07/08/2014 BBC Newsline

A Belfast firm is forced to lay off staff as a direct result

A Day Centre in west Belfast is having to close tomorrow because of

a bonfire. Message to the frustration of the people who use

the centre. I could cry. A new initiative

from the loyal Orders in Londonderry on people taking part in parades

in the city is broadly welcomed. Why one of our most popular beaches

is closed to the public today. It's nearing tee-time for

Rory Mcilroy in Kentucky as golf's world number one

endeavours to win back to back And the thundery downpours

are back tomorrow. We have another heavy rain

warning in the forecast. This evening we begin with

the threat to jobs as a result One Minister is warning

his department faces a shortfall We'll hear from David Ford

in a moment. Yesterday the Roads Minister

Danny Kennedy warned cuts would effect everything from pothole

repairs to fixing street lights. Today a firm with

the contract to empty roadside gullies across Northern Ireland,

said work was stopping and they're Our Political Reporter Stephen

Walker has the story. For 20 years, the Belfast company

and have as have been emptying girlies across Northern Ireland. Its

deal with government as part of a ?1 million contract and its

cancellation means 11 staff will lose their job. -- gullies. We will

have two lay them off temporarily until this is resolved. How many

staff does this affect? It is somewhere in the region of ten or 11

guys. But there could be another 30 families affected by this. In total,

40 people will be affected. Absolutely. One of those who is to

lose his job is 29-year-old Paul. He has two children and is unsure where

he can find work. There is no work out there at the minute. Everywhere

is the same. How long have you got left doing this? It could be two

weeks of the most, I would say. And then you will be looking for a job.

weeks of the most, I would say. And Yeah, that's me done. Today's news

comes after Danny Kennedy announced that services like streetlight

repair and roadworks were all being cut. MLS have government contracts

to cut grass and spray weeds. . Those who represent contractors say

they are not surprised by today's news. It is a sense of we told you

so. We have been warning for a long time that they would be further job

losses in the construction industry if these cuts went ahead. Just to

remind listeners, the construction industry in Northern Ireland has

lost some 26,000 jobs during this recession. At a time when we are

beginning to see the economy recovering, we are beginning to play

a very important part in that recovery. This is very bad news.

Tonight, a spokesperson for the Department of regional developments

and unfortunately this serves to demonstrate what Danny Kennedy has

warned about. The spokesperson also said the impact of the shortfall

will haven't impact upon the lives of real people. Away from the talk

of budget cuts, this is the human face of departmental cuts. Just 24

hours after Danny Kennedy's announcement, these workers are now

looking for a new job. Justice Minister, David Ford, claims

his department is also facing significant cuts. He is blaming Sinn

Fein and the DGP's deadlock over welfare reform. Court delays could

be among the area facing cutbacks although the final breakdown isn't

due until later this month. Is it not better to have health

and education protected? Sinn Fein had been obstructing us

over reform, being... World comes down to it, if you feel that it is

so dysfunctional that departments are being protected that don't need

to be, why don't walk away? What I'm doing at the moment is looking at

the exact effects on the of Justice. I had a meeting a fortnight

ago with various bodies looking at prisons, probation, youth Justice,

the courts and all the other bodies. People have been asked to report by

the end of the weekends to the effect of cuts this year and next

year. I made it clear that I would go back to the executive if I did

not believe we can properly protect the people of Northern Ireland,

whether it be supervision of offenders or police officers on the

streets. The police did issue a statement this afternoon saying

their immediate priority is to keep people safe. They seem confident

that any country - budget cuts will not impact on safety. The police

constable told the board at the beginning of July that cuts of 2.9%

would seriously impact on keeping the public safe and the recruitment

of new offices. We are currently facing 4.4% cuts by October,

possibly worse, if there is more protection for health and education.

What is the answer to all of this? We've had wrangling with Danny

Kennedy. What is the solution? Danny Kennedy is losing the 2% cut, the

same as other people, but is getting over ?30 million allocated in the

spending round. I'm getting the biggest cut of all and ?500,000

extra. There are big differences. Sinn Fein should accept reality and

stop blocking welfare reform. That UUP should also stop pandering to

their whims. When there is no justification for this proposal and

then they vote for it, and we will then be looking closely

at over the next weeks in the Department of Justice.

A day centre for vulnerable adults in west Belfast is to close tomorrow

due to safety concerns over a nearby bonfire.

