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Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Danny Kennedy today wished the Northern Ireland squad well ahead of their clash with Spain tomorrow night and said that they were doing the country proud.

Mr Kennedy also said Northern Ireland’s success and ability to foster a deep sense of national pride in such a small nation proved without a doubt that the FIFA proposal that would allow players from Northern Ireland to choose to play in the Republic was unnecessary and counterproductive.

In a statement Mr Kennedy said,

“On behalf of the UUP I would like to wish our squad well against Spain on Wednesday night. After their stunning victory over Denmark I have every faith that they can repeat this success in Gran Canaria. Even if they don’t the squad will not be anything less than a squad of heroes that have provided one of the most memorable football campaigns in recent history and have done their country proud.

The efforts of the squad and the pride they have instilled amongst the population of ‘our wee country’ proves without a doubt that the FIFA proposal that would allow players from Northern Ireland to choose to play for the Republic’s squad is ill-conceived, uneccessary and counterproductive.”

Local Ulster Unionist Assemblyman, Sam Gardiner MLA, led a delegation of senior Ulster Unionist MLA’s to meet with senior staff at Craigavon Area Hospital. The top level Ulster Unionist delegation included the Party’s Deputy Leader Danny Kennedy MLA, Rev Dr Robert Coulter MLA, its Health Spokesman and a Member of the Assembly Health Committee, John McAlister MLA for South Down who is also on the Assembly Health Committee. The Hospital senior team was led by Colm Donaghy, the Chief Executive.

Commenting on the meeting Mr Gardiner said :

“This was an extremely productive meeting and there was a really good atmosphere about it. Co-operation was the order of the day and Colm Donaghy and his senior team answered our team’s close questioning fully. I am delighted to say that Craigavon Area Hospital is introducing its own anti MRSA measures ahead of the Health Department. Craigavon will then be seen to be pro-active in this field.”

“I know there is a first rate team of doctors and nurses in Craigavon and medical treatment second to none. If we overcome this cleanliness issue, which undermines clinical care in all our hospitals, then it will make a huge difference to health care in the greater Craigavon and Mid-Ulster area. I have every confidence that, with public representatives and hospital staff working together the people will get the standards they deserve. At the end of the day, it is the duty of the MLA’s to get the best public services they can for the people. That is what I and my delegation were about. We are about working in harmony with the professionals to get the best for our people.”

Ulster Unionist East Antrim MLA Roy Beggs said that no rational person could argue with the common-sense nature of the consultation on the proposal for a draft Criminal Justice (NI) Order but that the Assembly Consultation was an elaborate smokescreen, designed to smooth the path for the devolution of Policing and Justice.

In a statement Mr Beggs said

“Minister Goggins’ consultation on introducing issues such as removing remission for dangerous sexual and violent offenders, introducing curfews and electronic tagging, and increasing sentencing for knife crime is long overdue. No reasonable person would oppose these proposals. The question is why has the NIO forwarded this Order to the Assembly as part of the consultation process?

I believe that this is part of the out-working of the St Andrew’s Agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP. It is interesting to note that the chief Whip of the DUP, Lord Morrow proposed the motion and the chief Whip of Sinn Fein, Ms Ni Chuilin seconded the motion to establish an ad-hoc Committee to look at these justice issues. It is, to the untrained eye, a fairly innocuous and common sense piece of legislation. However what the Assembly consultation does is set the tone and paves the way for what Lord Morrow’s and Ms Ni Chuilin’s parties agreed behind closed doors at St. Andrews – the devolution of Policing Justice.

The Ulster Unionist Party has agreed to sit on this ad-hoc Committee to keep a watching brief. We cannot oppose common sense proposals that would be of benefit to the people of Northern Ireland but we can and will point out the underlying motives for this Assembly consultation and in doing so we re-state our opposition to the transfer of Policing and Justice matters to the Executive and Assembly. Given the recent events in South Armagh it is clearly much too early for Policing and justice to be devolved to Northern Ireland.”

Mr Robin Swann, the Ulster Unionist Party’s Spokesman on Social Economy, Energy and Consumer Affairs, has congratulated those supermarkets in the Province which have pledged to develop facilities to assist pensioners and older shoppers.

Mr Swann, who is also a senior member of the North Antrim UUP management committee, made his remarks after attending the launch of a major report into the provision of facilities for older people in supermarkets.

He added: “I would thoroughly commend the Consumer Council for its research report which was commissioned in partnership with Age Concern and entitled Silver Service? Are supermarkets meeting the needs of older shoppers?

“I thoroughly welcome this study and congratulate those major supermarkets in Northern Ireland which have pledged their commitment to older shoppers and supported them during the researching of this report.

“But I would strongly urge those supermarkets and retailers which have not signed up to the ‘silver service’ recommendations to do so as a matter of priority.

“It is no longer good enough for retailers just to listen to their customers; they must also take action on what they are being told.

“Both the Consumer Council and Age Concern are to be especially congratulated on this excellent study as it is the first of its kind in the UK , and I hope it sets a standard that retailers will deliver on.

