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Ken Robinson, East Antrim Ulster Unionist Party candidate in the forthcoming Assembly election, has welcomed the announcement by the NHSSB that all 81 GP Practices in the Board area have signed up to the “Improved Access to Primary Care Scheme.”

Mr Robinson commented, “This new scheme when it is fully implemented should bring improvements for the public throughout East Antrim by offering patients a more convenient access to medical services.  This timely access to care is an issue that has concerned the public increasingly over recent years.

“The new approach means that patients with existing acute conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and epilepsy can now speak to or see a doctor or primary care professional no later than the next working day after making a request.

“Those patients who need advice or clinical treatment and who request an appointment should be in contact with the appropriate primary care professional within two days.

“Patients will also be able to book GP appointments in advance.  This will benefit the Practices to better manage their appointments while workers and families will be able to plan their arrangements in advance.  However, if they wish to see a specific GP this may entail a longer wait.”

Mr Robinson added, “It is important to realise that while this new approach does not apply to all appointment requests, it should improve the current situation significantly.  However, it will only succeed if patients play their part by keeping appointments or letting the practice know as far in advance as possible if they cannot attend.  In that way all the available slots can be reassigned.”

Ken Robinson, the Ulster Unionist Party candidate for East Antrim, has called on a new Assembly to seriously address the twin issues of affordable housing and inappropriate development.

Mr Robinson, who has been a constant critic of over development in East Antrim, commented “We have the nightmare scenario of our young people unable to gain a foot on the property ladder while speculators are driving up prices in Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey at an alarming rate.  It is now almost impossible for first time buyers to find a home anywhere in this constituency for under £100,000.

“At the same time,” added Mr Robinson, “the supply of Housing Executive properties available for renting is also under pressure as more sitting tenants are buying up the homes they have lived in for many years.  While this has the up side of enabling those tenants to join the benefits of the property owing group in society, the down side is that fewer young people can rent public sector houses due to the increasing lack of available stock.

“All of these issues are conspiring to drive more young families towards the private sector rented property where rental levels have also increased dramatically in recent times.

“On top of these social housing problems, which are seriously destabilising many communities, we have the onslaught on settled stable districts by developers intent on demolishing family homes and replacing them with 5, 10, 20 plus apartments/town houses many of which are snapped up by speculators from outside Northern Ireland.  It would appear we are now witnessing a situation where greed not need is the driving force.  This is not a concept that should be encouraged in any modern, caring society.

“A new Assembly must quickly address this whole housing issue before it seriously damages not only the community spirit of an area but also overwhelms the existing road, sewage, education and health infrastructure of large parts of N Ireland.

“The restored Assembly must ensure that we see 2,000 social housing new build completions every year to enable our young people to live in good quality homes.  At the moment, the free for all in the housing market is only benefiting developers.  It is time the balance was rectified so that new developments enhance the quality of life for all living in a district and those willing to make a long time commitment to its betterment.”

Ken Robinson, East Antrim Ulster Unionist Party candidate in the forthcoming Assembly election, has welcomed the announcement by the NHSSB that all 81 GP Practices in the Board area have signed up to the “Improved Access to Primary Care Scheme.”

Mr Robinson commented, “This new scheme when it is fully implemented should bring improvements for the public throughout East Antrim by offering patients a more convenient access to medical services. This timely access to care is an issue that has concerned the public increasingly over recent years.

“The new approach means that patients with existing acute conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and epilepsy can now speak to or see a doctor or primary care professional no later than the next working day after making a request.

“Those patients who need advice or clinical treatment and who request an appointment should be in contact with the appropriate primary care professional within two days.

“Patients will also be able to book GP appointments in advance. This will benefit the Practices to better manage their appointments while workers and families will be able to plan their arrangements in advance. However, if they wish to see a specific GP this may entail a longer wait.”

