All Party Group meet in Stormont to discuss the issue of community transport and Lottery funding

The Chairperson, Roy Beggs MLA, opened the meeting which was attended by Anna Lo MLA, George Robinson MLA, Mary Bradley MLA, Michelle McIlveen MLA, Tommy Gallagher MLA, David Gilmore (researcher for Geogre Robinson MLA), and the secretariat from NICVA, Frances McCandless.

Kellie Armstrong, Community Transport Association (CTA) Director for Northern Ireland and Anita Flanagan from Rural Lift for South West Fermanagh where invited to give a presentation on Community Transport and the current issues affecting them.

Community Transport Association represents a wide variety of operators who provide accessible door-to-door and group travel services to community groups, older people and people with disabilities on a non-profit making basis throughout Northern Ireland.

Kellie and Anita informed the group about the important role played by community transport and the roles the volunteers play in transporting some of our most vulnerable throughout Northern Ireland.  In fact 55% of Community Transport is carried out by volunteers and over 67,000 passengers were transported using Community Transport last year.

The issues community transport face where also brought to the group, in particular how none of the Community Transport providers or CTA were considered as part of the stakeholders during the pre consultation process on the Public Transport Reform.  The MLA’s from the all party group listened and discussed theses issues.  Michelle McIlveen MLA proposed that the CTA should present their findings to the Department of Regional Development Committee.

Speaking after the meeting, NICVA Policy Coordinator for the Vital Links project Lorraine Boyd said “this meeting for the All Party Group has been very positive, it is very important that groups like the CTA and others from the voluntary and community sector get the opportunity to engage with our MLA’s and make a positive difference”.

Frances McCandless, Policy Director AT NICVA, introduced the briefing paper on National Lottery policy issues in Northern Ireland and gave a breakdown of what is happening with Lottery funding in Northern Ireland as in regards to the Treasury’s 12% tax, the use of Lottery funding to substitute government spending and the loss of funding due to the London Olympics in 2012.  The group agreed for this to be drafted into a motion and debated at the Assembly.

The Chairperson of the group Roy Beggs MLA thanked everyone for their participation and wished everyone a Happy Christmas.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 9 February 2010 with the topic to be either the White Paper on the Voluntary and Community Sector or the Green New Deal.