I welcome especially the reference in the Report to the IMC's willingness to exclude from office. May I ask the Secretary of State to comment specifically on that? Will the Government now support such action?" Mr Trimble went on to say: "There is a weakness: the IMC cannot sanction organisations without political representation. That omission is particularly glaring with regard to the Ulster Defence Association, which is a major offender in terms of continuing violence. But does not the Secretary of State have the power to act under the prisoner release legislation? Would not such action be better than the proposed financial penalties?" Concluding, Mr Trimble expressed his disappointment that talks scheduled for next week at Lancaster House had been cancelled. He asked: "Was the cancellation caused by the fact that, after the action that the Government have announced today, some parties were perhaps unwilling to attend?"

Mr Murphy replied: "It is not a cancellation; it is a postponement. Intensive talks dealing with such matters will take place nearer the summer." He continued: "With regard to the point about exclusion, we made it clear on the Floor of the House that if the IMC recommended a course of action, it would be very difficult for me to envisage a situation where we would not accept that, irrespective of whether it included exclusion. We would obviously have to consider that recommendation if it were made. The IMC has not recommended that. It said that it might have done so if the Assembly had been up and running." Mr Murphy added: "The Report does the great service of highlighting what the situation is in Northern Ireland today to people - not just those in Northern Ireland, but those in Great Britain, too, and in Ireland - who may not have studied these things as closely and carefully as hon. Members do."

Also responding to the statement, South Antrim MP David Burnside called on the Government to expel Sinn Fein and the loyalist paramilitary front organisations from the political process. Mr Burnside said: "If I was, God forbid, Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness or, more appropriately today, Slab Murphy, or a brigadier in the Ulster Volunteer Force or the Ulster Defence Association and I was going over the past 12 months' accounts of the criminal empire that I controlled, I would be laughing. I would have a smirk on my face, and I would say, 'The British and the Irish Governments - my God, aren't they tough? Haven't they really taken us on?' We are talking about a few thousand pounds for a multi-million pound empire, whether in south Armagh, the UDA or the UVF." The Ulster Unionist MP continued: "The Government have a choice today: they can use the Report and move in one direction; or they can take the Report and be laughed and smirked at by the brigadiers and the members of the Army Council of the IRA. If only a few thousand quid of the Assembly salaries is involved, with no action in Westminster, they will continue to laugh. The Government must take strong measures. The punishment must fit the crime, and the crime and terrorism continue right across all the so-called loyalist bodies and the Provisional IRA. I hope that the Secretary of State will consider moving towards the total expulsion of Sinn Fein and the loyalist paramilitary front organisations from the political process, so that the democrats can move ahead. That is what will frighten the paramilitaries; they are not frightened today."

Mr Burnside also took the opportunity to reiterate the need for equivalent action to be taken against Sinn Fein at Westminster during Business Questions this week. The Ulster Unionist MP told Leader of the House Peter Hain: "Northern Ireland Questions next Wednesday will not give Members the opportunity to debate or vote on equality of facilities for all hon. Members of the House." He said: "Following the £120,000 fine levied on Sinn Fein in the Assembly, which was authorised by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, surely we should have a full debate and an opportunity to vote on the £500,000 allocated by the House last year to two members of the Army Council - Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams - and their colleagues. They should have no facilities or finance from the House until they come in and swear or affirm an oath of loyalty as other right hon. and hon. Members of the House do."