Mr Robinson added, “It is important to realise that while this new approach does not apply to all appointment requests, it should improve the current situation significantly. However, it will only succeed if patients play their part by keeping appointments or letting the practice know as far in advance as possible if they cannot attend. In that way all the available slots can be reassigned.”

Ken Robinson, the Ulster Unionist Party candidate for East Antrim, has called on a new Assembly to seriously address the twin issues of affordable housing and inappropriate development.

Mr Robinson, who has been a constant critic of over development in East Antrim, commented “We have the nightmare scenario of our young people unable to gain a foot on the property ladder while speculators are driving up prices in Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey at an alarming rate. It is now almost impossible for first time buyers to find a home anywhere in this constituency for under £100,000.

“At the same time,” added Mr Robinson, “the supply of Housing Executive properties available for renting is also under pressure as more sitting tenants are buying up the homes they have lived in for many years. While this has the up side of enabling those tenants to join the benefits of the property owing group in society, the down side is that fewer young people can rent public sector houses due to the increasing lack of available stock.

“All of these issues are conspiring to drive more young families towards the private sector rented property where rental levels have also increased dramatically in recent times.

“On top of these social housing problems, which are seriously destabilising many communities, we have the onslaught on settled stable districts by developers intent on demolishing family homes and replacing them with 5, 10, 20 plus apartments/town houses many of which are snapped up by speculators from outside Northern Ireland. It would appear we are now witnessing a situation where greed not need is the driving force. This is not a concept that should be encouraged in any modern, caring society.

“A new Assembly must quickly address this whole housing issue before it seriously damages not only the community spirit of an area but also overwhelms the existing road, sewage, education and health infrastructure of large parts of N Ireland.

“The restored Assembly must ensure that we see 2,000 social housing new build completions every year to enable our young people to live in good quality homes. At the moment, the free for all in the housing market is only benefiting developers. It is time the balance was rectified so that new developments enhance the quality of life for all living in a district and those willing to make a long time commitment to its betterment.”

Ulster Unionist Further Education spokesperson Ken Robinson has voiced his disappointment over Maria Eagle’s decision not to remove the cap on undergraduate student numbers here.

In a statement, Mr Robinson said: “There is a clear disparity in approach if Northern Ireland can be told there will be no removal of the cap within 24 hours of it being revealed that 63,000 additional higher education places are to be created in England over the next two years.

“International experience shows that higher education is the lifeblood of a knowledge-based economy in the 21st century. Failure to remove the cap undermines Northern Ireland’s ability to compete in the global marketplace.”

He added: “We need a targeted expansion of student places to ensure an increasing number of places for home-grown talent. The removal of MaSN (Maximum aggregate Student Number) must be the ultimate policy aim for a future restored executive – this is entirely in line with the rest of the UK.

“The fact that Northern Ireland has a brain drain cannot be disputed. In 2004, of 32.5% of Northern-Ireland based students who study on the mainland, two thirds will not return to Northern Ireland. At this rate we are losing 20% of our university educated young people on an annual basis.

“Addressing the brain drain must form part of a wider policy framework of making Northern Ireland work. We need to increase our skilled workforce for a 21st Century economy that we can all be proud of. We believe that reversing the brain drain is a small but important step towards achieving that goal.”

East Antrim MLA Ken Robinson has added his voice to the demand for a settlement of the long running pay dispute involving lecturers in Further Education.

The Ulster Unionist Party Spokesman for Further and Higher Education commented, “I am appalled that this needless dispute has been allowed to drag on by the Government.  There exists a large degree of agreement between the employers and the unions representing lecturers in FE Colleges.  Unfortunately, the original dispute, dating back to 2001, has now become entangled in the Government’s current cap on pay settlements within the public sector.

“In the meantime college lecturers have seen their salaries fall further behind their colleagues in the schools.  This situation is intolerable and needs to be resolved before untold damage is caused to this vital sector of the educational world.

