DUP Stormont Assembly election manifesto – key points

The DUP has pitched a “five-point plan” to voters as part of its Stormont Assembly election manifesto.

It wants to “fix the NHS”; “grow the economy”; “keep our schools world-class”; “help working families”; and “remove the NI Protocol”.

The party said their proposals would “build a better future for Northern Ireland within the Union”.

Read more:Seven DUP officers quit party to back TUV candidate

Launching the 60-page manifesto, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson denied his party’s warnings of Sinn Féin ambitions for a border poll are scare tactics in a bid to win votes.

Here is a look at some of the key messages and policies from the party’s manifesto:

Health

While the DUP’s five-point plan appears deliberately unnumbered, health is the first to be mentioned in detail in its manifesto.

The DUP wants to invest an extra £1billion in the health service in a bid to cut waiting lists. This would include £700million over the course of the next Assembly term, with the full £1billion invested by 2030.

The party wants to deliver an additional 750,000 hospital assessments and procedures and train more GPs per year.

The DUP also supports giving health service staff a “fair” wage to ensure the sector is an attractive employment option.

It said a reduction in locum and agency spend would achieved by incentivising the retention of staff through measures such as such as pay, training support, long-term rostering or guaranteed leave.

Northern Ireland Protocol

The DUP said the post-Brexit arrangements for Irish Sea trade “represents an existential threat to the future of Northern Ireland’s place within the Union”.

It has argued the trade barriers on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are “adding to the cost-of-living crisis”.

The party said the Protocol should be “replaced by arrangements that restore Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom internal market” and any new deal must command the support of both unionists and nationalists.

The DUP has come up with “seven tests” to assess any new arrangements agreed between the UK and European Union.

It has repeatedly warned it will not re-enter Stormont’s power-sharing government until its demands over the Protocol are met.

Helping working families

The DUP said the cost-of-living crisis is affecting many families in Northern Ireland and the party is “committed to supporting those most in need”.

It pledges to deliver affordable, flexible, early education and care initiatives for children aged 3-4, including 30 hours per week fo free childcare.

The party welcomed Stormont’s energy support payment scheme but they want to see it expanded to support more struggling families.

The DUP also proposed creating a programme of energy efficiency schemes to support better-insulated homes in both public and private housing.

Other points

The DUP reiterated its opposition to abortion and said the party would “continue to take a pro-life stand in the Northern Ireland Assembly and at Westminster”.

In education, the party pledged a cap on school uniform costs and free school lunches for all children.

At Stormont, the DUP said its “long-term objective” is for the mandatory power-sharing government to move to a voluntary coalition system with weighted majority voting in the Assembly.

The party is against income tax being devolved to Northern Ireland due to concerns over whether Stormont would have the necessary “administrative capacity”.

Read more:Seven DUP officers quit party to back TUV candidate

Read more:Council boss ‘nominated DUP MLA for Queen’s honour’

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Articles may come from parliamentary reports, various public news feeds and Google News Search. Content is republished here for context. Copyright is respected and remains with the original author at all times. Original Article:https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/dup-stormont-assembly-election-manifesto-23809427

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