NI Presbyterian mutual society, Short of funds for withdrawal?

Nomad25

demand the Church "show greater leadership and compassion" over the issue

I would replace these with the word "responsibility".

joylikes2shop

QUOTES FROM PMS ACTION GROUP

"We would heartily welcome the support of anyone else who can join us at 5.45 pm on

Monday, June 1, outside Church House in Fisherwick Place in Belfast."

''We look forward to a peaceful demonstration and the opportunity to express our concerns to everyone entering Church House for the convening of the annual General Assembly at that time''



QUOTE FROM TODAYS NEWSLETTER

RE:TUESDAY 2ND JUNE


It is understood that the public gallery at Church House will open throughout the General Assembly.

However, only ministers and a selected elder from each church are permitted to take part in discussions on the floor.

Dr._Who_2

You may have noticed in some comments from the Clerk of the General Assembly that PCI has various emergency funds available about which people can get information through their minister: all ministers got letters about these early in this crisis. However, the Clerk is on record as saying that there have been very few requests for help from these funds.
You can find more information about these - the Old Age Fund, the Womens' Fund and the Indigent Ladies Fund- under Social Witness Board Assembly 2009 report page 190, again accessible from PCI website. You will notice that between them these Funds gave grants amounting to just over £100,000 last year.
Why is there little uptake on these in the present crisis:-
(i) people don't know about them perhaps but, more likely.
(ii) these funds cannot give the amounts of money many people actually require - they may help with a gas/electricity/oil bill but not e.g. with a nursing home bill as the amount of money is too vast;
(iii) also these funds may be of more help at a later stage when people become more fully aware of the true nature of their loss and of the time factor involved in getting money - I should imagine that many people are "hanging on" to see the outcome of negotiation with the government and the deliberations of the Administrator.
However these Funds are there - the Presbyterian Orphans' and Childrens' Society might also help in a case of real hardship. If you know anyone out there would needs help short term please contact your Minister for further advice.

BETRAYED

QUOTE
You may have noticed in some comments from the Clerk of the General Assembly that PCI has various emergency funds available about which people can get information through their minister: all ministers got letters about these early in this crisis. However, the Clerk is on record as saying that there have been very few requests for help from these funds.

Useful information from Dr. Who.
When I asked my minister about these funds he gave me the impression that nobody had applied. He said, " You know what people are like in our congregation they do not want to be asking for charity."
I don't believe any pulpit announcement was made regarding these small limited funds.
I consider these funds are only for those in dire distress .
I do know that the Moderator of the General Assembly set up an ad-hoc committee to discuss the setting up of a fund for hardship of investors. I believe there were two meetings and nothing came of it.
This result was most likely on advice from their legal advisors that such a move would endanger PCI position of claiming no legal attachment to PMS.

Why don't those in Church House use their influence on Government, Belfast and London, in getting the administrator the financial help or assurances that he says he is waiting for. He says he can not ask for it himself.

Tandem_2

It is disingenuous to say that little use has been made of these funds. When I enquired on behalf of someone it was made clear that the amount possible was very far from what was needed.

It seems to me that minister's hands are as tied as anyone else's. Church House gives advice to contact ministers but gives no resources to act on an enquiry.

Didn't someone once say....an ounce of help is worth a pound of sympathy. "Pastoral care" includes help as well as sympathy.

southantrim

Did anyone pick up the full text of Cameron's answer about the PMS in Ballymena? Nothing concrete, but it can't do any harm (see below).

I also see that there's a joint statement of support out from other church leaders on the BBC NI news website. Need to put the pressure on the Westminster Govt. if there's going to be any movement....



Cameron Direct, Ballymena

Questioner: "What would you do to help the savers In the Presbyterian Mutual
Society?

David Cameron: "I think this is a really, really difficult question because, on the one
hand, there is a sort of technical reason why the savers in the Presbyterian Mutual Society haven't been helped, because that Society wasn't regulated by the Financial Services Authority. So it was outside the rules that were operating In the rest of the United Kingdom and that's why they are not being helped.

But I do understand the real sense of unfairness that people feel because they look at, say the Ounfillnllne SOCiety in Scotland, or they look at Northern Rock or they look at other organisations and they say; 'hold on, we're all part of the United Kingdom, we're all part of this family. Why is this financial organisation not being helped?'

So I think the Government needs to look again.

You will have noticed this country is completely strapped for cash. We are borrowing 12.6% of our national output. I cannot stand here and make spending promises, but what I can tell you is that if I were the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I would have a really good look to whether we are treating these people fairly: because I think they do have a ease to say, hold on a second, this is a UK organisation, guarantees should be extended to it rather than to other organisations, and it was the very extension of the guarantee to the other financial organisations that actually caused it's difficulties.

So I think there is a real case for the Prime Minister to look again and I would urge him to do so."

sickasaparrot

Link to BBC news article about Church Leaders support for PMS savers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8073652.stm

crazymess

Perhaps it is time again to challenge DETI

Why was a financial company in NI allowed to operate without regulation?

Why has the First Minister and Deputy First Minister not answered this question?

Industrial and Provident Society Order 2006 - seems as if someone forgot to get this passed!!!! or through to keep us in line with the rest of the UK.

That is why we are not the same as the rest of the United Kingdom and because of this lack of regulation - Gordon Brown has not helped us to date.

BETRAYED

sickasaparrot wrote: »

Link to BBC news article about Church Leaders support for PMS savers.

This is very good news. Could our Moderator not have asked for this ages ago.

joylikes2shop

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2009/05/pms_protesters_prepare_to_door.html