LAY MAGISTRATES ORDER WILL NOT INSTIL CONFIDENCE
North Down MP Lady Hermon has severely criticised the Government over new legislation which will allow members of the Garda Siochana to sit as Lay Magistrates in Northern Ireland, while members of the PSNI, their partners and families, will all be excluded. Speaking as a member of the Committee selected to consider the draft Lay Magistrates (Northern Ireland) Order 2004, which sets out who is not eligible to apply to be a Lay Magistrate, Lady Hermon challenged the Minister to explain the legislation's requirement that lay magistrates must reside or work in, or within 15 miles of, the county court division to which he or she is appointed. She said: "I am intrigued... Are you standing here and telling us that while a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland would be excluded, a member of the Garda Siochana, or their wife or relative would be eligible to sit as a lay magistrate in Newry, for example, just across the border but within 15 miles of their residence?" She continued: "That does not instil confidence. The 15-mile radius requirement has been read across from England and Wales where it is fine. In Northern Ireland, it is not fine, because we share a land frontier with a foreign country - a foreign jurisdiction." The Ulster Unionist Home Affairs Spokesperson went on to say: "Let me gently tell you that the justice system in Northern Ireland is a very sensitive matter, so it ill behoves the Government not to deal with a point that people in Northern Ireland may perceive as bias - namely that a person from the Republic of Ireland can sit as a lay magistrate in Northern Ireland, whereas many categories of honourable, decent citizens in Northern Ireland cannot." Responding, Mr Leslie confirmed that such a scenario was indeed possible. He said: "That is my understanding of the current position in respect of Justices of the Peace, lay panellists and the wider judiciary, and the draft Order does not seek to change it. You will be more familiar than I with the provisions of the Act of Settlement 1700 that allow not only United Kingdom citizens but Republic of Ireland citizens access to all appointments of the Crown. We do not seek to change that."

SMYTH QUESTIONS GOVERNMENT OVER DOCTORS' HOURS
Ulster Unionist Health Spokesman, Rev Martin Smyth, has questioned the Government over the number of hours junior doctors are working and whether the requirements for doctors to file their own working hours is being properly regulated. Speaking during a debate in the House of Commons on Doctors' Hours the South Belfast MP said: "People who work longer hours have been required to be more open and honest, but is it possible that some junior doctors have not returned full details of the hours that they have worked out of a concern to keep the medical profession going and provide proper care for patients?" Responding, Health Minister John Hutton said: "That was always a possibility and I would not rule that out in every individual case, but it is worth bearing it in mind that the statistics that we collect on the hours that junior doctors work are certified by them and they are paid a premium for working more than the minimum hours specified in the new deal. I strongly suspect that the figures are as accurate as we could hope them to be."

BEGGS CALLS FOR DEBATE ON CYPRUS
Ulster Unionist Chief Whip, Roy Beggs, has called on the Government to schedule an urgent debate on Cyprus while questioning the impartiality of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto. Speaking during Business Questions in the House of Commons, the East Antrim MP asked Leader of the House Peter Hain: "Will the Government acknowledge the responsibility of the United Kingdom as a guarantor power in Cyprus? Could we have an early debate in the House on Cyprus, a debate that might lead to an inquiry into the role of Alvaro de Soto - the Peruvian special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus - and the reasons for his perceived sympathetic bias towards the Greek Cypriots to the disadvantage of the Turkish Cypriots?" Mr Hain did not respond to Mr Beggs' call for a debate but stressed his hope that "both Greek and Turkish Cypriots will vote yes to having a future for their country in the European Union."


Friday 2 April 2004 Volume 11, Number 13

TRIMBLE: CORY REPORT HINDERS RECONCILIATION
Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble heavily criticised Justice Cory's Report, which was released by the Government this week. Responding to a statement on the Cory Report, delivered in the House of Commons by Secretary of State, Paul Murphy, the Upper Bann MP said Cory's wide definition of collusion was "particularly unfortunate", whilst the false linkage made between the inquires and the Belfast Agreement blew the significance of the Report's findings out of all proportion. Mr Trimble highlighted a paragraph in Cory's Report on Pat Finucane which suggested that the Belfast Agreement set out selected cases. He said: "That is quite wrong. These cases were not in the Belfast Agreement. They were not part of any agreement in that sense. Indeed, the Government will recall that there was a clear consensus in the Agreement that the need in Northern Ireland was for a process of reconciliation. Yes, the past has to be dealt with, but in a way that does not add to the bitterness. That was clearly what was then intended. Unfortunately, however, the Government departed from that approach by agreeing to establish this inquiry process."

