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Ulster Unionist Assembly member for Fermanagh & South Tyrone, Tom Elliott MLA has urged the Stormont executive to pass the necessary legislation in Northern Ireland that would introduce similar legislation as came into force in the rest of the UK on 1 October 2007 banning the sale of cigarettes to under 18’s

Tom said: “The consultation was launched by the Assembly Health Committee this week to seek the views of the public and it will be next year before the legal age can be changed. I consider it a missed opportunity that the same legislation did not come into force at the same time as other parts of the UK and it is now necessary to have a 12 week consultation exercise on raising the age of sale of tobacco products from 16 to 18. I would have thought that the Draft Smoking Order (2006) which put in place the smoking ban in public places from 1 April 2007 should have included this provision to ban tobacco sales to those under 18.

All cancer charities have clear evidence that about 9% of all 11 to 15 year olds smoke and we know that the majority of smokers become addicted to cigarettes before they reach the age of 18 and by raising the age it should help reduce the number of smokers. Currently, half of all teenagers who smoke will die from diseases caused by tobacco if they continue to smoke throughout their life. Anything that can be done to reduce the number of smokers is welcome and I trust that the necessary legislation will be introduced in Northern Ireland, as quickly as possible.

At present we are the only region in the UK where this ban is not in place and it should greatly assist retailers in detecting under age smokers and bring tobacco into line with purchase of alcohol, fireworks and glue. Retailers will have a legal obligation not to sell to under 18’s when the law is changed and will face heavy fines if they do so. I believe that most retailers in Northern Ireland do apply the restrictions very well but one of the biggest problems in Northern Ireland is the illegal selling of smuggled cigarettes to children and parents. A recent case illustrates the extent of the problem when an “ice cream seller” had assets of nearly £1 million seized through sales of smuggled cigarettes in Northern Ireland It is estimated that at least 25% of cigarettes smoked in the UK are smuggled and no duty paid and the duty lost could go towards financing our hospitals, schools and other essential services and driving legitimate retailers out of business. This problem must be addressed if we are to reduce the number of underage smokers, otherwise the problem will go under ground.”

Ulster Unionist Assembly member for Fermanagh & South Tyrone, Tom Elliott MLA has again called on the Government to re-examine funding issues surrounding Sinn Fein MP’s after the publication of amounts claimed by the 5 Westminster MP’s including Michelle Gildernew who claimed allowances of £138,779 in the year 2006/2007.

Tom said: “Sinn Fein are sitting in the Assembly and the Sinn Fein Ministers have taken an oath to sit in the Executive but still refuse to swear allegiance to the British monarch in Westminster but still happy to claim massive amounts of allowances. The situation is made even more ridiculous by the decision of the Dail to invite Northern Ireland MP’s to sit on its newly established committee on the implementation of Belfast Agreement.

The Dail has refused to allow Northern Ireland MP’s any right to vote or to move any motions or amendments in this Committee, so what is the point or is it a further concession to Sinn Fein. I don’t expect to see many Unionist MP’s attending this Committee and would ask that the First Minister express his disapproval to his friend, Martin McGuinness and re-affirm our commitment to the East – West framework which is the best way for respective parliaments to examine the Belfast Agreement .

At a time when we are told we must tighten our belts regarding finances, this is a further waste of money. I wonder how Bertie Ahern would react if all Unionist MP’s put their names forward with no intention of attending but lodged claims with the Southern Government for £100,000 expenses. I would expect that the money would be stopped overnight and not be like the British Government and continue to pay people for not attending Westminster.”

Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott has said that a fire which destroyed Drumartin Orange Hall near Cootehill in County Cavan has left many Protestants both in the area and across the border in Fermanagh feeling very anger and in fear that they are been targeted by anti-social elements.

Tom said “The destruction of Drumartin Orange Hall bares the hallmarks of attacks that we have seen across Northern Ireland and the Republic in recent months. We will have to wait to for police reports to see if the fire was indeed started maliciously, but from what I have been told it certainly looks like this may have been the case. If this is correct then it is a very worrying development for this part of the world, and particularly for the small number of Protestants that live in the Drumartin and wider Cootehill area.

