ALLIANCE Assembly member Eileen Bell has said that the Government must give its full support to prison officers following yesterday’s riot in HMP Maghaberry, and look again at the rehousing of asylum seekers. Mrs Bell said: “Alliance has always believed that the safety of both prison staff and prisoners must be paramount in prisons. For […]
An Alliance Party Delegation has met with the Chief Constable to discuss a wide range of policing and security issues, including the recent attacks on the elderly. Speaking after the meeting, Alliance Deputy Leader Eileen Bell stated: “Violence being used against older people is causing massive concern throughout the community and needs to be tackled […]
ALLIANCE Finance Spokesman Seamus Close has strongly criticised Finance Minister Ian Pearson for significantly increasing rates in the Northern Ireland budget for next year. Mr Close also criticised those parties who also opposed Mr Pearson’s actions, but who backed rises in rates in exactly the same way while in Government. Mr Close said: “Spin, deceit […]
ALLIANCE Assembly member Kieran McCarthy has called for a steering group to take forward actions recommended by the Fishing Taskforce report into problems facing the industry on the east coast. Mr McCarthy, who was an Ards Council representative on the Fishing Taskforce set up to map the future for the fishing industry in Portavogie, Ardglass […]
ALLIANCE Councillor Geraldine Rice has said that the PSNI will lose the confidence of ethnic minorities in South Belfast unless it ends the ongoing ethnic cleansing in the Village and Donegall Road areas. Cllr Rice, who is a District Policing Partnership member and stood in South Belfast in the recent Assembly election, said it was […]
Alliance Welcomes NIO Move on ASBOs 7 January 2004 Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry, has welcomed the announcement by NIO Criminal Justice Minister John Spellar of draft proposals for the creation of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders in Northern Ireland. Dr Farry stated: “The introduction of these measures was a significant plank in our recent Assembly […]
Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry, has welcomed the formal beginning of the International Monitoring Commission, and emphasised that it has an important role to play in the peace process. Dr Farry stated: “Today’s activation of the International Monitoring Commission is long overdue. Alliance first put forward proposals for such a body back in July […]
The Alliance Party has launched its detailed proposals for the forthcoming Comprehensive Review of the Agreement, entitled ‘Agenda for Democracy’. Launching the document, Alliance Leader, David Ford stated: “The Agreement has many strengths, in particular the creation of a set of political institutions with cross-community legitimacy within a deeply divided society. “But over the past […]
ALLIANCE MLA Seamus Close has criticised the Prime Minister for his continuing use of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ as justification for the war in Iraq. Mr Blair again mentioned WMDs as reason for going to war on his surprise visit to Basra at the weekend, although none have been discovered. Mr Close said: “How many […]
Making the Agreement Work Better by Stephen Farry The outcome of the Northern Ireland Assembly Election does not provide much hope for the speedy restoration of the political institutions. The scale of the swing to the two extremes of Unionism and Nationalism may have come as a surprise to some, but was in fact quite […]