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Ulster Unionist Further Education spokesperson Ken Robinson has voiced his disappointment over Maria Eagle’s decision not to remove the cap on undergraduate student numbers here.

In a statement, Mr Robinson said: “There is a clear disparity in approach if Northern Ireland can be told there will be no removal of the cap within 24 hours of it being revealed that 63,000 additional higher education places are to be created in England over the next two years.

“International experience shows that higher education is the lifeblood of a knowledge-based economy in the 21st century. Failure to remove the cap undermines Northern Ireland’s ability to compete in the global marketplace.”

He added: “We need a targeted expansion of student places to ensure an increasing number of places for home-grown talent. The removal of MaSN (Maximum aggregate Student Number) must be the ultimate policy aim for a future restored executive – this is entirely in line with the rest of the UK.

“The fact that Northern Ireland has a brain drain cannot be disputed. In 2004, of 32.5% of Northern-Ireland based students who study on the mainland, two thirds will not return to Northern Ireland. At this rate we are losing 20% of our university educated young people on an annual basis.

“Addressing the brain drain must form part of a wider policy framework of making Northern Ireland work. We need to increase our skilled workforce for a 21st Century economy that we can all be proud of. We believe that reversing the brain drain is a small but important step towards achieving that goal.”

East Belfast Assembly Candidate Michael Copeland today called for a full audit of public land in Belfast which could be made available for Social Housing.

In a statement Mr Copeland said,

“There are currently thousands of people on the waiting list for social housing in the east of the city. Currently many will be waiting for some time for homes dues to a lack of availability and consequently a prohibitive points system.

The basic building block of society is the home, which should be in close proximity to places of education, medical treatment and places to shop. But something has gone terribly wrong. In East Belfast, there are many thousands of people who don’t have access to appropriate accommodation or affordable homes.

The need for social housing has increased dramatically since developers started paying enormous sums of money for land and this has left a deficit of affordable social housing being built. Great news for young professionals or those who can benefit from the housing boom, not so great for the many who rely on social security and social housing to make ends meet.

I am realistic and appreciate that there are budgetary constraints and that land in this part of the City is at a premium, however consideration must be given to freeing up some of the land in public ownership in the Constituency specifically for social housing. As a basic first step in establishing whether this feasible or not I am calling for a full audit of available public land across the City.”

UUP Assembly candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Kenny Donaldson has responded to the publication of the Thirteenth IMC Report. In a statement, Kenny said:

“The latest report confirms that the IRA continues to make progress towards the end game of; operating via, exclusively peaceful and democratic means. However there are clearly renegades within republicanism who are continuing to carry out criminal activity, although admittedly this is said to be, without sanction.

“Meanwhile, the report indicates that loyalist paramilitaries have still some way to go in transforming themselves. I plead with political loyalism to embrace democracy fully and in so doing; criminal elements within your ranks will be exposed. There is a place for political loyalism at the democratic table; this has been denied you in the past and that must not happen again.”

Kenny added: “It is critical that SOCA (Serious Organised Crime Agency) continues to go after the mafia ganglords and foot soldiers within paramilitary gangs and also those “self-employed individuals” who have made a fortune on the back of the law abiding Northern Ireland community. The scrapping of the ARA (Assets Recovery Agency) must not signal any level of retreat from Government on pursuing criminals and the King’s ransoms which they have accrued.

“All in all, this report is positive but there continues to be work to do in ensuring that all terror, paramilitary and criminality associated trappings are removed from Northern Ireland.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has said he is deeply disappointed by the news today that an Antrim food processing plant is to close with the loss of its 40 strong workforce.

Oaktree foods, a division of the O’Kane Group is expected to stop operations by the end of March and blamed competition from cheap food imports from the Far East and South America for their decision.

Mr Nicholson said that he had been campaigning in Europe to force the European Commission to ban Brazilian beef and produce from other countries which didn’t meet the high standards set by Europe and confirmed that he would raise the closure in the European Parliament.

Speaking from Brussels Mr Nicholson said,

“I am deeply disappointed for the workers affected by this decision and express sympathy for them and their families.

