Alliance East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson has met with representatives of the Unite union to discuss the recent job losses at manufacturing company Caterpillar. Representatives of the Larne, Monkstown and West Belfast facilities attended the meeting with Mr Dickson today (Thursday), expressing to him concerns the Executive Office and Department for the Economy had ‘lost […]
Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA is to deliver a petition to the Assembly demanding equal access to cancer drugs for people in Northern Ireland. The petition, which currently has over 10,200 signatures, calls for the same access to life-saving drugs for people here as for those in England and will be handed to the […]
Alliance Leader David Ford has written to other party leaders to urge an independent investigation into allegations of corruption around Nama’s local portfolio. Mr Ford’s letter asks the leaders of the other main parties to convene a meeting to discuss the most appropriate way to look at the allegations, the latest of which have seen […]
Alliance MLA Naomi Long has called for all public appointments to be brought within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA), to combat accusations of ‘cronyism’. It comes after accusations from former Deputy Chief Constable Alan McQuillan that “a level of cronyism exists in Northern Ireland in which corruption can thrive”. East Belfast […]
Stormont’s Education Committee has backed Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle’s proposal to question the Education Minister on his decision to endorse the status quo on academic selection. Mr Lyttle has also proposed an Education Committee Inquiry into post-primary transfer, after Minister Peter Weir issued new guidance meaning schools can prepare pupils for the unregulated AQE and […]
Alliance MLA Stephen Farry has welcomed the Irish Government’s announcement it will establish an investigation into the selling of the Northern Ireland Nama property portfolio. The Dublin Government will discuss a range of options before deciding on the format of an inquiry into the process, which has had a series of allegations of impropriety against […]
Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn has labelled the decision of the Executive to give millions of pounds to United Airlines to keep the Belfast to Newark air route without scrutiny as “madness”. Lagan Valley MLA Mr Lunn was speaking after a meeting of the Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee today (Wednesday), in which it was revealed the […]
Alliance Infrastructure spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has said the revelation hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent paying out claims for damage caused by potholes shows the requirement for a road maintenance strategy. A total of £210,000 has been paid by the Department for Infrastructure following claims for damages to vehicles caused as a […]
Alliance Infrastructure spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has said a Lisburn to Antrim rail link with a stop at Belfast International Airport is a viable way to increase connectivity to Belfast International Airport. Strangford MLA Ms Armstrong was speaking during a debate on rail services from Belfast City Centre to Belfast International Airport in the Assembly […]
Alliance MLA David Ford has said the resignation of a paediatric pathologist over interventions by the Attorney General on abortion law demonstrates the need for MLAs to legislate to allow termination in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities (FFA). South Antrim MLA Mr Ford was speaking after the resignation of Dr Caroline Gannon, who said the […]