Review of MLA Expenses: Party Leaders Endorse Guiding Principles

At a meeting chaired by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, William Hay MLA, the leaders of all of the political parties represented in the Northern Ireland Assembly agreed this evening to a set of ten “guiding principles” which should underpin a recently announced review of the expenses available to Assembly Members. The ten [...]

Executive Ministers Should Take Their Seats At Westminster If They Are An MP

The recent outcry over MP’s expenses has clouded our judgement over the necessity to have Executive Ministers represent us at Westminster in order to represent Northern Ireland effectively. For those who say it is not possible – how does Gordon Brown do his job as Prime Minister and also represent his constituents as an MP [...]

Health and Social Care cuts

Have the cuts in admin and clerical staff in Health and Social Care led to a more ‘efficient’ service with real increases in front line staff, or are highly trained health professionals spending more of their time doing routine administration work as a result of the reduction in administration staff?

I feel I was badly treated by the NIHE.

I have found the NIHE to be an extremely powerful organisation. In my opinion, their complaints procedure is nothing more than a filter system which is designed to grind the complainant down and because it is mandatory, it gives the NIHE an unfair advantage and enables them to evade or possibly disguise any issues which [...]

public sector cut backs

Does cutting back on lower grade admin and clerical staff across the public sector and also the growing use of agency and temporary staff to deliver public services make for greater efficiency, or does it mean higher graded staff have to spend more of their time both doing and checking the routine work done in [...]