Turning to the issue of collusion, the Upper Bann MP said: "It is particularly unfortunate in view of the very broad definition of 'collusion' that Cory has adopted that he should spread assertions - in fact, accusations - about such a range of people. The Report contains a couple of paragraphs in which he attacks the former Chief Constable, Sir Ronald Flanagan. He does not mention him by name, but it is perfectly obvious to whom he is referring. He then makes negative comments about the Special Branch and the Force Research Unit, and some sweeping comments about the Army and the RUC as a whole - no opportunity was given to any of those bodies to reply to the accusations that were made. Cory seems simply to have got a document in his hand and proceeded to give his interpretation of it, without knowing anything about the surrounding circumstances or the other considerations involved." Concluding, Mr Trimble said: "I opposed the concept of having inquiries of this nature. They are contrary to the spirit of the Belfast Agreement. Indeed, I personally warned the Prime Minister that arranging the Saville inquiry into Bloody Sunday would be a mistake, and so it has proved."

Also responding to the Cory Report, South Antrim MP David Burnside asked the Government to address the issue of cross community reconciliation by looking into the option of setting up a Truth Commission. Mr Burnside said: "On behalf of the families of 1,007 members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Regular Army, the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Regiment, may I ask you why is there not a Truth Commission in Northern Ireland?" He continued: "Do you agree that the main problem with having a Truth Commission, which, I hope, will bring to an end the conflict, is the inability of the Provisional IRA, Gerry 'I've never been in the IRA' Adams and Martin McGuiness to tell the truth rather than deal in lies? Is that not the major difficulty in relation to setting up a Truth Commission to deal with the problems and bereavement of the families of those 1,007 members of our security forces?" Responding, Mr. Murphy said: You are right to point out to the House that more than 1,000 families are affected, whose members were in the police, the Army or other public service. They suffer too, and there are no public inquiries into their deaths. Obviously, it is important to try to find out who committed the murders, but we must not in any sense undervalue the significance of the grief and pain that those families have undergone. As far as the Truth Commission is concerned it is right that all parties in Northern Ireland should consider what their attitude to such a Commission should be."

In the Upper House, Lord Maginnis of Drumglass also criticised the Report, saying it was "inadequate and inaccurate." The former MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone said: "As someone who soldiered in Northern Ireland for 12 years, I simply say that if there had been collusion in a wide sense the Gerry Adams's and the Martin McGuinness's would not be alive today. More importantly, the innocent Roman Catholics who were killed by loyalists would not be dead today. I do not believe that there was collusion in a wide sense." Lord Maginnis went on to question the Government on how the cost of the inquiries would be met. He said: "I heard the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in another place state that it would not come out of departmental budgets but out of the Northern Ireland budget. I take that to mean that it will come out of the block grant. If it does, the knock-on effect will be that, ultimately, it will come out of the departmental budgets. More importantly, what will happen to the retired police officers and retired military personnel who are required to give evidence? Where will the funding come from for them? Or will they, after all their service in Northern Ireland - to which the Government and everyone else pays tribute - have to look to their own resources and fund themselves?" In response Baroness Amos confirmed that: "Costs will be met from the Northern Ireland budget."

WHICH BILL OF RIGHTS FOR NI?
Ulster Unionist Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Lady Hermon, has questioned whether those working on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland have been wasting their time, as the proposed European Constitution would take precedence over any such domestic legislation. Addressing the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, during an Opposition Day debate entitled EU Constitution Referendum, the North Down MP said: "You mentioned the supremacy of community law at the beginning of your speech. Of course you will be aware that five years work has gone ahead in Northern Ireland to produce a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. Bearing in mind that the provisions on fundamental rights in the Constitution will also have supremacy, have we all been going through the razzmatazz in Northern Ireland needlessly on a Bill of Rights?" Responding, Sir Menzies Campbell said: "I most certainly believe that the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter raise...some fundamental questions of a constitutional nature, hence justifying the argument - in my view - in part at least-for a referendum." After the debate ended, Lady Hermon and her colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party voted in favour of a referendum on the new European Constitution.

