Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council in partnership with the Department for Infrastructure, has become the first Council in Northern Ireland to sign the ‘Share the Road to Zero’ pledge, an ambitious initiative to stop all road deaths in Northern Ireland.
The Department of Justice has extended the appointments of the current Chairperson and three Trustees of the Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Foundation.
Statistics on young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) were published today by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.
Reacting to the Autumn Statement announcement, Green co-leader Carla Denyer said:
“The government has chosen headline-grabbing pre-election tax cut bribes over doing their job properly – providing good public services and protecting citizens from harm caused by the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis.
“Indeed, this was a particularly cruel statement for the long-term sick and some disabled people who will now be forced into work or lose their benefits.
“People won’t be fooled by a few extra quid in their pay packet when they can’t get a dentist, the wait to see the GP is getting ever longer, and the impacts of the climate crisis are becoming ever more obvious and close to home.
“The government is fishing for a day’s worth of General Election friendly headlines at high long-term costs to public services, people’s quality of life and the environment.
“The country cannot afford pre-election tax cut bribes from this failed Tory government. They mean postponing, yet again, the action we need to tackle the climate crisis – action that would create new, secure, well-paid green jobs.
“Living in a decent society means investing in public services that meet the needs of people and planet. We can afford better public services. We can protect the environment and the most vulnerable in society, keep people warm and lift people out of poverty.
“With more Green MPs in Parliament after the next General Election, we would rebalance the tax system so that the super-rich pay their fair share and use the money to mend the NHS, invest in preventative public health services, support those in greatest need, and boost the transition to a greener economy and all the benefits that will bring.”
The Green Party has a 10-point plan of distinctive tax and spend policies to create a fairer, greener country [1]:
Restoring the public health budget by increasing spending by £1.4 billion
Immediately increasing NHS spending by £8 billion, to ensure NHS staff can be paid an inflation matching pay award
Meeting the Government’s current plan to increase access to NHS dentists by increasing spending 50 per cent – £1.5 billion – of the total NHS dentistry budget
Ending the rise in homelessness caused by the cap on Local Housing Allowances at a cost of £700 million
Increasing Universal Credit by £40 per week at a cost of £9bn
Abolishing the two-child benefit cap to reduce poverty for some of the most vulnerable children in the country by increasing the welfare budget by £1.3 billion
Providing the necessary powers and funding to rural local authorities to take back control of bus services so they can increase routes and service frequencies at a cost of £3bn
Turning ISAs green by linking their tax exemptions to investments in green bonds
Investing an additional £3billion in Green Transition Grants for small businesses to help them prepare for and take advantage of the opportunities offered by greening the economy
Rebalancing the tax system to raise an extra £30 billion through changes to Capital Gains Tax, National Insurance and the abolition of “non dom status” which would pay for the proposed measures
The Department for the Economy has today published a statistical report presenting key findings from the Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey (YPBAS) 2022 in relation to careers advice and guidance to year 11 and 12 pupils in Northern Ireland and their future intentions.