Sinn Féin welcome republican’s release

Sinn Féin West Tyrone MLA Declan McAleer has welcomed the release of Pádraic Wilson on bail.

McAleer said: “Sinn Féin welcomes the release of Pádraic Wilson. The simple fact is that he should never have been charged in the first instance. The arrest and charging of Pádraic Wilson is but the latest manifestation of lingering negative elements within the PSNI which must be removed. The agenda pursued by these individuals is political. It is designed to undermine the change agenda and the political process and to reverse the progress we continue to make. Sinn Féin are calling for the withdrawal of the bogus and politically motivated charges against him from the PSNI. Sinn Féin will continue to campaign to have these charges withdrawn.”

Lowering the voting age motion success welcomed

Sinn Féin West Tyrone MLA Michaela Boyle has welcomed the support for a motion in the Assembly calling for the voting age to be lowered to 16.

Ms. Boyle said, “Sinn Féin proposed a motion in conjunction with the Green Party calling for the voting age to be lowered to 16 years and I am delighted that it has been passed. As elected representatives, we make decisions every day that impact heavily on young people and many of these decisions will have a long term effect on their future, yet they have no say in who represents them in areas such as the Assembly or local Councils. There is a global and European momentum towards extending the right to vote to young people at 16 and 17 years old. A historic decision has been taken in Scotland to allow 16 and 17 years olds to participate in a crucial referendum on Scottish independence; it is time that all elections and referenda held on the island of Ireland were made equally open to young people. While this first step has been passed we need to encourage more support so that we can see a similar motion in the British House of Commons and ensure young people’s engagement in any further elections.”

Disruption problems to RTE signal in Aghyaran area could be related to wind turbines

Derg Sinn Féin Councillor Kieran Mc Guire says that since the digital switchover residents in the Aghyaran area have been experiencing major disruptions with the signal for RTE channels a problem which is believed to be related to the degree of movement of the blades of wind turbines which are highly concentrated in the area.

Cllr Mc Guire,

“Since the Digital Switchover local residents have been experiencing major disruptions with the RTE channels signal.  On calm days the signal is clear, when it is slightly breezy the signal is intermittent but when it becomes very windy, the signal becomes non-existent.

“As similar weather conditions do not seem to impact upon the RTE channels signal in other areas, local people are directly linking the extent of disruption to the degree of movement of the blades of the wind turbines which are highly concentrated in this area.”

“I have asked the Environmental Health Department of Strabane District Council to investigate if this is the source of the signal disruption problem and if it is established that this is indeed the case, then I will be pressing for action to be taken to overcome this problem such as alternative ways to boost the RTE channels signal in the local area. 

Pat Doherty to meet British Secretary of State in Westminster

Sinn Féin West Tyrone MP, Pat Doherty is in London today for a series of meetings with MP’s including British Secretary of State (SoS) Theresa Villiers.

Speaking before leaving for London this morning Pat Doherty said:

“I will be holding a series of meetings with individual MP’s including British SoS, Theresa Villiers and her Labour Shadow SoS Vernon Coaker, in Westminster today as part of  Sinn Féin’s intensive lobbying exercise to influence political opinion on a number of issues crucial to the interests of the Northern electorate."

“I will take the opportunity in meetings with Theresa Villiers, Vernon Coaker and Laurence Robertson MP, NI Affairs Committee Chairperson, to impress on them the hardship that the so-called Welfare Reform Bill in its present form will inflict on the most vulnerable in our society and the damage it will do to the local economy. If Ms Villiers as is claimed is the voice of the North at Cabinet then she needs to take her lead from the Executive and not simply parrot the one size fits all attitude to the economy of her government colleagues. I will focus on the Sinn Féin proposed amendments and our determination to see them addressed."

“In my meetings with Theresa Villiers and Vernon Coaker in particular, I will also be reiterating the Sinn Féin demand for the immediate release of Marian Price and Martin Corey. It is totally unacceptable and an affront to natural Justice that a British SoS can defy the decisions of the Courts and imprison anyone without producing compelling evidence against them."

“Other MP’s that I will be meeting with in an attempt to influence their thinking on the Welfare Reform Bill are NI Affairs Committee members, Nigel Mills MP (Con), Oliver Colville MP (Con) and Dave Anderson MP (Lab)"

Mc Hugh welcomes commencement of work on Clady-Doneyloop footpath

Derg Sinn Féin Councillor Maolíosa Mc Hugh has welcomed the beginning of construction of the footpath from Clady to Doneyloop describing it as a key element in the wider scheme to improve the public realm of the area with an investment of €525,000 to be made in total.

He said,

“Through close collaboration between Donegal County Council and Strabane District Council €3.8 million of EU Interreg funding was secured for the Riverlinks Project and of this amount €525,000 is to be spent on to improve the public realm of Clady/Doneyloop.  The area has been particularly badly affected by the dislocating affects of partition and this investment will have a transforming impact.

“The construction of a footpath between Clady and Doneyloop Chapel is a very practical measure to enhance pedestrian safety and combined with the other multi-element environmental improvements in store for the area, the social and visual amenity for the local community and visitors alike will be greatly enhanced.  
“Through Council I have been pressing for speedy progress to be made on moving ahead with the different schemes contained in the Riverlinks Project and particularly the Clady-Doneyloop scheme in my own electoral area so I am delighted that construction is now to begin on the footpath tomorrow (Tuesday 30th October) and I will continue to work to ensure other elements of the scheme are commenced at the earliest possible date

Boyle highlights mental health issues support services

Sinn Féin West Tyrone MLA Michaela Boyle says that it is important that people affected by mental health problems are aware of the range of support services that are available to help.

The local MLA, and party spokesperson on disability issues, who was speaking at the launch of NI Action Mental Health’s (NIAMH) guidance on stamping out stigma said,

 “NIAMH is one of the largest charities here providing support services for people affected by mental ill health providing counselling, supported housing, day support and advocacy.

“During Mental Health Week we held an event called “Don’t lose your marbles” which was a fun way of raising awareness around mental health issues. It seems to me that momentum is growing and that finally we are beginning to talk about mental health in an open and honest way.

“The stark reality is that 1 in 4 of us will be affected at some point in our lives by a mental health issue. So mental ill health is common - we will either suffer from it at some stage or a member of our family will, or one of our friends.

“However, there is still a stigma associated with mental ill health. This stigma can act as a barrier for people affected coming forward and seeking help. It can also make recovery more difficult when people experience negative reactions from family, work colleagues or neighbours.

“These negative views and stereotyping lead to people being isolated and discriminated against and it is therefore essential that we all work towards breaking down these barriers and putting an end to the silence.

NIAMH “Stamp out Stigma” campaign will help address some of the issues highlighted and allow people with mental health issues the confidence to come forward and get the proper treatment to lead a normal life again.”

Sinn Féin condemns vicious assault on 12 year-old in Strabane

Strabane Sinn Féin Councillor Karina Breslin has expressed her disgust at the unprovoked and vicious assault of a 12 year old boy in Owenreagh Drive in the town on Saturday evening.

She said,

“I would firstly wish the young victim a full and speedy recovery from the traumatic ordeal he has endured.

“This poor boy has been left with serious physical injuries as a result of this unprovoked and vicious assault and the trauma that was inflicted upon him by his assailants will undoubtedly stay with him long after the physical scares have healed.

“This could have been any child walking on their own and the entire community is sickened at the clearly random nature of this despicable attack.

“I would appeal to anyone who has information as to the identities of those involved to bring it forward immediately.”   ENDS