Agriculture Minister Backs Plans To Extend Flood Relief To Businesses

The SDLP has said the "lights have finally been switched on" in the Sinn Féin ministerial offices after the Agricultural Minister backed the Environment Minister's plan to extend some of the flood relief to businesses.

SDLP Upper Bann MLA Dolores Kelly said Agricultural Minister Michelle O'Neill has "at last seen sense".

She said: "The Agriculture Minister has at last seen sense and is backing Mark H Durkan's plan to extend relief to businesses which have up to now been abandoned by his Executive colleagues.

"That said, I question why the Minister did not endorse this idea at the emergency Executive meeting which could have meant businesses in need would have received help by now.

"The benefits of the plan were clear and obviously sound as she is now claiming it as her own. Either this is plagiarism politics of the highest order or it just took time to sink in.

"I have first-hand knowledge of the impact the delay in action has had on businesses and knowing that my colleague had suggested a course of action as far back as the 23rd December is galling.

"Indeed had it not been for Minister Durkan continually highlighting that a flood fund of £1.3m had been supplied by Westminster, there would have been no impetus for an emergency meeting and no guarantee that this money would have been used to help people in their hour of need."

Julia McKee Selected As UUP's Assembly Candidate For Foyle

Julia Kee has been selected as the Ulster Unionist Party's Assembly candidate for the constituency of Foyle.

UUP leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, said: "Every time I visit Londonderry, I am more and more deeply impressed by the impact Julia Kee is making as a community worker. She reflects the truth of that old saying that all politics is local and to make that real, you need to be grounded in the day to day lives of those you represent.

"The unionist people of Londonderry rightly seek the very best representation possible, and I am confident Julia is one of the best. No one is arguing that what Stormont is delivering is as good as it gets. The people desire and deserve better and Julia Kee makes that offer."

Alliance Disappointed At P&O Ferries Decision

East Antrim Alliance MLA, Stewart Dickson, has expressed his disappointment that P&O Ferries is to end its Larne to Troon service with immediate effect.

Mr Dickson said: "This is a disappointing development for Larne and its harbour, however I do recognise that P&O is simply responding to the economic conditions which make the route unprofitable to run.

"Furthermore, P&O have informed me that they did make serious attempts to continue the route, through the procurement of lower cost chartered fast-craft, but this has been unsuccessful.

"Nonetheless, I welcome P&O's continued commitment to Larne, with £500,000 of investment being put into their Cairnryan-bound vessels over the next 18 months, as well as the development of new business in the Port of Larne."

(CD/JP)