Other News In Brief

Woman Convicted Of Benefit Fraud

A woman has been convicted for claiming benefits she was not entitled to at Ballymena Magistrates' Court.

Maureen Nesbitt claimed Income Support totalling £2,999 while failing to declare Capital. She was given a Conditional Discharge for 12 months.

Mrs Nesbitt has repaid any outstanding money wrongfully obtained to the Department for Communities.

SDLP To Meet With NIHE Over 'Unreasonable' Offers Of Temporary Housing

An SDLP Councillor is to meet with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) to discuss unreasonable temporary housing being offered to homeless families in Northern Ireland.

Councillor Paul McCusker was speaking after a young mother with children contacted him and told him she had been offered a hostel in L'Derry, despite her children attending schools in Belfast.

He said: "With homelessness comes extreme mental anguish for families and individuals who find themselves in that situation for whatever reason. There can never be a question mark over whether these vulnerable families and individuals risk homelessness because reasonable temporary accommodation is not being offered.

"I will be raising these concerns with the NIHE and others in the coming weeks."

Call For SDLP Leader To Distance Himself From Daniel McCrossan

Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer has called on SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood to distance himself from comments made by SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan.

Mr McCrossan branded Sinn Féin criticism of the Tory-DUP budget as "bulls**t" that makes him "want to vomit".

He said: "This offensive and crass social media posting from Daniel McCrossan is just the latest outburst from a public representative who seems to have nothing to offer but vitriol and anger.

"Sinn Féin's opposition to Tory-DUP cuts and our defence of equality and rights may be vomit-inducing for Daniel McCrossan but they are a very serious matter for us and the 224,000 people who gave us the mandate to do precisely that.

"If Daniel McCrossan believes the rights and entitlements of citizens should be abandoned, then he should also state which citizens he thinks should be discriminated against.

"Instead, he chooses to issue expletive-laden tweets. There is an onus on his party leader, Colum Eastwood, to distance himself from such offensive remarks."

(CD/LM)