Ulster Unionist Agriculture Spokesperson Jo-Anne Dobson MLA has expressed her bewilderment at the decision of DUP and Sinn Fein MLAs to block a number of important amendments to a piece of legislation designed to support and protect rural communities.

Jo-Anne Dobson said:

“The Rural Needs Bill currently going through the Assembly places a statutory duty on public authorities such as Executive Departments and our education bodies to take rural needs into account when developing and implementing government policies and delivering public services. The Bill also seeks to provide mechanisms to support and monitor the exercise of that duty.

“In reality that would mean changes to key services such as public transport and the NHS would only be made after the particular circumstances of rural communities were given due consideration. 

“Whilst my Party and I fully support the draft Bill we were concerned that much of its wording was ambiguous and non-binding. As a result Robin Swann MLA and I tabled five separate amendments and whilst two were ultimately agreed to I was dumbfounded that the DUP and Sinn Fein MLAs in the Assembly came together to block the other three. All the other parties supported all the amendments, however the make-up of the current Assembly means that two largest parties can come together to block any changes. 

“The amendments which were blocked would have significantly strengthened the Bill and delivered changes such mandatory training for key DARD staff and placed a legal duty on the Department to make sure public bodies such as the health service co-operated and shared relevant information regarding their rural services.

“In addition the other amendment sought to improve the transparency and availability of information on rural proofing and would have carried no additional cost. The decision to block the amendments, on a Bill that should not be contentious at all, has dumbfounded many impartial observers.

“I just hope that whatever arrangement the two parties came to was worth it, because overall people living in rural areas have been left with a lower level of support as a result.”