Donaldson hands in his nomination papers

“It has been an honour to serve the people of Lagan Valley for these past 18 years and during that time we have seen a lot of change at local and national level, much of it for the better,” he said. “However, these past few years have been particularly challenging with the global recession and it’s impact on our local economy. Thankfully, we are beginning to recover and unemployment has dropped significantly in Lagan Valley over the past couple of years as we have successfully attracted new investment and created more jobs.

“My focus has always been on looking after the people that I represent and that is why so much of my time is spent on dealing with local issues that really matter to individuals, families and the communities in which they live. My full-time office and various advice centres across the constituency have dealt with thousand of issues and problems for local people and this will remain a priority for me.

“I have always believed that the number one responsibility of an MP is to look after the people of the constituency.

“This will be one of the most important elections for many years, with the prospect of no party having an overall majority in Parliament. I believe that my experience as a senior parliamentarian will be vital for Lagan Valley and Northern Ireland in the next parliament and I would count it a great honour to serve the people of this constituency for a further term.”