Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party has a Positive, Pragmatic, Pro-Union vision for Northern Ireland. Published & Promoted by UUP HQ, 2-4 Belmont Rd, Belfast, BT4 2AN

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

A reminder of when Diana Armstrong challenged Pat Cullen to unequivocally condemn the murder of innocent people, including a nurse, in the Enniskillen Remembrance Day bombing.

Some things should be beyond politics. Condemning the murder of innocent people is one of them.

[Belfast Telegraph @BelTel]

Sinn Féin MP Pat Cullen to run in Assembly election as party bids to take two seats in South Belfast & Mid Down https://t.co/daAEcCsFdY

[View From Stormont @ViewFrmStormont]

Health Minister @RobbieButlerMLA tells View from Stormont that he wants to see the budget negotiations between the Executive and the Secretary of State end this week.

See the interview in full at 10.45pm on @utv.

[Department of Health @healthdpt]

❤️ The Health Minister and Chief Medical Officer attended the launch of @BHFNI's "Hearts Need More" report.

📄 Minister Butler and Prof Sir Michael McBride said Department of Health officials would consider the report in detail and explore the recommendations within it.

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA has welcomed the appointment of Sir John Gillen to lead the independent review of the law and procedures on unfitness to plead and trials of fact, which Jon Burrows called for in correspondence to the Justice and Health Ministers in July.

Jon Burrows MLA said:

“This is the right appointment. Sir John’s review of serious sexual offences was a landmark piece of work that led to real change in the law, and there is nobody in Northern Ireland with a stronger record of getting recommendations off the page and onto the statute book.

“I wrote to both ministers in July asking for this review because public confidence in how these cases are handled had been badly shaken. They listened, and they have put a serious figure in charge of it.

“The terms of reference are broader than I expected. The review will ask whether a conventional criminal trial should remain possible if someone later becomes fit to plead. It will ask whether sex offender notification requirements should apply where a jury has found that a person committed acts which would otherwise be serious sexual offences. Those are the questions people have been asking since the summer.

“As a former police officer, I have seen what this process looks like from the family’s side. A jury finds that the acts were committed. There is no conviction and no criminal record. The person may face no loss of liberty at all. The family goes home with a finding on a piece of paper.

“Sir John engaged with more than 200 organisations and individuals during his last review. I would encourage victims, families and anyone who has been through these procedures to take part in this one. What he recommends should be shaped by what they tell him.

“An interim report by February and a final report in the spring is a demanding timetable. Sir John’s last review changed the law. That is the standard this one should be held to.”

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

During the Committee of the Whole House debate on the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, Robin Swann MP made a case for his amendment to include Troubles-related sexual violence within the criteria for Legacy Commission investigations.

Currently, only incidents resulting in death or serious physical injury are eligible under the proposed legislation, with the Government suggesting victims seek investigations through the Police Service of Northern Ireland. With the PSNI already severely overstretched and under-resourced, Mr Swann made clear that this route is inadequate for helping these often-overlooked victims secure justice.

While the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Sir Chris Bryant, was not position to accept the amendment outright during the debate, he gave Mr Swann a direct assurance on his own behalf and that of the entire Ministerial team to work closely with him to ensure this crucial element of the Bill is addressed as the legislation progresses into the House of Lords.

Robin Swann MP, alongside Ulster Unionist Party peers, has welcomed this firm commitment and will take the opportunity to work directly with the Government to ensure victims’ voices are heard and that the legislation provides the best possible route to justice.

Highlighting the Government’s willingness to address the issue, the Secretary of State told Mr Swann and the House:

"I’m not sure we’ve quite got this right yet, so I’m quite happy to work with him on making sure we do get this right."

Speaking following the debate, Robin Swann MP said:

"The Secretary of State's commitment represents a firm undertaking by him and the whole Ministerial team. Victims of Troubles-related sexual violence have waited far too long for recognition and accountability. We will hold the Government to this pledge as the Bill continues its passage through Parliament."

[Robin Swann MP @RobinSwann_MP]

Thank you to the 175 members who voted in favour of my amendment, and to those who abstained rather than voting against. Although it didn’t pass - I’ll be taking the Sec of State up on his offer and will work to ensure victims of sexual violence get access to justice.

[Robin Swann MP @RobinSwann_MP]

Important progress in the House of Commons tonight. I welcome the firm commitment from the Secretary of State to work directly with me and @uuponline peers to ensure victims of Troubles-related sexual violence get the proper access to justice they deserve.

