DUP Member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Jonathan Bell has urged the Chief Constable and senior police officers to liaise closely with social services trusts throughout Northern Ireland to protect children being used by dissident Republican criminals as human shields. Mr Bell said it was important that those parents who permit or allow their children to be used in such a way should be investigated for parental neglect. Speaking today Jonathan Bell MLA said:
“The Chief Constable has confirmed to me that police have identified eight or nine year old children being used in a riot situation.
Using children as human shields shows the depths of barbarism these criminals will stoop to. Two key issues present themselves: parental neglect and significant harm: it is not enough for a parent to say to a child “you can stay out till midnight but steer clear of the riot”. Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their children are not placed at risk of significant harm. Leaving their children at a riot interface, where petrol bombs, gas cylinders, fireworks and heavy masonry, represents a violation of that duty.
There needs to be enhanced co-operation between police and social services, under established legal protocols, to protect vulnerable children. We have now established clear evidence of children as young as eight and nine being exploited by dissident Republican criminals. This should be labelled accurately as child abuse for that is exactly what it is. Using children as human shields or pro-actively purchasing petrol and distributing it to them to throw in petrol bombs is exploitation.
Society cannot tolerate a situation whereby children are being exploited in this way. The parents of those who allow their children to be abused in this way cannot escape their responsibilities. As to those using the children, I have no doubt that they don’t care one way or the other what happens to the kids caught up in riots. Their bitterness and hatred is such that the death of a child wont cause them a second’s thought.”
DUP MLAs are hardest working
AVERAGE VOTING RECORD BY PARTY (ASSEMBLY TERM SINCE 2007):
DUP 81%
SDLP 78%
SF 74%
ALL 66%
UUP 60%
Best Individual Voting Records:
Alastair Ross MLA (DUP) 97%
Peter Weir MLA (DUP) 97%
Jimmy Spratt (DUP) 97%
Allan Bresland (DUP) 97%
Patsy McGlone (SDLP) 97%
Alex Easton MLA (DUP) 93%
Ian McCrea MLA (DUP) 93%
Simon Hamilton MLA (DUP) 93%
DUP Chief Whip Peter Weir has said that the publication of statistics on the voting record of all Assembly Members demonstrates the DUP’s commitment to serving the people of Northern Ireland and in ensuring that the Party’s MLAs are doing the work they are elected and paid for.
Mr Weir said, ‘Every Assembly Member will know the importance of constituency work and in assisting people with the problems which face them. However, one of the primary jobs of any MLA is as a legislator and that requires attendance at Stormont to scrutinise and vote on the Bills which are passing through the Assembly.
The attendance rate of the Ulster Unionist Party makes it difficult to ensure that important votes are won at the Assembly. Indeed, if the DUP adopted the same laissez-faire attitude as so many UUP MLAs do, I have no doubt that that nationalists would be winning key votes on important matters.
For all their moaning about full time representation and lack of executive scrutiny, it is telling that the Ulster Unionists have the worst group voting record. You can't scrutinise and hold to account if you don't bother turning up. If you don't bother turning up, you are in no position to demand higher standards of other people that you yourself don't abide by.
The average voting record for each party shows the importance which the DUP places upon ensuring that MLAs who are paid for the work of legislating are doing that work and attending Stormont to represent the people from constituencies across Northern Ireland who have elected them.
Of the five Assembly Members with the highest voting records, four of them are members of the Democratic Unionist Party. As unionists we have been clear that devolution is in the best interests of Northern Ireland and in the interests of our place within the United Kingdom.
Whilst the work of scrutinising legislation or even the debates in the Assembly go unseen by many people we believe it is vitally important that there is a demonstration of the work which many Assembly Members are doing at Stormont.
These figures are part of that demonstration and show the importance which each of the Parties clearly put on that work."
DUP 81%
SDLP 78%
SF 74%
ALL 66%
UUP 60%
Best Individual Voting Records:
Alastair Ross MLA (DUP) 97%
Peter Weir MLA (DUP) 97%
Jimmy Spratt (DUP) 97%
Allan Bresland (DUP) 97%
Patsy McGlone (SDLP) 97%
Alex Easton MLA (DUP) 93%
Ian McCrea MLA (DUP) 93%
Simon Hamilton MLA (DUP) 93%
DUP Chief Whip Peter Weir has said that the publication of statistics on the voting record of all Assembly Members demonstrates the DUP’s commitment to serving the people of Northern Ireland and in ensuring that the Party’s MLAs are doing the work they are elected and paid for.
Mr Weir said, ‘Every Assembly Member will know the importance of constituency work and in assisting people with the problems which face them. However, one of the primary jobs of any MLA is as a legislator and that requires attendance at Stormont to scrutinise and vote on the Bills which are passing through the Assembly.
The attendance rate of the Ulster Unionist Party makes it difficult to ensure that important votes are won at the Assembly. Indeed, if the DUP adopted the same laissez-faire attitude as so many UUP MLAs do, I have no doubt that that nationalists would be winning key votes on important matters.
For all their moaning about full time representation and lack of executive scrutiny, it is telling that the Ulster Unionists have the worst group voting record. You can't scrutinise and hold to account if you don't bother turning up. If you don't bother turning up, you are in no position to demand higher standards of other people that you yourself don't abide by.
The average voting record for each party shows the importance which the DUP places upon ensuring that MLAs who are paid for the work of legislating are doing that work and attending Stormont to represent the people from constituencies across Northern Ireland who have elected them.
Of the five Assembly Members with the highest voting records, four of them are members of the Democratic Unionist Party. As unionists we have been clear that devolution is in the best interests of Northern Ireland and in the interests of our place within the United Kingdom.
Whilst the work of scrutinising legislation or even the debates in the Assembly go unseen by many people we believe it is vitally important that there is a demonstration of the work which many Assembly Members are doing at Stormont.
These figures are part of that demonstration and show the importance which each of the Parties clearly put on that work."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)