ACCESS MUST BE OPEN TO ALL IN FURTHER EDUCATION
In the week that the Higher Education Bill returned to the House of Commons for its Report Stage and Third Reading, Ulster Unionist Education Spokesman, Roy Beggs, warned that the UK will only feel the full benefit of higher education if the doors of universities and further education colleges are open to all through public funding. Speaking from Westminster, the Ulster Unionist Chief Whip said: "My principle objection with this legislation is that it opens up the possibility of large numbers of young people incurring debt before they enter the job market. It is inherent in the Northern Ireland psyche not to borrow beyond one's means." The Ulster Unionist Chief Whip continued: "Since it is in the interests of the nation as a whole to have a highly educated and skilled workforce, no impediments whatsoever should be placed in the way of young people, either academically or in becoming skilled in the vocational sector." He added: "Since those who will enter the professional job market will be the high earners of the future they will be repaying society through the taxation levied against their higher earnings. No obstacle should be put before any young person in the UK which might prevent their ability to achieve their full potential in society. Consequently, our universities and higher education colleges should be publicly funded and access for all secured to enable our society to benefit fully from all its young citizens." All Ulster Unionist MPs voted for amendments aimed at removing the Clause concerning variable fees, which was defeated by just 28 votes, and against the Higher Education Bill itself. The Bill received its Third Reading by 309 votes to 248, a government majority 61.

DEVELOPMENT AID TARGETS MUST BE MET
South Belfast MP Martin Smyth has pressed the Government to ensure the millennium development aid targets, will be met. Questioning the Chancellor Gordon Brown, during Treasury Questions in the House of Commons, Rev Smyth said: "One welcomes anything to help developing countries, but are we not in danger of setting targets that we cannot reach? You will be aware that some people are concerned that the United Kingdom is among those countries that has not yet reached its 0.7% target for development aid. When is that likely to be achieved?" Responding, Mr Brown said: "The development aid budget is increasing from 0.26% of GDP, which is the figure that we inherited in 1997, to 0.4%. That is a big increase. If, however, we are to meet the millennium development targets, it will have to be through a co-ordinated effort by all the countries together."



Friday 29 March 2004 Volume 11, Number 12

TRIMBLE WELCOMES WESTMINSTER UNIONIST ASSOCIATION
Well over one hundred young people from Northern Ireland, who are working and living in London, turned out to hear Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble welcome the launch of the Party's Westminster Unionist Association. At a reception in the House of Commons, hosted by Chief Whip Roy Beggs, Mr Trimble updated attendees on the work the Ulster Unionist Party has been doing Westminster over the last year or two, in the beautiful surroundings of the Portcullis House. The lively event was packed to the doors and a good time was had by all. Speaking after the reception Mr Trimble said: "I am absolutely delighted to see so many enthusiastic young people from all over the Province coming here tonight and showing an interest in what we are doing. It is often difficult to get people engaged and excited about Ulster politics, especially when they have been away from home for some time, and events like this strengthen the Party and show its UK wide appeal." He continued: "I am also very pleased to see the Party's Westminster Unionist Association up and running with a membership of around thirty at its first meeting. These things usually take time to get going but they seem to have done it almost overnight. Keeping Ulster Unionism at the heart of the UK is one of our Party's core policies and this is another anchor weighing down our presence and positive intentions in the mainland."

