Latest releases
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2,851 releases
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Durkan: NIHE property maintenance in disarray as contractors walk away
SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan raises serious concerns after 11 of 13 contractors left NIHE maintenance contracts worth £455m, warning of impact on 85,000 properties. He says Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey was lackadaisical and calls on her and NIHE to act urgently.
Housing Economy and employment Issue: NIHE maintenance contractors terminate £455m contracts Original release: Durkan: NIHE property maintenance in disarray as contractors walk away (opens in a new tab)
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McGrath: Doctors’ concerns must be addressed
SDLP Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath warns that doctors' concerns over pay, working conditions and the state of the health service must be addressed, citing a BMA survey in which most doctors judged a proposed pay rise inadequate and junior doctors signalled possible departures from the North.
Health Economy and employment Issue: BMA survey on doctors' pay and working conditions Original release: McGrath: Doctors’ concerns must be addressed (opens in a new tab)
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Tennyson launches new All Party Group on LGBTQIA+ Equality
Alliance MLA Eóin Tennyson says he is launching an All Party Group on LGBTQIA+ Equality to make LGBTQIA+ rights a priority this Assembly term. It will examine healthcare inequalities, school bullying, hate crime, the long-delayed LGBTQI+ strategy and banning conversion therapy.
Disability and equality Issue: Launch of All Party Group on LGBTQIA+ Equality Original release: Tennyson launches new All Party Group on LGBTQIA+ Equality (opens in a new tab)
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More money for domiciliary care would help free up entire system, says Bradshaw
Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA calls for more money for domiciliary care and district nursing to secure fair pay, improve home care and free up hospital space. She also says basic care call times should rise to half an hour, and East Antrim MLA Danny Donnelly urges prioritising…
Health Public finance and taxation Original release: More money for domiciliary care would help free up entire system, says Bradshaw (opens in a new tab)
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Acute Transport Crisis Affecting Children with Special Needs - Brolly
Aontú's education spokesperson Gemma Brolly has asked the Infrastructure Minister to urgently review school transport arrangements, especially for children with special educational needs, citing a shortage of licensed taxi drivers and operators. She urges reinstating earlier support measures that…
Education Infrastructure and transport Original release: Acute Transport Crisis Affecting Children with Special Needs - Brolly (opens in a new tab)
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Communities and Infrastructure Ministers should convene summit to address housing crisis - Allen
UUP MLA Andy Allen calls on the Communities and Infrastructure Ministers to hold a summit on Northern Ireland's housing crisis, citing just 835 new social homes completed in the last year against a 100,000-home target.
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O’Lynn writes to Minister as house prices continue to soar
Alliance MLA Patricia O'Lynn says she has written to the Communities Minister about rising house prices in Northern Ireland, citing Causeway Coast and Glens, where average prices rose 12.5 per cent in early 2022, and urges more affordable housing and action on holiday lets.
Housing Issue: Ulster University Quarterly House Price Index Q1 2022 rise Original release: O’Lynn writes to Minister as house prices continue to soar (opens in a new tab)
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Armstrong calls for clarification around the end of free lateral flow tests
Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong calls for health Trusts to clarify how ending free lateral flow COVID tests from Monday will affect respite and day‑care provision, urging assurances that these services are restored to pre‑pandemic levels.
Health Disability and equality Issue: End of free lateral flow COVID tests Original release: Armstrong calls for clarification around the end of free lateral flow tests (opens in a new tab)
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Executive needed to address GP pressures- Gildernew
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew says an Executive must be restored to tackle pressures on GP services, after reports that up to 100 practices are seeking emergency support over staffing. He calls for £1 billion of extra health investment to recruit doctors and cut waiting lists, and blames the DUP's…
Health Issue: Reports of up to 100 GP practices seeking emergency support Original release: Executive needed to address GP pressures- Gildernew (opens in a new tab)
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‘Executive needed now to tackle problems in health’ – Kimmins
Sinn Féin MLA Liz Kimmins urges the DUP to end its boycott of the Executive, saying one is needed to address pressures at Daisy Hill Hospital, including extra funding of £1 billion for staffing and waiting lists.
