The Ulster Unionist Party’s Upper Bann MLA, Doug Beattie MC, has described Housing Executive figures that show more than 400 people have been made homeless by paramilitary threats in the last year, as a damning indictment of Executive failure.
Doug Beattie, who is also his Party’s Justice Spokesperson, said:
“This is the inevitable consequence of the failure to tackle paramilitary activity in a meaningful manner and to put these criminal gangs out of business.
“22 years on from the ceasefires and 18 years on from the Belfast Agreement, there is simply no excuse for the continued existence of paramilitary groups.
“It is a stain on our society that people and communities are still living in areas dominated by those who seek to rule by fear.
“We are one year on from the Fresh Start Agreement and it is shameful that the Executive has only managed to spend £3.8M of what should have been a £10M spend this financial year on addressing paramilitary activity.
“Indeed the Finance Minister told the Assembly that £5M of British Government funding was subject to the Executive agreeing a strategy to address continued paramilitary activity and that ‘the Secretary of State has advised that UK Government funding will not be released until the Executive agree a more detailed Action Plan.’
“I have no doubt that the 400 people made homeless by paramilitary threats will be wondering just what it will take for the First Ministers and the Minister of Justice to provide the level of detail in their Action Plan that is demanded by the British Government so that much needed funding can be accessed.”