Other News In Brief

Charity Highlights Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Children's cancer charity, Cancer Fund for Children is calling for business and the public to support Childhood Cancer Awareness Month through fundraising or direct donations.

Every week across Northern Ireland, approximately three children and young people are diagnosed with cancer. By taking on a fundraising challenge such as a coffee morning or sponsored walk, or choosing Cancer Fund for Children as your charity of the year at work, you will be funding vital services and helping to ensure that no child has to face cancer alone.

Speaking about Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Phil Alexander, CEO of Cancer Fund for Children said: "We understand the devastating impact a childhood cancer diagnosis can have on the whole family and that, beyond the essential medical care, there is a family life that needs to be rebuilt. We provide informal social, emotional and therapeutic support in hospital, at home and in our therapeutic short break centre, Daisy Lodge, to help these families develop coping skills that might make their experience a little easier.

"We are calling on the public to get behind Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September to help ensure that young people like Charlotte receive the right support, at the right time."

UUP Criticise SDLP Leader On 'Insulting Comments' On NHS

Ulster Unionist Party health spokesperson Alan Chambers has criticised SDLP leader Colum Eastwood over "insulting comments" on the NHS.

At the recent Westminster Northern Ireland Affairs Committee meeting, Colum Eastwood claimed that the state of the health service in Northern Ireland would "embarrass a third world country."

Mr Chambers said: "I would hope that Colum Eastwood will reflect on the words he used when giving evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, words that I suspect were perhaps designed to grab a media headline. We are all well aware of the pressures on our health care system but it is insulting to the thousands of health care workers, at all levels in our health service, who turn up to work every day to deliver health care to those who need it and who undoubtedly help save countless lives on a daily basis.

"I fully acknowledge that there are many problems to be tackled in our health service, with waiting lists undoubtedly the most pressing of them all. Only a fool would try to say other.

"The problems in our health service are deep-rooted and have been much publicised. A combination of some poor leadership from 2014, a series of reckless decisions, a lack of focus, and perhaps most damaging of all an absence of multi-year budgets, all culminated to the awful position patients and staff find themselves in.

"Whilst there were notable improvements across a range of waiting lists during the tenure of the most recent Executive, the failure again to agree multi-year funding and the subsequent collapse of Stormont mean we're in a worse position now than ever before.

"To have any hope of tackling waiting lists, financial clarity and assurances are required, in advance, that will enable pay parity to be achieved as a major starting point to recovery.

"Vague promises of some degree of financial help after an Executive is formed will not cut it. How any package is to be spent must be part of a robust programme for government that all parties who wish to serve in an Executive must sign up to prior to going back into Stormont. How that is all choreographed is an urgent matter for politicians in London and Belfast to design and deliver.

"That said, I cannot accept any person, acting in a party leadership role, glibly writing off our health service as being capable of embarrassing a third world country. Such comments do a serious disservice to those who work so hard to deliver health care to the people of Northern Ireland and who will be in the front line when we begin a welcome road to recovery."

Lack Of Budget For School Crossing Patrols Highlights Need For Executive – Alliance

The Alliance Party has said that the lack of budget allocated for the recruitment of school crossing patrols at Holy Rosary Primary School "further highlights the necessity of restoring the Executive".

It comes after the Education Authority (EA) confirmed that a pause on the recruitment of school crossing patrol staff will continue.

Ms Nicholl and Ms Bradshaw have reiterated their continued call for the DUP to get back to work and join with other parties to form a fully functioning Executive and Assembly.

Kate Nicholl MLA said: "We have been lobbying the Education Authority for the restoration of the road crossing attendant on Sunnyside Street at Holy Rosary Primary School in South Belfast for some time now.

"As term starts, it’s incredibly disappointing to have the EA confirm to us this week that the pause on the recruitment of all school crossing patrol positions will continue, and to be informed that there is no room in the budget to reinstate the crossing patrol at Holy Rosary.

"Compounding this, there is also no pedestrian crossing on this very busy road that carries significant levels of fast-moving traffic between the Ormeau Road and Stranmillis Embankment, particularly in peak morning hours. This lack of mitigation here is a danger to the safety of children, families, and the general public."

Paula Bradshaw MLA added: "Parents, guardians and carers have been in touch with us to raise their concerns and are understandably anxious about what could happen without a service to assist young people crossing the road.

"This is ultimately a matter of the safety of children and young people and it is unacceptable that children at Holy Rosary Primary School, and at other schools across Northern Ireland, are being left without a school crossing patrol.

"The only way to begin to resolve the significant issues facing Northern Ireland’s finances is to get the institutions back up and running. We have been ready since day one to get on with the job of making NI work, but sadly it is the people of Northern Ireland, including our children, who are continuing to suffer as a result of stop-go ransom politics here."