New Year Message from Sir Reg Empey

Every New Year offers us the opportunity to start afresh. If ever a fresh start was needed at Stormont, it is now. We simply cannot go on with the interminable deadlock on a range of issues as important as education, local government and community relations policy.'

'Overshadowing the entire future of the Institutions continues to be the possible devolution of policing and justice. This issue has been mishandled for the last three years. Recent developments, culminating in the very public display of disagreement between Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness have poisoned the political process leaving the Assembly and Executive paralysed at a time when people are crying out for leadership to address our economic woes.'

'For many people Stormont has never seemed so irrelevant and distant from the everyday worries and concerns of families struggling to survive with increasing unemployment and economic uncertainty. Ironically, never has there been a greater opportunity for Stormont to show what local politicians working constructively together can achieve!'

'Squaring this circle must be the first task of the Assembly after the recess. People will not tolerate much more of the bickering and stalemate. As far as the Ulster Unionist Party is concerned, we remain convinced that only constructive engagement between the parties can resolve these differences.'

'The coming months could prove to be the last opportunity the current generation of politicians will have to make the Institutions work properly.'

'We know that devolution can work for the benefit of the entire community, but we have to be realistic and say that devolving more powers to Stormont without a resolution to the fundamental and underlying causes of the stalemate, would be unwise and unjustified.'

'Ulster Unionists hope that good Ulster common sense will prevail, allow us to move forward in 2010 so that we can concentrate all our efforts on laying the foundations for a robust economy in the years ahead.'

'The UUP remains determined to see progress in 2010 for those beleaguered savers in the Presbyterian Mutual Society.'

'They saw 2009 come and go without any confirmation that Government was to come to their aid. They remain the only group of savers in the UK who have lost out as a result of the banking crisis. This is totally unacceptable.'

'We will continue to strive ourselves, and with colleagues in the conservative party, to ensure that if this government won't help them then the next one will.'

'The PMS affair remains a stain on the government's claims to have ensured that no UK citizen lost out as a result of the crisis. PMS savers have lost out and their plight must be recognised and resolved in 2010.