Cllr Richard Holmes UUP

🎥 WATCH: Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA has called for better support for Retired members of the security forces and police officers in Legacy Inquiries.

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 ✍️ Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has approved updates to childcare regulations following a public consultation. Here’s what’s changing: 👩‍⚕️ GP health checks will now only be required for senior childcare roles, easing recruitment pressures across the sector. 👶 Childminding ratios are being updated from 1 June 2026, allowing childminders to care for more children, including expanded limits for siblings and under-18-month-olds. 🏫 Group day care ratios introduced during Covid will now become permanent, providing certainty for providers and families. Minister Nesbitt said the changes aim to support providers while keeping childcare safe and high quality for every child. Read the full announcement: uup.org/health_ministe…

AC/DC Album Ranking RECAP: #16: Stiff Upper Lip #15: BallBreaker #14: Rock Or Bust #13: Fly On The Wall #12: POWER UP #11: Black Ice #10: For Those About To Rock #9: Blow Up Your Video #8: Flick Of The Switch #7: The Razors Edge #6: High Voltage #5: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap #4: Let There Be Rock #3: Back In Black #2: Powerage #1: Highway To Hell

‘So much more to do’ - the crisis in defence, caused by both @UKLabour & @Conservatives doesn’t need spin, it needs action.The fact that the fighting spirit of our Armed Forces is being actively undermined by @hilarybennmp @NIOgov @attorneygeneral cannot be ignored @JohnHealey_MP

Sometimes a cartoon says it all. How Hermer is still in post is unfathomable @AlistairCarns @niveteranscomm

@JonBurrowsMLA talking to a packed hall tonight in Ballyclare.The benefits of our Union, the strength of being one of the strongest economies in the 🌎, a member of the P5; the question is not the way we are, but why can’t we be the best we can be in our United Kingdom @uuponline

Kier Starmer was visiting a very small village in the UK, and asked the villagers what the government could do for them. "We have two big needs" said the village spokesman. "First, we Have a health centre, but no doctor." Starmer whipped out his mobile phone, spoke for a while and then said "I've sorted it out, a doctor will arrive here tomorrow. “What is your other need then?" “We have no mobile phone reception at all in our village”. 😬🤣

Beattie hits out at Justice Minister over policing funding crisis Ulster Unionist Justice spokesperson Doug Beattie MC MLA has hit back at Justice Minister Naomi Long following her appearance on BBC’s The Nolan Show, where she called on other departments to return funding allocated away from justice. Doug Beattie MC MLA said: “What we saw in the BBC NI programme ‘Peelers – The PSNI for Real’ is an unfiltered and microscopic look at operational policing in Northern Ireland through the lens of police officers and the presenter, Stephen Nolan. It shows the harsh realities of policing and what our police officers face on a day-to-day basis. Something many are not aware of, with even some politicians with little understanding of the realities of policing. Hiding behind a ministerial response that ‘that’s an operational matter’ has not helped the situation; it has instead hidden it. “Therefore, the question needs to be asked: why now? Why have we let our police service be degraded to such a level before we finally start to show society the importance of policing and the critical work the PSNI does to keep us safe?  I have long argued that we need to fight harder for the police service to ensure they have the resources they need so they can do the job we want of them.  When the Chief Constable went above the Justice Minister’s head, to appeal directly to Westminster and the Prime Minister to ask for more funding, the alarm bells should have been sounded. “It was clear at that time that successive Justice Ministers had not seen the writing on the wall and had not been fighting for the police; now, when we have reached a critical point, they stand and complain that they haven’t been given the funding they require. Instead of looking at how they can deal with the lack of resource through both Westminster and internal savings, they are instead engaged in sucking their teeth and blaming other departments who did fight for the resource they needed. “The PSNI deals with the legacy of the past, yet they are not funded for it. Why is this not continuously in the headlines? The same can be said for funding to police the only land frontier in the UK where terrorism and organised crime move across the border daily, yet there is no extra funding to police this. “Internally, we have the Department of Justice have moved into a ‘steady state jogging’ approach. They are not taking the difficult decisions that need to be taken regarding the Youth Justice System, legal aid, the separated prison regime, and how Police Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) are funded. The argument that money went to health, and they want it back is a lazy trope with real life outcomes.  So, what hospital does the Minister want to close, what service do they want cut, as the Alliance Party asks for more from the health service, how can they then ask that money be taken from it? “The Alliance Party has been responsible for the Department for Justice since its inception in Northern Ireland, apart from around six months that were under the eye of Claire Sugden. They have allowed it to get to the state it is in. They are the party that has not fought hard enough for policing or for justice in general. However, there are solutions coming to the fore, and they are in partnerships with other departments. “The ‘Right Care Right Person’ initiative will see health taking on issues that were historically done by the police, such as mental health interventions. The police should never have been responsible for many of the calls for assistance that were health issues. Yet the Justice Department left it to the police to come up with a plan to deal with this after over a decade of police officers acting as social workers. The cooperation between the Justice Department and Health Department on youth justice issues is something positive to shout about.  It’s about pooling and sharing budgets for better outcomes.  It’s not about blaming others for your own failings.”

Far too little, far too late….The scourge of antisemitism has been given agency by this @UKLabour governments failure to act. Like much of what @10DowningStreet does words & meetings are substitutes for actual action @antisemitism @NIFriendsIsrael

@UncleSteveRock @NatesHiddenGems Couldn’t argue with the top 3 at all!