RELEASED PARAMILITARY PRISONERS SHOULD BE RECALLED
North Down MP Lady Hermon has said that in the event of an "unflattering" report from the International Monitoring Commission on the Tohill kidnapping, the Government should consider recalling those paramilitary prisoners who were released under the Belfast Agreement. Speaking in the House of Commons during a debate on the Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Modification) Order 2004, which provides for the renewal of direct rule for a further six months, Lady Hermon said: "I supported the Agreement and voted for an inclusive Government. I did so knowing that if Sinn Fein's vote held up at the Assembly elections, I would be voting Sinn Fein Members into the Northern Ireland Government. I did that with a heavy heart. My husband was the Chief Constable through the most ghastly years. In those 10 horrible years, which included the hunger strikes, we lost a significant number of police officers. My husband was hugely supportive of the Agreement from the beginning. It was difficult to have on my conscience the fact that I was voting for an inclusive Government - in other words, for Sinn Fein to come into Government in Northern Ireland. However, I did so and I expect Sinn Fein and the Republican movement to meet the expectations that thousands of us had of them almost six years ago. Six years is an awfully long time to wait and I am not a patient person at the best of times. I am exasperated and impatient. My trust in Sinn Fein's leadership has been greatly eroded and it will take a long time to rebuild."
The North Down MP continued: "It is important that the Government should consider the alternative of putting pressure on the Republican movement. That includes considering the provisions in relation to prisoners on page 25 of the Agreement. Thousands of people voted in referendums in the north and the south for prisoners to be released on licence and on condition that ceasefires were maintained." Referring to the recent kidnapping of Mr Tohill from a Belfast bar, Lady Hermon said: "The Chief Constable emphatically confirmed that responsibility lay not with the Real IRA or Continuity IRA but with the mainstream Republican Provisional IRA, which forcibly removed Mr. Tohill from a pub in the centre of Belfast in broad daylight one weekend.
Mercifully, he was rescued when the police intervened." Concluding, Lady Hermon said: "Where such serious breaches of a ceasefire take place, the Independent Monitoring Commission will become involved. I warmly commend the Government on setting up the Commission and on making four very good appointments. I am encouraged by the fact that the DUP, despite having voted against the legislation to set up the Commission, is now pleading for its report to be brought forward. That might be hypocritical, but at least we are making progress. If the Commission issues an unflattering report, however, I hope that the Government will consider whether paramilitary prisoners should be recalled-whichever side they are from."
SMYTH RECEIVES ASSURANCES OVER CYSTIC FIBROSIS RESEARCH FUNDING
Ulster Unionist Health Spokesman Martin Smyth has received assurances from the Government over its commitment to fund Cystic Fibrosis research and step up its assistance to this sector. Speaking in the House of Commons during Health Questions, the South Belfast MP said: "In Cystic Fibrosis week we should remember the Cystic Fibrosis Society that has worked for 40 years to develop understanding of this condition. The defective gene was discovered in 1989, but the Society still needs help to care for 7,500 people on the register, with more being added daily. Does the Government acknowledge its attempt, over the next five years, to reach a target of £15 million to improve therapy, and what are they doing to assist?" Replying, Health Minister Dr. Stephen Ladyman said: "You are quite right. We need to go much further to develop new therapies for the disease, and gene therapies obviously give us the best hope of doing so. We recognise that through the Genetics White Paper, with £2.5 million specifically intended for Cystic Fibrosis research. In addition, there is a further £4 million to improve researchers' access to the vectors necessary for research, £1 million to investigate the long-term safety of gene therapies, and £3 million for single gene disorder research, including research on cystic fibrosis. We therefore acknowledge the importance of that research, and are putting the money in to make sure that it happens."

NO "QUICK FIX" TO RACISM
Also this week, Ulster Unionist Chief Whip Roy Beggs welcomed the Government's announcement of £500,000 to improve community relations in Northern Ireland and help alleviate the crisis facing the Province's ethnic minorities. The East Antrim MP however warned that merely throwing money at the problem will not solve it. Speaking from Westminster he said: "We have enjoyed good community relations for decades with our ethnic minority groups and suddenly we are faced with a horrifying rise in racist attacks across the Province. I am delighted to see that the Equality Minister John Spellar has promised half a million pounds to improve community relations in Northern Ireland. It is undoubtedly a positive step forward but the Minister must realise that throwing money at this problem will not provide a quick fix."