“What is being asked is not an impossible mission, but quite achievable, and is in the interest of the retailers, as older consumers are big payers in the Northern Ireland economy with an estimated annual spending of £5.7 billion.

“The report has highlighted specific areas which should be addressed without delay to make it easier for some older consumers to access food.

“There needs to be a review of portion sizes, as often older people living alone cannot use or afford to purchase large volumes of items so they can not avail of many special offers or discounts for bulk buying.

“There is also a need for affordable, accessible and nutritional food for everyone in today’s society.

“Equally, there is a need for easily identifiable food labeling, which would reflect not just nutritional information, but also pricing, as both these points of clarity were raised as an issue.

“Access to any facility is a prime necessity, and retailers should ensure their premises are easily accessed by older shoppers through either public or private transport,” said Mr Swann.

Ulster Unionist Assembly member David McClarty is calling for interested agencies to form a regional job creation initiative aim the North West which in an effort to bring new investment to the area.

The East Londonderry MLA was commenting following news of 70 more job losses with the closure in January of electronics firm Huco Lightronics in Limavady.

Mr. McClarty said: “Despite being told a review of operations was underway last year nothing can prepare people for the devastating news that they no longer have a job and this is something that is becoming all too familiar in the area.

“I sympathise with the staff involved who have been working under a cloud for some time as concerns were aired about the future of the company which has given employment to people for 18 years.

“We are continuing to witness an erosion in employment opportunities for those living in the region and it is time that there was a co-ordinated response.

“The North West hinterland outside Londonderry seems to be almost becoming an industrial wasteland with businesses closing and fewer openings.

“Large towns such as Limavady and Coleraine and suffering and many more people are being forced to travel greater distances to obtain employment.

“Re-training in new skills is obviously an option for some of those who are out of work but the overriding concern is that there are less openings for the existing workforce, let alone school leavers.

“Job creation is an area which must be placed even higher on everyone’s priorities. We have all been trying to make progress on this issue in a variety of ways. Maybe the best way to succeed is to come together on a wider scale and make a concerted pitch to the relevant agencies.

“The Government must identify that there is a real problem so far as employment here is concerned. Coleraine and Limavady are feeling the down draft and things must change dramatically before it is too late.”

Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Tom Elliott has stated his anger at figures revelling that billions of pounds that should be released to farmers across Europe is instead been given to businesses who are not entitled to a penny.

Mr Elliott said: “Figures released by the European Court of Auditors show that upwards of 2.8 billion pound was wasted or mismanaged by the EU during 2006. Some of this money was due to be put into farming initiatives including here in the United Kingdom, at a time when the agricultural industry needs all the support it can get. To hear of such a loss is aggravating to say the least. However, what is worse is the fact that much of the mismanaged money is going to companies such as Golf Clubs and railway companies when many of them are not entitled to any of the funding.”

The figures released meant that for the thirteenth year in a row the European Court of Auditors was unable to give EU spending a ‘clean bill of health’. Rather, it stated that individual members of the EU, who are responsible for overseeing up to 80% of EU funding, are failing their citizens by not efficiently monitoring who is getting money more carefully.

The Ulster Unionist Agricultural spokesman went on to say: “It is a disgrace that so many farmers are losing out due to the mishandling of money. We cannot afford to be wasting funds or giving it away to people who are not eligible. The necessary checks should be reviewed to see how this money is being allowed to go to companies that should not be receiving it. If the government are serious about helping the agricultural industry then it is vital that the look into this, and see how things can be improved.”

Ulster Unionist MLA, Tom Elliott, has voiced his concern that DRD Minister, Conor Murphy, has offered nothing new to Fermanagh with regards road infrastructure and finance.

In a statement Mr. Elliott said: “Following the re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly most people in the West of the Province, and in particular Fermanagh, were hopeful that an injection of finance would be provided to improve the road infrastructure.

“Unfortunately this has not happened and following the visit of Minister Conor Murphy to the county and his meeting with council members it appears that Fermanagh is going to remain in the wilderness with respect to roads investment in the near future.

The Fermanagh and South Tyrone assemblyman continued by comparing the level of investment granted to towns in neighbouring Tyrone to that offered to Fermanagh in recent years.

Tom continued: “Looking to towns such as Strabane and Omagh where numerous bypasses and other considerable works have been permitted we can see a huge disparity in roads investment opening up. Fermanagh is in need of real and tangible strategic investment in roads if it is to be able to cope with the growing traffic pressures.

“This is particularly necessary for Enniskillen due to its central position in the county where the bottlenecks and restrictions to traffic flow are impeding tourism and business throughout the region.”

In conclusion Tom added: “After meeting with the Minister it is evident once more that the much fabled financial package did not amount to what we were led to believe, the future financial prosperity of Northern Ireland depends heavily on a modern road network, it will underpin much of the progress that we all recognise is required, yet what is on offer for Fermanagh falls short of the mark.”