“This is a devastating blow for the local economy and further evidence of the damaging effect low – cost, sub standard Brazilian beef in having on the agri – food sector in Northern Ireland.

“The farming community in Northern Ireland is acutely aware of the impact cheap Brazilian imports have had on the market here. Low priced beef from Brazil has clearly contributed to a crash in the cattle market. At present Northern Ireland’s farmers must comply with the high standards laid down by the EU in terms of health, food safety and traceability so why shouldn’t imports coming into the EU from other countries do the same?

“It is my intention to raise the issue in the European Parliament as soon as possible.”

Cllr Marion Smith has welcomed the launch of a new Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network by David Cairns. In a statement, Cllr Smith said:

This is indeed another step forward in the recognition of the vast amount of import and necessary work carried on by those women who live and work within our rural community.  It is only but right that the rural and urban network of woman come together and pool their resources.  The new grouping has within it’s title - Network and that is exactly what it will be, a network.

I know from experience that through such a system a partnership will develop and from that there  can only be gain.  There is also the important process of confidence building and the sharing of talent.  I welcome Minister Cairns announcement and the funding granted to make possible and  develop the N.I. Rural Women’s Network.”

In response to Sinn Fein’s Ard Fheis decision on policing, UUP Party Officer Kenny Donaldson has said:

“Sunday’s decision was a further acknowledgement of, political realism by the Republican Movement. In 1986 that Movement ended its’ abstentionism within Dail Eireann, it then mandated the entering into of a partitionist Government at Stormont, and finally began the process of putting its arms beyond use. The Movement’s latest initiative of, verbally giving credence to the law and order agencies of this Region of the United Kingdom means the Republican Movement is on the verge of coming full circle and of slowly entering the real world of fully peaceful and democratic politics.

“Provisional Republicanism has assented to the political reality that Northern Ireland is an integral Region of the United Kingdom. The Republican Movement is seeking to redefine itself and whilst the leaders of that Movement will not publicly state that the past actions carried out in the name of that Movement were ‘deeply
flawed and counterproductive to the efforts in building a just and fair society for all,’ the decisions taken by the Republican leadership over the years say otherwise.”

Kenny added: “The Republican Movement are obliged to now roll out Sunday’s decision in practice. Provisional
Sinn Fein must encourage republicans to support the Police and all other law and order agencies. The days of self policing and internal housekeeping must be now consigned to the past. There is one Police Service in Northern Ireland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which is in place to serve and protect all who reside within our Region.

“Northern Ireland is on the verge of entering a new era, long gone are the cries of Michael Collins, “our only weapon is our refusal’,” concluded Kenny.

Responding to the publication of the Thirteenth IMC Report UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey said,

I welcome this latest Report and in particular the clarity over the IRA. It is clear that barring some sporadic and unsanctioned activity, the IRA continues to make progress towards exclusively peaceful and democratic means.

With regards to Loyalist paramilitaries I would encourage them to quicken the pace of change to ensure a complete and unambiguous commitment to exclusively peaceful means.

This is the thirteenth IMC Report. It is perhaps easy as we read this report to forget how far our society has come in recent years. For three decades the IRA was involved in systematic acts of terror. The IMC is convinced that this belongs to the past.

The UUP had negotiated with the government for the creation of the IMC against fierce opposition from DUP and others. It is yet another piece of the jigsaw in place and I welcome their impartial role in helping Northern Ireland achieve normality.”

Ulster Unionist Assembly candidate for Fermanagh & South Tyrone, Tom Elliott has expressed his concerns on how the new “meals on wheels” service, which was introduced, by Armagh & Dungannon Health and Social Services Trust is being implemented.

Tom said: “The Trust introduced this new service in December 2006 and many people who receive this service have complained about the punctually of the service, in many instances people are not receiving their pre packed meals until 4.00pm in the afternoon. Another person has stated that her meals are delivered at 7.00am in the morning, which is totally unacceptable.

