uuptoday.org

Ulster Unionist spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development, Tom Elliott has called on DARD to have a re-think on the proposed sale of Crossnacreevey.

Mr Elliott said: “It appears somewhat of a nonsense that DARD are proposing the sale of an experimental centre that carries out a wealth of vital work for the agricultural industry. At the same time the Department must bid to central government for almost £90m of funding for the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme and also for the re-location of services currently carried out at Crossnacreevey even though that property has an initial estimated valuation of £200m.

“There is something of an anomaly that DARD are losing a valuable asset, with the finance of it going directly to central government and the department then being required to go begging for what is essentially their own money.

“I believe there is an opportunity at this stage of the budgets process for DARD to have a fresh look at the proposed sale of the entire Crossnacreevey site. Surely there should be a number of options available, including the possibility of selling a portion of the centre to raise enough finance for the FNMS but retain a large portion where the majority of the experimental work could continue without any re-location and preserve the circumstances already in place.”

Mr Elliott concluded: “I have been working closely with my UUP colleague for the area David McNarry to look at alternatives within the structure of Crossnacreevey and its functions and we believe that DARD need a fresh approach to the situation.”

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has given his full support to the Electoral Office’s campaign to get constituents registered on the voter list.

Assemblyman Dr Coulter said: “I would wholeheartedly support this campaign to get as many people in North Antrim and indeed right across the Province on the electoral register.

“The Electoral Office has stated there will be no annual canvass this year, so it is vitally important people register to secure their vote – especially given the considerable speculation the Prime Minister will call a General Election within a year.

“During the Second World War, many people from Northern Ireland served, were wounded or died for the cause of democracy.

“It would be a tragedy to their memory if people did not take the opportunity to register as a voter, and also given the fact there are nations in the world where the freedom to vote for parties of their choice is still not recognised.”

Mr Robin Swann, a senior member of the Ulster Unionist Party’s North Antrim Association Management Committee, has said the war against lignite mining in the North Antrim constituency “is still on”.

Mr Swann made his statement after attending a meeting in Ballymoney of the Collective Objectors to Lignite Development Limited (COLD Ltd), the pressure group formed to opposed plans to build a lignite mine in the region.

Mr Swann was representing his fellow North Antrim Ulster Unionist, Assemblyman Rev Dr Robert Coulter, who is currently in India attending the 53rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Plenary Conference in New Delhi.

As well as his membership of the North Antrim UUP Management Committee, Mr Swann is treasurer of the Ballymena UUP Division and secretary of the Kellswater UUP branch.

Mr Swann added: “While some may think the battle is over, the war is definitely not. The lignite will always be there as an exploitable resource and North Antrim constituents should be under no illusion that the commercial mining sector has the ability and resolve to see this as a long-term project.

“I would comment those involved with COLD Ltd for their own resolve and commitment to oppose the lignite mining proposal in what may seem at times to be an uphill and lonely struggle.

“I would appeal to the entire North Antrim community to rally behind COLD and the anti-mining campaign and applaud the group on its positive approach to further develop the renewable energy sector within its region.

“On behalf of Rev Dr Coulter MLA and myself, I thank COLD Ltd for its very professional and informative presentation on the current energy market and resources in Northern Ireland.

“COLD Ltd has clearly demonstrated that the only possible reason for the development of a lignite mining project was to produce electricity for export and there was no need for it for the local market in Ulster.

“The North Antrim community, and indeed the entire Northern Ireland population, needs to be in no doubt about the major environmental threat this lignite mining proposal presents should it ever get the go-ahead.

“It would increase Northern Ireland’s entire greenhouse gas of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 30 per cent, whereas the British Government and other nations’ targets is to reduce CO2 emissions globally.”

Mr Swann said a “major concern” of the anti-mining campaigners was the “stagnant feeling” which was now entering the area because the new planned North Area Development Plan showed the so-called “lignite exploitation zone” was actually three times bigger than in the previous plan.

“There is also the danger the new plan restricts any new homes being built or new businesses started within this lignite exploitation zone.

“Added to this is the danger that any planned housing development outside this so-called zone may also be rejected to ensure new homes do not conflict was any future expansion of the exploitation zone.

