SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Dominic Bradley said the party is raising a 'petition of concern' to force a cross-community vote on a DUP motion extolling the virtues of the B-Specials and UDR. The motion is on the order paper for Monday 24th May.
'This is an incredibly divisive motion and is clearly meant to be just that. It not only flies
in the face of the experience of half of our population of these bodies, it also denies simple historical
reality in favour of tribal mythology'.
'The Ulster Special Constabulary was formed in 1920 out of UVF companies and unionist vigilante groups and armed
with UVF weapons. From the beginning this exclusively Protestant militia engaged in sectarian killings, notably
of the McGuill family in South Armagh and the McMahon family in North Belfast . On their final deployment,
against civil rights protesters in 1969, they shot John Gallagher dead in Armagh in circumstances condemned by
the Scarman Tribunal.
SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Dominic Bradley, party spokesperson on education has congratulated Our Lady's School, Newry on their success in the All-Ireland Schools Irish Language Drama Festival.: 'This is a great achievement for the pupils and staff of Our Lady's involved in the production of 'Lios na SÃ' (The Fairy Fort) which was written and produced by the staff of the school's Irish Department and I heartily congratulate all involved on their success.
SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Dominic Bradley has joined his colleague Cllr Geraldine Donnelly in expressing his revulsion at the attack on Natasha Mc Shane, the young Silverbridge woman who is critically ill as a result of being attacked in Chicago . Commenting on the horrific incident Mr Bradley said:
'This was a shocking attack which has left Natasha in a critical condition. I join with her family and the
whole community in praying for Natasha's recovery. I want her family and friends to know that she has the good
wishes of everyone locally and indeed all over Ireland and further afield. I sincerely hope that she makes a
good recovery.
SDLP MLA and spokesperson on the Irish language has congratulated the pupils and staff of St Paul 's High School
Bessbrook on winning the All-Ireland GLEO Irish language award. Commenting on the acheivement Mr Bradley said,
As a former pupil and teacher in the school I heartily congratulate the pupils and staff of St Paul 's on this
wonderful achievement. St Paul 's has a long history positive promotion of the Irish language going back to the school's foundation. This award comes at a time when boys and girls from the school are involved in a number of All-Ireland ventures including drama and football. Involvement at All-Ireland level is an achievement in itself
and shows that the school is up there among the very best.
Armagh SDLP Councillor Gerald Mallon has expressed his sadness and sympathy following the fatal accident on the Monaghan Road, Armagh this morning. Councillor Mallon, who lives locally said, 'The Monaghan Road is an extremely busy road and all too often there has been accidents along this route and indeed many people have lost their lives tragically.' 'I understand that two cars were involved in this morning's accident and tragically, a lady who was a passenger in one of the cars has lost her life. Whilst I understand that this lady who lost her life did not live locally, no family wants to receive that dreaded call to tell them someone was hurt or fatally injured in an accident. My thoughts and prayers and that of this community are with this lady's family at this difficult time. My thoughts and prayers are also with those in the other cars who were injured.
Newry and Armagh Assembly Member Dominic Bradley said, 'I want to extend my sympathies to the family and loved one of this lady and indeed my thoughts and prayers to all those involved and injured in this morning's accident. This is a notoriously busy stretch of road, it is a main crossborder route and I would appeal to everyone who uses our roads to please slow down and take extra care on our roads.'
SDLP Assembly Member for Newry and Armagh Dominic Bradley MLA has commended Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie for granting a further £6 million to social housing maintenance programmes.
The Newry and Armagh Assembly Member said: "Against the backdrop of the housing budget being decimated by the economic recession, Margaret Ritchie is working an economic miracle in the provision of housing and housing maintenance.
"She is making scarce resources go as far as is humanly possible for those who need houses and those who need their houses improved. This funding will be welcomed by those awaiting kitchen replacements and new heating systems particularly as the cold winter months set in.
"It will also keep thousands of construction workers in secure employment. This will be a huge relief to these workers and their families particularly in the run up to Christmas."
Dominic Bradley MLA said the failure of Sinn Fein and the DUP to make progress on the Education Bill to set up the new Educational Skills Authority (ESA) is threatening to cripple the whole educational infrastructure.
Commenting on the CCMS (Council for Catholic Maintained Schools) disengagement from work on the ESA, he said: "We have been warning for months that Education Minister Caitriona Ruane needed to move this legislation ahead if the ESA is to be in position as planned at the beginning of January when it is meant to replace the five Education and Library Boards. The bill was scheduled for debate in the Assembly on 13th October but it was pulled by the Education Minister at short notice because it had not been discussed at the Executive. It still hasn't and we are running out of time.
"This bill effectively redesigns the architecture of our whole educational system and it cannot be held hostage to political bickering or added to the long list of issues which are paralysed by stand-off between Sinn Fein and the DUP."
Dominic Bradley MLA has said that there is huge anxiety among parents and teachers of children with special educational needs about Minister of Education Caitriona Ruane's plans to change SEN provision.
Commenting on the consultation document 'Every School a Good School - The Way Forward for Special Educational Needs', Mr. Bradley said; "An unprecedented number of parents and advocacy groups have approached me and other public representatives to express their anxieties about the proposals contained in this consultation document."
"Many parents are concerned that children who have statements of special educational needs and the statutory rights which go along with the statement may not have the same rights under the Minister's proposals. It is far from clear what status the replacement for the current 'Statement' (Co-ordinated Support Plans - CSPs) will have under the revised system."
Dominic Bradley MLA said that funding for community and voluntary arts groups needs to be put on a sounder footing if they are to flourish. Mr. Bradley sits on the Assembly's Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee.
Speaking in the Assembly on a committee inquiry into funding of the arts, he said: "The Arts Council claims that 20% of its funding goes to community and voluntary groups, but these groups disagree and say they only get 9%. The Committee takes the view that the primary providers of community arts are those groups which are solely dedicated to delivering community arts on the ground. Funding for these only amounts to 9%. That figure is not acceptable and should be raised to enable the sustainable development of community arts on the ground.
Dominic Bradley MLA said the DUP's campaign of pettiness against the Irish language in the Assembly underlines the need for language rights to be enshrined in law. "In the latest case in point I put a question to Minister Nelson McCausland on lack of progress in implementation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. I asked it first in Irish and then in English. Right on cue, Simon Hamilton of the DUP rowed in with a point of order about me taking more than one minute to ask the question. I don't think I went over a minute, and even if I did there should be latitude for bilingual questions. The irony is that Mr Hamilton is a constant offender when it comes to lengthy diatribes disguised as Assembly questions.
"But this is nothing to do with timing and everything to do with the DUP's campaign of extreme pettiness against the language and every manifestation of Irish culture. It demonstrates just how much we need a rights-based approach to the language issue laid down in legislation as I am seeking to do in my private member's bill for an Official Languages Act."
