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.

National Development Plan spending in the north 'an historic milestone'

West Tyrone Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty has described today as being a significant historic milestone as, for the first time since the partition of this island, a Dublin government administration has being forced to include the six counties of the national territory in its National Development Plan 2007-13.

Mr Doherty said,
“In the “amended” National Development Plan announced today, 1 Billion Euro is earmarked for the development of a host of infrastructure, economic, education, health and other sector projects in the six counties and border counties.

“While this 1 billion figure represents a just over half a percent of the total expenditure envisaged in the overall Plan, its significance is historic in that, for the first time since the partition of this island, a Dublin government administration has been forced to include the six counties of the national territory in its National Development Plan 2007-13.

“Sinn Féin has continually lobbied and argued with the Dublin government of the necessity to adopt an integrated All-Ireland approach to strategic planning on the island so as to ensure balanced regional development, sustainable growth and to practically plan for Irish Unity

“In tandem with continually presenting these arguments to the Dublin government, Sinn Féin has vigorously campaigned on key issues which, because of the artificial border, has left people in areas like the northwest and border counties at a severe socio-economic disadvantage compared to other regions of Ireland.

“These campaigns include: the demand for a motorway/dual carriageway for the N14, A5, N2 route from the North West to Dublin, a regional cancer centre for the north west and for a holistic and properly resourced strategy for the economic regeneration of all the north west through the Gateway initiative, and for people right along the border to be able to access the nearest Out of hours medical service regardless of which side of the border they are on.

“The National Development Plan, while not entering into specifics at this stage, includes in general terms these as issues to be addressed as a priority under its funding programme and the task now is to ensure that the opportunities now opened up are maximized to the full.

Sinn Fein catious welcome for £12m additional roads maintenance funding

West Tyrone Sinn Fein Assembly Election Candidate Claire Mc Gill says that the announcement today by Regional Development Minister David Cairns that an additional £12 million will be provided in the Road Services overall structural maintenance budget of £65m for 2006/7, is to be welcomed but in reality only represents the re-instating the finances that were stripped from the road maintenance budget in this present financial year.
She said,
“It is clear that for some time time now that funding for capital roads investments has been taken from maintenance budgets. Despite the best efforts of local roads service personnel, trying to work within the untenable budgetary constraints imposed upon them, people in rural areas have witnessed a marked reduction in the level of maintenance being carried out to roads in their areas as a result of drastic budget cuts imposed by the Direct Rule Administration in recent years.

“Elected representatives, particularly in the areas west of the Bann worst affected by these cuts, have been lobbying along with the Quarry Products Association to have these cuts reversed. “I welcome today’s announcement that an additional £12m funding is to be allocated primarily towards the much-needed resurfacing of roads. However, given that so many rural roads are now in such a state of utter disrepair due to the neglect imposed by the Direct Rule administration, the amount of additional funding allocated falls far short of what is needed, particularly when one considers that it still has to be sub-allocated to the different road service divisions.

Sinn Fein welcomes suicide prevention initiative

Strabane Sinn Fein Councillor Brian Mc Mahon has described today’s launch, by Direct Rule Health Minister Paul Goggins, of a mentoring pilot scheme to provide support for those who self-harm in the Western Health & Social Services Board Area as one important practical step in the development of a multi-faceted and all-Ireland approach to suicide prevention.


Cllr Mc Mahon said,
“Last year, there were more than 600 deaths by suicide on the island of Ireland, a significant increase on the previous year. The north west, including Strabane District, is one of the areas worst affected by the tragedy of suicide so this pilot scheme is a much intervention to provide support for those vulnerable and at risk to suicide.


“A mentoring scheme will be offered to those who present to Accident & Emergency at Altnagelvin Hospital following an incident of self-harming, and through the support of a mentor a person will be offered help to identify and address the causes of their self-harm and by receiving help to reduce the levels of distress felt by these each person it is hoped that this will ultimately help in reducing the number of people at risk of suicide.”


However, as hospital admission statistics are likely to under-estimate the scale of the problem since not all incidents of self-harm are presented for medical attention, and only a proportion of those who do attend Accident & Emergency are admitted to hospital, there is a need for the community awareness campaign in the north west to ensure that this service can be accessed through other avenues, either directly by an individual or family member or through secondary referrals. I will therefore be requesting that co-ordinators of the pilot scheme be asked to come to Strabane Council and discuss ways of highlighting the availability of this service throughout he local community and to other communities in the Western Board Area


The pilot scheme will run until March 2008, when it will be fully evaluated. If it proves successful, the Department of Health will look to roll out across the six counties.


Sinn Fein has been to the forefront in the campaign for a holistic suicide preventation strategy to be developed on an all-Ireland basis and yesterday a Sinn Féin delegation led by Party President Gerry Adams met the British Health Minister Paul Goggins to review progress on the suicide prevention strategy that was finally was launched by the Department of Health in the six counties on 30 October 2006.


The Sinn Fein delegation urged Paul Goggins to: speedily extend the telephone hotline currently in operation in north and west Belfast to all areas and ensure that it is properly funded and to exert pressure on mobile phone companies to provide a free phone service for anyone phoning the helpline from their mobile phones.


The delegation also raised with the Minister the absence of any visible action on an all-Ireland basis, despite our constant demand that this be put in place. It doesn't make sense that there is no joined up approach between the two Health departments. There is an urgent need for a suicide awareness campaign on an all-Ireland basis.


The Minister told the delegation that he will be putting a proposal on this to the Suicide Strategy Implementation Group on January 17th, and Sinn Fein will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Irish government to discuss this."

Post Office latest instalment in British governments social engineering agenda

West Tyrone Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty says that Royal Mail’s plans to radically reduce the number of Post Offices is but the latest instalment of the British governments social engineering agenda in the six counties i.e. the British exchequer attempting to drastically slash the budget subvention here through a policy of services and infrastructure centralisation and through forced urbanization regardless of the social or real economic cost.

Following a debate in the Assembly yesterday about the Post Office issue in which there was universal opposition to the Royal Mail proposals, the local MP said, “The proposal to drastically reduce the number of Post Offices here cannot be viewed in isolation from the wider agenda of the British government to drastically cut the budget subvention to the six counties through a policy of services and infrastructure centralization and forced urbanization regardless of the social or real economic cost.

“Through the draconian Rural Planning Policy 14, and what amounts to an almost permanent moratorium on housing development in the countryside, the Direct Rule Administration hopes to force a large section of rural population into urban areas, and by closing rural post offices, rural schools and through the increased centralization of health and other essential services, this same Administration is hoping to cement this crass social engineering by removing the infrastructural fabric which has sustained rural communities for generations.

People in rural areas need the post office network. We need to see action that will regenerate our rural communities, not irresponsible and unaccountable actions that will decimate them.

“It is therefore crucial that the proposals to drastically reduce the number of Post Offices is met with the same resolute opposition that has met attempts to impose Rural Planning Policy 14.