Other News In Brief

Sinn Féin Welcomes Supreme Court Decision On Widowed Parent's Allowance

Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court to grant Siobhan McLaughlin access to a Widowed Parent's Allowance for her children.

Speaking following the decision, he said: "I am delighted for Siobhan McLaughlin who today has won the right to claim Widowed Parent's Allowance.

"It is unacceptable that she was denied this benefit for her four children following the death of her partner on the basis that her and her deceased partner were not married.

"Not only have she and her children lost a partner and a father, they have had to go through the unnecessary added stress of going through the courts to fight for this outcome today."

Bus Lane Decision 'Inevitable In The Absence Of A Minister'

The decision to defer an experimental scheme allowing private hire taxis in bus lanes was "inevitable in the absence of a Minister", Alliance Infrastructure spokesperson Kellie Armstrong has said.

Ms Armstrong was speaking after the Department for Infrastructure confirmed it could not take the decision to go ahead with the scheme, saying it would instead put it to any future Minister.

She said while she recognised the frustration many in the private taxi industry will feel from the announcement, the postponement of the scheme will allow the new Glider service to be fully operational on its own.

She continued: "This delay is down to the fact we have no Ministers in place to take political decisions. If the private taxi industry are frustrated they should look to DUP and Sinn Féin as to the reason why we have no decision-making process. While this impasse continues, difficult decisions will be shelved.

"Yet while the reasons behind this decision are frustrating, it will pave the way for a better comparison in the long run. By the time any pilot scheme gets up and running, the new Glider vehicles will have had single use of the bus lanes for some months - making it easier to assess the success or weaknesses of any later pilot scheme.

"Northern Ireland is behind the times when it comes to public transport and despite recent issues in the Titanic Quarter, the Glider offers an opportunity to modernise and keep up with other towns and cities across Europe. I hope everyone who has the opportunity will make the best use of the new facilities over the coming months."

Lisburn Resurfacing Scheme To Begin On 03 September

A £119,000 road improvement scheme has been announced by the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

The works on the Trench Road, Lisburn will commence on Monday 03 September.

The resurfacing works, on the stretch between Agnatrisk Road and Moira Road, will greatly improve the strength and surface quality of the road.

To facilitate the work it will be necessary to operate a daily road closure. From 03 September until 07 September the road closure will be in operation between 9.30 am and 6.00 pm and from 08 September until 01 October it will operate between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm. During these times a diversionary route will be in operation via the Agnatrisk Road and Moira Road.

Road users may experience some delays in the vicinity and should allow additional time when planning any journeys.

It is expected work will be substantially completed by early October, however, this is subject to favourable weather conditions and the Department will keep the public informed of any change.

(MH/CM)