Distretto Nord

Il poliziotto non deve essere ‘una pedina politica’

Policeman ‘mustn’t be political pawn’

The First Minister has said a policeman forced from his home by dissident republican threats on his life must not be used as a pawn in a political push for extra funds.

Peter RobinsonPeter Robinson said Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie must immediately fund the case and any others approved for the government scheme which buys property from people considered to be in danger.

Ms Ritchie, who administers the Sped scheme (Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings) through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, said she was seeking extra money from Finance Minister Sammy Wilson.

Mr Robinson said: “Government has standard procedures for dealing with funding pressures and ministers know they cannot ignore their obligations. Normal procedures should be followed.

“Margaret knows very well that colleagues have never failed to deal with emergency situations.

“The people faced with these emergency circumstances should not be used as pawns in a political push for wider departmental funds.”

Finance minister Sammy Wilson said it was the SDLP minister’s responsibility to manage her budget and that she had been the only minister in the last monitoring round to receive extra funding for her housing budget.

Her department was swift to respond, saying the scheme had fallen foul of the credit crunch and plunge in property prices.

In the financial year 2008-09 the Sped scheme purchased 46 homes at a cost of £.8m but had been able to sell only four at a price of £400,000, it said.

Ms Ritchie responded: “I totally agree with Peter Robinson that people in this position should not be used as political pawns, I have not sought any publicity regarding this.”

“What the people affected by this want, and I have sympathy for them, is for this matter to be resolved quickly. If the Finance Minister or the First Minister are prepared to give me a guarantee that they will find the funds, I will borrow funds from the housing maintenance budget in the short term to help those people.”

“Yesterday the First Minister indicated some positive things about an inclusive approach to government. It is disappointing that government ministers are pursuing the Sped issue across the airwaves.”

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René Querin

Di professione grafico e web designer, sono appassionato di trekking e innamorato dell'Irlanda e della sua storia. Insieme ad Andrea Varacalli ho creato e gestisco Les Enfants Terribles.

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