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Ulster Unionist party Agricultural spokesperson, Tom Elliott MLA for Fermanagh & South Tyrone has welcomed the decision by European Agricultural Commissioner, Marian Fischer Boel to take steps to introduce export refunds for pig meat carcases, cuts and bellies as a response to the difficult market situation at present.

Tom said: “This is a welcome step and most timely in view of the fact that producer prices fell a further 2p/kg this week and will aid the beleaguered pig industry in Northern Ireland. Pigmeat production costs have risen dramatically over the past few months, primarily due to huge increase in feed costs. At the same time producer prices have already decreased dramatically and the current position is simply unsustainable.

Although the Commissioner had introduced Aids to Private storage for 100,000 tonnes of pigmeat in October 2007 the crisis has deepened, as this measure has not stabilised prices and it appears insufficient to remedy the difficulties faced by European pig producers. The introduction of export refunds for carcases, cuts and bellies is a very welcome move and should bring some relief.

Private Storage is not the solution, as the result of this is to push the blockage further down the pipe whilst the availability of export refunds would provide an immediate boost with regard to business opportunities for local processors in countries such as Japan and the United States. Under the proposals, refunds would be payable for exports to all destinations as well as on the Private Storage Aid scheme set up last month. This should assist NI producers due to the fact that only 25% of our pig output ends up in local retail outlets and the remainder is exported.”

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has revealed that in the past five years Ballymena and Ballymoney had contributed almost £100 million to the Province’s Regional Rates.

And Dr Coulter, who is UUP Health Spokesman, posed the question – what has the constituency gained locally from this money?

The UUP MLA added: “The local domestic and business rate is retained by the councils, but the regional rate goes to Stormont to underwrite the services of the Northern Ireland Departments.

“In the past five years, Ballymena and Ballmoney Council areas have contributed £98.35 million – almost £100 million – to the regional rates. That is £100 million which is going out of this area and I ask another question – just how much are we getting back?

“I am increasingly of the opinion that a proportion of these regional rates should be seen to be spent locally.

“I do not believe that Ballymena and Ballymoney have had £100 million worth of reinvestment from the Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive and their predecessors, the Direct Rule Ministers. I would take a lot of persuading that this was the case.

“The only way for this to be sorted out would be for an audit to be carried out of the benefits our two council districts have had from central expenditure.

“No doubt we will hear a great deal about travel to work areas and other clap-trap like that. The people I represent want to know more about where their regional rates are being spent and just what the Executive in Stormont is doing with the money which benefits local people here in North Antrim.

“We could not hold the Direct Rule Ministers to account, but we can and will hold the Executive Ministers to account,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has said that a tax on alcohol would have to be seriously considered to help stem the binge drinking problem – especially with the festive Christmas season rapidly approaching.

Dr Coulter, the UUP’s Health Spokesman, added: “In the financial markets, a correction or downturn often occurs when credit is too easy and inflation threatens to get out of control.

“It is the same with the problem of binge drinking which, if it is allowed to continue unchecked, will lead to a major upsurge in liver disease, which is now affecting an increasing number of young people, especially young women.

“Alcoholic drinks are now too inexpensive and too readily available. So a correction will have to occur and the only way this can be brought about effectively is by an increase in taxation on drink with a high alcohol content.

“This is the viewpoint expressed recently in a report by the British Medical Association, which represents 139,000 doctors throughout the United Kingdom.

“This is not in the least surprising considering that drink-related illness is using up so much of the National Health Service budget. We simply cannot afford to allow the health of the nation to be undermined in this way.

“No one is saying that normal social drinking should be targeted. It is high alcohol level drinks which need to be targeted and, especially, the commercial practice in some public houses of selling drink and ‘shots’ in cut-price promotions to encourage binge drinking among young people must be outlawed. It is time to put a stop to this,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has been given assurances from Stormont Minister Sir Reg Empey that there will be more probes into the Province’s literacy levels.

Rev Coulter, the UUP’s Health Spokeman, asked Sir Reg, the Employment and Learning Minister, what consideration had been given to conducting surveys of literacy performance in Northern Ireland, compared to the types of measurement available in England?

Assemblyman Dr Coulter said: “The Minister touched on a matter that is at the heart of his Department’s current considerations.

“He said the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was last conducted in 1996 — with its results published in 1997 — and is due to be held again in 2011 or 2012.

“Importantly, the Minister recognized IALS is an international standard, which means Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to measure our performance against other countries.

“However, it has also emerged the time between the last survey and the next one is too long, which means that we are a bit blind about our current position.

“I was informed other research was conducted in England, although not on a comparable basis.

“It is also clear for the Department of Employment and Learning to carry out a full IALS survey, or invent another method, would be exceptionally time consuming and expensive.

“Consequently, Sir Reg emphasized his Department is closely examining alternatives to provide some early indication as to whether we are winning or losing the battle on essential skills.

“Although the figures for throughput are positive and above target, the danger is that Northern Ireland is adding to the cohort in the community who do not have essential skills and are out of school.”

Assemblyman Dr Coulter said the entire community should be concerned about this situation and it would continue to be a big issue for the future.

“I warmly welcome Sir Reg’s assurances his Department is urgently examining that issue for the obvious reasons,” concluded Dr Coulter.

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has called on the deputy First Minister to implement a campaign to combat ageism in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at Stormont, Dr Coulter asked: “Does the deputy First Minister envisage that an action plan will be produced by the Office of the First Minister and the deputy First Minister to proactively deal with ageism, which is prevalent throughout society, both in the economy and in social and political life?

