Democratic Unionist Party Northern Ireland Assembly Manifesto 2022

2022·5.4 MB·English

by  Democratic Unionist Party

OUR 5 POINT PLAN FOR
NORTHERN IRELAND
REAL ACTION
ON THE ISSUES
THAT MATTER
TO YOU
ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO 2022
MANIFESTO
2022
Who What
we are…. we seek….
The DUP is the party The DUP wants to
for the people whose contribute to make
identity is focused on Northern Ireland a place
their Northern Ireland of peace, stability and
heritage and our place prosperity. We want to
in the United Kingdom. ensure that the people
For over 50 years we in every district and
have been the party community benefit
for Northern Ireland and see their standard
and have earned the of living improve and
reputation to be the their way of life become
people’s party by virtue more enjoyable. We
of our work in and want to normalise
for the community. our institutions and
The DUP takes its political arrangements
position, democratically to demonstrate that
bestowed on it, to democratic standards
make Northern Ireland apply and fairness and
the best region in the equality of opportunity
United Kingdom. is the right of all. We will
strive to make Northern
Ireland the most
prosperous part of the
United Kingdom.
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Contents
Introduction 4
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Our 5-point Plan for Northern Ireland 6
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Achievements in Government 8
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Our Plan To Fix the NHS 14
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Our Plan To Grow the Economy 22
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Our Plan To Help Working Families 26
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Time To Remove the NI Protocol 28
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Protecting Life 29
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Our Plan To Keep our Schools World-Class 30
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Delivering for our Agri-Food Sector 35
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Delivering a Cleaner Environment 37
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Strengthening and Promoting NI 40
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Fixing Government 41
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Strengthening Our Communities 43
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A Safer Northern Ireland 44
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World Class Infrastructure 49
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Delivering change for people with disabilities 53
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Valuing our Older People 55
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Sport for the Future 58
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Introduction
We all know Northern Ireland is That is why this election is so important.
a great place to live, work and
Your vote will decide whether Northern
raise a family.
Ireland’s future is one focused on fixing
But it can be even better. We have a bright our health system, tackling the cost of
future to look forward to, because those living crisis and replacing the Protocol or
who came before us believed in Northern focused on a divisive Border Poll.
Ireland and in the Union.
The DUP is the only party that can stop Sinn
Northern Ireland’s strong place in the Union Fein’s border poll plans.
has created jobs, improved our standard of
A first preference vote for any party other
living and given us the NHS.
than the DUP will not unite and strengthen
Over the last five years, with your support, the unionist cause, but will help Sinn Fein
the DUP has fought for and delivered more deliver their border poll plan.
for health services, greater investment in
On May 5th your vote will make the
infrastructure, more jobs and education.
difference. Let’s work together and focus on
As we come out of COVID, and post Brexit the issues that matter to all of us.
there is much to be done to ensure, as a
Support your local DUP candidates and
people, we come through stronger, more
then transfer to other Pro-Union candidates.
prosperous and more unified.
Let’s work together to focus on the issues
In this election campaign the DUP has
that matter to you and help me move
launched a five-point plan to build a
Northern Ireland in the right direction.
better future for Northern Ireland within
the Union, by fixing our National Health
Service and investing £1 billion more in Jeffrey
it, growing our economy and creating
20,000 jobs in the next 5 years, helping Rt Hon Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP
working families by delivering 30 hours Leader
free childcare per week and tackling the
cost of living crisis, keeping our schools
world-class, and working to remove the
Irish Sea border.
Sinn Fein wants to win this election to
implement their long-held plan for a
border poll.
If Sinn Fein wins the most seats on
Thursday 5th May, they will push for a
border poll, which means Northern Ireland
will face months and years of arguing
and fighting, rather than fixing our health
service and focusing on rebuilding and
growing our economy.
Now is not the time for more division
and uncertainty.
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OUR POINT
5
PLAN
FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
Fix the NHS
3
Investing an extra £1 billion to cut
waiting lists using a partnership with
the independent sector
3
Deliver an additional 750,000
hospital assessments and
procedures
3
Train more GPs per year
3
Reward staff and end dependence
on overpriced agency sector
3
Introduce a social care cap
3
Implement Bengoa reforms
for a better health service Grow the economy
3
Support 20,000 jobs in the next
5 years
3
Create higher paid jobs in AgriTech,
Life and Health Sciences and Advanced
Manufacturing
3
Create 5000 new tech jobs
3
Make NI 100% fibre broadband
3
Deliver a modern career service
in schools
3
Expand our apprenticeship programme
3
Make tourism a £2 billion industry
Keep our schools
world-class
3
Fair funding model for all schools
3
Build more new schools in the
next 5 years
3
Modernise curriculum for the
21st century workplace
3
Widen access to breakfast and
homework clubs
3
A cap on school uniform costs
3
Restructure special educational needs
services
Remove the
NI Protocol
3
The Protocol must be replaced
by arrangements that restore
