Doherty seeks clarification on A5 upgrade plans

West Tyrone Sinn Fein MP MLA Pat Doherty has written to An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, British Secretary of State Peter Hain and to the relevant Ministerial and Departmental heads of transport both in Dublin and in Belfast to seek clarification as to the level of upgrade that is proposed for the A5 road between Derry and Aughnacloy as part of the overall upgrade of the main strategic transport corridor between the north west and Dublin.

The local MP said,
“At the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis at the weekend Bertie Ahern said that a financial package agreement with the British Government included a major road serving the North West. He continued to state that ‘this will remove the single greatest impediment to the future development of the North West and the border counties and ‘will help undo the damage of decades of division and underinvestment.’

”I welcome the fact that by saying this Bertie Ahern is explicitly concurring with Sinn Fein’s analysis about the disastrous effects of partition including the decades of under-investment. However, given that the British government’s limited contribution to financial package thus far and given that Bertie Ahern has not specifically spelt out what standard of road upgrade is being proposed for the North West including the A5, I would be concerned that what both administrations are envisaging at the moment would fall far short of what is required. An adopted two by one road or even a purpose built 2 by 1 road will leave this region lagging far behind in terms of the transport infrastructure developments that have already taken place or in the pipe line in every other region of Ireland.

”Sinn Féin has spearheaded the campaign for this upgrade to be of motorway standard so as to bring transport infrastructure development in this region into line with that in all other regions of Ireland so as to create a level playing field in terms of engendering the socio-economic regeneration of the region.

“I have now written to An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, British Secretary of State Peter Hain and to the relevant Ministerial and Departmental Heads in Belfast and Dublin seeking clarification as to the level of upgrade that is proposed for the A5 road between Derry and Aughnacloy as part of the overall upgrade of the main strategic transport corridor between the north west and Dublin.

“A motorway is what is needed and in the time remaining before the institutions are scheduled to be up and running on May 8th, Sinn Fein is seeking clarification from both administrations that this is what is being planned and striving to ensure that the necessary funding for this essential infrastructure development is ring fenced within an improved Peace Dividend.

Appeal for children to stay clear of Adria site

Strabane Sinn Fein Councillor Brian Mc Mahon says that young people who are entering the now derelict Adria factory site, either as a shortcut to and from school, or after school hours are putting themselves in the line of danger.

Cllr Mc Mahon said,
“There is growing concern in the area about how the Adria factory site is being increasingly used by young people, either as a shortcut to and from school, or as some kind of “recreational facility” after school hours and at weekends.

“With heavy plant machinery on the move within the site during the day work has had to be called to an abrupt halt on several occasions due to children passing close to moving vehicles. Furthermore, young people are putting life and limb in jepordy by entering the buildings which are now in a hazardess state.

“This is particularly the case because of the presence of asbestos in the disused buildings of Adria. Given that the removal of this asbestos has to be carried out by a specialized team employed by the contractor and in conjunction with the Environment& Heritage Service, it could have potentially serious consequences if young people come into contact with any asbestos that has beendisturbed or dispersed through vandalism

So I would there made an appeal for children and young people to stay well clear of the Adria site.

Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Services from Altnagelvin to Belfast

West Tyrone Sinn Fein MLA Claire Mc Gill has called upon elected representatives and the general public to unite in opposition to proposals by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) to transfer Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Services from Altnagelvin to Belfast. The newly elected MLA said,

“The DHSSPS is recommending that pathology work on tissue abnormality, used to diagnose cancers and other diseases be moved from Altnagelvin to Belfast in a recent review of pathology service provision in the six counties. It is also recommending the transfer of pathology services from other local and enhanced local hospitals right across the six counties to Belfast

“If this proposal is not stopped in its tracks it will have devastating and far reaching consequences. Not only will it result in delays in the return of cancer screening tests, which in turn will place undue stress and strain on people awaiting these results and their families, but it could potentially compromise the ability to ensure effective treatment intervention at an earlier stage.

