"Mr Chairman, party colleagues and friends it is my duty today to commence our debate on the cost of living and to detail the work that the party is engaged in to help ease the burden.
All around Northern Ireland we see evidence of the global economic downturn, which has many aspects to it. Families are struggling to cope with fuel costs and the price of food. Inflation is rising far faster that the official Whitehall statistics show.
The spectre of economic recession looms large in many people’s thoughts. We understand the pressures that have already adversely impacted upon the community.
Our Social Development team is working hard to ensure government helps everyone suffering at this time.
All sections of our community expect government delivery – whether it is the young couple starting out together in life or senior citizens living on limited incomes.
At home or in the place of business everyone has felt the same chill and is facing into the same cold winds: our record shows that it is the DUP that is using government to help people suffering at these difficult times.
In these hard times people look to political leaders to help them. That is why we are elected after all. We are elected to serve.
People are looking to us to address the issues that matter most to them. Those struggling to heat their homes and meet their bills don’t care about language legislation or policing powers.
I’m sure pensioners in West Belfast struggling to pay the heating bills are delighted that Gerry Adams only seems to care about issues that won’t improve their day-to-day lives in any one way.
People voted for the political representatives because they expect them to show leadership in times of crisis and hardship. They expect them to be most active and most effective when the chips are down and it really counts.
It is that legitimate expectation and for that reason that Gerry Adams is the greatest political failure and most bankrupt political leader in Northern Ireland today.
He has led Sinn Fein into a cul de sac that he appears unable or unwilling to lead them out of.
Hi failures as a political leader have a negative influence on the whole of society.
People want to see leadership in these difficult times. They are absolutely right to do so, and it is for that very reason that Sinn Fein are failing through their performance, or should I say lack of it.
The DUP on the other hand is delivering through our team of DSD representatives. As Chairman of the Departmental Committee, I know that it is the DUP that is setting and shaping the agenda in DSD.
At a time when people are really suffering it is a basic requirements that politicians do all in their power to help them.
Failure to do so represents a gross betrayal of the people especially when pressing social matters require our focus and attention.
Many of you will be aware that the Department for Social Development has made a number of suggestions to tackle fuel poverty, and, in the absence of an Executive meeting, the DUP Minister of Finance has met with his colleagues in DSD and Health to agree and develop an action plan in an effort to tackle this vitally important issue.
To illustrate the scale and seriousness of the problem we are confronted with, figures released by the Department of Health showed that last year in Northern Ireland 9 pensioners died of hypothermia, whilst more than 30 were admitted to hospital suffering from the condition.
There is a pressing moral imperative that this problem is tackled in a real and meaningful way.
No person in 21st Century Northern Ireland should be faced with the choice of heating their home or feeding themselves, least of all an older person.
Government needs to help these people. The Northern Ireland Executive needs to meet to consider these vital matters - matters that effect ordinary people.
Recently in the Assembly three Sinn Fein MLAs tabled a motion calling on the Social Development Minister to bring forward a proposal for legislation on the regulation of private landlords – they were Carol ni Chuilin, Fra McCann and Mickey Brady.
What they didn’t say – and the question they refused to answer on the day was what they would do should the Minister do precisely that.
Such is the quandary they have been placed in by their party leadership’s approach to the Northern Ireland Executive. Such is the depth of Sinn Fein hypocrisy – on the one hand paying lip service to the needs of the socially disadvantaged, while on the other doing their best to ensure that nothing can be done to help them.
First time buyers have faced great difficulty in recent times. Young people starting out in life have found it increasingly difficult to find their first home.
We believe that the targets set in the DUP authored Programme for Government - for 1,500 new homes in the first year, 1750 in the second and 2,000 in the third, those targets must be met.
You can have confidence that I and my committee team will be closely scrutinising the DSD Minister to ensure that she meets those targets.
As public representatives we can all testify to the fact that for people stuck on Housing Executive waiting lists, no delay or slowness in meeting social housing targets will be permitted or tolerated.
The DUP DSD team will be demanding serious delivery on this front.
With regard to the benefit system, we are the only party pursuing a reforming agenda.
Action needs to be taken to get more of the economically inactive and long term unemployed back into work.
The DUP believes in the value of work. We want to encourage more people back into the employment market where their talent and skills grow and bring benefit to our society. We are spearheading the task of job-creation and economic development.
Let me also make mention of the Winter Fuel Payment. Apart from a one-off increase before the last General Election there has been no change in the annual winter fuel payment since 2000.
There should be an immediate and significant increase in this payment to reflect current heating costs.
Northern Ireland has some of the highest rates of fuel poverty in the United Kingdom. The DUP will be working to ensure that central government initiatives aimed at tackling this problem are extended to Northern Ireland. We will be working to ensure that our pensioners receive a fair deal.
The DUP is a party of low taxation. Our record in government shows that.
It was the DUP which froze the Regional Rate and introduced industrial de-rating.
The DUP Finance Minister recently unveiled rates capping.
We believe that in these times of financial difficulties people should not be over-burdened by taxation.
In Westminster we gave a lead on defending hard pressed families. The disaster for the government of the 10 pence tax band showed just how these issues can affect those people who are in the lower income bands.
This party was to the fore in Parliament in leading the opposition to that government proposal. We also secured parliamentary time for a debate on people suffering the adverse affects of rising costs of living.
We believe that the personal allowance should be increased significantly which would mean a real increase in the take-home pay of hard-working families across the UK.
As a party, indeed as the largest political party in Northern Ireland we have continued to make this case at a national level. We will continue to do so.
This party is about good government and effective government in the interest of society.
We must maintain our long-standing position that says that political parties and government exists for the benefit of the people. As we have always done in the past, that is the direction that we will maintain now."
