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5,394 releases
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Solutions needed to maintain Heathrow connectivity – Lockhart
DUP MP Carla Lockhart has written to Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris urging urgent action on the Aer Lingus Belfast City to Heathrow route, which faces disruption from EU carrier rules after March 2023. She calls for a derogation or faster UK registration and certification for the…
Infrastructure and transport International affairs Issue: Aer Lingus Belfast City to Heathrow route withdrawal Original release: Solutions needed to maintain Heathrow connectivity – Lockhart (opens in a new tab)
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Appointment of new GP contractor at Flax Medical Centre welcome news for patients – Kelly
Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly welcomes confirmation that a new contractor has been brought in to run GP services at Flax Medical Centre in North Belfast. He says GP services must be protected and calls on an Executive and health minister to be restored, pledging an extra £1 billion for health.
Health Issue: Appointment of new GP contractor at Flax Medical Centre Original release: Appointment of new GP contractor at Flax Medical Centre welcome news for patients – Kelly (opens in a new tab)
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Court ruling on reckless attempt to halt port checks ‘welcome’ – Kearney
Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney welcomes a court ruling that found former agriculture minister Edwin Poots acted unlawfully in trying to stop checks on goods at ports. He also urges the DUP to end its Executive boycott and return to work amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Constitutional affairs International affairs Issue: Court ruling on attempt to halt Northern Ireland port checks Original release: Court ruling on reckless attempt to halt port checks ‘welcome’ – Kearney (opens in a new tab)
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Unionist refusal to operate Stormont vindicated by Protocol judgement
TUV leader Jim Allister says a High Court ruling that former Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots and his department were required to impose Protocol checks vindicates Unionists refusing to run Stormont while the Protocol stands. He argues Stormont cannot be operated while opposing the Protocol and…
Constitutional affairs International affairs Issue: Court ruling on attempt to halt Northern Ireland port checks Original release: Unionist refusal to operate Stormont vindicated by Protocol judgement (opens in a new tab)
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Striking Nurses deserve our support – Chambers
UUP Health Spokesperson Alan Chambers MLA says he stood with striking nurses on a Royal College of Nurses picket at Bangor Community Hospital, citing public support and concerns over patient safety, staff retention and nurse-to-patient ratios, and calls for political leadership to set out an NHS…
Health Economy and employment Issue: Royal College of Nurses strike at Bangor Community Hospital Original release: Striking Nurses deserve our support – Chambers (opens in a new tab)
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McGrath: Emergency intervention required to support nurses
SDLP Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath urges the British government to meet the Royal College of Nursing and other unions and reach a fair pay agreement for nurses and health staff, and calls for Stormont's devolved government to resume.
Health Economy and employment Issue: RCN nurses strike over pay and safe staffing, December 2022 Original release: McGrath: Emergency intervention required to support nurses (opens in a new tab)
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SDLP welcomes court ruling on Poots’ ‘desperate protocol stunt’
SDLP Assembly Group Leader Matthew O'Toole MLA welcomes a High Court ruling quashing former Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots' instruction to suspend protocol-related checks, calling the decision overtly political and a cynical DUP move before the Assembly election.
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: Court ruling on attempt to halt Northern Ireland port checks Original release: SDLP welcomes court ruling on Poots’ ‘desperate protocol stunt’ (opens in a new tab)
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Hanna frustrated with lack of progress following NI Secretary meeting
SDLP South Belfast MP Claire Hanna says her party is frustrated at the slow pace of talks after meeting the Secretary of State, criticising the lack of clarity on the £600 energy payment and on EU Protocol negotiations. She calls for urgent government action to restore the Assembly and Executive.
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: NI Secretary meeting with Northern Ireland parties on Stormont talks Original release: Hanna frustrated with lack of progress following NI Secretary meeting (opens in a new tab)
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Beware of the spin of Protocol fanatics
TUV leader Jim Allister warns against spin on NISRA 2021 trade figures, arguing the claimed GB trade rise compares with a Covid-depressed 2020 and that grace periods and the £300m Business Support Service mask the Protocol's full impact. He says the Protocol remains irredeemable for unionists.
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: Trade data release on Northern Ireland Protocol impact Original release: Beware of the spin of Protocol fanatics (opens in a new tab)
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Crisis situations in Emergency Departments at Royal and Mater hospitals ‘deeply concerning’ – Ní Chuilín
Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín says reports of crises in the Emergency Departments at the Royal Victoria and Mater hospitals alarm her, and will meet the Belfast Trust with Belfast MPs. She calls for an Executive to be formed to pass a three-year budget and invest an extra £1 billion in health.