“While the pathology review group has proposed that only histopathology and cytopathology services are to be moved from Altnagelvin to a single laboratory in Belfast, while other pathology work will remain, bitter experience tells us that once some services are removed it undermines the sustainability of other related services which are subsequently removed by the DHSSPS on an incremental basis.

The impact that these proposals will have west of the Bann, particularly, on the sustainability of Services at Omagh Hospital is immeasurable. The removal of these services of would severely undermine the ability of Tyrone County to maintain the current levels of diagnostic provision. As a result this would serve to undermine service provision right across west of the Bann and perhaps this is the intention.

“There is also a suspicion that these proposals are a pre-emptive strike by the DHSSPS to undermine the growing case for a Regional Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Centre to be development at either Altnagelvin or Letterkenny to cover the entire catchments area in the north west region of Ireland

“It is ironic that this is even being considered given that NIO Health Minister Paul Goggins turned up in a blaze of publicity just last Wednesday to officially launch the new £18m Pathology Laboratory and Pharmacy Services Centre at Altnagelvin while at the same time the DHSSPS are recommending the removal of vital cancer screening and diagnosis services..

“This is an issue which elected representatives and the general public across the north west region of Ireland must be alert to and be prepared to unite to vigorously oppose these proposals. Sinn Féin representatives have met with consultants and medical staff on this issue and who concur with the analysis about the potentially far reaching and damaging consequences of these proposals. Sinn Féin, in our submission to the Departments Consultation on these proposals has argued for the augmenting of pathology services in all our hospitals as these diagnostic services are the bedrock on which the vast bulk of our health service provision, including community health provision, is built. These proposals must be fought tooth and nail!

Doherty demanding review of Coroner Office service following Mc Ginley family case meeting

West Tyrone Sinn Féin MP MLA Pat Doherty, today accompanied family members of deceased Strabane woman Maureen Mc Ginley on the delegation that meet with officials from Altnagelvin Hospitals to discuss how she sustained 32 rib fractures after her death.

Following the meeting the West Tyrone MP said,
“I accompanied members of the Mc Ginley family to this meeting today in support of their reasonable demand for a full explanation to be given into how their mother sustained these injuries following her death.

“These revelations have caused immense additional trauma to a family already trying to come terms with the loss of their mother, and apart from seeking answers in their own case, the family have also pursued this issue so as to ensure that no other family would have to go through the same heartache and trauma that they have had to go through.

“During the three hour long meeting, family members and members of the delegation probed every aspect of the case in an attempt to get to the bottom of what happened.

“Unfortunately, the result of this in-house enquiry carried out by officials from Altnagelvin did not provide any conclusive explanations as to how these multiple fractures were sustained and apart from securing an apology from the officials about the breakdown in communications with the family and sympathy about the ordeal that they have been put through, the Mc Ginley family are still left with so many questions remaining unanswered.

“To this end, I will be following up on today’s meeting by writing to the Department of Health and the NIO, who are in charge of the day to day running of the Coroners Office, demanding that they jointly undertake a review into the all the procedures that are currently in place and which have been shown, through the efforts of the Mc Ginley family, to be totally inadequate to command public confidence.

“As part of such a review, I will be calling for the formulation and introduction of clearly defined guidelines and measures to provide assurance to relatives of the deceased that the bodies of their loved ones are treated with the utmost care, dignity and respect throughout the coronary service process as part of a wider review into how the centralization of Coronary Services in Belfast which has served to exacerbate the grieving of so many families through delays in the return of their loved ones bodies and particularly because of the unsatisfactory weekend arrangements.”

Anger at weekend trail of destruction in Sion Mills

Sinn Féin Councillor Danny Breslin says that people in Sion Mills are justifiably angry at the rampage of destruction carried out by a group of underage drinkers in the village over the weekend- a rampage which included: the breaking of windows at the Parochial Hall; at the security hut at Herdsman’s Mill; at the telephone kiosk on Main Street, tyres on vehicles being slashed also on Main Street; and damage to other private property in the village.

