UUP Vote In Favour Of An Ad Hoc Committee

The Ulster Unionist Party has voted in favour of establishing an ad hoc committee to examine and report on whether the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill conform to equality and human rights requirements.

Party welfare spokesperson, Michael Copeland MLA said: "The potential ramifications of the Welfare Reform Bill as presently presented are so enormous that neither my Party, nor I could in conscience leave any stone unturned in our scrutiny of this Bill.

"The Social Development Minister and his Department have effectively sat on this Bill since it received Royal Assent in March and I am on record as having repeatedly called for it to be brought before the DSD committee for scrutiny. This only happened on the 9th October.

"During the scrutiny period the committee received evidence and submissions from around 60 groups, many of who repeatedly stressed concerns regarding the equality and human rights implications of the Bill.

"We are therefore content to allow these issues to be addressed in the format made possible by the establishment of the ad hoc committee. The responsibility for the delay resides with the Minister and his Department, who have effectively swallowed the Welfare Reform Bill with few questions asked, or answered as to how it will affect Northern Ireland. Given the serious implications for all citizens of this country, it should never have been approached in this light handed manner by the Minister."

Minister To Work With Executive To Develop Carbon-Free Future

SDLP Chairman of the Assembly Enterprise, Trade and Investment committee, Patsy

McGlone, has backed calls for DETI Minister Arlene Foster to work closely with the Executive to develop a strategy for a carbon-free future.

The Mid-Ulster MLA was speaking ahead of a motion on the topic which comes before the Assembly.

He said: "The cost of our energy supply, which is so heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, runs to £2.3bn each year, whereas energy production using renewable sources is not only cheaper and more eco-friendly, but is a great catalyst for job creation.

"There is also a huge range of renewable energy sources here in Ireland, from wind and hydroelectric power to geothermal and photovoltaic energy.

"Harnessing the potential of the renewables sector is something that cuts across multiple departments: while energy supply itself falls under DETI, the Finance Minister will look after making renewable technologies mandatory as part of new-builds, DSD will oversee the massive jobs potential of the Green New Deal, OFMDFM take care of the renewable energy requirements of public buildings and my colleague Alex Attwood will look after major infrastructure projects in the sector.

"Add to this the financial incentives generated by the new Green Investment Bank and we have a set of opportunities just waiting to be harnessed by a pro-active, far-sighted strategy for the renewables sector – something the SDLP has been arguing for a long time.

"Fortunately, we have a mechanism in place through the Sustainable Energy Inter-Departmental Working Group which has said it will generate a strategy up to 2050 – something it must come good on.