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| UUP calls for free prescriptions | UUP calls for free prescriptions |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Free prescriptions should be available for everyone in NI on the health service, Ulster Unionists have said. | Free prescriptions should be available for everyone in NI on the health service, Ulster Unionists have said. |
| The proposal was contained in the party's 36-page manifesto which has been launched in Belfast. | The proposal was contained in the party's 36-page manifesto which has been launched in Belfast. |
| Party leader Sir Reg Empey called for people to turn away from "stale, failed politics of the past". | Party leader Sir Reg Empey called for people to turn away from "stale, failed politics of the past". |
| "The DUP and Sinn Fein are more interested in dividing power between themselves rather than sharing office for the benefit of NI," he said. | "The DUP and Sinn Fein are more interested in dividing power between themselves rather than sharing office for the benefit of NI," he said. |
| "The DUP and Sinn Fein are more interested in polarising our society rather than finding ways of uniting us. | "The DUP and Sinn Fein are more interested in polarising our society rather than finding ways of uniting us. |
| "The Ulster Unionist Party believes in the need for normal politics in Northern Ireland. It is now time to concentrate on the everyday issues which affect all of us: health, schools, rates and water charges, our environment, jobs and investment, and every other issue that matters to you and your family." | "The Ulster Unionist Party believes in the need for normal politics in Northern Ireland. It is now time to concentrate on the everyday issues which affect all of us: health, schools, rates and water charges, our environment, jobs and investment, and every other issue that matters to you and your family." |
| The UUP manifesto also proposes an extension of the NHS Direct service to Northern Ireland - making health services more accessible to the public 24 hours a day. | The UUP manifesto also proposes an extension of the NHS Direct service to Northern Ireland - making health services more accessible to the public 24 hours a day. |
| It also suggests free comprehensive eye examinations, an investment package for dental services, and a yearly free health check for all carers. | It also suggests free comprehensive eye examinations, an investment package for dental services, and a yearly free health check for all carers. |
| Prescription charges are an issue on the manifesto | |
| The main points of the manifesto include: | The main points of the manifesto include: |
| More support for the nursing profession, one year's guaranteed employment for new nurses who have completed training, the retention of a Chief Nursing Officer, and a new law to protect healthcare workers from assault and abuse | More support for the nursing profession, one year's guaranteed employment for new nurses who have completed training, the retention of a Chief Nursing Officer, and a new law to protect healthcare workers from assault and abuse |
| The rolling out and funding of Healthy Living Centres, as in the rest of the UK, to promote healthier lifestyles, and targeted prevention programmes for strokes, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses | The rolling out and funding of Healthy Living Centres, as in the rest of the UK, to promote healthier lifestyles, and targeted prevention programmes for strokes, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses |
| A guaranteed 20 hours a week of pre-school education for all children, and access to quality tuition for all primary school pupils in the arts, music, sport and foreign languages | A guaranteed 20 hours a week of pre-school education for all children, and access to quality tuition for all primary school pupils in the arts, music, sport and foreign languages |
| An end to the debate over academic selection with post-primary schools being given a robust pupil profile and providing parents with a statement of advice but also retaining the right to use fair and consistent academic criteria if they are oversubscribed | An end to the debate over academic selection with post-primary schools being given a robust pupil profile and providing parents with a statement of advice but also retaining the right to use fair and consistent academic criteria if they are oversubscribed |
| A cap on Northern Ireland's domestic rates bills, extending rates relief for those with disabilities and guaranteeing universal non-means tested rates relief for all pensioners | A cap on Northern Ireland's domestic rates bills, extending rates relief for those with disabilities and guaranteeing universal non-means tested rates relief for all pensioners |
| The capping of industrial rates at 25% and a maximum bill of £100 for the introduction of water charges | The capping of industrial rates at 25% and a maximum bill of £100 for the introduction of water charges |
| An economic package from the Treasury for a new devolved government addressing long standing infrastructural problems, a competitive fiscal and tax environment, and investment in skills and innovation | An economic package from the Treasury for a new devolved government addressing long standing infrastructural problems, a competitive fiscal and tax environment, and investment in skills and innovation |
| A manufacturing strategy for Northern Ireland, a small business rates relief scheme, and a review of the retail sector | A manufacturing strategy for Northern Ireland, a small business rates relief scheme, and a review of the retail sector |
| A road network catering for the economic and social needs, urban and rural, east and west, and a strategic integrated transport system with investment in bus and rail networks | A road network catering for the economic and social needs, urban and rural, east and west, and a strategic integrated transport system with investment in bus and rail networks |
| The maintenance of existing police levels, support for restorative justice schemes which work in tandem with the police, efforts to persuade the Republic of Ireland to sign up to the UK Violent Offender and Sex Offender Register to protect children and communities on both sides of the border, and the introduction of electronic tagging and polygraph testing of high-risk sex offenders | The maintenance of existing police levels, support for restorative justice schemes which work in tandem with the police, efforts to persuade the Republic of Ireland to sign up to the UK Violent Offender and Sex Offender Register to protect children and communities on both sides of the border, and the introduction of electronic tagging and polygraph testing of high-risk sex offenders |
| Red tape | Red tape |
| The creation of an independent Environmental Protection Agency as in other parts of the UK, a Northern Ireland Marine Act to protect and preserve the seas, coastal areas and maritime environment, a Renewable Energy Plan, and a scoping study on the impact of climate change on the province | The creation of an independent Environmental Protection Agency as in other parts of the UK, a Northern Ireland Marine Act to protect and preserve the seas, coastal areas and maritime environment, a Renewable Energy Plan, and a scoping study on the impact of climate change on the province |
| A review of red tape affecting the farming industry, and the creation of a Northern Ireland Fisheries Authority involving government, fish producers, fishing communities and environmental organisations | A review of red tape affecting the farming industry, and the creation of a Northern Ireland Fisheries Authority involving government, fish producers, fishing communities and environmental organisations |
| Full support for London 2012 Olympic Games' strategy for Northern Ireland | Full support for London 2012 Olympic Games' strategy for Northern Ireland |
| Greater co-operation with other UK devolved administrations, a Royal Commission to strengthen the Union, the creation of an Assembly Committee on European Affairs, and a strategy for strengthening Northern Ireland's engagement with the United States | Greater co-operation with other UK devolved administrations, a Royal Commission to strengthen the Union, the creation of an Assembly Committee on European Affairs, and a strategy for strengthening Northern Ireland's engagement with the United States |