Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-
“I am both angry and dismayed that in this centenary year for Northern Ireland not a single Unionist minister in the Executive sought to include any expenditure in the 2021/22 Budget of the Executive on marking the centenary of the country in which they are ministers.
“I had this shocking indictment of those supposedly representing unionist interest in the Executive confirmed in the Assembly this morning when I asked the Finance minister if any such bids were made and he said ‘No’.
“This isn’t just a matter of being asleep at the wheel, this is a gross dereliction of duty and slap in the face for all who value our U.K. citizenship. 2021 was a year of opportunity to headline the achievements of “our wee country”, but not a single unionist minister thought it worth a penny of expenditure. Shame on them!
“I am particularly appalled that the DUP Education minister didn’t think it worth his while to seek and obtain funding to allow schools and youth organisations to celebrate the centenary. As for the curriculum it seems to go out of its way to avoid affording any unionist perspective to our history. Likewise, I would have expected the Economy minister to have wanted to promote the centenary in economic promotions around the world.
“Today’s revelation is one of the worst indictments of unionists in the Executive. They seem to have given up on even the most fundamental of issues.”