SDLP Foyle Assembly Member Mary Bradley has expressed her concern about the lack of funding for...

SDLP Spokesperson for Older People Mary Bradley MLA has condemned weekend attacks on the elderly and has said that the entire community must support older residents.
Mrs Bradley said, “The incidents in West Belfast and Comber are shocking and despicable. And it is disturbing they are the latest in a long line of attacks against elderly people in their own homes.
“People have the right feel safe in their own home, especially older people who are the most vulnerable members of our community and there is a responsibility on all of us to make sure they are safe and content in their homes. I urge people to look out for their elderly neighbours and relatives by calling with them regularly.
“I also encourage older people to increase safety in their homes by availing of home safety schemes provided by Local Safety Partnerships to include the installation of door locks, window locks and panic buttons.
Mrs Bradley’s message to the perpetrators of these attacks is loud and clear: “I appeal

SDLP Spokesperson for Older People Mary Bradley MLA has welcomed the extension of free travel for people aged between 60 and 64 years old, however she has questioned why people will have to wait until October to avail of this scheme.
Mrs Bradley said, “The SDLP has long fought for all-Ireland free travel for all people from the age of 60 however the progress in this matter has been frustratingly slow. The Northern Ireland Executive budgeted for this scheme in the Programme for Government however the implementation of the extension of free travel was held up until the completion of the policy consultation and Equality Impact Assessment processes. Those processes are now complete yet older people are still waiting to reap the benefits of this scheme. In fact, Minister Conor Murphy has now told us that people will have to wait until October 1st to avail of this free travel. That is completely unacceptable.
“At a time when there are rising fuel costs, older people need free travel no

SDLP Spokesperson for Older People Mary Bradley MLA has welcomed the extension of Door-to-Door transport service to Derry.

Mrs Bradley stated, “I very much welcome the extension of the Door-to-Door transport service to Derry. I have no doubt that this will benefit local elderly people and those with disabilities. I hope the service will help improve the quality of life its users as it will allow older people and those with disabilities the opportunity to get out and about safely. It also gives these people their own independence to go about their daily chores such as shopping or perhaps participating in the community or even providing better access to their hobbies.

“The scheme is affordable and I would urge local people to use this service. For more information people should contact my local Constituency Office or phone Door-to-Door Transport Service directly on 0845 9 800 800.”

SDLP Foyle Assembly Member Mary Bradley has welcomed the visit of Health Minister Michael McGimpsey to the cancer unit at Altnagelvin hospital.

Mrs Bradley said, “I very much welcome Minister McGimpsey’s visit to the Cancer Unit at Altnagelvin on Tuesday and also his comments about his commitment to the new proposed satellite radiotherapy centre for Derry.

“The Cancer Unit at Altnagelvin provides a high standard of care and treatment to cancer patients and their families and I commend all the staff there for their commitment and dedication.

“Alongside the services already available at Altnagelvin, the North West also needs access to radiotherapy treatment. North south co-operation is vital so that patients in Donegal can benefit too. I welcome the Minister’s commitment to working on a north south basis in this venture and I hope that work on this new satellite centre will progress quickly.”

SDLP Spokesperson for Older People Mary Bradley MLA has welcomed a pilot project to evaluate advocacy services on health and social care issues for people with dementia and their carers.



Mrs Bradley said, “Across the north, 16,000 people have been diagnosed with dementia, 10,000 of which are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. This is an issue that is not only affecting many sufferers but also many families and carers.



“It is imperative that the voices of those suffering from dementia and those caring for people with dementia are heard. The ‘Let me speak – help me be heard’ project is very welcome and I hope it helps put these issues top of the agenda.

SDLP Foyle Assembly Member Mary Bradley has expressed her concern about attacks on healthcare staff.



Mrs Bradley said, “I raised my concerns with the Minister for Health Michael McGimpsey during Health Question time in the Assembly. I am worried about the number of physical attacks on healthcare workers and I believe it is important that the Department takes steps to help reduce the number of attacks.



“Healthcare workers provide an essential service to people most in need. The last thing they need is to be physically assaulted or verbally attacked as they carry out their important work. They should be able to care for patients without the threat or fear of attack.