Health Issue: Belfast Trust Emergency Department pressures at Royal and Mater hospitals Original release: Crisis situations in Emergency Departments at Royal and Mater hospitals ‘deeply concerning’ – Ní Chuilín (opens in a new tab)
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Trade data debunks false claims around the Protocol – Archibald
Sinn Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald says newly released trade data shows the Protocol is having a positive impact on the local economy, citing increased trade from Britain to the north. She calls for an early negotiated settlement between the British government and the EU to give businesses certainty.
Economy and employment International affairs Issue: Trade data release on Northern Ireland Protocol impact Original release: Trade data debunks false claims around the Protocol – Archibald (opens in a new tab)
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Internal UK trade highlights need to restore NI’s place within UK…
DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says trade with the rest of the UK shows why Northern Ireland's standing in the UK internal market must be fully reinstated. He argues the Trader Support Service is propping up trade and calls on the government to make the restoration a priority.
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: Trade data release on Northern Ireland Protocol impact Original release: Internal UK trade highlights need to restore NI’s place within UK… (opens in a new tab)
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Situation at RVH Emergency Department deeply concerning – Gildernew
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew says the emergency care crisis at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital is deeply concerning, citing patients medically fit for discharge who cannot leave due to a lack of community care packages. He calls for an Executive to deliver a three-year budget and invest an extra…
Health Public finance and taxation Issue: Royal Victoria Hospital Emergency Department pressures Original release: Situation at RVH Emergency Department deeply concerning – Gildernew (opens in a new tab)
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Mary Lou McDonald address to Liam Mellows commemoration
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD delivers an oration at the centenary commemoration for Liam Mellows in Castletown, Co. Wexford, recalling the 1922 executions of Mellows and three other republicans in Mountjoy Gaol. She links the executions to the Free State's reprisal policy and to…
Constitutional affairs Justice and policing Original release: Mary Lou McDonald address to Liam Mellows commemoration (opens in a new tab)
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Domiciliary care must not be allowed to fail due to DUP boycott, says Bradshaw
Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA warns domiciliary care must not fail because of the DUP boycott of the institutions, and calls for plans to improve pay and conditions for domiciliary carers and district nurses, citing rising fuel and travel costs after the Chancellor's autumn…
Health Economy and employment Original release: Domiciliary care must not be allowed to fail due to DUP boycott, says Bradshaw (opens in a new tab)
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Time to update the NI Act to remove designations in the assembly, says Armstrong, following NIHRC Annual Statement
Alliance Communities Spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA calls for the NI Act to be updated to remove designation in the Assembly, following the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's Annual Statement. She advocates a weighted majority system to replace the current designation system.
Constitutional affairs Disability and equality Issue: NIHRC Annual Statement 2022 on equality law and Assembly designation Original release: Time to update the NI Act to remove designations in the assembly, says Armstrong, following NIHRC Annual Statement (opens in a new tab)
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Hard data demolishes Protocol lies: O’Toole
Matthew O’Toole MLA, the SDLP’s Assembly group leader and Brexit spokesperson, says new NISRA figures refute DUP and UK minister claims that the Protocol has damaged GB‑NI trade, showing a 7% rise in purchases from Great Britain and higher export volumes to the Republic and EU, and calls for a plan
Economy and employment International affairs Issue: Trade data release on Northern Ireland Protocol impact Original release: Hard data demolishes Protocol lies: O’Toole (opens in a new tab)
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British Secretary of State must set out plan to restore power-sharing – O’Neill
Sinn Féin Leas Uachtarán Michelle O'Neill MLA calls on the British Secretary of State to set out a clear plan to restore the Executive and Assembly before a meeting with the parties, and urges the Prime Minister to engage urgently. She also raises the delayed £600 energy payment.
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: British Secretary of State invitation to parties on restoring power-sharing Original release: British Secretary of State must set out plan to restore power-sharing – O’Neill (opens in a new tab)
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Internal Conservative Party politics holding up Protocol Bill
DUP MP Ian Paisley suggests the Prime Minister's pause of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill reflects internal Conservative Party politics more than prospects for a Brussels deal. He says the Protocol must be replaced by arrangements unionists can back, and warns that delaying the Bill also delays…
Constitutional affairs International affairs Issue: Government pause on Northern Ireland Protocol Bill progression Original release: Internal Conservative Party politics holding up Protocol Bill (opens in a new tab)
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“Delayed Pay Award Slap in the Face to Health Workers During Cost-Of-Living Crisis” – Connolly
Aontú's Daniel Connolly, Armagh Representative, accuses the Department of Health of delaying the NHS pay award during the cost-of-living crisis. He calls for it to be paid now, blames Stormont deadlock for blocking funding, and urges reform of Stormont and MLA pay.
Health Economy and employment Issue: Department of Health health worker pay award announcement December 2022 Original release: “Delayed Pay Award Slap in the Face to Health Workers During Cost-Of-Living Crisis” – Connolly (opens in a new tab)