Other News In Brief

UUP Welcomes New Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has welcomed the announcement of Hilary Benn as the new Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

UUP leader Doug Beattie MC MLA said: "I wish to congratulate the member for Leeds Central, Hilary Benn MP, on his appointment as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; I am sure that the appointment of an individual with such an extensive political career is an indication of the importance the Labour Party leader places on Northern Ireland.

"I would also like to thank Peter Kyle for his engagement during his time in this role; I always found him to be passionate about the issues we championed.

"I look forward to meeting with the new Shadow Secretary of State in the near future to share our strong and serious concerns on a range of issues."

Childcare Strategy Must Be Day One Priority – SDLP

A new Childcare Strategy must be a day one priority of a new Executive, SDLP Economy Spokesperson Sinéad McLaughlin has said.

McLaughlin has co-sponsored an event in Stormont for the advocacy group Melted Parents NI, who presented the results of their parents’ survey showing that childcare in Northern Ireland is the most expensive in Europe.

The SDLP is supporting the call from Melted Parents NI for a childcare strategy to be placed on the agenda of the first meeting of any incoming Executive, along with a commitment that a timeframe for delivery will be published in the first 100 days of a new government here.

Ms McLaughlin said: "The families driving the Melted Parents campaign have been tireless advocates for affordable and accessible childcare in Northern Ireland and have inspired many of us by their tenacity and sheer hard work in consistently raising this issue with those in power. I was pleased to co-sponsor an event in Stormont today to allow the campaigners to present the results of their parents’ survey, which gathered almost three thousand responses.

"These results lay bare the scale of the crisis facing parents in Northern Ireland, with over 80% of respondents saying that their childcare costs were higher than their mortgage and many outlining the devastating impact of their costs in heart-wrenching personal testimonies. It is clear from the many families who contributed to this survey that the immense costs of childcare are pushing huge numbers of hard-pressed parents - especially women - out of the workforce and acting as a handbrake on our economy.

"I launched a plan earlier this year that would have made a significant contribution to addressing this crisis in the short-term, but it can only be solved sustainably by a new Executive agreeing to treat this issue as a day one priority. The SDLP is backing the call from Melted Parents NI for a timeframe for delivery of a new strategy to be published in the first 100 days of a new government. If any Executive is formed, the SDLP Opposition will be holding it accountable for urgent action to support families and afford every child the best start in life through high-quality and accessible early education and childcare."

Alliance Concerned Over Animal Welfare Funding Cuts

Alliance have expressed their concern following the new that DAERA has cut all funding for animal welfare.

Alliance Animal Welfare spokesperson Patrick Brown said that the cut will be devastating to animal welfare.

Mr Brown said: "This retrograde decision has the potential to see animal welfare officers withdrawn and efforts to tackle animal abuse and illegal breeding halted, problems which are already rife across NI.

"This comes as legal and illegal puppy breeders ramp up their operations ahead of the festive period, all while animal charities are already struggling with overflowing shelters. This move by the department has the potential to massively exacerbate problems and set animal welfare in Northern Ireland back for years.

"I have once again voiced my opposition to the Permanent Secretary. However, as with so much else, this is a direct result of the current political deadlock, and any losses in animal welfare standards can be attributed directly to DUP MLAs - who still after a year and a half refuse to fulfil their whole job. Not content with causing suffering to patients on health waiting lists, it appears the DUP are now happy to cause harm to our animals as well."