Mr Beggs continued: "As I see it there are two issues that need to be addressed here. First, the Government must ensure that this money is spent wisely and that any new initiatives maximise the benefit for those who are living in fear of the bullies and thugs that terrorise our streets. To do this we must see proper consultation with the leaders of the different communities and a much more sustained and coordinated approach. For my part, I shall be seeking assurances from the Minister and Secretary of State that money will be provided on a long-term basis and not just as a one off. It is no use just papering over the cracks. What we need is to have funding for three to four years to enable any programme to have the financial security required to carry out and follow up on its agenda." He added: "Secondly, there is a duty upon all the law-abiding people of Northern Ireland to stand shoulder to shoulder with our ethnic minority communities and speak out against the perpetrators of these racist attacks. The overwhelming majority of Northern Ireland's citizens are disgusted by those who continually seek to intimidate decent honest people out of their communities for no other reason than the colour of their skin. The vast majority of us must make it clear to the tiny minority of racists and thugs that this will not be tolerated, that this is not the sort of society in which we want to live, and that bigotry and racism should have no place in our towns and streets."



Friday 19 March 2004 Volume 11, Number 11

ULSTER UNIONIST PARTY RESPONDS TO BUDGET

Speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary Party, Ulster Unionist Chief Whip Roy Beggs, has responded to the Budget Statement delivered by Chancellor Gordon Brown to the House of Commons this week. The East Antrim MP, who is also the Party's Education Spokesman said: "The Ulster Unionist Party very much welcomes the substantial increase to the Government's Education Budget. Indeed, the Chancellor indicated that Education Funding will rise by 4.4% and is expected to reach a total of £77billion by the year 2007-08. We are particularly pleased that additional funds for schools will be given directly to the Principals, allowing them direct influence on how money should be spent. At the moment, many schools in Northern Ireland are struggling to balance salary demands with providing adequate resources for pupils and teachers and this additional funding is a much-needed boost. We sincerely hope that the Government's announcements, such as the £55,000 additional funding for primary schools, and £180,000 extra for secondary schools, are extended to Northern Ireland." Turning to the extra provision for pensioners, Mr Beggs said: "We also very much welcome the Chancellor's announcement that an extra £100 will be given to pensioners over 70 years old. In addition to the Winter Fuel Payments, this will be a great help for the many pensioners across the Province who struggle to keep their heads above the poverty line." The East Antrim MP also added: "We are extremely pleased that Churches and all other listed places of worship will be able to reclaim all VAT payments on repair and maintenance until 2006. This will be a great incentive for churches, often the back-bone and heart of our local communities, to undertake much-needed repairs without concern about how they will meet crippling VAT costs."

The Ulster Unionist Chief Whip continued: "While the Chancellor announced that duty on spirits will be frozen, his parallel decision to have distilleries place costly identification strips on every bottle they produce will clearly have serious implications, particularly on employment and pricing, for Bushmills, Northern Ireland's main Whiskey Distillery. My colleagues and I will therefore continue to impress upon the Government the importance of Bushmills Distillery to the Province's economy and the negative impact the decision will have across the United Kingdom." He said: "We are disappointed that duty on red diesel and domestic fuel is set to rise and will be drawing the Government's attention to the reality that any increase in the cost of fuel in Northern Ireland encourages greater smuggling activities."

He added: "While we have long lobbied the Government to reduce aggregates tax we welcome the Chancellor's announcement that the aggregates levy will at least be frozen. We are also pleased that the Northern Ireland relief scheme will be extended to those businesses who are prepared to commit to environmental improvements in their operational procedures. We will of course be examining the fine detail of these announcements more closely, but we trust this will go some way towards removing the threat posed to the quarrying industries in Northern Ireland and protect existing jobs." Turning to small businesses, Mr Beggs said: "The Ulster Unionist Party would like to welcome the Government's apparent commitment to small businesses, particularly the Chancellor's incentives to encourage new investment and business expansion. From April 1, a small company with an annual turn-over of less that £58,000 will no longer have to register for VAT. We have, however, been campaigning for some time now, and only last week I met with the Economic Secretary Ruth Kelly, to encourage the Government to reduce the burdens placed on small businesses by extortionate insurance costs, and are very disappointed that no consideration has been given to this issue in today's budget. We will continue to work hard to see a reduction in insurance costs for small businesses, as a vital means of encouraging investment and further developing growth."