[Robin Swann MP @RobinSwann_MP]

My proposed amendment to the NI Troubles Bill which would give victims of Troubles-related sexual offences the right to a Legacy Commission investigation has been tabled for a vote tonight.

Thank you to the MPs from across the House for their support for this amendment so far.

[Jon Burrows MLA @JonBurrowsMLA]

The law applies to everyone Michelle - but it impacts people very differently. You may see votes in a conviction; ordinary people lose opportunities. Imagine the irony if your interviewer were the officer unlawfully suspended after Ormeau Road.

[Department of Health @healthdpt]

👪 The Health Minister has emphasised the "life-changing" power of adoption this Adoption Week in Northern Ireland.

❤️ Minister Butler said the them of "Together We Are Family" showed how every adoption story is unique but bound by love.

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA has welcomed confirmation from the Justice Minister during question time that the independent review of unfitness to plead and trials of the facts will launch tomorrow, with terms of reference to be published at that point.

Jon Burrows said:

“I wrote to the Justice and Health Ministers in July asking for exactly this, so I am glad to see it moving. Public confidence in how these cases are handled has taken a knock, and the sooner this work starts the better.

“Two things will determine whether it succeeds. The terms of reference need to be broad enough to look at disposals, public protection and the treatment of victims, not just the fitness test itself. Victims and their families also need to be heard directly by the reviewer rather than consulted as an afterthought.

“I look forward to seeing the detail tomorrow, including who will lead the review. I will be watching this closely, because the test is not whether it reports. It is whether the law actually changes.”

[Department of Health @healthdpt]

"Our ambition must extend beyond responding to mental ill health.

"We must also ask what we can do, collectively, to protect and promote good mental health in the first place."

The Health Minister Robbie Butler's message at the @publichealthni's Mental Health Conference.

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA has written to the Secretary of State asking him to commission a fresh security assessment of the Provisional IRA and all other terrorist and paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland, informed by the PSNI and MI5, with independent scrutiny and published findings.

The last such assessment, published on 20th October 2015, concluded that the Provisional IRA continued to exist with reduced structures, including a senior leadership and Provisional Army Council.

Jon Burrows MLA said:

“Eleven years ago next week, the Government’s own assessment confirmed that the Provisional IRA still existed, with a leadership and an Army Council. The public deserves to know whether that remains the case today.

“The timing could not be more relevant. This week the UK and Irish governments received Fleur Ravensbergen’s report recommending a mechanism to move paramilitary groups towards disbandment. You cannot disband organisations you will not honestly assess. Her report, rightly given its confidential engagement, names no individual group. That makes an authoritative, published assessment of which organisations exist, and in what form, the essential foundation for any process that follows.

“Recent events surrounding Drumcree add to that need. When decisions about a lawful parade are linked to risks to the peace process, people are entitled to ask about the nature and source of those risks, and whether the Provisional IRA retains any operational capability or intent. Asking that question is not an allegation. It is precisely what an honest, published assessment should answer.

“The security assessment must apply equally to republican, loyalist and dissident groups. Sensitive intelligence must be protected, but a substantive public report would replace speculation with evidence.

“I have asked the Secretary of State to confirm whether he will commission this work and to set out a timetable for publication.”

[Department of Health @healthdpt]

🚑 Health Minister Robbie Butler met frontline staff at Altnagelvin Emergency Department in @WesternHSCTrust

🧑‍⚕️ Minister Butler toured the ED and heard about the challenges facing staff and patients.

⌚️ The Minister reiterated his determination to reduce ED waiting times in NI

[South Eastern Trust @setrust]

🏥 Health Minister Robbie Butler visited our Phone First Lagan Valley Urgent Care Centre to see frontline care in action👏

He met our dedicated teams, delivering expert care to the local community, in the right place at the right time 💙

[Department of Health @healthdpt]

🚗 @EasilinkCT discussed their services with the Health Minister on Community Transport Week

🫂 The charity showed Minister Butler their work helping those in rural areas in Omagh, Strabane and Foyle.

🏘️ The Minister highlighted how that compliments the Neighbourhood Model

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

✍️Statement from Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA on the sentencing of Jeffrey Donaldson.

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Diana Armstrong MLA has marked International Day of Rural Women by asking what progress DAERA has made on the barriers facing women in agriculture, more than four years after an Assembly report set them out in detail.

Diana Armstrong said:

“Rural women hold our communities together. In farming, in business, in schools and surgeries, in churches and clubs, they are the people who keep things going.