“At this point in time, the further education sector is being asked to restructure with colleges merging to face the challenges of the future.  This major reorganisation is dependent for its success upon the expertise and goodwill of a highly skilled and motivated staff.  Upon that staff, will rest the task of ensuring that a refocused and increasingly skilled workforce is available for the business sector.

“Business needs to be in a position to drive forward the wealth creation that Northern Ireland needs if it is to have a vibrant economic future.  It is therefore vital for this community that this needless dispute is settled before that goodwill from the lecturers is damaged further.

“I would call upon the Departments of Finance and Employment and Learning to get their collective acts together and find a solution to this problem.  It is important that the newly instituted colleges get off to a positive start.  The spectre of staff, forced to engage in further industrial action, will do nothing to ensure that smooth transition.  The long term impact of this dispute will, unfortunately, fall upon the growing body of students.
“Further Education, after many years of being the Cinderella sector in the educational world, now has the opportunity to ensure its students can reap the rewards and benefits that high quality tuition, provided by a well motivated, highly skilled and contented body of lecturers can deliver.

“I would urge the Minister to immediately intervene in this dispute and ensure that “FE Means Business” is not just an empty departmental slogan but becomes an achievable aim.”

Ken Robinson MLA, Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for East Antrim, said today that any peace dividend injecting large amounts of additional cash into Northern Ireland as part of an overall settlement should make a real long-term difference to the Province.

“There is a strong connection between infrastructure and economic development and if any economic package is really to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland it needs to take account of this. We need to put in place a road and rail infrastructure which supports economic development and encourages inward investment. That is the best way to attract new industry and new jobs into the Province. By spending on a proper 21st century infrastructure Northern Ireland would be given a fighting chance to attract inward investment.”

“I have been pushing for years to achieve significant improvements to roads like the A8 through dualling schemes and by lobbying year after year, it has been possible to persuade the DRD and the direct rule Ministers to improve sections of the A8, which is itself an important part of the European roads network. The scope of these schemes was, however, limited by year on year budgetary considerations. The Government just did not inject sufficient money to do more, constrained by the size of Northern Ireland block grant.”

“At present an overview of the roads network in Northern Ireland demonstrates that it is just not fit for purpose when compared, for example, to the scale of improvements to roads and motorways in the Irish Republic. The opportunity to spend on the scale necessary to effect these improvements only comes along on rare occasions. The Peace Dividend is one of those rare occasions. Normally, the money to undertake work on this scale would be beyond the scope of annual budgets. This should be regarded as seed-corn money, a process that will in the long term reduce the Province’s dependency on the largesse of London. Such money will put Northern Ireland in a competitive position to attract inward investment. Only this kind of vision will carve out a brighter future for our people.”

East Antrim Assembly Member, Ken Robinson MLA, said today that the Government’s proposed naval cuts were far too extensive and were a serious mistake.

“The Government’s plans will reduce the navy to nothing more than a coastal defence force and will significantly reduce Britain’s ability to look after this country’s interests abroad. This is coming at a time when there is a need to protect shipping from international terrorism and piracy which is on the increase.”

“The plans will mothball almost half of the Royal Navy’s 44 warships. Plans exist to axe another 6 destroyers to the existing list of 13 mothballed ships. Adam Ingram, the defence minister, admitted in a Parliamentary answer last month that 13 ships were at sea with 18 in port at 48 hours notice to deploy. The decision to tie up another six frigates will mean the Navy has just 25 warships left.”

“One senior office has said that the Dutch will now have a better navy than Britain. Given Britain’s international commitments and investments, this is short-sighted to say the least.”

“There are already unconfirmed reports that ships on operations are ignoring faults to weapons systems in order to save money but will spend cash if it is a health and safety issue. This sounds sickeningly like the under-equipping of our brave soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think this suggests that the Defence forces are not safe under Labour.”

East Antrim MLA Ken Robinson has welcomed proposals to hit motorists who flout the law with heavier penalties.

