Other News In Brief

Safety of New Lodge Residents 'Must Remain Paramount' – SF

Following a night of disruption in the New Lodge area, Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín has said the safety of residents must be paramount.

The North Belfast MLA said: "Last night the residents of New Lodge were disrupted by anti-social behaviour, resulting in street fighting among rival gangs, with knives being used.

"Someone was taken to hospital and police are investigating it as attempted murder.

"This community deserves much better.

"I have spoken to statutory bodies to ensure that the safety of the residents is paramount.

"I would appeal to anyone with information regarding last night to bring it forward to the PSNI."

SDLP Brings Motion In Support Of Cost of Living Demonstration

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood has brought an Early Day Motion to the House of Commons in support of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' planned Cost of Living demonstration at Stormont on the 25th of June 2022.

Mr Eastwood said: "I commend the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on their planned demonstration at Stormont on the 25th of June 2022. People are crying out for the DUP to abandon their reckless choice to continue with the politics of boycott, focused on challenges over which we have no direct control and return to the Northern Ireland Executive. The price of their ongoing protest is cold homes, hungry children and parents at their wits end.

"The cost-of-living emergency, which has seen inflation soar, the cost of food rise and fuel and energy bills reach all-time highs whilst wages and social security remain stagnant, is devastating working families in Derry and across the North. We have passed breaking point for many households where parents have accepted that they will have to turn off the radiators to make sure they can put food on the table.

"It is a damning indictment of our politics that while people sit cold and hungry, Stormont is sitting on hundreds of millions in unspent resource that could help people blocked by a DUP refusing to do their jobs. It cannot continue like this.

"I'm calling on the DUP to end their boycott of our institutions to allow Stormont to get money directly to those who need it. In Westminster, I'm calling on the British Government to introduce immediate measures to help those struggling, including but not limited to further windfall taxes on energy companies, energy price caps, rent controls, radical wealth taxes, drastic uplifts in state benefits and a real pay rise for all workers across both the public and private sector.

"While the DUP keep Stormont in stasis, urgent radical action must be taken in Westminster to help everyone enduring this crisis not of their making."

Further Delay In Restoring Executive 'Will Cost Lives' – Alliance

The Health Minister's planned reconfiguration of the health and social care has clarified any further delay in restoring the Executive will cost lives, Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw has said.

The South Belfast MLA said: "It is well known our health and social care system simply no longer functions in some areas, with waiting lists now so long that some services are effectively no longer provided.

"We heard only yesterday just how vital the cancer strategy is to identifying cancer early and treating it effectively, thus saving lives – without being able to implement that strategy, it is simply the case people's very survival chances will be limited.

"We have further clarity around the stakes of health transformation and reconfiguration from the Minister today. To proceed with work restoring and improving services and thus saving lives and improving quality of life, we need a budget and we need agreement on how to revise the hospital estate. Those are overarching issues which require an Executive.

"Let us be clear, they require an Executive right now. Not in six months, not in three years, but right now. Without one, the health system will further crumble and, be in no doubt, lives will be lost and shortened which would not otherwise have been, people will be left in pain who would not otherwise be left in pain, and people will be unable to work who would otherwise be able to work. Nobody who seriously cares about the people of Northern Ireland should be in any doubt about what the stakes are here."