Lily Kerr: Problems in Primary Care  must be faced

Workers Party spokesperson Lily Kerr has said that GPs becoming NHS employees, instead of private contractors, would improve the service, reduce waiting times and address many of the problems currently faced in primary care.

‘The College of General Practitioners is calling for more funding, warning about the shortage of GPs and pointing out the age profile of existing GPs. This situation also has a knock on effect for A&E departments – hence the long waits’, Lily said

‘GPs consider themselves to be the solution to many of the current problems and argue that if funding was increased there would be shorter waiting times for appointments and more flexible opening hours.’ she said

‘But these issues were all supposed to be part of ‘Transforming Your Care’ , the plans for re-organising health and care services, yet none of it has happened. And the people Northern Ireland, who have some of the highest levels of deprivation and health inequalities in the UK, are left to suffer, she added.

‘This is not acceptable’, Lily said. ‘There is no reason why some of these solutions cannot be put in place now. A large part of the problem with the shortage of GPs may be because they are not a part of the Health Service, but independent contractors. Many of those seeking a career in General Practice may not be able to buy in to practices. The real issues here should be tackled head on and they should become employees like everyone else in the service’, Lily concluded.

Only fundamental changes to the Assembly will end the cycle of crises

The Workers Party’s support for a devolved administration in Northern Ireland is well known and long standing. We believe it to be the best means of governance for the people of Northern Ireland.

This position comes from our democratic principles and recognition of the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. But the Assembly is not delivering for the people of Northern Ireland.

The details of the current crisis maybe unique, but the causes are not.

Sectarian structures

A major reason for this is that the Assembly is built on the existence, acceptance and accommodation of sectarianism and sectarian structures and societal practices which are evident in almost all areas of life.

Only fundamental changes will avoid the cycle of crises the Assembly has produced since 1998.

The Party is proposing five major changes to the way in which the Assembly works

 Click here for the full statement on the Assembly crisis

Integrated Education: a commitment in the Good Friday Agreement

Workers Party representative in North Belfast, Gemma Weir, has criticised both the Assembly’s Education Committee and its report into ‘Shared and Integrated Education’.

Sustaining division

‘The Good Friday Agreement was very clear that the Assembly had a responsibility to ‘…facilitate and encourage integrated education…’ Today’s report thumbs its nose at that commitment and seeks to substitute integrated education for a shared model based on a ‘separate but equal’ approach’, she said.

‘Shared education sustains division’ Gemma said. ‘It is firmly embedded in ‘two communities’ politics and does nothing to bring about a truly integrated society’.

 Invisible ‘peace’  walls

‘North Belfast has two of the best integrated schools in Northern Ireland which cater for the abilities of all of their pupils by providing religious integration and comprehensive education. Promoting shared education instead of integrated education is akin to building invisible ‘peace’ walls between yet another generation of our school children’, Gemma added.

‘Shared Education is nothing more than a political fig leaf to justify the continued segregation of our children into religious and political tribes and offers no alternative to those parents who want more for their children’, she said.

Independent Commission 

‘It is quite clear that the future of education in Northern Ireland is too important to leave in the hands of the Assembly. Only an independent commission can properly assess and report on how we can progressively reform our current failed structures’, concluded Gemma.

Axing languages: ‘an act of barbarism’

The Workers Party has criticised as ‘an act of barbarism’ the announcement by Ulster University that it is to axe its modern languages department at the Coleraine campus.

‘Not only has the Northern Ireland Executive failed to prioritise and invest in higher education but it is now set on a course which will force thousands of young people to pursue their studies outside of Northern Ireland’.

‘At the same time as the Executive pins all our economic hopes on attracting foreign direct investment, it withdraws funding from the very courses and skills which employers will expect to find amongst a young educated workforce’.

‘The short sightedness of the Executive’s funding cuts to higher education are compounded by the argument that there is no money in the budget to fund these courses while at the same time it plans to lower corporation tax at an estimated cost of £300 million’

‘The Executive is clearly signalling that tax breaks for the rich are  a higher priority than an educated and multi-lingual workforce’