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Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has called on the Environment Minister to introduce compulsory electronic tagging of dangerous wild animals after it emerged more than a quarter of all licences for such animals in Northern Ireland are held in the constituency.
Speaking during ministers’ question time in the Assembly, Rev Dr Coulter asked the minister to confirm the frequency with which owners of dangerous wild animals are obliged to renew their licences to own such animals and that these licences permit the owners to keep the animals at one address only.
Earlier, the minister had written to Rev Dr Coulter informing him that of the 16 dangerous wild animal licences in Northern Ireland, five were in the North Antrim region – three held in Ballymena Borough and two in the neighbouring Ballymoney Borough.
Dr Coulter added: “The desirable situation would be for every wild animal in private ownership to be electronically tagged to ensure that enforcement of the licencing provisions is made more effective.
“The minister informed me that a licence to keep dangerous wild animals was valid for one year from the date of issue and that licence-holders must reapply to the department for a licence before the expiry of their existing licence.
“She also said a veterinary inspection will then be carried out and a recommendation made to the department as to whether a lience should be granted for a further year. Each licence is issued to the applicant and is specific to the premises detailed in the application.
“She also told me that as well as the annual application for the licence and the annual inspection, vets can be called to inspect the animals if the department believed there was a reason to do so.
“While she naturally defended the current way in which the licence-holders are monitored to be effective, I would call on the minister to reconsider this position and introduce the process of electronic tagging.
“Where such dangerous wild animals are concerned, it is not just a question of their well-being which is at stake, but also the safety of the general public,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.
E-mail May 6th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has welcomed the latest moves by Translink to enhance the rail service between Ballymena and Coleraine on the Londonderry line.
Assemblyman Dr Coulter said this would be an “invaluable link between the two great constituencies of North Antrim and East Londonderry ”.
He added: “I warmly welcome Translink’s announcement that 1,500 tonnes of new rail has been delivered to Coleraine to form part of the extension project between Ballymena and Coleraine which was provided for under the recently approved Stormont Executive budget.
“I hope it will not be too long before the planned works get underway later this year, following what Translink announced was a competitive tendering process starting in May.
“I am also pleased by Translink comments that work is progressing well on the repair of what it terms ‘wet spots – areas of weakening in the stone supporting the track – between Ballymena and Coleraine.
“Translink has said this new rail will be used to enable the removal of the track joints between Ballymena and Coleraine as well as the replacement of five miles of track between Ballymena and Coleraine as part of the overall engineering works planned for autumn 2008 to late summer 2009.
“I am especially pleased by the Translink announcement that this immediate engineering work is expected to be completed later this summer.
“Once completed, the project will not only boost the comfort in which the passengers travel, but will greatly assist with developing the growing tourist trade in our constituency as well as expand the East West travel links in Northern Ireland,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.
E-mail May 2nd, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Rev Dr Robert Coulter MLA, Ulster Unionist Commissioner at Stormont, today has called for national lottery money to be used to build alternative energy schemes in Northern Ireland .
The North Antrim Assembly member added: “In Scotland , the North Harris Trust (NHT) has received £900,000 which is half the cost of a planned 1.8-megawatt wind turbine development at Monan near Tarbert from the Big Lottery Fund.
“The money will help to buy three wind turbines, seen as vital to the regeneration of the area with estimates of £180,000 in income a year over 12 years which will be re-invested into local projects.
“The Big Lottery Fund has also announced that it is providing £200,000 for another Scottish scheme in Fife to assess the feasibility of a medium-scale wind farm.
“This is a good model for future projects and I believe that big lottery funding should be used for alternative energy projects which have the potential to kick start local regeneration schemes.
“The motto should be – alternative funding for alternative energy,” said Rev Dr Coulter.
E-mail April 28th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
TODAY more than 30 grammar schools in Northern Ireland have announced that they are to set up a company to manage an independent test to replace the 11-Plus.
Continue Reading E-mail April 24th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
LESLIE Cree, Ulster Unionist spokesperson for DETI this morning expressed his concern following an announcement by Phoenix that they will be increasing the price of the natural gas by 28 per cent on May 1st this year.
Continue Reading E-mail April 24th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott today welcomed the visit of British Army Chief Sir Richard Dannett to Northern Ireland to launch a £2 million a year scheme for former Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish Regiment Soldiers.
Continue Reading E-mail April 22nd, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has called on tighter checks on dangerous wild animals after it emerged more than a quarter of all such licences in Northern Ireland are located in the constituency.
Assemblyman Dr Coulter unveiled the information in a written answer he received to a question to the environment minister on wild animal licences, which showed that five of Ulster’s such licences are held in North Antrim.
Dr Coulter said: “In the minister’s response to my question, I was told of the five wild animal licences, three are held in the Ballymena Borough and two in the Ballymoney Borough.
“I had asked the minister to detail the number of people that hold current dangerous wild animal licences, and their location by district council area.
“As a result of this information, I am calling on the minister to ensure these dangerous wild animal licences are renewed annually, and that they should state specifically where the wild animal may be kept and nowhere else.
“I also want the minister to ensure these licences enable the authorities to say exactly where each wild animal is or when it was last there.
“In the interests of public safety, the minister must implement a form of licensing which builds up a database of regular checks on registered dangerous wild animals, not just in my constituency, but across Northern Ireland.
“For example, there are some dangerous wild animals exist which can have a wide range of roaming. Take a Black Panther – it has a range of 70 miles for its territory, so one of these animals could roam from Co Donegal to North Antrim,” said Rev Dr Coulter.
E-mail April 18th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Ulster Unionist spokesperson for education Basil McCrea MLA has reacted angrily to a leaked Sinn Fein document which has exposed the Educations Minister Caitriona Ruane’s intention to bullying Northern Ireland grammar schools into submission.
In a statement he said: “This internal Sinn Fein paper demonstrates that the promises supposedly negotiated at St Andrews by the DUP are worthless. Despite all the claims made by the DUP, the Sinn Fein Education Minister is determined to introduce guidance for post-primary schools that will make any use of academic criteria in the transfer procedure next to impossible.”
Continue Reading E-mail April 16th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has branded the recent attack on fire fighters and their appliance in Ballymena’s Dunclug estate as “mindless thuggery of the lowest kind”.
Assemblyman Dr Coulter, who served three terms as Mayor of Ballymena in the mid 1990s, called for every responsible citizen who knew anything about the attack to give the information as soon as possible to the police.
He added: “Over the last number of years, I have campaigned for much tougher sentences for those convicted in court of attacking health workers.
“I fully support our Health Minister Michael McGimpsey in having these tough sentences extended to those yobs convicted of attacking our fire service personnel and their equipment.
“This irresponsible thuggish behaviour of attacking fire crews must be stamped out by introducing laws to give the courts the power to heavily punish – both with fines and jail terms – those convicted of such crimes against society.
“Just as Minister McGimpsey has implemented my zero tolerance call for attacks on health workers, it is a matter of urgency that the same zero tolerance be introduced regarding violence against any mercy workers, and especially our much-valued fire service,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.
E-mail April 14th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
oy Beggs MLA, Ulster Unionist Spokesperson on the Public Accounts Committee has welcomed the inclusion of Northern Ireland into the National Fraud Initiative as a result of its inclusion in the Serious Crimes Bill and which can into effect on 6th April 2008.
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Continue Reading E-mail April 9th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
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