Greater Accountability Needed With Legal Aid

Lagan Valley MLA Paul Givan has said those responsible for administering legal aid must be held accountable and take responsibility for failing to ensure taxpayers’ money has not been fraudulently claimed.  Commenting the Chair of the Stormont Justice Committee said: “The cost of the legal aid system in Northern Ireland has been a scandal for many years, with serious questions having been raised in the past about how the budget has been managed. 

"The accounts for the Legal Service Commission have been qualified every year since it was established because the systems in place and the way they operated cannot guarantee that fraud has not taken place. 

"This is an unacceptable position for an organisation responsible for hundreds of millions of pounds over the last nine years. Systems must be put in place as a matter of urgency to ensure abuse cannot take place and taxpayer’s money is not fraudulently claimed. It is also concerning that these claims of fraud have been raised in respect of the legal profession."

Irish-Medium Primary School In Cookstown Approved

Education Minister, John O’Dowd, has approved a development proposal for a new free-standing Irish-medium school, Gaelscoil Eoghain, in Cookstown.
Commenting on the decision, Mr O’Dowd said: “The Department has a statutory duty to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish-medium education and I examine each proposal on a fair and consistent basis. There is evidence of a demand from parents to have their children educated through the medium of Irish, with a successful naíscoil already operating in the area. I have therefore decided to award conditional approval of grant-aided status to the school and wish the school every success in the future in delivering a quality education for its pupils through the medium of Irish.”

Irish Cement Workers Protest At CRH Group AGM

Irish Cement workers are protesting outside the CRH Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, today (Wednesday, 9th May) as part of their campaign to secure monies which are owed to them.

The workers, from the Irish Cement Ltd production plants in Castlemungret, Co. Limerick and Platin, Co. Meath, are in their sixth week of strike action. Irish Cement Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of CRH.

SIPTU Construction and Utilities Division Organiser, Christy McQuillian, said: "These workers had no alternative but to take strike action to secure the monies which the company owes them. The workers are bringing their grievances directly to CRH Group shareholders and calling on them to ensure that the monies the workers earned in 2011 are paid to them."

(CD)