“I welcome the Minister’s response to my concerns and particularly his development of legislation to make it a specific offence to assault or impede healthcare workers in the course of their duties.



“I am also deeply concerned about the ongoing assaults on people working in the mental health se

SDLP Spokesperson for Older People Mary Bradley MLA has said organisations using expensive helpline numbers such as 0871, 0870, 0844 or 0845 must change to new 03 numbers or freephone 0800.



Mrs Bradley said, “An investigation carried out by Which Magazine has found that many organisations including the BBC and the DVLA are using premium helpline numbers. Many people, and in particular older people, do not realise that when they phone these types of helplines that it is costing them dearly. Even the PSNI use a 0845 number for people to report crime - that is just ridiculous.



“With the spotlight on the ever increasing household bills, there is a responsibility on all organisations to reduce any unnecessary financial burden for people, especially statutory organisations.



“I welcome the new 03 number introduced by Ofcom which will allow organisations to have phone numbers which are charged at local rate but I would also encourage organisations to use the freephone

SDLP Spokesperson for Older People Mary Bradley MLA has said ‘people across Northern Ireland are despairing about the rising cost of living.’



Mrs Bradley was speaking after NIE announced a 14% price hike, she said, “People across the north are worrying about how they are going to cope with the severe rise in the cost of living. Everything from the grocery bill to fuel and now electricity is rising at absurd rates and people simply don’t have enough money coming in to their households to pay these bills.



“This latest rise in electricity costs will cripple older people who are already under serious financial strain. It is most concerning that this price hike will be extended to daytime rates for Economy Seven. Many older people choose Economy Seven as a more affordable option for heating their home, but with recent rises and this one added to that, there is nothing affordable about it anymore.



“Many older people are fuel poor and every year we lose far too many

SDLP Foyle Assembly Member Mary Bradley has welcomed the progression of the Mesothelioma Bill.



Speaking in the Assembly Chamber Mrs Bradley stated, “I commend my colleague Minister Margaret Ritchie for bringing forward the Mesothelioma Bill. This is a welcome and compassionate piece of legislation and will be welcomed by sufferers and support groups throughout Northern Ireland.



“This Bill will also help to ensure that benefits reach sufferers quickly and it will do away with the daunting medical tests to ascertain how the disease was contracted.



“We now must ensure that sufferers in Northern Ireland get the benefits as soon as others across England, Scotland and Wales.”

SDLP Children’s Spokesperson Mary Bradley MLA has backed a call by Northern Ireland Childminding Association for Government assistance for developing childcare provision.

Mrs Bradley said, “Any working parent knows how important good quality childcare is but it also needs to be accessible and affordable. Unfortunately there are not enough registered childminders to meet current demands and I believe that Government must assist in encouraging people to become registered childminders, especially in the rural communities.

“Nowadays, many parents cannot afford to stay at home to bring up their families, and therefore childcare provision is essential. Working parents want their children to be safe and well cared for during working hours. But good quality childcare can be very costly and parents are left in the terrible situation where a large proportion of their wages is spent on childcare provision.

“Encouraging childminders to register is important both for childminders and pa

Cross Border Bus Services from Culmore to Donegal were raised at a key meeting of Irish politicians today, after the SDLP’s Mary Bradley lobbied TDs on the matter.



SDLP Foyle Assembly Member Mary Bradley raised this issue recently during a meeting with Donegal TD Cecilia Keaveney. Mrs Bradley welcomed Fianna Fail Representatives raising this issue at today’s Good Friday Agreement Implementation Group meeting.



Mrs Bradley said, “When I raised this with Cecilia Keaveney she listened attentively and she was concerned that residents felt the current cross border bus service was not sufficient. She committed to raising this issue on our behalf and I very much welcome her intervention.



“There are a number of problems with the current bus service, including timetabling arrangements, the frequency of bus runs and the number of stops.



“Culmore is an expanding area which has quadrupled in size over recent years. There is a big demand for a well serviced cross

SDLP Spokesperson for the Elderly Mary Bradley MLA has said expressed her grave concerns about the financial burden on vulnerable people with the rising cost of living.



