'Through the kind auspices of your newspaper, I would take the opportunity to thank those within your circulation area for the great depth of encouragement they have given to me in support of my Pensioners Carers Bill.

My pursuit of fair play for Carers remains relentless. It is wrong that Carers, upon reaching pension age should lose their Carers' Allowance. After all, you don't stop caring just because you become a pensioner.

Last Tuesday I was faced with nothing short of the Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie doing her level best to destroy my bill. In essence she remained determined to wreck my Carers Bill by killing it with the device of a reasoned amendment.

However, I will not be pushed around by any Minister and I am delighted to report to your readers that at the end of the day a good result was attained all round for Carers.

My Pension Carers Bill remains intact and ready to come again to the Assembly any time of my choosing.

Meantime, over the next six months, there will be an all embracing review of carer's provision in Northern Ireland.

The review will be jointly driven by the Department of Social Development and the Department of Health. Its terms of reference will be extensive, including the issues of pensioner's allowances and respite provision.

My hope is that, arising out of this review, carers who in my opinion are unsung heroes will at long last be given the recognition they deserve.

I would urge all who support our carers to bombard the review team with forceful information likely to be helpful to carers.

David McNarry, MLA

Ulster Unionist for Strangford

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