our place within the UK internal
market
3
Any new arrangements must be
able to command the support of
Help working Unionists as well as Nationalists
3
We will judge any new
families arrangements against our
7 tests to determine
whether they respect NI’s
3
Deliver 30 hours free childcare per
position as part
week
of the UK
3
Fair access to pre-school places
3
Financially support hard-pressed
families with an Energy Support
Payment
3
Deliver Energy Efficiency schemes
to support better-insulated homes
3
Support calls for a Windfall Tax on
energy firms
3
Make going green affordable
to homes in NI
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MANIFESTO
2022
In Government
Over the last number of years DUP 3 Appointment of a new Victims
Ministers have been working Commissioner, and support of
to deliver on the policies and approximately £15m annually for victims.
priorities that matter to the people 3 The formation of the High Street Task
of Northern Ireland. Our Ministers Force to regenerate town and city centres.
have made a significant contribution
Economy
in shaping the work of the wider
Executive as well as leading their
respective Departments. The impact of The DUP, through its Ministers, has
the Covid-19 pandemic has necessarily delivered a number of key economic
altered and impacted the work of objectives. Even during one of the darkest
Ministers and their policy objectives. economic periods in our recent history,
over 3300 new jobs were created, Northern
The Executive Office
Ireland cemented itself as a global leader
in sectors such as cyber security and
In addition to the work of leading the fintech, Belfast was named as one of the
Executive and representing Northern world’s leading tech cities and the local
Ireland DUP First Ministers and Junior economy recovered quicker than any other
Ministers have worked to secure: - region of the UK.
3 The appointment of a Mental Health While there is much more to do we have
Champion for Northern Ireland. made progress in a number of areas: -
3 The launch of Historical Institutional 3 Provided over £600m in financial
Abuse Redress Board, with payments support during the COVID pandemic
already made to thousands of victims. to businesses across Northern Ireland
through more than 50 bespoke
3 A new commissioner appointed for
schemes including small and micro
Institutional Childhood Abuse.
businesses, hospitality, supply
3 Commencing implementation of Mother chain businesses and the newly self
and Baby Homes report employed. The DUP also increased the
3 The Urban Village programme level of funding available for student
hardship and delivered a £500 Covid
regenerating communities.
Disruption Payment to all students
3 Funding for Tackling Paramilitarism
studying in Northern Ireland.
programmes.
3 Delivered 80 Assured Skills Academies
3 A New medical school in Londonderry.
with companies including PwC,
3 Commencement on work on a Violence Microsoft, Deloitte, KPMG and ASOS.
Against Women and Girls Strategy. 3 Secured £286.8m for the roll out of
3 The Minority Ethnic Development Fund the Economic Recovery Action Plan
(MEDF). including delivering the £140m High
Street Scheme, providing over 1.4m
3 The signing of the £1 billion Belfast
people with a pre paid £100 card to
Region City Deal.
help inject an economic stimulus to our
3 The Troubles Permanent Disablement High Streets and re-orientate people
Payment Scheme. back to the High Street and away from
online shopping trends.
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3 Secured funding for the Tourism complete, will make Northern Ireland the
Recovery Action Plan; and best-connected country in the world.
COVID response agreed with key
3 Initiated key reviews of Agri-Food,
stakeholders across our tourism and
Careers Services and Invest NI.
hospitality industry.
3 Secured widespread support for a
3 Delivered key legislation such as the
new 10X Economic Vision, including
Parental Bereavement and Pay Bill to
supporting strategies such as Skills
ensure working parents will be entitled
for 10X, Trade and Investment for
to statutory paid leave following the
a 10X Economy and the Review of
death of a child, stillbirth or miscarriage
Careers Services.
and amended legislation to protect
holiday entitlements for workers 3 Delivered 100 bursaries to allow
furloughed during the lockdown. students to undertake masters degrees
as part of our plan to mark Northern
3 Launched the ‘Embrace a Giant Spirit’
Ireland’s Centenary and invested over
campaign to promote Northern Ireland
£98m in the FE sector over the past
as a leading tourist destination.
three years.
3 Delivering Project Stratum, Northern
3 Delivered the Northern Ireland
Ireland biggest infrastructure project
Domestic Aviation Scheme; a vital
with over £165m investment in
intervention to secure Northern
hyperfast broadband as a direct result
Ireland’s air connectivity during the
of the DUP / Conservative Confidence
global pandemic.
and Supply Deal. This project, when
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MANIFESTO
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3 Led the first ever ‘Northern Ireland Day’ Education
at World Expo in Dubai, showcasing why
Northern Ireland is such a great place to
The DUP, through its Ministers, has
live, work, visit and invest.
delivered a number of key education
3 Launched ‘Path to Net Zero’ Energy objectives. While progress has been made
Strategy and 22 point Action Plan for we recognise there is much more to do.
implementing it. This strategy will help 3 The DUP has increased the number
reduce our reliance on importing fossil
of Nurture Units in Northern Ireland
fuels and create hundreds of new jobs
over the last mandate by 100% with
as Northern Ireland establishes itself as
the number now standing at 62.
a global leader in hydrogen technology
These units support some of our most
and clean energy.
vulnerable pupils.
3 Delivering upon City and Growth 3 We supported schools during COVID-19
Deals; over £1.3 billion of funding
with an additional £149m of funding
for innovative and exciting projects
3 Our DUP Ministers have increased
delivered in collaboration with National
funding for some of our most vulnerable
and Local Government.
members of society with spend on
3 Secured the future of HMS Caroline
children with Special Educational Needs
so this key part of our maritime history
rising by 77% during this mandate.
stays in Belfast.
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