MORE RESOURCES NEEDED TO COMBAT CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Leading the way at Northern Ireland Questions this week, North Down MP Lady Hermon urged the Government to ensure the PSNI are fully equipped to tackle the escalating problem of internet child pornography. The Ulster Unionist Home Affairs Spokesperson asked Security Minister Jane Kennedy: "What training is provided to Police Service of Northern Ireland officers in relation to combating internet child abuse?" She continued: "Given the seriousness and scale of the problem of internet child pornography in Northern Ireland and throughout the United Kingdom, are you content that the police have the resources that they need to tackle it?" Responding, Ms Kennedy said: "The PSNI's crime training department provides investigating officers, child abuse and rape inquiry detectives, and specialist detectives in the computer crime unit with the training necessary to tackle internet child abuse." She added: "I have asked officials, in light of the concerns that you have expressed, to ensure that internet safety is tabled as a subject for discussion at the next meeting of the Northern Ireland Child Protection Advisory Group, at which the Education and Health Departments, the police, the probation service and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children are represented."

POLICE RESERVE VITAL IN FIGHT AGAINST ORGANISED CRIME

Also at NIQs, South Antrim MP David Burnside warned the Government that the recent border robbery of £1m worth of cigarettes provides yet another reason why the full time Police Reserve should not be phased-out. Mr Burnside asked Security Minister Jane Kennedy: "You appear to have said clearly that the full-time reserve will be retained if security requirements so demand. You will be aware of Gallagher's statement this week about a £1 million robbery of cigarettes on the border in December. A spokeswoman for Gallagher said that it had asked for reassurances from the Police Service of Northern Ireland about the safe transfer of cigarettes across the border, but that such guarantees were not given. Will you ask the Chief Constable to give that guarantee and to maintain the full-time reserve?" Replying, Ms Kennedy said: "On the question of the full-time reserve, I reiterate that any decision will be based on the Chief Constable's security assessment. The final call on that must be based on policing needs, not political whims." She continued: "We recognise the difficulties that exist and the connections between the organised criminal networks and paramilitary organisations. Questions of resources are a matter for the Chief Constable, and we remain in close touch with him to ensure that he has the resources he needs to combat these important and serious problems."

South Belfast MP Martin Smyth went on to quiz Ms Kennedy about how best the problem of cross-border smuggling could be addressed, warning her to "keep her eye on the ball." He said: "It is important that there are enough people to work with the Assets Recovery Agency to bring the money in, and to recognise that it will be self-financing." And he drew MPs attention to the problems caused by paramilitary gangs engaged in cross-border racketeering. The Party President asked: "What are the current links with the Criminal Assets Bureau in the Republic, and what are the prospects of bringing to justice the 'Chief Godfather' of them all, who keeps going from North to South?" Ms Kennedy said: "You are right to draw attention to the need to develop cross-border relationships, and you may like to know that following last year's seminar between the PSNI and Garda Siochana there is an enhanced understanding of cross-border crime of precisely the type that you mention. That will help us to build effective joint action against those criminals who use the border to their advantage."

Ulster Unionist Chief Whip Roy Beggs received assurances from the Government that Anti-Social Behaviour Orders will be applicable to Northern Ireland by the summer. Ulster Unionist MPs have vigourously campaigned to see Anti-Social Behaviour Legislation extended to Northern Ireland, and the East Antrim MP seized a further opportunity, during NIQs, to keep the pressure on the Government. Addressing NIO Minister John Spellar, Mr Beggs asked: "Will you assure us that Northern Ireland will benefit at the earliest possible date from legislation allowing us to use Antisocial Behaviour Orders so that we can share the benefits that people in Great Britain already derive from that legislation?" Mr. Spellar replied that he had "consulted on Antisocial Behaviour Orders" and "compressed the consultation period on the wording of the legislation so that the Government can get it through the House of Commons and the Lords and on to the statute book by the summer."



