News in Brief

Coleraine attack was sectarian

Sinn Féin Coleraine councillor Billy Leonard told An Phoblacht that a gun attack carried out on Monday night 27 September on two flats in the Harpur's Hill Estate in the town was sectarian.

A Catholic man and his Protestant partner were not at home when a number of shots were fired at the downstairs and upstairs properties shortly before 9pm.

Leonard said the Catholic man was warned by unionist paramilitaries last week to "leave the estate or face the consequences".

Leanard says unionist politicians and sections of the media are ignoring the fact that sectarian attacks are ongoing in the Coleraine area.

Derry taxi driver escapes injury

A taxi driver escaped serious injury after a sectarian attack on his cab, which was struck with stones in the Waterside area of Derry around 1pm on Sunday 26 September.

David McGuinness was driving through the loyalist Irish Street when he saw a gang of youths walking along the footpath.

"I thought nothing of it as you don't expect to be attacked during the day. We know there is a risk in certain parts of the city at night," he said.

The driver explained that as he approached traffic lights at Glendermott Road a number of stones rained down on his cab, causing damage to the bodywork.

The driver said the PSNI came round the corner just after the attack and he told them what happened but after driving around the estate for a short while vainly looking for the attackers, they drove off without taking any action.

The driver, who works for Foyle taxis, said he was in no doubt the attack was sectarian. "I had the taxi sign on the roof of the cab so it was clear who I worked for".

There have been a number of sectarian attacks on taxis based on Derry's West Bank in the past number of weeks and Sinn Féin Councillor Lynn Fleming has called on unionist politicians and community workers "to take their heads out of the sand and do something before someone is seriously hurt".

New offices for Mid-Ulster Sinn Féin

A new Sinn Féin headquarters for Mid Ulster was officially opened in Gulladuff, County Derry, by Martin McGuinness on Friday 24 September. This came a week after the opening of the Gulladuff Republican Centre and the unveiling of a Garden of Remembrance on Sunday 12 September.

The centre provides office facilities for Martin McGuinness MP, Geraldine Dougan MLA, seven Magherafelt District Councillors and former prisoners. It also offers a large boardroom/conference facility.

The office is open 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday and offers a drop-in advice service, or appointment based meetings. There exists an experienced team of workers offering advice and support on a wide number of issues affecting constituents and the community.

Cattle farmers make a stand

Irish farmers refused to supply cattle to beef processing plants on Monday in protest at cuts in prices paid for the animals. Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris said the cuts were a serious blow to farmers' incomes and supported their stand. The North Kerry TD said the situation illustrated the extent to which both the processors and retailers are continuously lowering the share of the price that goes to farmers from consumer charges, and called on the Government to take a close look at the manner in which prices are fixed.

All-Ireland pensioner travel

Sinn Féin MLA Fra McCann has welcomed the announcement by the London and Dublin Governments that they are considering extending the free public transport policy for pensioners across the whole island. McCann said that the extension would remove barriers to accessing services and employment, as well as educational, recreational and social opportunities. The West Belfast MLA went on to call for someone to take ministerial responsibility for the rights and entitlements of senior citizens.

DUP in register call

A call from the DUP for the annual registration requirement for potential electors to be removed has been welcomed by Sinn Féin MP Pat Doherty. He said that when the legislation demanding annual registration was published, Sinn Féin raised concerns about it and predicted it would lead to a yearly shredding of the electoral register. However the SDLP, DUP and UUP all supported it. In the following years, up to 250,000 voters in the Six Counties were disenfranchised. Doherty called on the other parties to join Sinn Féin's campaign to remove the legislation.

Call for Six-County smoke ban

The pressure to introduce a workplace smoking ban in the North is now impossible to ignore, according to Sinn Féin MLA John O'Dowd. O'Dowd made his comments in the wake of the news that 7,000 people in the 26 Counties have given up smoking since the introduction of the ban there. He has now called on NIO direct rule Minster Angela Smith to enter into discussion with Northern politicians, practitioners from the health field and representatives of the business and hospitality trade to begin to work out the details for how a ban can be put in place.

Rent hardship

A study commissioned by the social care agency CentreCare, and carried out by the Dublin Institute of Technology, has found that rent supplement restrictions are causing major hardship for many people in the 26 Counties.

Reacting to the news on Tuesday, Sinn Féin TD Arthur Morgan said that he was deeply concerned about a new government plan which will see people denied rent supplement after 18 months on the misleading basis that local authorities, which don't have the funds, will be able to address their housing needs. Morgan said this would lead to further hardship and called on the government to build up its social housing stock so it can start housing people in need.