“There are nearly 52,000 people working on farms in Northern Ireland. Four out of five of them are down as the farmer, a partner or a spouse. Now think about what that word spouse is covering. It is the woman who reared the calves, who does the books at the kitchen table, who takes the call from the vet, who has the dinner on for whoever is in the yard. None of that puts her down as a farmer. Most of it is not paid either.

“The scale of this is already well documented. The Breaking the Grass Ceiling report found that women make up 22% of the agricultural workforce but only 5% of principal farmers. It found the number of women farmers fell by 15% between 2006 and 2019. It found women make up just 4% of participants in Business Development Groups. Seven in ten women who responded said the culture of the industry was a challenge, and two thirds were holding down a job off the farm as well.

“Nearly 180 women took the time to set out what their working lives were actually like. That was four years ago. What I want to know today is what DAERA has done with it. What has the Department put in place since? What has changed for the woman on a farm in rural Northern Ireland? If the answer is very little, then say so honestly and get on with fixing it.

“There is a harder issue underneath all of this. On a great many farms the land, the herd and the business are in one name, and it is usually not hers. A woman can give forty years to a farm and have no security in it at all. If a marriage ends, or a partnership breaks down, or there is a dispute over succession, she can find she has nothing to show for a lifetime’s work. It is rarely talked about and it needs to be.

“Rural women also carry the sharp end of problems I have raised before. There is no bus. Childcare is miles away and costs more than the job pays. Services are a drive rather than a walk.

“So today is not only about saying thank you, although I do. Recognise the work women do on family farms. Look at how women with no legal stake in the business they have built can be supported. Stop designing services on the assumption that everyone lives within reach of a bus route.

“I see the difference these women make every single day. The least they are owed is to be counted.”

[Department of Health @healthdpt]

🔥 The Health Minister has urged the public to "know the room, know the risk and know the person" during Fire Safety Week.

🧯 Minister Butler outlined some of the key things to look out to make sure your home is as safe as possible. @NIFRSOFFICIAL

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

𝗢𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗺𝗯 𝗜𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝘆

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA has called on anyone who confronted the men guarding the Omagh bomb car to come forward. He has also challenged Sinn Féin to say whether any of its members were among them.

On Monday, journalist John Ware told the Omagh Bombing Inquiry what two confidential sources had told him. According to them, the stolen Vauxhall Cavalier was seen at the GAA club in Cullaville, South Armagh, on 13 August 1998, two days before the bombing. Mr Ware described a group of men as “Sinn Féin members, supporters, essentially republicans”. He said they suspected the car was for a bombing, challenged the two men with it and told them to “get the car away”. He said the car was then moved and loaded with the bomb.

Jon Burrows said:

“What John Ware has told the Inquiry is chilling. If his sources are right, a group of republicans looked at a stolen car in Cullaville on 13 August 1998, concluded it was going to be used for a bomb and confronted the men with it. Then they simply told them to take it somewhere else.

“It is important to remember that at that time dissident republicans were carrying out a car bombing campaign across Northern Ireland. Just two weeks earlier, a 500lb car bomb had injured 35 people in Banbridge.

“Two days later, 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were murdered in Omagh in one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles. The men in that car park would have known exactly what they had seen. Every Omagh family is entitled to know whether any of them picked up the phone to the RUC or the Gardaí before the bomb went off, or in the days afterwards. If they did not, why not?

“Mr Ware described these men as Sinn Féin members and supporters. Sinn Féin has said it supports a full cross-border inquiry into Omagh, and it now has the chance to show it means that. The party’s leadership, north and south, should find out whether any of its members or representatives were present that day and say so publicly. It should also urge anyone who was there to give evidence to the Inquiry and to the police on both sides of the border.

“As a former police officer, I know that the most valuable thing in any investigation is a witness who is prepared to come forward. Twenty-eight years on, it is not too late.

“The Ulster Unionist Party supports this Inquiry and its work to get answers for everyone who lost a family member or friend in Omagh. Those answers have to include what was known on both sides of the border. The bomb car was stolen in the Republic, and the bomb crossed the border from the Republic.

“On the same day it heard Mr Ware’s evidence, the Inquiry was told that a warning ending with the words ‘Omagh, Omagh, Omagh’ was telephoned to the Irish Defence Forces at Finner Camp the night before the bombing.

“Last month the Irish government refused to let the Inquiry put almost any further questions directly to the senior Garda officer giving evidence about the theft of the bomb car. That fits a long pattern, from a 97 per cent refusal rate on extraditing terrorist suspects to requests from the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery that went unanswered. If Dublin is serious about legacy, it must make sure that every piece of information it holds about Omagh, including anything about what happened at Cullaville, reaches the Inquiry without delay and without redaction.”