The Foyle MLA was speaking after the Northern Ireland Coal Advisory Service confirmed a 25% price hike. Mrs Bradley said, “Like many people across the north, I completely despair about how people are going to cope with the escalating cost of living, and in particular older people, those on low incomes and young families.



“The situation is becoming unmanageable for many as fuel prices rise at an alarming rate. Not only are people noticing rises in their travel costs, but they are now facing huge rises in their home heating and electricity bills as well as everyday living being affected. Everything right down to the weekly grocery bill has increased significantly and people are struggling to cope.



“I really believe we are heading towards a serious financial crisis, where the cost of living is

SDLP Foyle MLA Mary Bradley has condemned a series of attacks of fire crews across the North last night including one in the Galliagh area of Derry.

Firefighters came under attack in Derry, on the Woodstock Road, east Belfast, the Falls Road area of west Belfast, Dixon Park in Bangor and Bawnmore in Newtownabbey.

Mrs Bradley said: “I totally condemn these attacks on fire service personnel and vehicles not only in my own constituency but across the North.

“Any right minded individual will be outraged at these attacks on our emergency services as they try to carry out their vital and often life saving duties.

“It is shameful that small groups of people can engage in such reckless and mindless activities and it is important that they are given the clear message that they have no support in the local community.

“It is important we crack down on the perpetrators of these attacks before someone is seriously hurt or even killed.”

SDLP Spokesperson for the Elderly Mary Bradley MLA has expressed her concerns about the high cost of residential care for older people.

Mrs Bradley said, “Residential care for the elderly is an essential service to ensure older people have a good quality of life irrespective of their abilities or state of their health. However this care can be extremely costly and can prove to be a huge financial burden on families.

“Many older people resist residential care because in many incidents it forces them into selling off their lifelong homes to cover the cost of the care, and for many others they don’t want that financial burden to fall to their families. Hence many older people, who would be better cared for in a residential home, are left to fend for themselves living alone.

“Residential care offers a safe and caring environment for many older people to spend their later years but it is too costly for many. I have asked Minister McGimpsey what action he is taking to address thi

SDLP Foyle Assembly Member Mary Bradley has welcomed an announcement by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey that Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital is to be the base for radiotherapy cancer treatment for the North West.

Mrs Bradley said, “It is very welcome that the North West will now have its own dedicated services for radiotherapy treatment. This is good news to all cancer sufferers and their families in the North West. As a Foyle MLA I am delighted that the new services will be based in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry but the important thing is that there will be a strong cross border partnership between Derry and Donegal to benefit all people in the North West region.

“We have been lobbying long and hard for better cancer services for the North West and I am relieved that the Minister of Health has acknowledged the many problems facing cancer sufferers here.

“The Minister has outlined that he is working towards 2015 deadline for implementing this service. I hope both governments

SDLP Spokesperson for the Elderly Mary Bradley MLA has expressed her concern about the speculated rise in gas prices.

Mrs Bradley stated, “Many older people use gas as their main source for heating and powering their homes. Talk of a price hike of up to 30% doesn’t bear thinking about. People are already being hit hard by household bills and many older people will simply not be able to afford any further increases in gas or oil.

“Fuel poverty is a growing problem across the north of Ireland and with the rising global prices of gas and fuel the whole situation is going to become very bleak for the elderly, people on low incomes, young families and single parent households. It is a very worrying situation and I share the fears that are being felt on the ground. People are asking ‘when are these rises going to stop?’ and are wondering how they are going to cope.

“The Assembly need to look at this situation seriously to see what steps can be taken to reduce the impact of what i

SDLP Spokesperson for the Eldery Mary Bradley MLA has expressed her concern that six in 10 pensioners are not receiving the rates relief they are entitled to.

Mrs Bradley said, “I very much welcome this report as it shines the spotlight on the difficulties facing older people when applying for benefits. I support Age Concern and Help the Aged in their recommendation that the government should pay rates relief and Housing benefit to the elderly automatically.

“There are many obstacles for older people when applying for benefits, including long and difficult application forms. The entire benefits system needs to be made easier for the elderly. Support should be provided to help ensure those who need financial support the most are receiving the benefits they are entitled to.

“I would urge older people across the north to check their eligibility for benefits by using local Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s or SDLP Constituency Offices who can give advice and support on this issue.”