Other News In Brief

UUP Peer Lord Empey Issues Warning To Taoiseach

Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has warned the Taoiseach to be "very careful" following weekend comments in which he described Northern Ireland's governance system as 'not fit for purpose.'

Lord Empey, who was one of the Ulster Unionist Party's lead negotiators at the time of the Belfast Agreement, said: "I would urge caution to the Taoiseach in his comments. The Belfast Agreement managed to strike a balance that had previously proved elusive. It created institutions that allowed both of the main communities here to have a hand on the steering wheel. The vandalism that has been caused to those institutions was facilitated by both the Irish and UK Governments as they bent over backwards to placate the DUP and Sinn Fein since 2003.

"Ironically if it hadn't been for the changes made at St Andrews, there would have been a DUP MLA in line to be nominated as First Minister following the last Assembly election because Unionism is still the largest designation in the Assembly. Both Governments are as complicit in the current stalemate as any of the Northern Ireland political parties.

"We are in the current scenario due to a mechanism put in place by both Governments in 'New Decade, New Approach' which was supposed to improve the sustainability of the institutions.

"The Belfast Agreement has a review mechanism, this is correct. But to simply take a hammer to parts of the Agreement is unlikely to fix the problem. Indeed, it could be that success lies in returning to the Agreement's factory settings.

"It was clear throughout the 1996-1998 negotiations that the Irish Government was not involved in Strand 1 Talks (the internal affairs of Northern Ireland) and it is my firm conviction that this must be respected in any future discussions."

DUP Condemn Arson Attack On Ballynougher Orange Hall

DUP Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan and DUP Councillor Anne Forde have called for political leadership from all parties in Mid Ulster after Ballynougher Orange Hall, outside Magherafelt, was seriously damaged by fire.

Mr Buchanan said: "I visited the hall this evening as fire crews were battling to bring the blaze under control. One of the metal window-guards had been removed when the fire was discovered. The fire has seriously damaged the hall with the roof collapsed.

The police are investigating the circumstances. I call on anyone with information to contact the police in Magherafelt.

"I also call on all political leaders to condemn those who continue to attack Orange Halls. It speaks volumes that this hall had to have metal sheets across all its windows and doors in the first place. There is no place for such hatred in society. The men and women of that lodge have every right to exist in Mid Ulster and live peaceably."

Cllr Anne Forde said: "This lodge is well rooted in the community and has been here for over 100 years. The folks in the lodge just want to be respected and be able to celebrate their Orange culture. Those who are so intolerant as to want the hall destroyed need removed from our streets. This is not an attack on bricks and mortar, it is an attack on the people who use that facility."

SDLP Urged Heaton-Harris To Drop Election And Restore Stormont

The SDLP has called on the Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, to drop the idea of an Assembly election and focus on restoring the Stormont institutions.

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood said it was clear the North’s political parties and the public did not want an election and need a functioning Executive and Assembly to deal with the issues impacting people.

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said: "The Secretary of State’s failure to outline details of an Assembly election today should be the end of the idea. The only thing proposing an early election achieved was prompting anger from the public who want politicians dealing with issues like the cost of living emergency and our crumbling health service, not knocking on their doors.

"What we really need is renewed negotiations between the British government and the EU to solve the small number of outstanding issues around the Protocol, while protecting the huge economic benefits, so they we can get the institutions up and running again. Local Ministers taking decisions on behalf of local people is the best way to address the multiple crises facing people here.

"The DUP need to realise the huge amount of damage they have caused to public faith in the institutions over the last year. More and more people are losing faith in devolved government and rejecting the status quo and continuing this boycott risks irreparable harm to our institutions that they may not recover from. People here deserve so much than what they have been getting from their politics and the SDLP will keep working towards a better future for everyone on this island."