“In his response, the deputy First Minister assured me the review into the case for an older people’s commissioner, which is currently under way, would make a mighty contribution to tackling the issues that I identified.

“I welcome the deputy First Minister’s assurances that there is as much duty and responsibility to older people as we have to our children.

“I also welcomed his pledge the Assembly must do everything in its power to ensure that the approach that it adopts is comprehensive and meets the needs of older people who, surely, deserve as much as the Assembly can deliver,” said Dr Coulter.

Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott was “delighted” at the decision of the DARD committee to meet in Fermanagh on Thursday following his request to the members. It was the first time the committee had met outside of Stormont during this session of the Assembly and Mr Elliott was keen to show the committee just what the situation is like in rural areas outside of Belfast.

The deputy chair of the DARD committee said: “For quite some time I had thought that the committee should get out into the countryside to see what things are really like. That is why I made the request for the meeting to take place in Enniskillen. You do not get much more rural than in our constituency and as a farmer I know the problems faced by many right across the agricultural industry. Since not all the farming community can go to the committee, I thought I would encourage the committee to come to them in an act of solidarity and with the aim of encouraging local farmers.”

During their time in the constituency the members of the committee visited the CAFRE Campus at Enniskillen Agricultural College and the DARD Direct offices in Inishkeen House. The committee then returned to the collage in the afternoon to hold their meeting. Mr Elliott was hopeful that the visit will help the committee get a sense of just how much work needs to be done to promote the industry.

The Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA went on to say: “As we held our meeting in the Agricultural college it is only right that we think about the future facing the students in that farming institution and others across the United Kingdom. We as a committee, along with the Minister and her department, need to work hard now to secure a future for the industry and for our children’s future, some of whom may want to work in agriculture.

“I will be working strenuously, along with my committee colleagues, to encourage growth in our industry over the coming months and ease the stress felt by many agricultural workers across Northern Ireland. I feel very strongly about the needs of the agricultural community because I am one of them, and I will make sure their views are expressed in the committee and to the minister as we push to re-energise our sector.”

Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Tom Elliott has welcomed the news that the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Education are to look into how they can work together to promote the use of local food within their facilities.

Mr Elliott said: “As a strong supporter of the agricultural industry any news that means the sector will get a boost is very welcome. This is especially true in this case as my colleague Health Minister Michael McGimpsey along with Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew and Education Minister Caitriona Ruane demonstrate the sort of action that people on the ground really want to see. For the economy of Northern Ireland to grow it is important for the departments to work in tandem and this is a fine example of how Health and Education could play a key role in the future of the Agricultural industry.”

In a statement released by the Ministers, they stated that they would “investigate the mechanics of collaboration between our departments in terms of food procurement.” For Mr Elliott the use of local food in hospital and schools along with other facilities covered by the Health and Education departments would give many people across Northern Ireland a lift, be it health wise or financially.

The Ulster Unionist MLA went on to note: “Here in the West we have the initiative ‘Investing for Health’ promoted by the Health and Social Services Board. One of its objectives includes that of enabling “people to make healthier choices”. I believe that the Departmental collaboration will help this initiative truly provide healthier choices for people in terms of diet and the public should be encouraged by the potential there is for making the local situation better. We deserve the best here and local produce is without doubt the finest source of food around, so it is just right that we use it in our local facilities.

“A fine example of how use of local produce can enhance local facilities can be seen In Cornwall in England where the five NHS trusts in the area have worked together to make sure that at least 40% of all hospital food is local produce. This is because it is of a higher quality than imported products, is fresher than imported products and gives a sick person a healthy diet. 92% of people in Cornwall now rate the food they receive in hospital as ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’.

“There is no reason why this should not be the same here in Fermanagh and across Northern Ireland, not only in our hospitals but also in our schools where it must be said we already rely less on imported goods than our English counterparts. The foundation is laid for real progress in using local food to give our ill and young people healthy diets, while also providing a timely boost for the agricultural industry through increased sales.”

Ulster Unionist Party Chief Whip David McNarry today said Peter Robinson’s threats about no government if no unanimous agreement on the programme for government and draft budget showed his desire to make the Assembly into a soviet style congress.

In a statement Mr McNarry said,

“Mr. Robinson obviously has a desire to turn the Northern Ireland Assembly into a soviet-style congress that merely nods its head, asks no questions and is forbidden from opposing any Executive measures. The Ulster Unionist Party wants a Northern Ireland Assembly based on the values of British parliamentary democracy – in which there is robust debate and scrutiny, in which the Executive is held to account.

Peter Robinson’s intemperate outburst last night, during which he threatened to collapse devolution, is further evidence of the DUP-Sinn Fein control-freakery that is undermining the role of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Scrutinising the Draft Budget and the Draft Programme for Government is the duty of MLAs. During yesterday’s proceedings, both UUP and SDLP MLAs felt duty-bound to express their opposition to aspects of Peter Robinson’s Draft Budget. In any normal political context such scrutiny, questioning and opposition is accepted as part and parcel of the parliamentary process. But what does Peter Robinson do? Loses his temper and hits out at the people of Northern Ireland by threatening to collapse devolution.

“It is time for the Finance Minister to calm down. He is well aware that his party and his colleagues in Sinn Fein have enough votes within the Assembly to ensure that his Draft Budget and Draft Programme for Government are passed. The Ulster Unionist Party in the Assembly will continue to scrutinize, question and – where necessary – oppose the Draft Budget.”