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“I am very appalled at the latest senseless and vicious attack that took place last night.
I must wholeheartedly commend the swift action of the police in North Down for their subsequent arrests in relation to the incident.

“The general public need not be alarmed, as this type of attack is still a relatively rare occurrence. However, I would stress that everyone needs to be aware of possible dangers and act accordingly, by securing their properties and being observant of any suspicious activity.

“Once again I call for stronger sentences to be given out for such dreadful and frightening crimes. Prison sentences need to fit the crime, thus justice is given to the victim.”

North Down Councillor and Deputy Mayor Diana Peacocke has called for more educational programmes on the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Her comments follow the news that the number of children being diagnosed with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome has not changed dramatically over the last 10 years.

Councillor Peacocke said:

“I would call on the Government to introduce more educational programmes on the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. FAS can cause disfiguring facial abnormalities, small body weight, mental development delays and behavioural problems. Perhaps the Government should even consider asking drinks companies to carry warning labels on alcoholic beverages about the potential for damage to unborn children, in the same way that they already do in France and the US.

Councillor Peacocke continued:

“FAS is the biggest cause of non-genetic mental handicap in the western world and something which is 100pc preventable. Certainly, we do not want to panic any woman who is pregnant, but they should be made aware of the dangers. Despite Government guidelines that expectant mothers can drink one to two units (one or two glasses of wine) once or twice a week, there are consultants who feel that the only guaranteed safe way is not to drink at all when you are pregnant”.

North Down Councillor and Deputy Mayor Diana Peacocke has called for major supermarkets to stock biodegradable nappies and liners.  Currently, environmentally conscious parents can only purchase these products online as major retailers including Tesco and Sainsburys do not stock them.

Councillor Peacocke said:

“If we consider the current climate of the conscious consumer, it’s a surprise that supermarkets do not stock such an environmentally friendly product.  Parents are forced to order these nappies online and I’m certain that if biodegradable nappies were made more available in our shops, more people would buy them.

“I  understand  that  they  may  be  slightly  more  expensive  than normal disposable  nappies,  but  the parent has the peace of mind to know that by making  the  right  choice and going bio-degradable, they won’t be choosing something that takes 100 years to decompose.

“I’ve spoken to several parents about this issue who said that they would be willing to pay extra for a product which didn’t pollute the earth. Around 40,000 tons of disposable nappies are dumped in landfill in Northern Ireland every year, if there is a baby in your family, its one third of the contents of your bin.

“In  an  ideal  world parents would want to go a step further and use ‘real nappies’  which  can  be  re-used,  but  due to time and work, many parents simply  won’t  consider this as an option. Biodegradable nappies could serve as   a   halfway  house  and  if  supermarkets  came  on  board,  we  could revolutionise the whole nappy industry.

“I  think that nappy manufacturing companies also have a responsibility for their  product and perhaps they should consider bringing out a new range of biodegradable  nappies  and  give  parents  more  of  a  choice. Instead of concentrating on how attractive they can make the product look they should consider what impact it’s going to have on the environment”.

UUP North Down Councillor Diana Peacocke has called for the Government to consider issuing legislation which will force cosmetic manufacturers to declare whether their products or ingredients have been tested on animals anywhere in the world.

Councillor Peacocke said:

“Whilst there may be a ban on cosmetic testing on animals in the UK, it does not stop companies from sourcing their products or their ingredients outside the UK, where cosmetic animal testing continues.

“Some products offer no information at all and others which say ‘not tested on animals’ or ‘cruelty-free’ can be misleading as it could refer to the product itself and not the ingredients. The terms ‘not tested on animals’ and ‘cruelty free’ are also without a definite legal definition and leaves much room for ambiguity.

“A product should state unequivocally whether or not it, or its ingredients, have been tested on animals anywhere in the world.  We’ve seen a splurge of legislation on the correct labelling of food products, and various companies have gone to great lengths to let us know what is in our food – so why shouldn’t same detail be afforded to cosmetics?

“We are at the time of the educated consumer, when people are becoming more concerned about where our products are coming from. Legislation needs to be tightened in order that consumers are provided with the correct information which allows them to make an informed choice”.

North Down Councillor and Education Policy Team member Diana Peacocke has highlighted the importance of pre- school education following a recent report by Birkbeck College in London and Stranmillis College and today’s announcement by Angela Smyth on Effective Pre-School Provision in Northern Ireland.

Councillor Peacocke said:

“The research shows what most parents of young children know - pre-school education gives children a head start. The OECD describes education in early years as providing ‘the foundations for life-long learning’. That is why the Ulster Unionist Party is committed to ensuring high-quality early years education for every child in Northern Ireland. As our recent policy papers on early years stated, quality pre-school education should be a universal entitlement.

“It is therefore welcome today’s news that Government have at last acted in this area, with the Department of Education taking the lead in early years policy and tasked with promoting high quality early years provision. As with all Direct Rule initiatives, there will be widespread suspicion amongst parents and the early years sector about this Administration’s long term commitment. We will be watching closely to ensure that fine words are followed by actions.

“The lack of parity in early years education between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom should be an issue of concern for all in Northern Ireland. It is unclear from today’s announcement that the Direct Rule administration has a commitment to seriously addressing this”.