Speaking after proposals contained in the Road Traffic (NI) Order were unveiled Mr Robinson, who has long campaigned against the scourge of drivers using mobile phones, commented, “In the past, I have repeatedly called for the police to be more active in pursuing drivers who use mobiles or refuse to wear seat belts.

“Under this proposed legislation, which I hope will pass through Parliament this year, the level of fines for these offences will be doubled from £30 to £60 at the fixed penalty stage.  If a driver contests the matter in the courts they could be hit with fines up to £1,000.  In addition each offence will now attract three penalty points for the offending driver although personally I would have preferred it if six points had been added.  We have to get these selfish, inattentive motorists off our roads if we are to reduce the ongoing carnage.  Every day I pass motorists using their mobile phones whilst driving.  Often they are mothers with small children on board.  This is suicidal behaviour for the driver and a potential disaster for every other road user.

“I also welcome the proviso that will allow police to demand details and payment from out of state motorists using our roads if they have committed a motoring offence here.  Mr Robinson added, “The Order will also address those motorists who insist on driving without proper insurance cover by enabling the police not only to seize their vehicles but also to have them crushed.

However,” warned Mr Robinson, “no matter how welcome these new measures are they are only one attempt to address the cavalier attitude of many motorists.  Each of us must realise that we are driving a “deadly weapon” and be extra vigilant to the behaviour of other road users, especially children and the elderly.  We need to expect the unexpected around every corner or bend and stop driving as if we were the only vehicle on a particular stretch of road.  This would go a long way to cutting down on the daily catalogue of carnage and suffering.  “SLOW DOWN, BELT UP AND GIVE THE ROAD YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION” should be the slogan for this year for all of us.”

East Antrim MLA, Ken Robinson, has expressed his concern at the growing levels of litter throughout N Ireland.  The UUP representative said, “At the moment, the most striking thing in both the urban and rural areas across the Province is the amount of litter strewn along the hedges, road sides and footpaths. I walk a lot in the course of my constituency work covering various parts of the Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey Borough Council areas.  I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity of the public in the variety of places they choose to dump a wide range of materials rather than use the readily accessible public amenity sites provided by these Councils.

“This practice is particularly noticeable in the starkness of winter and immediately after the warm ambience of the Christmas season.  Even a cursory glance along our roads will confirm just how serious this problem has become despite all local Councils devoting an ever increasing share of the ratepayers’ money to tackle the situation.

“The warmer than average temperatures during the summer, coupled with the extremely mild autumn and winter period, have led to an explosion in the rodent population.  At the moment these pests are able to exist and thrive in the open thanks to the discarded foodstuffs thrown down by pedestrians and passing motorists.  However, if we are to experience the sudden cold snap that the forecasters are predicting, these pests will migrate from the roads, railway embankments and waste ground into adjoining homes.

“It is in everyone’s interest, especially at the start of this New Year, when recycling is being increasingly taken up by responsible householders and businesses, that Councils tackle this problem head on.

“I should like to know how many people have been successfully prosecuted and fined by local Councils in the previous year for litter offences.  I would also be interested in finding out how many times each Council has invoked its powers, under the 1994 Litter Order, to address the problems associated with the sources of litter.  I would also like to see Councils press for a change in the law that would enable business premises to be clearly identified by requiring that all food containers, plastic carrier bags etc are imprinted with the name and address of the vendor.  Then it will be easy to track this litter and to take positive steps to address the problem at source.

“At the moment, the overburdened ratepayer is being charged to clear up the mess generated by customers of these outlets.  It is therefore time to consider the principle of the “polluter pays” and move urgently to reduce the problem at its source.

“Ultimately, I should like to see a plastic bag tax, similar to that in the Republic of Ireland and currently being considered in Scotland, introduced here.  We must clean up our act if we are to maintain high standards of public health and to have a  countryside free of litter and attractive to tourists.”