He said,
“Before this unprecedented weekend rampage, residents in Sion were already angry about the major upsurge in vandalism and other anti-social behaviour in the village.

“The upsurge in this anti-community activity is directly related to the upsurge in the problem of under-age drinking in the village and local people who witnessed what transpired at the weekend say that this was clearly evident.

“Local community activists have being trying their best to talk to young people who have been identified as being involved in this activity and impress upon the damage that they are not only doing to their own community but to themselves.

“This approach has met with some success but it is obvious that there are still some unscrupulous adults who are facilitating youngsters in their ability to access alcohol and I would appeal to anyone who is doing this to stop now.

“Likewise, I would appeal to all parents to make sure that their under-age children are not accessing alcohol and if they find out that that are, they should make strong representations to the person or establishment from which this alcohol was sourced.

Barr heralds opening of Strabane Arts Theatre as milestone event in town’s regeneration

Sinn Féin Councillor Ivan Barr, Chairperson of Strabane District Council’s Cultural Arts and Leisure Committee, has described the opening of the doors of Alley Arts Theatre and Conference Centre to the public tonight as a significant milestone in the regeneration of the town centre.

He said,
“The doors of this state of the art facility open to the public tonight with the Ulster Orchestra in performance and represents, both symbolically and in practical terms, a significant milestone in the regeneration of the town centre.

“At a cost of approximately £3m, the 270-seater venue will undoubtedly become a central focal point for the cultural and social life of the local community. The venue combines intimate atmospheric surroundings with the latest technology like electronically retractable seating and with these unique features I am in no doubt that the venue will become as popular as the “Tinney’s Sculptures” are for local people and for people further afield.

“Combined with the state of the art facilities of the adjoining library complex, the major environmental improvements that have been made to the town centre, the first class sporting facilities that we now have at Melvin, which are the envy of other districts, this exciting new development will further serve to enrich the quality of life for people in the district as we continue on this positive regeneration journey.

Dromore Hunger Strike memorial -Council has acted properly says Sinn Fein Chair

Councillor Seán Begley, the Sinn Fein Chair of Omagh Council says that the local district authority has acted in a proper manner in relation to the complaint received about the republican memorial on council ground at the Old Church in Dromore.

He said,
“Bobby Sands was the MP for the area, when the Dromore area was part of the old Fermanagh/South Tyrone Constituency and to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of his death local people decided to erect a small memorial stone and plant ten trees at this site in memory of the Hunger Strikers and three local people who had been killed by Crown Forces.

“The erection of this memorial pre-dated the adoption by Omagh District Council of its Equality Policy. When Council received a complaint in relation to the memorial it got legal advice and did an investigation into who erected the memorial.

“The organisers of the memorial, the Dromore Commemoration Committee, subsequently made a request to buy the small plot of land on which the memorial is located as a way of amicably resolving the issue.
“At that time the council did not have a policy on disposing of land in graveyards for memorials and on foot of further legal advice agreed to an Equality Screening Exercise and an equality impact assessment. These steps were unanimously agreed to in Council. While the Screening Exercise was carried out the complaint was made to the Equality Commission in the interim and Omagh District Council has been since awaiting the Commission’s findings. The Commission, like Council has recommended the carrying out of a full Equality Impact Assessment and this will now proceed and Council will continue to act in an above board and proper manner.

“Speaking in my capacity as a Sinn Féin Councillor, I would like to point out that the community in Dromore is overwhelmingly republican and nationalist and a place where there is a deep affinity with the sacrifice of Bobby Sands and the other Hunger Strikers. Just as republicans acknowledge the importance and sanctity of war memorials and cenotaphs to so many with the unionist community, I would therefore call on unionist representatives, and particularly the DUP who are clearly behind this campaign, to begin to display the same sensitivity and respect for the memorials which so many people within our community hold dear and cherish.

