Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong has questioned when a multi-million pound fund designed to support the community and voluntary sector will be made to available to organisations to help them through the pandemic. The Department of Finance’s Dormant Accounts Fund takes money from dormant bank and building societies to support capacity and sustainability in the third […]
Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson has said there is no place in today’s society for thugs who seek to terrorise communities. The East Antrim MLA was speaking after his colleague Stephen Farry MP was warned loyalist paramilitaries had issued a threat against his life – along with Patsy McGlone MLA, Doug Beattie MLA and Steve Aiken […]
Alliance Deputy Leader Stephen Farry MP has said he is concerned the UK Government’s mixed messaging over the pandemic lockdown will only cause confusion in Northern Ireland. Dr Farry was speaking after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government’s slogan in England would now be ‘stay alert, control the virus, save lives’. “While taking into […]
Helping a local agritourism industry develop and grow will help the rural economy recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Alliance Agriculture spokesperson John Blair MLA has said. Agritourism involves structured farm stays, experiences and visits and is an addition to selling produce, holding educational visits and other forms of entertainment. South Antrim MLA […]
Alliance Leader Naomi Long MLA has said we must never forget the sacrifice of those who paid the ultimate price in freeing Europe, as the 75th anniversary of VE Day is commemorated. May 8, 1945 saw the Allied Forces accept the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, formally bringing to an end hostilities in Europe during […]
Alliance Education spokesperson Chris Lyttle MLA has said alternative methods of payment must be found for families unable to access free school meal payments during the coronavirus pandemic due to lack of a bank account. Mr Lyttle, Chair of the Assembly Education Committee, has raised the matter with Education Minister Peter Weir and questioned the […]
Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA has warned the multi-million pound allocation to hospices and the Cancer Fund for Children will not suffice to cover the needs of the charitable sector to fill gaps at this time. The £6.75 million package announced by the Department of Finance is designed to help support local hospices with […]
East Antrim Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson has given a cautious welcome to the news Kilroot power station is to be converted from coal-fired to gas-fired. Mr Dickson said that while the move would sustain the plant in the medium term, Northern Ireland needs a sustainable green energy plan much more thought needs to be given […]
North Down Alliance MLA Andrew Muir has called for the ‘New Normal’ to be cleaner and greener than the past, remarking that the need to tackle Climate Change to avert catastrophe will still be with us once COVID-19 passes, with a real risk that poor air quality returns if we don’t take big decisions now […]
Alliance Finance Spokesperson Andrew Muir MLA has said the failure to face up to the “hard and potentially unpopular” decisions simply wasn’t an option anymore, as MLAs debated the Budget Bill. Naming it a “blindfold budget”, Mr Muir said MLAs had to make decisions without any clear view of what the year ahead may bring. […]