“These threats, added to the as yet unclear resolution to the PPS14 planning crisis, is piling even more strain on residents and families within North Antrim’s rural community.

“Even within the lignite exploitation zone, the pressures are already extreme on rural communities and these new planned restrictions are stifling any development on progression to get them resolved.

“There is also the additional crisis that 500 residents from the constituency have been brought into this new zone which the planners are dubbing the Lignite Protection Zone. It is not the lignite inn the ground which requires protection, but the local people , the constituency’s environment and their future which should be protected,” said Mr Swann.

In a statement today, UUP Education spokesman Basil McCrea said,

“Parents across Northern Ireland will be dismayed that the Education Minister has so grievously mismanaged the Classrooms Assistant dispute. Now Northern Ireland’s schools face impending industrial action, disrupting the education of our children. The blame for this state of affairs lies entirely with Caitriona Ruane.

Having spent her time as Minister pursuing ideological hobby-horses, the Education Minister has failed in her duty to address the practical issues considered to be of first importance by Northern Ireland parents and teachers.

Classroom Assistants are crucial in delivering quality education in our schools. The Minister’s high-handed approach in dismissing the case of the Classroom Assistants undermines her fine words about their importance in the education of our children. The pay, career structure and conditions of Classroom Assistants should reflect their central role in our children’s education.

Now that the Assembly has backed my Party’s motion calling on the Minister to constructively intervene, I trust that the Minister will heed the Assembly’s voice and act now to prevent disruption in our schools”.

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey said the Secretary of State’ comments on the need for a speedy resolution to the question of devolving policing and justice and that people couldn’t take an ‘a la carte’ approach to the St. Andrews Agreement were worthless.

Sir Reg said it was ridiculous to expect parties to be behoven to an entire agreement when they were not privy, nor asked for their opinion on the agreement in its entirety.

In a statement Sir Reg said,

“The Secretary of State appears to be in a hurry to force the devolution of policing and justice on the people of Northern Ireland, presumably to a timetable agreed between the DUP and Sinn Fein in St. Andrews. He invoked that people could not take an a la carte approach to the St Andrews Agreement.

I have to say the Ulster Unionist Party is not behoven to the St Andrews Agreement. To go a la carte requires a detailed knowledge of your choices on the menu. There have been many surprise announcements emanating from St Andrews that many of the parties had no knowledge of.

We were not consulted on a timetable for the Devolution of Policing and Justice. In present circumstances we would only consider it when there was sufficient public confidence for it to happen.

There is no current appetite nor confidence for the devolution of policing and justice to take place. It is too soon and any attempt to force it through could destabilise the Assembly. Taken with the recent announcement that Fianna Fail is seeking to organise in Northern Ireland, it is not inconceivable that a Fianna Fail Minister could end up in charge. This would give Unionists further reason to reconsider any moves to devolve Policing and Justice.”

Speaking ahead of a debate on child poverty tomorrow, Ulster Unionist Social Development spokesman Fred Cobain said that in order to tackle and eradicate child poverty, an overall targeted approach to tackling overall poverty was needed.

Mr Cobain said that target dates for the reduction and eventual eradication by 2020 of Child Poverty were ambitious without attempts to tackle issues such as Social Housing, Education and Community renewal projects.

In a statement Mr Cobain said,

“The people of Northern Ireland were hoping that with Direct Rule Ministers away, the Assembly and Executive would begin tackling important issues, such as child poverty. So far we have had heard all the usual platitudes and well meaning rhetoric, with little or no difference being felt on the ground.

Tackling child poverty is not something that can be done in isolation, it is entwined in a plethora of social problems. We need to tackle poverty at a number of roots. Social Housing provision must continue to grow. It is estimated that Northern Ireland needs between 2000-2500 new houses to meet the growing numbers of homeless people. The Department of Social Development is building just 600.

We need to give breaks to the working poor, not cripple them with more rates or water charges, we need to inject meaningful funds into education, targeting areas of disadvantage.

Without a dedicated strategy to tackle the roots of poverty I fear that the target to reduce child poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020 are nothing more than a utopian fantasy, being discussed without any real thought and without any contextual map.”