Dodds will bring us through
I wish to congratulate the Minister for Finance and Personnel and the Executive as a whole on their response to the economic downturn that we are currently passing through.
I say passing through, because I am confident that we can and will pull through this hardship and this has been made that little bit more possible for some due to the package which has been announced to aid the people of the Province.
Major infrastructure projects, with an estimated value of almost 1.3bn, are under construction and further projects are scheduled – good news for our construction industry workers.
I was pleased to see that the plight of fishermen caused by EU legislation has been noted and that a small burden of harbour and light fees have been taken off them to the tune of 0.7m.
The news that Children's fund through DHSSPS is to receive 1.6m could be a real help to community workers such as Homestart, Lifestart, Surestart and Midstart.
Times are tough and most of us are certainly feeling the pinch so any relief has got to be good news and a sincere well done must go to Nigel Dodds and his department for their insight and the hard work put into making a difference to people's lives in the Province.
Our vulnerable are being cared for with a one-off payment for fuel for those on income support or pensions and this is good news.
Unfortunately there is no money tree and resources are limited, meaning that there are areas which could do with help but have not gotten as much as is needed and this cannot be helped.
In my view the Minister for Finance has again shown his aptitude for his job and has delivered help and hope for families all over the Province.
Well done to the Minister and his department – we appreciate the hard work and the outcome.
"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all." – Martin Luther King Jr.
In Northern Ireland we are renowned for the quality of 'get up and get on with it' – we need to keep going through this tough time, with the hope that blue skies are just above this grey cloud we are facing.
Alderman Jim Shannon, MLA
DUP Constituency Advice Centre
Newtownards
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Weather for Belfast
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