a vótóirí Shinn Féin

Ba mhaith linn ómós a thabhairt do na 18, 437 daoine a chaith vóta do Shinn Féin in Iarthar Thír Eoghain ar an 7 Márta. Leis an sainordú iomráiteach seo agus trí bhainisteoireacht vótála diansmachta, rinne sibh deimhin de go dtoghadh an trúir iarthóir Shinn Fein sa dáilcheantar ar bharr an liosta. Bainfidh muid úsáid as an sainordú seo chun ár seirbhísí dáilcheantair a fhorbairt ar bhur son, chun a dheanamh cinnte go mbeidh an pholaitíocht ag obair, chun athrú bunúsach dearfach a dhéanamh ar chursaí sóisialta agus eacnamaíochta agus chun Éire Aontaithe a bhaint amach.

We would like to pay tribute to the 18,437 people across West Tyrone who voted for Sinn Féin on March 7th. By giving this resounding mandate and through disciplined vote management you ensured the election of the three Sinn Féin candidates in the constituency with poll topping performances. We will use this mandate to continue to build our constituency services on your behalf, to make politics work, to deliver radical positive social and economic change and to bring about Irish Unity.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh uilig go léir.

Is sinne le meas,
Pat Doherty MP MLA, Barry Mc Elduff MLA, Claire Mc Gill MLA

MC GILL BELIEVES “RURAL AFFAIRS TASK FORCE” ESSENTIAL

West Tyrone Sinn Fein Assembly Election Candidate Claire Mc Gill believes that the creation of a Rural Affairs Task Force needs to be an urgent priority of the Assembly so as to counteract what she describes as the relentless onslaught by the NIO against the fabric that sustains our rural communities.

Cllr Mc Gill said,
“We presently have 11 NIO departments formulating and implementing policies which impact upon every aspect of our lives yet not one of these policies is being rural proofed. “The reason why policies across the 11 Departments are not being rural proofed is very clear i.e. because the infrastructure and services needed to sustain rural communities are firmly in the sights of the British Exchequer’s strategy to extract as much financial savings as possible from the six counties through forcing as many people as possible into urban settings and so increasingly centralise infrastructure and services.

“The imposition of Rural Planning Policy PPS 14 is part of this strategy as is the onslaught against our rural schools, health facilities and services, post offices and other crucial services, not to mention the perennial lack of investment in rural road, sewage and water infrastructure.

The British Exchequer’s strategy is being administered by the NIO agenda and fronted by the Direct Rule Ministers.

“The creation of a Rural Affairs Task Force, to counteract this onslaught against rural communities and the rural way of life that has existed for generations, must therefore be an urgent priority of the Assembly and its remit must be to devise policy recommendations that give equal weighting to the twin objectives of maintaining and vibrant rural communities while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability for this and future generations.

Castlederg Policing issue- Doherty seeking Nuala O Loan to attend Public Meeting

West Tyrone Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty has made a written request to Police Ombudsman Nuala O Loan asking her to attend a public meeting in Castlederg so as to appraise constituents of the complaints procedures available against PSNI officers who they believe to be operating in a partisan political manner.

The local MP has followed up a meeting he held with Nuala O Loan on Friday last with this request saying,

“I had requested Friday’s meeting with Nuala O’Loan to discuss the relentless campaign of victimization being carried out by the PSNI against the nationalist community in Castlederg, and in particular, the campaign being waged against young male nationalist in the area.

“Apart from the PSNI adopting a consistently aggressive approach when dealing with people they clearly recognise as being from the nationalist side of the community in this area, this campaign has seen an unprecedented number of young nationalists being arrested and dragged before the courts- a number that bears totally no resemblance to the demographic make of the local community.

“In December 2005, hundreds of local nationalists were forced to protest outside Castlederg PSNI barracks such was the anger about the overtly partisan nature of policing in the area. However since that time the situation has, if anything, got progressively worse.

“Among the issues I raised with Nuala O Loan were some of the recent examples of this political policing by the PSNI in Castlederg including: interrogating and subjecting two young catholic school boys to a traumatic ordeal after wrongly accusing them of stealing from a local shop in the town in November and arresting nationalist youths at the behest of a loyalist crowd in December.

