Alliance Finance spokesperson Seamus Close, former MLA for Lagan Valley, has welcomed a new Audit Office report into the take-up of benefits by pensioners. Mr Close, a former Public Accounts Committee member, said Northern Ireland’s pensioners could be missing out on £43 million very year. Mr Close stated: “There are currently about 36,000 pensioners who […]
ALLIANCE has questioned the need to further delay the introduction of Hate Crimes legislation to deal with racist attacks in Northern Ireland. Responding to the statement in today’s Joint Communique that the British Government intends to ‘announce the outcome of the consultation on racist and sectarian offences by September, and bring forward legislation in the […]
Alliance Leader David Ford has expressed his disappointment that the Prime Minister and Taoiseach did not give a clear message that their governments were working on a coherent plan to restore the political institutions or facilitate elections in the autumn. Mr Ford said: “Northern Ireland is in the wilderness. The public is wondering how and […]
ALLIANCE’S Health Spokesperson Kieran McCarthy has welcomed Government plans to ban employers from enforcing a retirement age below 70. Mr McCarthy, who served as chair of the Assembly Committee on Older People and Ageing, said: “These plans recognise that far from being on the scrapheap, in today’s society older people still have an valuable role […]
Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Councillor Stephen Farry, has called for public agencies to come together to tackle the annual scourge of paramilitary flags. Councillor Farry stated: “Paramilitary flags are an annual scourge in Northern Ireland, and there can be no justification for them. While people have the right to celebrate their culture, a celebration of […]
East Belfast Councillor Naomi Long has asked the Government to intensify its efforts to attract fresh investment to the area, which has suffered around 4,000 job losses in the past two years. An Alliance delegation met with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Ian Pearson, on Monday, when they discussed the current crisis at […]
Alliance representative David Ford has called for the publication of a detailed strategy for the restoration of a full passenger service on the Antrim to Lisburn railway, as well as maximising the benefits of the Bleach Green line. Mr Ford travelled on the last trains from Antrim to Lisburn and back at the weekend, when […]
DRIVERS could be penalised for not having tax or insurance because of lengthy delays at vehicle testing centres, according to Alliance Leader David Ford. Frequent and long delays for ‘MoT’ appointments have already started to affect drivers, as they have not been able to produce a test certificate to obtain road tax or insurance – […]
Alliance Party Education Spokesperson Councillor Naomi Long has said that support for integrated education is growing amongst residents in East Belfast. She was speaking after an Alliance survey of 132 East Belfast residents found that 77 percent wanted more integrated places. Cllr Long said: “Yesterday it was revealed by the NI Council for Integrated Education […]
Commenting on the latest report, ‘Investigation of Suspected Fraud in the Water Service’, from the Audit Office, former Public Accounts Committee member and Alliance Finance Spokesman, Seamus Close said: “This latest report from the Audit Office exposes the lengths to which elements within the Water Service will go to dilute the seriousness of fraud. What […]