@NatesHiddenGems I’m liking how this is going for the most part… I had a prediction for your number one and two and I’m quite sure I’ll be right! You haven’t named my favorite album yet so there’s still a bit of hope for me!

AC/DC Album Ranking from Worst to Best #4: Let There Be Rock (1977) It almost seems unfair to have an album THIS GOOD only be ranked at number four. But don’t blame me…blame the band for having such a strong catalog!😂 I’m sure a lot of you will have this as your number one, and I TOTALLY get it! This is probably the bands first “all killer no filler” album! And to STILL be able to improve the sound and build off of ‘Dirty Deeds’ is CRAZY to me! I also think the band REALLY leaned into a more anthemic style of songwriting here. Yes there are songs like that on the first few albums, but there really isn’t any fluff on this. No slow, purely Blues style songs. Just front to back it’s just BANGER after BANGER! The albums starts ABSOLUTELY perfectly with ‘Go Down’ and ‘Dog Eat Dog’! Two KILLER songs! The title track is probably the best example of the band going FULL ON anthem mode! ‘Bad Boy Boogie’ might be my favorite track on the album! That riff is simply THE BALLS! ‘Overdose’ contains one of the BEST build ups in the bands catalog! Then of course we get absolute AC/DC mainstays in ‘Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be’ and ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’! Well, now we are getting the cream of the crop! I seriously don’t know how I was able to rank these…but I did😂 If all of you would put this higher on your rankings, I’m not going to fight you on it. Just…know that this is here because the next three are just TOO FUCKING GREAT to put anywhere else on this list. Go easy on me if you strongly disagree here. I can take it…maybe😂

Our veterans served with honour, they deserve to be treated with the same. Last week Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA and Westminster reps Robin Swann MP, Lord Elliott and Lord Empey met with Armed Forces Minister Al Carns MP and Veterans Minister Louise Sandher-Jones MP. Concerns were raised about the NI Troubles Bill and the need for protections for veterans who acted lawfully, as well as the support and services available to those who have served and are currently serving in our Armed Forces. The Ulster Unionist Party remains committed to standing up for those who have stood up for us.

Ulster Unionist Party welcomes landmark public health reform as Tobacco and Vapes Act becomes law Robin Swann and Alan Chambers have welcomed the granting of Royal Assent to the Tobacco and Vapes Act, describing it as a defining moment for public health in Northern Ireland and the delivery of a long-standing Ulster Unionist Ministerial priority. The UK-wide legislation introduces sweeping measures to create a smoke-free generation and tackle the growing problem of youth vaping. Ulster Unionist MP Robin Swann said: “As Health Minister in 2024, I supported the development and direction of this legislation, building on the action we had already taken to strengthen tobacco control and protect public health. More recently, I have engaged extensively during the Bill’s passage at Westminster. “This Act sends a strong signal that we are serious about creating a smoke-free generation and ensuring that today’s children are not tomorrow’s patients. Protecting young people from addiction and reducing preventable deaths has always been central to my approach.” Ulster Unionist Health Spokesperson Alan Chambers MLA said: “This is a landmark step forward for public health. Smoking causes over 2,000 deaths annually in Northern Ireland and remains a major driver of health inequality. “The legislation strikes the right balance, supporting those who want to quit while putting firm protections in place to stop children and young people being drawn into addiction. “The Assembly’s most recent support for Mike Nesbitt’s request for a Legislative Consent Motion on the matter reflected the strength of feeling across Northern Ireland, and I am delighted to see that work now delivered in law and about to make a real difference.”

🎥 WATCH: Robin Swann MP challenges the Prime Minister on where it all went wrong.

Just throwing this one out there as I was asked this question earlier today. A couple both working with a combined income of £50,000 would pay £11,500 a year in income tax and national insurance, Another couple receiving £50,000 in benefits including Universal Credit, Personal Independent Payment, Housing Benefit, Income Support and Child Benefit would pay no income tax or national insurance, keeping the full £50,000. Should the non-working couple on £50,000 a year pay the same amount of income tax and national insurance as the working couple? Please leave a comment below.

Sinn Fein should show leadership, stop riding two horses and say unequivocally that terrorism was always wrong. Dissident republicans rely on the narrative that violence for political ends can be justified. It cannot. It is always wrong.

🤷‍♂️The only thing cracking at the seams is the 16K of roads in Northern Ireland covered in potholes, and barristers & lawyers whose wallets are bulging with the largess of £200M legal Fees for failed road projects. ‘Great’ record by @sinnfeinireland @moneillsf @MaryLouMcDonald 🤷‍♂️

Undemocratic??? If you want state assisted suicide, at least have the decency to put it in the manifesto and get a mandate for it.

“Cows have a digestion system that emits methane. We need to change cows and work towards artificial meat.” ~ Bill Gates He doesn’t mention that methane from cows breaks down into CO2 & water after 10 years. Grass absorbs the CO2 by photosynthesis & the cycle repeats itself.

When Labour came to power July 2024 it inherited a recent OBR forecast of a £77bn deficit for 2025/26. Part of a sensible, steady downward trend in borrowing after the binge borrowing during the pandemic and the energy crisis caused by the Ukraine war. Reeves blew up that downward trend and went on yet another borrowing binge, which is why the deficit ended up £132bn in 25/26, despite a massive increase in taxes. I see no grounds for ‘warm words’ whatsoever. Her reckless fiscal policies are why we have the highest borrowing costs in the G7.