DUP MLA for North Belfast and member of the Assembly’s Education Committee, Nelson McCausland, has criticised Sinn Fein for attempting to play politics with the issue of special educational needs. Mr McCausland said;
"The DUP has made it very clear in the past the importance we place upon special educational needs and that this is an area which deserves specific legislation. Sinn Fein is very well aware of our position and our keenness to see improvements in special needs provision. We forwarded amended proposals to Sinn Fein some time ago now, but they have yet to respond. Furthermore we have also tabled a motion for debate in the Assembly on the subject of special needs as follows:
That this Assembly calls on the Executive to bring forward as a matter of urgency a cross-Departmental strategy to improve the lives of those with special educational needs and their families.
My colleague on the Education Committee, Michelle McIlveen MLA has also within the last week tabled the following motion:
That this Assembly expresses its concern at the problems encountered by young people with learning difficulties during the transition from children’s to adult services; recognises the need for improved respite services; and calls on the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety to address the current lack of facilities and services.
Sinn Fein has sought to tie a number of other matters in with special needs. While important in their own right these other issues should be dealt with separately and not permitted to delay the much needed enhancement of special needs provision. Indeed some of these other matters may not require legislation, and can be acted upon straight away. There are already genuine concerns about the resources available to meet even the requirements of all those with special needs appropriately.
It is the DUP’s desire for the proposals for special needs to be progressed at quickly as possible. We would hope that this could occur as early as the next Executive meeting if the desire exists within Sinn Fein.
It is unfortunate that Sinn Fein have again attempted to play politics with an issue such as special educational needs. This approach does nothing to build any kind of consensus on an issue and only brings it into the arena of party-political squabbling.
We want to see the very best services provided for those people who clearly have the greatest educational needs. This is a critical area and we will not allow the kind of political gamesmanship employed by Sinn Fein today to distract us from working towards the best outcome for all children in Northern Ireland."
DUP combat SF propaganda
East Belfast DUP MLA, Robin Newton has responded to comments made in a propaganda leaflet distributed around the University by Sinn Fein. The document, entitled ‘Nation Building, the Way Ahead’ (an electronic copy of which could not be found by ourselves, however, here is an article appearing in Sinn Fein newspaper An Phoblacht on this issue) is long on rhetoric but demonstrates how effective the DUP has been in advancing the unionist agenda in Stormont. Mr. Newton draws the comparison between the days when Reg Empey was negotiating for unionists and the daily list of concessions Sinn Fein was securing. Robin Newton said,
“The leaflet proves the DUP is ensuring that unionists get a fair deal from Stormont.
How times have changed. A few years ago when the UUP was the lead unionist Party, Sinn Fein could produce leaflet after leaflet heralding their wins at the negotiating table. One day it would be all their prisoners released from jail, the next the RUC destroyed then, as a result of weak negotiating by the UUP, Sinn Fein was going to be put in charge of our policing and justice system without even being asked to declare their support for our British justice system. Those days have ended. Sinn Fein has declared its support for our British justice system and the DUP reversed the UUP’s failures by ensuring there will not be a Sinn Fein Justice Minister.
When the UUP let Sinn Fein into government without verifiable decommissioning on three separate occasions, Sinn Fein’s Ministers were able to do as they pleased. De Brun could do as she pleased with our hospitals and McGuiness could as he pleased with Education. Sinn Fein’s leaflet proves that that is no longer the case.
The months of local government, with the DUP as the lead unionist Party, have proved that Ministers are accountable to the Executive. Ruane couldn’t scrap academic selection. That has been proved by the fact she’s reduced to telling the Party faithful in the leaflet about her ‘guidelines’ which no one has to abide by.
The Sinn Fein document proves what the DUP has been saying all along. Under Direct Rule those of us who value academic selection would have had to stand by helplessly and watch it be destroyed. Through devolution the DUP has protected it. Under Direct Rule we would have had to stand by helplessly and watch the Irish language be used as a tool to beat unionists as an Act, to put Irish on a par with English, was introduced. Through devolution the DUP has stopped that from happening.
Devolution has enabled unionists to have control over their destiny. No longer are we at the mercy of a Tory or Labour Government in London which always had a soft ear for nationalists and republicans. The DUP has turned the tide and ensured that unionism’s voice is louder than ever at Westminster and is leading the way at Stormont.
This leaflet may have had the objective of giving Sinn Fein a boost and deflect attention from their failing Education Minister but the DUP makes no apology for having ensured that they cannot trumpet wins over unionists in the leaflet.
This is further proof that the DUP is only Party capable of standing up to Sinn Fein in government and in the polls. Even the SDLP has recognised this when Margaret Ritchie said that “Sinn Fein has been completely out-negotiated and outperformed by the DUP in Government.
While others have run from the field of battle and prefer snipe from the sidelines, the DUP is standing up to Sinn Fein and ensuring unionism’s agenda is being advanced.”
Jordanstown Re-freshers' fayre
The newly created DUP association at the University of Ulster was present at yesterday's Jordanstown "re-freshers' fayre". The association was the only Unionist society represented at the event, with the UUP association strangely absent from proceedings.
The association had a good day, signing up many new members to the cause.
Association Chairman, John Hussey, had this to say; "I am very pleased with the inroads that this new association has made today. The University of Ulster has, for far too long, been dominated by Sinn Fein and the GAA. Unionists, at long last, will be represented at this institution, and I hope that many more will now be encouraged to join the cause and fight for pro-union issues right across the University's four campuses".
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