Traditionally community relations in the area are very good, and I would be fearful that if the cause of the fire is found to be malicious that it could damage the connections there are between local residents. I would ask for the Irish Government to keep a close eye on the situation that is ongoing in Northern Ireland in relation to attacks on Orange Halls to make sure that it does not begin to take a strong hold in the Republic. It is important that communities such as Drumartin are protected from those who would wish to destroy them, especially now as we enter a new era when community relations on both sides of the border can develop and we can grow in understanding of each others backgrounds.

I would like to make it clear that the ongoing campaign of malicious attacks on Orange Halls is not going to do the attackers any good. The communities that you are targeting will pull together, and these halls will be rebuilt new and better than what was there before. Drumartin Orange Lodge will have the full support of many Protestants from both sides of the border. The more you test the Protestant resolve, the more you will see just how strong it is in a time of need.”

Kenny Donaldson, Ulster Unionist Party Officer responsible for Youth Development has called upon the Northern Ireland public to join with fellow United Kingdom partners in remembering Guy Fawkes Day, the 5th of November.
Guy Fawkes Night (traditionally known as Bonfire Night) is an annual celebration (but not a public holiday) on the evening of the 5th of November primarily in the United Kingdom, but also in former British colonies New Zealand, the island of Newfoundland (Canada), Vancouver Island, Canada, parts of the British Caribbean including the Bahamas, and to some extent by their nationals abroad.

It celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot in which a group of Catholic conspirators, led by one Robert Catesby, and including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on the evening of 5 November 1605, when the Protestant James I of England (James VI of Scotland), his eldest sons, and the majority of the English Parliament were within its walls. The conspirators were later tortured and executed.

The celebrations, which in the United Kingdom take place in towns and villages across the country, involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires, on which “guys”, or dummies, representing Guy Fawkes, the most infamous of the conspirators, are traditionally burnt. Before the fifth, children traditionally use the “guys” to beg for money with the chant “Penny for the guy”. In recent years the night is becoming increasingly known as “Guy Fawkes Night”.

In a statement Kenny said: “Protestants, Roman Catholics and those of a secular disposition will have a different interpretation of the events and circumstances, which led to Guy Fawkes (an English Catholic) and others being burnt at the stake.

“However it is undisputed that this particular period in history has commonality and importance across all these strands.

“In other areas of the United Kingdom, the event has transcended religious and cultural affiliations and is recognized as a ‘major cultural festival.’ I would like to see that festival extended across the whole of the United Kingdom.

“Whilst Halloween night (31st October 2007) is widely celebrated within Northern Ireland, I believe there is a market for the celebrating of Guy Fawkes Night. History is history and in the new cultural, religious and political dispensation Northern Ireland and the wider UK finds itself, there is in my view, a need to acknowledge events which divided our peoples in the past. Only by learning from the Past can we hope to build a brighter future,” concluded Kenny.

The Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Newry & Armagh Cllr Danny Kennedy MLA has called on the Government to change the law in respect of criminal damage compensation to local Community and Orange Halls.

Addressing members of Edenderry Ulster Unionist Branch in the Constituency of Upper Bann (Tuesday 30th) Mr Kennedy said changes to the law were absolutely necessary given the ongoing campaign against Orange property particularly in Co Armagh and the reluctance of the security and political authorities to clearly identify and name by organization the republican perpetrators.

He said Orange Order Officials were finding it increasingly difficult if not impossible to have issued to them a Chief Constable’s Certificate confirming the political and sectarian nature of attacks against their properties and this effectively blocked any entitlement to compensation.

Mr Kennedy said the current situation was unacceptable and the Government should act immediately to amend the relevant legislation.

The Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Assembly Party said that he found it deeply ironic that at a time when the DUP and Sinn Fein were partners in Government Orange Halls continued to be damaged and destroyed and nothing was being done to ensure compensation was available.

Mr Kennedy said the clear message to republicans was – LEAVE OUR ORANGE HALLS ALONE.