Many elderly people were very appreciative for the home helps who come into their homes each day. Sometimes these are the only people whom the elderly people see during the day. The substitution of pre packed meals is no substitute for preparation of a hot meal by a home help and many are now experiencing a reduction in hours of their home help.

I don’t want the meals on wheels service to replace home care provision for those that continue to require home help.

The Trust should now review this service and eliminate the obvious short comings and offer the elderly a better service and recognise the importance to helping older people to remain in their own homes for as long as they wish but resources for community care for older people are often seen as a low priority.”

UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey today called on the DUP to stop trying to ‘slither’ into an election without making any commitments or decisions and spell out clearly what it is they are proposing to the people of Northern Ireland .

In a statement Sir Reg said,

“I share the public’s frustration at the commitment free statements from both Sinn  Fein and the DUP, and I want to see the obstacles cleared for a much needed return to devolution.

I am calling on the DUP to be honest with the people of Northern Ireland. If the DUP have no intention of sharing power on the 26th March regardless of Sinn Fein movement then the public should be told. There are many different opinions emanating from the DUP depending on who you speak to but no definitive position when it comes to power sharing or the timeframe for the devolution of policing and justice from the Party Leader.

It is clear that the DUP are trying to slither into an election without making any commitments, decisions, or explaining what the outworking of their ‘strategy’ is. They did this with the ‘Fair Deal’ and over three years later we know the reason for this reluctance to spell things out: the Fair deal was nothing more than the Belfast Agreement with a few minor tweaks.

This slithering is fundamentally dishonest and shows political cowardice when the people of Northern Ireland demand leadership from their elected representatives.

The DUP must spell out what their position is. After all, the DUP is the Party that called for an election and will be bringing people out in the middle of winter to cast their vote. The least they can do is tell people what they are voting for.”

Sitting UUP MLA, Rev Dr Robert Coulter, and the President of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, Mr Robin Swann, have been selected by the North Antrim Ulster Unionist Constituency Association as its two candidates for the forthcoming Assembly election on 7 March.

Dr Coulter and Mr Swann were selected at an Association meeting in Cloughmills District Orange Hall on Friday evening.

In a joint statement, the two UUP candidates said: “We would thank the delegates of the North Antrim Ulster Unionist Association for their confidence in us by selecting us as their standardbearers in the 7 March election, which will be one of the most important – if not the most significant – in the history of Northern Ireland.

“The Ulster Unionist Party is going into this election as a united party, on an agreed manifesto and with clear leadership and direction. In this respect, we hope the pro-Union community in North Antrim will support us in bringing stable, legislative and devolved government back to the country we all cherish so dearly.”

Both Dr Coulter and Mr Swann are members of the Loyal Orders. Dr Coulter is a Past Assistant Sovereign Grand Master of the Royal Black Institution and is currently a Deputy Imperial Grand Chaplain. Mr Swann is a Past Master of both the Orange Order and Royal Black and is currently Chairman of Cromkill Pipe Band.

Dr Coulter, the former minister of Clough Presbyterian Church, has been an Assembly member for North Antrim since 1998 and successfully defended his seat in 2003. He is presently a Stormont Commissioner and Ulster Unionist Spokesman on Health.

He has also served on the Assembly’s Further and Higher Education, and Health Committees. Before winning an Assembly seat, Dr Coulter represented North Antrim in the Northern Ireland Forum from 1996 to 1998, where he was UUP Chief Whip.

Dr Coulter was a Ballymena Borough Councillor from 1985 to 2001, during which time he was Mayor of Ballymena for three years from 1993 to 1996.

Mr Swann has been a UUP member for 10 years and is secretary of the Kellswater Branch.

He has a detailed knowledge of farming and rural issues, both as a member and Vice-President of Kells and Connor Young Farmers’ Club and chairing the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster’s National Executive and Rural Affairs Committees. In these latter committees, he has taken a leading role in their Active Citizenship Programme.

He is also a member of the Ulster Farmers’ Union’s Executive Committee, and is Vice Chairman of the European Committee of Young Farmers and ‘4H Clubs’. He has also been a member of three YFCU delegations to lobby the European Parliament on local and agricultural issues.