Other News In Brief

Long Condemns Protestors After Disruption At Policing Partnership Meetings

The Justice Minister, Naomi Long, has condemned those responsible for the disruption of two public meetings of the District Policing and Community Safety Partnerships in west and north Belfast.

Minister Long said: "I condemn recent attempts to disrupt public meetings of District Policing and Community Safety Partnerships in Belfast. Such behaviour needs to be called out and challenged. Policing is an inherent part of the transformation of our society and of keeping people safe.

"Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) give local people a say on how work is taken forward in their neighbourhoods to improve community safety and tackle Anti-Social Behaviour. They also work to build local confidence in the PSNI. They are made up of local Councillors, independent members drawn from the area and representatives from the PSNI, Youth Justice Agency, NI Fire & Rescue Service, Housing Executive, Health and Social Care Trusts, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and Education Authority.

"Alongside local Councils, they work to make lives better for the local people they serve. Elected representatives speak for local people and have a mandate to do so. Turning up to shout down speakers at a DPCSP public meeting is an attack on all of the people of West Belfast and of North Belfast.

"I'm pleased that, in spite of the attempts of a small minority to thwart the DPCSP meetings from taking place, the meetings were able to go ahead – giving local people an opportunity to raise any issues and to hear updates on work going on by the DPCSPs in each area."

DUP Accused Of 'Cynical Stunt' Over DAERA Powers

The SDLP has accused the DUP of a "cynical stunt" after they brought forward a Prayer of Annulment (POA) on Monday relating to livestock identification, registration and movement.

SDLP Opposition AERA Spokesperson Patsy McGlone MLA said: "This stunt from the DUP today was a distraction from very serious issues around high-quality food standards. Farmers and businesses want clear messaging in this area and any attempt to undermine these regulations creates serious jeopardy. The value of livestock exports to the rest of this island was worth €1.75bn in 2023 and that's far more important than the DUP's silly Brexit ideology. "This situation also exposes the failure of successive AERA Ministers and the department to update these important regulations. The previous DUP Minister may have had political reasons to kick this into the long grass, but I struggle to see a reason for the current Minister Andrew Muir failing to deal with this over the past year. This has left the department with no legal authority to take enforcement action around issues relating to livestock.

"Recognising the risk of this oversight causing significant embarrassment to the Minister and the department, we were asked to deal with this in secret session at the AERA Committee – which would have been convenient for the Minister, but was flat out rejected. The public deserve better than this distraction politics from the DUP and failure from the Minister and his department – people expect high standards and it's clear that wasn't the case in this instance."

Glider Extension 'Met With Disappointment' – Alliance

The Alliance Party's Infrastructure spokesperson, Peter McReynolds MLA, has said that the scale of the announced extension to Glider services in north and south Belfast "has been met with disappointment".

The East Belfast MLA said that whilst any steps to increase accessibility to public transport is welcome, the new planned route "has failed to meet the expectations of many with key areas in the north and south being left out".

McReynolds continued: "Our growing population requires frequent and reliable public transport with better connectivity across North, South, East and West Belfast. This will not only help to reduce the amount of cars on our roads and decrease congestion, but it is also a vital step to help protect our environment and reach our net-zero targets.

"I am also concerned about the significant funding shortfall of over £100m stated by the Minister today, which resulted in the scaling back of the North/South Glider scheme. This shortfall could also delay the full implementation of the East Belfast Glider extension from Titanic Quarter to Queen's University and the City Hospital, which would improve accessibility to education and healthcare for many constituents.

"My Alliance colleagues and I have repeatedly mentioned the need for support for public transport and to build off the success of the East/ West Glider. We urgently need to know how the Minister plans to better connect our communities and address the funding shortfall.

"Alliance will continue to hold the Minister to account to ensure progress is made and residents in North, South, East and West Belfast are able to benefit from enhanced public transport measures."