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Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has called on the community to remember in their prayers the family circles of the people killed and injured in the latest tragic Frocess accident.

Dr Coulter said: “I would extend my personal sympathy to the family circles at their terrible loss, and pray for a speedy recovery of those injured.

“No words can describe the heartbreak and devastation which the family circles are suffering. I would, therefore, appeal to all our North Antrim constituents to rally round the family circles by remembering them in their prayers.”

And Assemblyman Coulter added that the Stormont minister responsible for roads must make the dualling of the controversial A26 at The Frocess “a top of the list priority before this accident death trap claims even more lives”.

He said: “There is now the very real danger if the roads minister does not make The Frocess section an urgent priority, that it could become Northern Ireland’s most notorious death trap.

“We all hope and pray the minister will make a firm announcement that the actual dualling of this A26 accident blackspot will commence as soon as possible,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.

Basil McCrea MLA, UUP Spokesman on Education warned today of the impending disaster of a Classroom Assistants

strike, and calls on the Minister for Education, Caitriona Ruane to take control of the situation.

“I am deeply concerned that the Minister for Education has refused to intervene in Classroom Assistant dispute.

Within a week, this vulnerable group of people, many of whom are women, will be forced to take a decision on

strike action. This potential disaster could and should, be averted by swift Ministerial action.”

Many Classroom Assistants are owed substantial amounts of back pay, but under the new arrangements not only will

they see this back pay slashed, but they will be forced to work longer hours, for less money. The situation is

so unfair, and potentially so serious that it is impossible to understand why the Minister of Education considers

it inappropriate for her to intervene.

The Classroom Assistants, I have spoken to, are angry and disappointed that despite the warm words of supported

from the Minister and the unanimous support of the Assembly little has been done to resolve the situation.

They are reluctant to strike, they worry about the impact on their family finances and they are acutely aware of

the impact that their actions will have on the schools, the parents and most importantly the children, but they

feel so let down, so used and abused, that many feel that strike action is the only way to resolve a situation

that is clearly unfair.

Classroom assistants are being picked on by faceless bureaucrats in a penny pinching attempt to save money. The

Minister for Education must get involved, if this were a “Foot and Mouth Emergency” the department would be

meeting now in emergency session. What is the point of having locally elected Ministers if they do not intervene

in when disaster threatens?

The Minister for Education cannot stand idly by, whilst people who do so much for our children and our society

are forced in to a corner. It is not fair on the Classroom Assistants, it is not fair on the children and for a

politician that champions equality at every opportunity, it is high time she lived up to her rhetoric.”