News Archives for September, 2006
29 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has said that the publication of the Housing Statistics for 2005-06 by the Department of Social Development highlight the huge scale of the housing crisis. Read full article
28 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has labelled last night's vote in City Hall to scrap the current sale of land at McClure Street and to consult with local residents as a "victory for local residents on both sides of the interface". Read full article
27 September, 2006
Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Stiofan Long has reacted angrily to the announcement by Phoenix Gas that they are to put up their prices by 14.5% from Sunday saying that this latest price hike will hit those least able to pay hardest. Read full article
27 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has welcomed moves by Translink to make changes to their bus schedule to ensure that children from the Short Strand and the Market areas who attend Scoil and Droichead on the Ormeau Road will arrive at school on time. The move comes after Sinn Féin made representations to Translink on the issue. Read full article
26 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has reaffirmed the Party's continued support to halt the imposition of the double taxation policy of the British Government as outlined in the Water & Sewerages Draft Order 2006.
The South Belfast MLA was speaking after a cross party sponsored event, attended by Party colleague Francie Molloy MLA, organised by the Consumer Council at Stormont to address key issues prior to the establishment of the new Government Owned Company (Go - Co) in April 2007. This event was held yesterday morning. Read full article
25 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has welcomed today's meeting, held by the Water Service, to present the findings of their investigation into the cause of the extensive flooding that affected the Lower Ormeau area in December 2005. However, he has criticised the failure of the report to detail how the relevant agencies will respond if this was to happen in the future, and the failure to state whom would be the lead agency if such a crisis was to reoccur. Read full article
21 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey responding to some residents concerns about a proposed social housing development in the Lower Lisburn Road area has said that he believes that the vast majority of concerns can be addressed by ensuring that there is proper consultation with residents. Read full article
20 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has urged the British government to act decisively to resolve the situation in Maghaberry. Mr Ó Donnghaile's comments come as prisoners on the segregated wing began a 72 hour fast. Read full article
20 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey, speaking as a new academic year is about to get underway, has appealed to students new to the South Belfast area to play a pro-active role within their communities and to treat their new neighbours 'with the same respect that they would grant their neighbours at home'. Read full article
18 September, 2006
Sinn Féin South Belfast MLA Alex Maskey has said that the British government are determined to increase the rates pain facing everyone living in the north. Read full article
15 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has urged people to be responsible in the use and sale of fireworks. Mr Ó Donnghaile's comments come after an increase in the use of fireworks, particularly in and around interface areas in the past number of weeks. Read full article
15 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey, speaking after today's announcement that the Laganside Corporation is to be wound up next year, has said that, while there has been real benefits, much more work needs to be done if local communities are to truly benefit from the project. He has also urged that there be more local input into the project when it is transferred to the control of the DSD. Read full article
14 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has urged the Council to move quickly to deal with a problem with rats in the Short Strand area. He also called for the council to ensure that people are made aware of the precautionary measures they can take in relation to this issue. Read full article
14 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has branded British Secretary of State Peter Hain's defence of his rates system as 'dishonest'. Read full article
14 September, 2006
Sinn Féin has questioned the position of Invest NI on jobs creation and employment retention in Belfast as Norwich Union announced that it is making 100 local employees redundant.
Cllr Alex Maskey MLA, who leads the Sinn Fein group in Belfast City Council said that at a meeting arranged by the party this week with Invest NI, the government agency claimed that the future of economic growth over the next few years would lie in back office customer services jobs. Read full article
13 September, 2006
Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Stiofan Long, speaking after an 'Help the Aged' report revealed that more than 1500 elderly people in the North have died during the Winter months since the year 2000, has urged people aged 60 or over to check and see if they are eligible to receive a Winter Fuel Payment. Read full article
13 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey, speaking after attending last night's meeting of the 'Northern Ireland Fair Rates Campaign' in South Belfast has said that the rates crisis facing people in the north will not be dealt with by British direct rule Ministers and stated that a power sharing Executive is needed to ensure that locally elected politicians are in a position to listen and respond to the needs and concerns of local people. Read full article
11 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has said that last night's interface trouble at the junction of the Newtownards Road and Bryson Street was an isolated incident that should not be used to undermine the good work which was ongoing to resolve interface tensions in the area. He also hit out at those responsible for damaging a loyalist monument on the Newtownards Road. Read full article
9 September, 2006
Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Stiofan Long has urged people aged 60 or over to check and see if they are eligible to receive a Winter Fuel Payment. Read full article
9 September, 2006
Sinn Féin Assembly member Alex Maskey will travel to Madrid this weekend. Mr Maskey is one of a small number of Sinn Féin leaders who have frequently travelled to the Basque country and urged the commencement of a genuine conflict resolution process. Mr Maskey will testify in the Spanish National Court on Monday morning in support of 40 Basque political activists who have been charged as part of the Spanish State policy of arresting and demonising Basque political, social and language activists. Read full article
8 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has spoke out against calls by the Alliance Party and the UUP to site a football stadium at Ormeau Park. Read full article
8 September, 2006
Commenting after the latest IMC Report this week, this time into the pace of demilitarisation, East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile said that the IMC views on this issue were equally irrelevant to their views on any other. Mr Ó Donnghaile was speaking in the context of the lack of demilitarisation of the Mountpottinger PSNI barracks which is occupying land which could be put to better use in alleviating the housing crisis in the area. Read full article
8 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has said that Airport bosses at Belfast's George Best City Airport have questions to answer over the failure of flights to abide by the preferences outlined in the Planning regulations. Read full article
8 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has said that the SDLP have serious questions to answer after they backtracked on their pledge to oppose the selling of land at McClure Street by the Council to the highest bidder and have backtracked on their pledge to campaign for family homes on the site. Read full article
6 September, 2006
Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Stiofan Long has said that the restriction on part of the NIE prices for the next 5 years will offer some 'limited' protection against inflation busting increases in the cost of electricity and also called for a focused approach to tackling the problem of fuel poverty. Read full article
5 September, 2006
Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Stiofan Long has welcomed the announcement that new school buses are to be fitted with seatbelts but has said that provisions should be made for seatbelts on current school transport arrangements.
His comments come in light of the announcement made by British minister Marie Eagles saying that funding has been made available for 110 new buses which will have seat belts fitted. Read full article
5 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has welcomed today's announcement of a review into housing affordability but has questioned why it has taken so long to come about. Read full article
4 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey, speaking after it was revealed that house prices in the North surged by more than most annual family incomes last year, said that this means first time buyers will find it harder to get on the property ladder and warned that this was evidence of the growing impact of property speculators and the but-to-let market. Read full article
4 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has said that he shares some of the concerns of local residents in the Lower Ormeau area after plans were revealed to build a new five-storey hotel in the area. Read full article
2 September, 2006
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey, speaking after attending today's Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle in Dublin to deal with a report from the party's negotiations committee in relation to a review of Sinn Féin participation in the Hain Assembly, has said that the Ard Chomhairle has agreed that Sinn Féin Assembly members will participate in the Hain Assembly, on the same basis as before the summer recess, with the sole purpose of restoring the Good Friday Agreement institutions and will therefore engage only in work that genuinely contributes to that objective." Read full article
1 September, 2006
East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó'Donnghaile, reacting to the news that the RIR will no longer be used for patrols in the Six Counties as part of a move to phase out the regiment by next year, has said that the move is long overdue and that 'no nationalist will be sorry to see its demise'. Read full article
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