Other News In Brief

Appeal For Witnesses To Serious Assault In Armagh

PSNI detectives have issued an appeal for information and witnesses following a report that a man was assaulted in Armagh on Thursday, 18 April.

Shortly before 11.50pm, it was reported to police that a man, aged in his 60s, had been assaulted at the rear of his property in the Tullysaran Road area by two men. The man was then forced back inside, were he was assaulted further and his home ransacked.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening at this time.

The suspects were both described as wearing balaclavas and dressed all in black. One of them was described as being over 6' tall, while the other was approximately 5' 8". At this stage, it is believed that they left with a number of items.

Anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything, or who may have CCTV or other video footage, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 1903 of 18/4/24.

Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org/

SDLP 'Disturbed' By Surgeons Warning On Waiting Lists

The SDLP has called for urgent action to address surgical waiting lists in Northern Ireland, following a warning from the Royal College of Surgeons.

Speaking following a meeting of the Health Committee, SDLP Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath said: "To hear our surgical leaders issue an SOS emergency call about the state of the surgical lists and waiting times and the need to address them was very worrying. This will no doubt be having a massive impact on patients and further underlines the deepening crisis in all areas of our health service.

"These are the professionals that are facing the waiting list crisis on a daily basis. They have told us that if every theatre was operational for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 365 days it would take three years to clear the lists. That is a sobering thought and shows the scale of the challenge ahead of us to return our health service to a stable footing.

"Surgeons are clear that we need more elective care centres and access to theatres for staff. They have also issued a workforce warning with large numbers of the surgical cohort in the later stages of their careers and will retire in the coming decade. If we don't recruit and retain the surgeons necessary then we will be unable to manage the scale of these waiting lists.

"We must see action from the Health Minister and department in relation to waiting lists and this cannot come soon enough. People are already waiting too long, it is causing unfair pressures on our primary care sectors and patients and their families are suffering because our health service is unable to carry out many of its basic functions."

Alliance Calls For Immediate Appointment Of Commissioner for Public Appointments

The Alliance Party has called for the immediate appointment of a Commissioner for Public Appointments, with spokespeople for the Executive Office Paula Bradshaw MLA and Connie Egan MLA stating that the "lackadaisical approach to such appointments must end now".

Chair of the Executive Office Committee, South Belfast MLA Paula Bradshaw, stated: "The failure of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to have progressed the appointment of a Commissioner for Public Appointments is yet another example of an alarmingly lackadaisical approach to getting on with urgent appointments across the Executive Office and elsewhere.

"The response of the Executive Office to this issue is an abject failure to recognise the urgency of ensuring that public appointments worth millions of pounds of public money are carried out with proper scrutiny.

"The line that there are existing guidelines, so a Commissioner is not really necessary, shows an ongoing and marked lack of urgency around issues like this."

Committee Deputy Chair and North Down MLA Connie Egan added: "It is not good enough to merely talk in terms of 'considering a way forward'; the First and deputy First Minister need to move immediately to actually make an appointment.

"We still lack any clear progress on issues such as the appointment of a Victims Commissioner or an Interim Advocate for victims and survivors of the Mother and Baby Homes, and indeed the Executive Office has still not appointed a Permanent Secretary since that last one left over six months ago.

"Two and a half months after restoration, it is long past time we saw some actual delivery."