ALLISTER MEETS DSD/DFP MINISTER
27 June 2006
DUP Member of the European Parliament, Jim Allister QC today had a meeting with DSD Minister David Hanson. Issues discussed at the meeting included: social deprivation in working-class Protestant areas, development of community capacity in rural areas, the future of EU structural funds and the future of PEACE funding. The MEP was accompanied by party colleague George Dawson MLA.
Jim Allister said, “Today we had a useful meeting with David Hanson in which a wide range of issues were discussed. In relation to the plight of working-class Protestant communities throughout the Province, we discussed the recent publication “Renewing Communities” which earmarked £33million to tackle the problems in these areas and which was the product of intensive DUP lobbying. We emphasised to the Minister the importance of seeing such an approach as outlined in the document widened out beyond the greater Belfast area in order to bring maximum benefits to deprived working-class communities throughout Ulster. This will require additional investment on the part of government.
We also stated in the clearest possible fashion that we did not wish to see any of this additional funding, or any other government monies for that matter, going into the hands of paramilitaries who have brought nothing but misery to the communities in which they operate. In many rural areas, community capacity is drastically underdeveloped. We want to see that tackled as a matter of urgency. Recent schemes which are being formulated in relation to support for groups meeting in community halls are most welcome, and we want to see a far-ranging programme in these areas, where local halls such as Orange Halls effectively function as the local community centre and provide the focal point for community-based activity.
We continued to lobby the Minister on the importance of ensuring that Northern Ireland receives its fair share of monies coming from Europe under the auspices of EU structural funds. The Minister assured us that he will fight Northern Ireland’s corner hard, but warned that there are other regions such as the North East of England and Wales, that have big-hitters within the government battling for them. Time will tell how successful the Minister has been in fighting for Ulster. We also outlined our vision of the role that Scotland can play in future programmes”.