Health Issue: Daisy Hill Hospital pressures and Executive boycott Original release: ‘Executive needed now to tackle problems in health’ – Kimmins (opens in a new tab)
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Gildernew seeking urgent meeting with Southern Trust on concerns of midwives
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew expresses alarm at reports that the Southern Trust may move up to 52 experienced midwives onto zero-hour contracts, and says he will meet the Trust and the affected midwives urgently.
Health Economy and employment Issue: Southern Trust plans to move 52 midwives onto zero-hour contracts Original release: Gildernew seeking urgent meeting with Southern Trust on concerns of midwives (opens in a new tab)
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Gildernew welcomes compensation for victims of contaminated blood scandal
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew welcomes interim payments for contaminated blood scandal survivors and urges the Department of Health to progress them without further delay, saying families have waited too long for redress.
Health Issue: Interim compensation for contaminated blood scandal victims Original release: Gildernew welcomes compensation for victims of contaminated blood scandal (opens in a new tab)
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Lack of an Executive exacerbating homelessness issue, says Armstrong
Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong says the lack of an Executive is worsening homelessness, citing a Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey response on a 45 per cent rise, linked to private landlords leaving the rental sector. She calls for the Executive and Assembly to be restored before winter.
Housing Issue: Communities Minister response on 45 per cent rise in homelessness Original release: Lack of an Executive exacerbating homelessness issue, says Armstrong (opens in a new tab)
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Urgent action needed to address the crisis in GP services across the north – Gildernew
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew urges immediate action on strained GP services after meeting GP representatives, citing Belfast practices closing their lists to new patients. He calls for an Executive to be restored to fund an extra £1 billion for health recruitment, and tells the DUP to end its…
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Alliance team meets mental health champion to discuss strategy implementation
Alliance MLAs say they back the full roll‑out of the Mental Health Strategy, warning that funding is not assured and highlighting the pandemic, sectarianism and the cost‑of‑living crisis as reasons the plan must be delivered without delay.
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Executive needed to improve access to GPs – Gildernew
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew says people need greater GP access and calls for the Executive to be restored to invest an extra £1 billion in health. He is worried by a temporary freeze on patients moving GP practices in North Down, Ards and East Belfast, which he calls a short-term fix, and blames…
Health Issue: Temporary freeze on GP patient registrations in North Down, Ards and East Belfast Original release: Executive needed to improve access to GPs – Gildernew (opens in a new tab)
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Bradshaw welcomes dual-strain vaccines
Alliance Health Spokesperson Paula Bradshaw welcomes the UK approval of Moderna's dual-strain Covid-19 vaccine, which targets both the original variant and Omicron, and encourages take-up of the autumn booster.
Health Issue: UK approval of Moderna dual-strain Covid-19 vaccine Original release: Bradshaw welcomes dual-strain vaccines (opens in a new tab)
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Durkan seeks fairer policy on Maternity Allowance for Universal Credit claimants
SDLP Communities Spokesperson Mark H Durkan calls for a review of how Maternity Allowance is treated under Universal Credit, where it is deducted from awards unlike Statutory Maternity Pay, and urges the Communities Minister to press Westminster on the policy.
Social security and welfare Disability and equality Original release: Durkan seeks fairer policy on Maternity Allowance for Universal Credit claimants (opens in a new tab)
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Bradshaw welcomes secondary breast cancer audit for Northern Ireland
Alliance health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA welcomes a secondary breast cancer audit funded by Cancer Focus NI with the Cancer Registry, which followed lobbying by the Seen to be Heard campaign. She says equal access to trials, drugs and treatment, plus more specialist nurses across Trusts, is…
Health Issue: Secondary breast cancer audit funded by Cancer Focus NI Original release: Bradshaw welcomes secondary breast cancer audit for Northern Ireland (opens in a new tab)
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Bradshaw reinforces Alliance support for maternity strategy
Alliance Health Spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA says her party backs the Royal College of Midwives' blueprint and calls for a Maternity Strategy with a regional maternity network, better data and consistent safety approaches, after meeting the RCM's Northern Ireland Director.
Health Original release: Bradshaw reinforces Alliance support for maternity strategy (opens in a new tab)