'End the blockade': Other parties call on DUP to get back and restore devolution

Widespread disappointment and frustration was expressed earlier this week when the prospect of a £3.3 billion conditional package from the UK government if the NI Executive was restored, including over £500m for a long-delayed pay lift for tens of thousands of public sector workers, did not lead to the resumption of devolution.

Representatives of various parties involved in the talks with Chris Heaton-Harris warned that this failure was harming local people as they urged the DUP to take decisive action now, not later.

An Tánaiste Micheál Martin has also expressed disappointment, with Irish government representatives expected to meet with the Secretary of State in the coming days.

Derry’s MP, SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP said that now is the time for parties to close a deal to restore devolution, rescue public services and reward public sector workers with ‘pay justice’ before Christmas.

The Foyle MP urged parties to ‘stretch themselves’ after Secretary of State Chris Heaton Harris announced that the talks processes were effectively concluded at Hillsborough on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Eastwood said: “The talks have concluded. It is now time for parties tasked with forming a power sharing Executive to close out a deal.

“Less than a week before Christmas, people across the North are worried about their wages, they’re worried about family members still waiting for hospital treatment and they’re worried about the collapse of public services that we all rely on. Those are the people that politicians should be relentlessly focussed on - not the bogeymen who have been trying to tear down devolution for decades.

“This is a moment for calm leadership and for confident leaders to emerge and make the tough decisions needed to restore devolution.”

Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy said tens of thousands of workers have been left ‘high and dry, facing uncertainty over pay rises as a result of a failure of leadership at the very top of the DUP’.

Speaking earlier this week, he said: “The DUP has today confirmed it will continue with its blockade of the political institutions, regardless of the consequences for public services, workers and families.

“What the public needed to see from Jeffrey Donaldson today was decisive action, not more excuses, and yet another failure to take decisions in the best interests of everyone here.

“The cruel reality for tens of thousands of public sector workers and their families is that they now face uncertainty on whether they will get a pay rise.

“Teachers, health workers, transport workers and civil servants will all be forced to take to the streets in the depths of winter over the coming weeks to campaign for fair pay. This could have been avoided, and workers given the fair pay rises they deserve and are entitled to this. Instead, the DUP have left workers high and dry on Christmas week. This is heartless.

“We should be meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) to restore the Assembly, form an Executive and get local ministers back at their desk taking decisions on people’s future and to fix public services.

“The DUP is attempting to wash its hands of responsibility for these crises at a time when people from all sections of society are crying out for political leadership. They should end their blockade now and get back to work.”

Alliance Party Leader Naomi Long and UUP party leader Doug Beattie have welcomed the enhanced funding package tabled by the Secretary of State and both parties have said that the ball is now very firmly in the DUP’s court.

The DUP, for its part, has called on the government to implement the pay lift for public service workers in the absence of an Executive.

The party also said that it plans to continue to engage with the government over the Windsor Framework and was sticking to its position of measuring outcomes against the seven tests it has set.

In a statement issued earlier this month, Jeoffrey Donaldson said: “The DUP continues to be engaged in negotiations with the U.K. Gov. to secure NI’s place in the Union and to restore our position in the U.K. Internal Market. To be clear we are not negotiating on the basis of securing the better operation of the Protocol and objectives will not be fulfilled by an acceptance of the Irish Sea Border within our U.K. Internal Market. Any new arrangements will need to deliver real change and will be measured against our 7 tests.”

However Chris Heaton-Harris has aid that all talks have substantially concluded.

Speaking after the talks ended on Tuesday he said: “It is disappointing that there will not be a new executive up and running to take up this offer and deliver it for the people of Northern Ireland before Christmas. However, this package is on the table and will remain there, available on day one of an incoming Northern Ireland Executive to take up.

“This is a generous package but like any government, an incoming executive will have to make decisions on its priorities going forward. That will need to include, as part of this offer, increasing the revenue the executive raises through its own powers.”

He added: “The UK Government has also held extensive talks with the Democratic Unionist Party on the Windsor Framework over the last eight months.

“From our perspective, those talks on all the issues of substance have reached a conclusion.”

It remains to be seen whether the DUP position will change ahead of January 18, when the Secretary of State will have the option of calling another election if the Executive is not restored by that point.

Also in his statement after the talks, Chris Heaton-Harris gave details of what has been offered, saying: “Over the last number of days my team and I have been meeting the main parties in Northern Ireland to discuss how we can financially support a restored executive.

“On behalf of the United Kingdom Government, last week I presented a significant package which sets the executive up for success.

“We asked the parties for their views and we have listened. Following a lot of discussions over the weekend and over the last few days this morning I brought forward a new plan that reasonably and generously responds to the parties concerns and provides Northern Ireland Ministers with an offer for a restored executive worth in excess of £3bn. This package provides solutions to many of the issues the parties have raised.

“The parties have asked for a new formula for deciding how much Northern Ireland receives from the UK Government. We have agreed to establish such a model reflecting the different levels of need in Northern Ireland. That would see funding uplifted through the Barnett Formula by 24% from 2024-2025. The parties have asked for assistance with public sector pay; this package includes £584m to address this. The parties asked for money to stabilise Northern Ireland’s public services. We have made available more than £1bn for them to do this.

“The parties have raised concerns about their existing debt. Now I’ve been clear that we will be prepared to take steps to address those concerns of the Northern Ireland Executive if the Northern Ireland Executive publishes and implements a plan to deliver sustainable public finances and services.

“On top of that, the UK Government has committed more than £30m to immediately start tackling health waiting lists and indeed following the PSNI data breach we have granted an initial reserve claim of £15m which would not need to be repaid. And, we have offered to create an enhanced investment zone in Northern Ireland worth over £150m.”

He added: “We stand ready to introduce a package of measures that have been worked on together should the DUP reach a decision to proceed.

“I have always believed that Northern Ireland is best governed by locally elected and accountable MLAs. They can use the financial package and put in place the policies that will transform public services for the better of everyone across the whole of Northern Ireland and there is before us a great opportunity for the parties to return to governing on behalf of the people who elected them.

“The financial package that is now before the parties would set Northern Ireland on a sustainable footing with a bright future ahead.

“So to end, these financial talks have concluded and there is a financial package worth an excess of £3bn on the table should the executive be restored. From our perspective the Windsor Framework talks on all issues of substance have effectively concluded but we’re always, always happy to answer concerns and any questions on these.

“The UK Government also stands ready to deliver on the outcomes of the Windsor Framework talks when the institutions are restored.

“It is now time for decisions to be made.”