Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“This evening the Assembly will vote on a motion brought by the Committee on Procedures which will result in MLAs getting simultaneous translation of speeches delivered in Irish (or Ulster Scots) through headsets in the chamber. This is preposterous and deliberate squander where every member speaks English.
“All the Unionists on the Committee voted against bringing this proposal to the Assembly chamber and last week I called on Unionist MLAs to unite and sign a petition of concern to block the move. Over the last few days I have sought to win the support of fellow Unionists in the Assembly to block this but I regret those efforts have not been successful. Indeed, the BBC are reporting that far from forcing a cross community vote on the issue, Edwin Poots actually argued for his MLAs to abstain!
“While most Unionists will vote against the motion later today no one should be in any doubt about the fact that their Unionist representatives had it within their power to block these proposals. They chose not to do so.
“We hear much about the need for mutual respect and partnership being the only way forward yet these proposals look set to be rammed through the Assembly without cross-community consent.
“There has been much talk about the need to keep Stormont alive for the sake of the health service but today the Assembly will vote to squander £344,000 per annum on needless translation services. This vote will also mean that, at a minimum, a further £43,000 is spent on infrastructure installing a translation system in the chamber. We will employ Ulster-Scots translators even though, as an appendix to the Committee on Procedures letter on the matter noted, “Ulster Scots is not currently spoken by any Members at the Assembly”.
“The aggressive promotion of the Irish language and the lavish expenditure of public money on it displayed in this move is but a taster of what lies ahead should an Irish Language Act be imposed on the people of Northern Ireland.
“The abysmal failure of Unionists to effectively oppose this squander today amounts to a shameful capitulation and will doubtless leave many questioning what their local Unionist MLA is doing.”