Other News In Brief

Co-Ownership Housing Introduces New Social Fund

Co-Ownership Housing is seeking new applications following the launch of a new social fund.

With a budget of £12,000, the social fund will support a project or projects which will make a positive social impact in the lives of individuals, local neighbourhoods, or communities.

Funding is open to constituted organisations which are interested in working with and receiving funding from Co-Ownership Housing to deliver a project in one of the following areas:

• Helping regenerate, rebuild, and revitalise neighbourhoods and communities;

• Supporting elderly or disabled people;

• Providing advice and educational services to promote either financial capability and inclusion, energy efficiency or biodiversity in the community.

The entire fund may be awarded to a single organisation (or partnership) for a single project, or divided across several organisations and projects. The projects may be entirely new or already existing and funding may be held on behalf of an unconstituted group.

SF Calls For Fresh Election

Sinn Féin said if the UK Government and the DUP continue to block equality and previous agreements a fresh election must take place.

Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald TD said: "The RHI scandal and the allegations of corruption associated with the scheme was not the first DUP financial scandal in the political institutions.

"The people made it clear in the recent election that they want political institutions which are clean and credible.

"However, there has been no progress made in the talks as the British government panders to DUP efforts to block equality and refuses to implement previous agreements.

"If the British government and the DUP continue to block progress then it's back to the people to have their say in a fresh election."

Health Sector Needs To Be Transformed - Alliance

Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw has said the effective loss of £102 million of savings in the health sector is a further demonstration an Executive should be formed with all-party backing for carrying out health and social care transformation.

South Belfast MLA Ms Bradshaw was responding to an NI Audit Office report on Transforming Your Care, which stated by March 2016 programme had only realised £28 million of the £130 million savings anticipated in the original business case.

"That is money which should be dedicated to bringing down waiting lists. The Audit Office confirms that only £28 million has in fact been saved," she said.

"It is clear workers in the health service fully understand the need to transform. However, the process has not been carried out as quickly as it should, partly because the budget to transform has not been allocated sufficiently in advance. This raises the question of whether the political will really exists to deliver on what is a highly complex but also highly necessary series of reforms.

"It is unacceptable we remain without a Northern Ireland Executive producing a Northern Ireland Budget for a Northern Ireland health and social care service. The penalty for failure will be the development of a two-tier system, as people with means choose to go private - such an outcome would be a million miles from the universal system envisaged when the NHS was established and to which all parties are supposedly committed."

(CD/LM)