Other News In Brief

Govt Urged To Support Homeowners Struggling With Mortgage Payments

Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy has called on the UK government to do more to support homeowners struggling with rising mortgage repayments.

The party's economy spokesperson said: "The Bank of England is expected to hike its interest rate this week for the 13th time in a row.

"Some home-owners, who have already been squeezed over recent months, will face further increases to their mortgages.

"Workers and families are now paying hundreds of pounds more in mortgage payments. This is at the same time as a cost living crisis when energy, food and fuel bills continue to bite in to family budgets.

"The British government needs to do more to support homeowners with rising mortgage repayments by providing targeted support to those whose mortgage interest rates have risen over the past year.

"The British Chancellor should act to help hard-pressed homeowners.

"There is also an onus on financial institutions to support people who have seen significant increases in repayments over the past year – no family should be losing their home due to inflexible banks or lenders.

"The regressive economic policies of the Tories have contributed to driving up interest rates and a reversal in policy is urgently needed.

"Rather than giving tax breaks to banks the Tory government should ensure public services are properly funded and workers receive fair pay."

Irish Govt Pledges €45m For Ulster University's Magee Campus

Alliance Foyle spokesperson Rachael Ferguson has welcomed an announcement from the Irish government pledging €45 million in funding for Ulster University's Magee campus in L'Derry, in a bid to help increase student numbers.

It’s included within a wider sum of money dedicated to a range of other North-South projects via the Irish government’s Shared Island Unit.

She said: "This is a great step forward in the development of Ulster University's Magee campus, and in the move towards greater balance in both funding for higher education in Northern Ireland and student numbers between east and west.

"This funding and the expansion of the University’s facilities presents a wealth of opportunity, not least in terms of growth within the local economy, and I’m very excited to see the money put to good use for the people of Derry-Londonderry."

Maskey Welcomes New Jobs Announcement In West Belfast

Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey has said that a new venture creating 169 jobs at the former Caterpillar site in West Belfast is a vote of confidence in the people of the west of the city and the wider region.

Mr Maskey was speaking at the launch of Biopax Limited, a company investing in state-of-the-art technology to produce greener packaging to reduce waste.

He said: "This multi-million pound investment in West Belfast is a vote of confidence in the talent of the people of this area and the region as a whole. Great credit is due to Dr Terry Cross, who helped make this venture possible, and Invest NI.

"This investment will create 169 jobs at the former Caterpillar site and has the potential to create many more jobs in the future as Biopax have also committed to providing apprenticeships, training and re-skilling local people.“This is a great example of investment in a greener, and more prosperous future where sustainable methods of work go hand in hand with economic growth."