Friday 12 March 2004 Volume 11, Number 10

TRIMBLE REJECTS PROPOSALS FOR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION
Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble has said proposals for a Judicial Appointments Commission in Northern Ireland are "ill-advised" and "display an appalling amateurishness." Speaking in the House of Commons during a debate on the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill, Mr Trimble told MPs that while he welcomed many of the Bill's provisions, such as those relating to the law on bail and driving while disqualified, "the provisions relating to the Judicial Appointments Commission, are particularly ill-advised." Mr Trimble said: "There is a paradox. At the moment, senior judicial appointments are made by the Lord Chancellor, who is a quasi-political figure and a member of the Cabinet. Some people have got exercised about this issue, because they think that a fundamental principle involving the separation of powers is being breached. The paradox is that, although superficially the present arrangements for the appointment of judges may appear open to political influence, in practice with the proposed Commission there will be a greater danger of political influence over judicial appointments." To highlight this point, Mr Trimble drew on the analogy of Northern Ireland's Diplock courts. He said: "The jury-free trials, the Diplock courts, may have seemed in theory to be risky in terms of judicial standards. In fact, they were very successful…The key point was the sole, undivided responsibility that lay with the single judge. The same factor can be seen with regard to judicial appointments. The Lord Chancellor makes the appointments - yes, after consultation - and carries the sole, undivided responsibility for them. If it becomes clear at any point that there are questions about the merit of appointments, there is no doubt about who is responsible. The Lord Chancellor knows that if he were to err and set aside considerations of merit for some reason of political or other advantage, the responsibility would lie with him and nowhere else." He continued: "So the paradox is that appointments by an individual who has a quasi-political role tend not to be infected by political considerations, but with the Judicial Appointments Commission there is a very serious danger."
The Upper Bann MP concluded with a clear warning to the Government: "Problems will arise in future if the Government's proposals for the legal system are carried through. I hope that they will not succeed in abolishing the post of Lord Chancellor, but if they do we will have problems when it comes to making appointments. The post of Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs is different from that of Lord Chancellor, and the nature of the people likely to occupy that post will also be different. That is a huge problem, with its own dangers. I am seriously disturbed at the Government's approach to these important matters. They display an appalling amateurishness and lack of understanding of the structures with which they are dealing. I am really worried about the vandalism being wreaked on our political, judicial and legal systems by the way in which the Government are proceeding."

LET CAMELOT RUN PSNI RECRUITMENT?
Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Laird has taken his fight against 50:50 to the House of Lords, where he said that PSNI recruitment had become such a lottery, Camelot should be asked to run it. Speaking in the House of Lords during a debate on the Police (Northern Ireland) Act (Renewal of Temporary Provisions) Order 2004, which extends the PSNI's 50:50 recruitment proceudure for a further 3 years, Lord Laird said that 50:50 recruitment had produced "a lot of hurt initially in the Unionist community." He continued: "I have a large file…of some of the best people in society in Northern Ireland, who spent a lot of time trying to get into the police force but have been turned down in the initial stages because they were members of the Protestant community. They were kept out for that reason. However, I have a letter here - it is only one of a number - dated last week, in which a Roman Catholic member of our community was refused entry into the PSNI on the grounds of his religion. There is an increasing number of people in that situation. The last campaign has got to the stage where it discriminates against my Roman Catholic fellow countrymen."

The Ulster Unionist Peer continued: "It all depends on where you are and what lottery you are in - what pool you are in - as to whether you are in or not. Do you know whether you are there on merit or whether somebody from the other community who did not get in might be better qualified than you?…The whole objective of the building of the Northern Ireland that we want to see and have put a lo