Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:

“Throughout my time at Stormont I have highlighted the fact that North Antrim receives a raw deal from Invest NI when it comes to both inward investment visits and jobs created.

“Recently I received figures which cover 2014-15 and I am appalled that there has been no improvement in the situation. In fact, it is worse than ever. Over that period there hasn’t been a single inward investment visitor brought to North Antrim.

“Over the same period there were 61 to South Belfast alone and North Antrim was the only constituency without a single FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) visit.

“This is totally unacceptable.

“Invest NI needs to promote ALL of Northern Ireland, including North Antrim.

“These figures would be shocking at any time but they are particularly so given the huge blow which North Antrim suffered with the loss of JTI Gallahers. Following the announcement of its closure there were many grand promises of support from the Executive and particularly Invest NI to do all they could to bring new employment opportunities to the area.

“These figures reveal the sad truth that while there was a lot of talk there was no action.

“TUV will continue to keep up the pressure on these issues to ensure that North Antrim secures the investment and jobs it so badly needs.”

Statement by TUV leader, Jim Allister:-

“Last Tuesday during a report to the Assembly on the NSMC Plenary session I sought to ask if any one had raised the Chief Coroner’s concerns about non-cooperation by the Garda over the pending Kingsmills inquest.

“The Deputy Speaker (Roy Beggs) refused to allow the issue to be pursued on the basis that it did not arise directly from the minister’s statement. I protested that another member (Alex Atwood) had been permitted, without challenge, to raise a question about a matter (illegal dumping) not covered in the statement. I sought explanation as to why there had been this disparity in approach by the Chair.

“Today, the response which came was not to answer my legitimate question by providing an explanation, instead, I have been gagged till 10th November for daring to seek explanation of something crying out for such explanation.

“This is a gross and disproportionate infringement of the rights of those who elected me, but unsurprising for a chamber which has difficulty in coming to terms with anyone who dares to ask hard questions.

“By such punitive and selective action this morning the Sinn Fein Deputy Speaker, smarting from his rejection yesterday, has further diminished the Stormont Assembly as a credible institution.

“The powers that be may think they have again silenced the voice of TUV within the chamber, but thankfully they cannot silence me outside the chamber, or the people at the ballot box.”

TUV has raised fresh questions about the involvement of the Dublin government in upcoming political talks about the future of Northern Ireland.  TUV is excluded from the talks, but the Dublin Government has an as yet unspecified role.

Now, TUV is demanding to know if Dublin ministers are to be provided with an office in Parliament Buildings, something Jim Allister has denounced as “a highly symbolic  and aggressive assertion of Dublin’s meddling”.

It has now emerged that on Monday the TUV MLA tabled a priority Question to the Assembly Commission which controls the building. Mr Allister asked:-

“To ask Assembly Commission what requests have been a) made and by whom; and b) granted and to whom in respect of the use of rooms in Parliament Buildings in connection with the upcoming political talks.”

Commenting Jim Allister said, “While the representatives of over 100,000 Unionist voters are deliberately excluded from these talks, it seems the red carpet is being rolled out for the foreign Dublin Government, with plans, I understand, to embed Dublin ministers in Parliament Buildings itself through the provision of offices specifically for their use.

“It’s time those unionists who are implicated in these talks took a stand on these issues. There is and can be no role for Dublin in negotiations about the future governance of Northern Ireland and no pandering to them by delivering them keys to offices within Stormont.”

Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-

“Having previously exposed* that over £8m of spending by the North/South bodies within DCAL’s ambit was “irregular”, indeed illegal, because it did not have DFP approval, I have now established that within Waterways Ireland there has been £129,058 of overpayments in subsistence to staff and not one penny has yet been recovered.

“This was going on for years, unchecked and undiscovered. Finally, an internal audit brought it to light. The issue now is how and when will recovery by secured. This is public money which ought never to have been lost in the first place, but now must be recovered. Given the DCAL minister’s lax attitude to public spending I am less than confident that there will indeed be full recovery.”

Question:

To ask the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the amount in overpayments to staff of Waterways Ireland for subsistence rates from 2002 to 2011; and whether the overpayments have been independently validated by Internal Audit and recovered.

Answer:

A validation exercise has been conducted by DCAL Internal Audit to verify the amount of overpayments made to staff of Waterways Ireland for subsistence rates from 2002 to 2011. The exercise has confirmed the amount as £129,058. From 2011 to present the correct rates have been applied. The verification report has been agreed by Sponsor Departments and will shortly issue to Waterways Ireland. Now that the amounts overpaid have been validated recovery action will commence.

* http://tuv.org.uk/further-chaos-in-stormont-finances-as-language-body-and-waterways-ireland-expenditure-illegal/