“I have now also received written confirmation from the Ombudsman’s Office that following an earlier complaint I submitted in my capacity as MP, disciplinary action is now to be taken against a PSNI officer for ‘facilitating’ the progression of an Apprentice Boys parade along a stretch of the Lurganbuoy Road which had been prohibited by the Parades Commission.

“I believe that Nuala was seriously concerned about the situation in Castlederg and I trust that she will take up my request for her to attend a public meeting to appraise constituents of the complaints procedures available against PSNI officers who they believe to be operating in a partisan political manner.

“Perhaps her attendance at this public meeting will carry even more significance in that it will firmly shine the spotlight on what has been going on in Castlederg as will Sinn Fein’s continued representations on the issue at the highest levels of both governments.”

"Boy racer" endangered lives of Clady residents

Sinn Fein Cllr Gerard Foley says that the normal tranquillity of life in Clady (Co Tyrone) was shattered when a young motorist decided that he would turn the narrow streets of the village into his own personal rally circuit on Sunday afternoon last- a completely reckless action which Cllr Foley says almost ended in tragedy when “this boy racer” lost control of the car and as hit a bank at the junction of the Urney/Bellspark Road.

Cllr Foley said,
“People in the area are still in a state of shock about the death of a local woman in the tragic accident on the Urney Road. Given what has happened local people are enraged that this so called boy racer could not only be so insensitive in the extreme, but was so reckless to not only endanger himself but any unfortunate pedestrian who happened to be in his path as he turned the narrow streets of the village into his own personal rally track. His car eventually hit the bank verge at the junction of Urney/Bellspark Road but it just by sheer luck that no one was killed or injured in the incident.

“People in the village have to continually contend with the safety hazards presented by heavy duty vehicles taking a shortcut through the small streets of the town which are totally unsuited to this type of traffic and the last thing we need is incidents like Sundays.

“Roads Service needs to come to its senses about the urgent need for traffic calming measures in the village and I am not prepared to let this matter rest no matter how many times it refuses to exceed to this demand from the local community.”

Journey to redress decades of neglect and inequality must be fully underpinned.

West Tyrone Sinn Féin Election Candidate Barry Mc Elduff says that it is only through the permanent restoration of all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and the delivery by the British government of real and meaningful Peace Dividend that locally elected and accountable representatives can begin in earnest to redress the decades of neglect and inequality directed against areas west of the Bann like Omagh and Strabane Districts.

Barry Mc Elduff said,
“Few would disagree with the proposition that if all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement had of being allowed to operate uninterrupted and to develop to their full operational capacity since 1998, that the journey to redress the decades of neglect and inequality directed against areas west of the Bann like Omagh and Strabane would be now well advanced.

“However, since the British government unilaterally brought down the Good Friday institutions at the behest of political unionism, we have been subject to a particularly vindictive Direct Rule Administration regime.

“This Regime has now overlaid the historical legacy of neglect and inequality in our areas with the attempted imposition of totally unjust and punitive policies against every man woman and child here whether it be through: Rural Planning dictate PPS14; the asset stripping and stealth taxes crusade through water charges and rate hikes; or through the drastic cuts to public expenditure in health, education and other public services.

“It is only through the permanent restoration of all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and their operation on a fully functioning basis, including the All-Ireland dimensions, that locally elected and accountable representatives can begin in earnest to redress the decades of neglect and inequality directed against areas west of the Bann like Omagh and Strabane and to reverse the punitive policy crusade of the Direct Rule Administration Regime..

“Moreover, the British government must be made to pay for the legacy of neglect that it has presided over here so that the restored institutions are equipped with the resources to pave the way for positive and meaningful socio-economic change.

“Sinn Fein has been therefore demanding in negotiations with the British government, that to address all these issues that it provides to the restored institutions a real Peace Dividend of £10 billion over 10 years, additional to other measures such as the £16 billion Investment Strategy.

