War Widows Hosted

The Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson yesterday hosted the War Widows' Association (WWA) at Parliament Buildings. Around 60 war widows and guests enjoyed a tour led by Peter Robinson, pictured here with the Northern Ireland Regional Organiser of the WWA Alberta McMenemy and (right) Chairman of the WWA Rosalind Campbell. "I am deeply honoured to welcome the War Widows' Association to Stormont in this their 40th anniversary year. It is a privilege to be involved in their celebrations. "We should remember the dead but not forget the living," he said. The War Widows' Association was formed in 1971 and has more than 4,000 members with nearly 700 widows in Northern Ireland alone. Its work encompasses those who have suffered bereavement as a result of World War II and all conflicts since then including Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Driver Critical

The PSNI has said that a 20-year-old woman is in a critical condition in hospital following a road accident in Co Armagh yesterday. The one vehicle crash happened on the Annareagh Road in Richhill at about 1pm on Tuesday. Police said the woman had been taken to hospital following the collision and have appealed for information.

Integrate Education Call

The Alliance Education spokesperson Trevor Lunn has given his backing to the 'One School of Thought' education initiative which is calling for a reformed education system that will see all children learn and be taught together in their local schools. "The integrated school movement has shown what can be done and there is clearly an appetite for a shared system amongst the population. We need to tackle division in our society and education is a key area in which we can deliver positive change. It is vital that we work to improve community relations and more shared and integrated education will also help us deliver the best value for money in our public services," he said.

Country Matters

The NI Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill this week outlined plans to resolve recent issues surrounding the NI Countryside Management Scheme (NICMS). "I was deeply disappointed to find out that progress with payments to 2010 claims and new applications to the NICMS have been adversely affected by a high level of non-compliance and over-declarations to this voluntary scheme which were detected during inspections on 2010 claims. This has resulted in the need for approximately 400 additional inspections to meet EU requirements, which ultimately has a bearing on Departmental resources. However I am able to announce that my Department is taking positive action to resolve these issues," she said. "If claimants have not yet received their 2010 NICMS payments, they may be among those selected for an inspection as a result of the high number of non-compliances. These inspections have already commenced," she said, adding: "Within EU schemes including Single Farm Payment, we are duty bound to ensure that applications fully comply with the guidelines. This is particularly relevant when completing future Single Application Forms."

(BMcC/GK)