Other News In Brief

UUP Raise Concerns Following Resignation of NI Veteran's Commissioner

The Ulster Unionist Party has expressed "serious concerns" about Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner Danny Kinahan's resignation.

UUP Peer, Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard, said: "Danny has been a strong advocate for veterans throughout his tenure and is highly respected by the wider veterans community for his work to enhance support across Northern Ireland. On behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, I sincerely thank Danny for his important contributions.

"However, regarding his resignation, it is deeply troubling that the Commissioner felt he had no choice but to step down. We are particularly concerned, as Danny was exactly what veterans needed - an informed, empathetic champion. Clearly, something has gone wrong and we will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Northern Ireland Office to address the situation."

Executive Urged To Support Those Living In Poverty

The Executive must prioritise support for those living in poverty, SDLP Opposition Communities Spokesperson Daniel McCrossan has said.

He was speaking after a Trussel Trust survey found that almost four in ten people in receipt of Universal Credit in the North ran out of food in the last month and did not have the funds to buy more.

West Tyrone MLA Mr McCrossan said: "The huge rise in food bank use over the last few years shows the incredible pressure that many families are under. We have heard multiple heartbreaking stories in the media about parents being forced to skip meals so that their children can eat or to keep the lights and heating on. I cannot even begin to imagine what it’s like being unable to afford food and other bare essentials and it must take a significant toll on the physical and mental health of those impacted.

"For many years the SDLP has been making the case for better support for those in receipt of welfare who have been unfairly punished by a cruel Tory austerity-driven government and the failure of Stormont to govern or deliver in any meaningful way. We have a duty to look after vulnerable people in our society and nobody should be in a position where they have to rely on food banks or struggle to feed themselves. "I was shocked that when the Executive revealed their much-heralded priorities for their Programme for Government yesterday there was no mention of poverty whatsoever. This is particularly startling given the Executive has a legal duty to introduce an anti-poverty strategy. Far too many people across the North are experiencing poverty and it’s long past time the Executive took this issue seriously and brought forward a robust and target-driven strategy to support families and lift them out of poverty."

Alliance Calls On Govt To 'End Austerity'

The UK Government must move to end austerity and invest in public services, Alliance Finance spokesperson Eóin Tennyson MLA has said.

He was speaking ahead of an Alliance Assembly motion due to be debated on Tuesday (10 September), recognising the failure of austerity, the financial mismanagement by the previous UK Government, the underfunding of Northern Ireland below its level of relative need, and all of their impact on the delivery of our public services.

The Upper Bann MLA has said: "Alliance has consistently warned that the Executive is facing the worst set of financial circumstances in the history of devolution.

"Westminster austerity has squeezed public finances and services beyond recognition. That pain has been compounded by a cycle of stop-start government locally and a funding formula which does not adequately reflect Northern Ireland’s relative need.

"As a consequence, we have some of the worst hospital waiting lists in Western Europe, an under-resourced and overstretched police service, a housing crisis, and creaking wastewater infrastructure polluting Lough Neagh and our rivers.

"Continued austerity is a political choice, one we believe, as outlined in our motion, needs to be done away with. The government must now instead take steps to prioritise the investment in our public services that is so desperately needed. It can do this by reviewing the fiscal rules to prioritise investment in infrastructure and skills, and taking progressive steps to shift the burden from working people onto the super-wealthy.

"Locally, the Finance Minister must produce an overdue Sustainability Plan with proposals for a new funding formula and a pathway to transform services and tackle the cost of division.

"We recognise that the new government faces difficult choices given the mess left behind by the Conservatives. However, more economic pain and hardship, only heaped on by continuing austerity, isn’t the change that people voted for."