Positive Sinn Féin leadership in contrast to that of DUP

West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty says that the strong leadership shown by Sinn Féin in advancing the Peace Process stands in stark contrast to the complete absence of any signs of leadership from the DUP.

The local MP said,
“Throughout this process Sinn Féin has taken initiative after initiative to advance the Peace Process and our vision of an independent Ireland based on justice and equality.

“It is the easiest thing in the world to remain within ones comfort zone and avoid difficult and painful decisions. However, like so many things in life, the easy option is very rarely the right option and for those of us who want to bring about the maximum amount of political, social and economic change on this island standing still is not an option. Sinn Féin has not been lacking in courage when it comes to making extremely difficult decisions

“In contrast, the DUP has remains fossilised in the same ‘no mode’ which has characterized the party since its inception. Up until this juncture, the DUP has never had to make a difficult decision in its political lifetime.

“However, the historical absence of positive leadership from the DUP is now coming back to haunt it tenfold as it faces the ultimate decision of whether or not it is prepared to share power with republicans and nationalists on the basis of equality and in the context of all-Ireland institutions or whether it wants to consign the constituency it purports to represent to joint administration of affairs in the six counties by both governments under Plan B.

“Because of absence of positive leadership from the DUP, it is a case of their chickens all coming home to roost at the one time. The question is has the DUP leadership got the courage, at even this late stage, to make the right decisions so as to help forge a better future for everyone on this island including the people its purports to represent. We will all find out in the next few weeks.

Secure absent vote entitlement before Valentines Day

Councillor Seán Begley, the Sinn Féin Director of Elections in West Tyrone, has called on every registered voter who will be unable to make it to the polling station in person on Wednesday 7th March to ensure that they secure their vote by applying for a proxy or postal vote before Valentines Day, Thursday 14th February.

He said,
“From Thursday the 1st February until the 14th February (Valentines Day) anyone who will not be able to vote in person on Election Day March 7th should apply for either a postal or proxy vote. “This includes people who are housebound due to illness, students who are away at University, people who work away from home or people who will be on holidays at this time.

“Postal and proxy registration forms can be downloaded from the Electoral Office Website: www.electoralofficeni.gov.uk or your local Sinn Féin Office.

Sinn Féin raise Castlederg PSNI actions with NIO-want Nuala O’Loan to investigate

West Tyrone Sinn Féin MP Pat Doherty has written to the police Ombudsman Naula o’ Loan seeking an urgent meeting to discuss the relentless campaign of victimisation being carried out by the PSNI against the nationalist community in Castlederg area and in particular the campaign being waged against young male nationalists in the area.

And in another development, Sinn Féin Policing Spokesperson Gerry Kelly, together with party MLA Raymond Mc Cartney, further raised the actions of Castlederg PSNI with NIO Security Minister Paul Goggins at a meeting yesterday.

The local MP said,
“This systematic and ongoing campaign has seen unprecedented numbers of young nationalists from this area being arrested and dragged before the courts. For example, the number of local nationalists finding themselves in this position is shockingly out of all proportion compared to the demographic make up of the area, and this statistic alone shows highlights that there is something rotten going on .

“In December 2005, hundreds of local nationalists were forced to protest outside Castlederg PSNI barracks such was the anger about the overtly partisan nature of policing in the area. However, since that time the situation has got progressively worse.

“While the spotlight needs to be shone on the partisan policing activities of the entire PSNI garrison in Castlederg, local people are in no doubt that this campaign is being primarily spearheaded by an infamous PSNI Sergeant who is stationed at Castlederg PSNI Barracks.

“Sinn Féin is now pursuing the actions of the PSNI in Castlederg with both NIO Security Minister Paul Goggins and Nuala O’ Loan and if the Police Ombudsman accedes to a meeting, I will be requesting that she initiates an investigation into not only this named PSNI Sergeant but also into the other Castlederg PSNI members who are also central to this clear campaign of victimisation and harassment against the nationalist community in Castlederg.