The anti-internment bonfire is in the Beechmount area.

At a separate bonfire, in the lower Falls, two teenagers

were arrested after a petrol bomb was thrown as contractors removed

This is how close the bonfire is to the day centre. And fears for the

safety of those using the building mean it is going to shut down

tomorrow for the day. We have a disabled facility here. It is being

used as a run through to being bonfire were dubbed the bonfire. It

has been going on all summer long. Now we are being forced to close.

I'm very angry. I'm angry because my daughter has to go through that

every day, along with all the other people who are there. They are not

able to do it. How does that make you feel personally? I am so

frustrated I could cry. The centre helps some of the most vulnerable

people living in this part of Belfast. Tomorrow's closure will

cause disruption but the letters are sent to parents this week makes it

clear. It will be for one day only. The MP for the area has been talking

to young people about the bonfire and its impact on the local

community. I would urge them to dismantle this. I would urge them to

allow the services to come and clear this would away. I would urge them

not to like this bonfire tomorrow night. Have a have been built in

West Belfast. Minor trouble broke out this morning when contractors

under police guard removed parts out this morning when contractors

a bonfire here. A petrol bomb was thrown. A 19-year-old and a

13-year-old were later arrested. They have since been released on

police bail. Back at the day centre, the gates are now closed. But the

bonfire is still there. It is due to be lit tomorrow night but the day

centre should reopen on Monday, as long

Why one of our most popular beaches was close to the public today. We

are helping the economy. There are people who are maybe on a holiday,

appear for a day and they cannot get onto the beach.

A set of guidelines have been proposed

The initiative from the loyal orders in Londonderry has been welcomed by

unionist and nationalist politicians and the Parades Commission.

Members of the loyal orders and bands are now being consulted

The August parades to mark the 17th century siege of dairy is one of the

most significant events of the season. -- Derry. The city is often

held up as a model of how disputes can be resolved. Now, series of

proposals have been published. They are calling it the maiden city

accords. The document states that organisers must contact

representatives from places of worship. It also says leaders should

actively discourage the consumption of alcohol and that marchers should

refrain from any swarm - form of antagonism. There are perceptions of

parading which are not accurate. This is laid bare.

So far, the marching season has passed off without any major

incidents but there is still no agreement among political parties on

a parading framework, agreement among political parties on

last winter failed to produce a deal. The Orange

last winter failed to produce a body says the accord isn't

necessarily a blueprint for other body says the accord isn't

areas but the grand Lodge says it will study the effects of the

initiative and take on board any lessons. The DGP says there should

not be a one size fits all approach. I think it is a good solution for

the local area. I don't think it is necessarily a template that should

simply be lifted and then rubber-stamped elsewhere. The

Nationalist party say they hope the initiative will help to open up

others. I particularly welcome the respectful way in which the accord

says that Mannesmann and lodges should be respectful of church and

chip properties and church services. I think that is a very

important step forward. It is not a panacea. Everybody understands that

this is about local agreements and this is an example of what a local

agreement can do. I hope that we can expand that conversation. The

parades commission has also welcomed the accord. In a statement, the

commission has described it as an imaginative initiative. The former

chief constable was taking part in a west Belfast Festival event and

spoke about the ATT. It was my idea. I set it up because it was important

to try and create an organisation that gave families some hope that we

were determined to give them for more information than they had had

before. What I learnt today, of course, was it would work for some

people. It clearly wasn't the overall solution to deal with

Northern Ireland's troubled history. Holiday makers in Portstewart have

had more than ice cream and rock They have had

the unique opportunity to spy on the making of the worldwide hit

series, the Game of Thrones. On the downside,

no one has been able to get onto Our arts correspondent,

Maggie Taggart has been to see It is peak time for tourism here

that if you have come to sample the sea and the sand, there is no

chance. The National Trust has rented it out to the makers of the

programme. They will not say how much they were paid, only that it

will go into the budget for running the properties. The beach was closed

yesterday and today. This path is normally the access to the beach but

as you can see, they have put up a new fence which is blocking people

from getting at it. You can quite clearly see through it. You can see

the trucks, the generators and the horses. Pads nearby have been

thronged with dog what girls and sightseers curious for a glimpse of

the action. The bad side is that there are people on holiday pay for

today you cannot get onto the beach. I suppose it is only for two days.

If it had have been for longer, that would be different. Personally, I

feel that people are paying for it. It is The National Trust and people

are paying for it. They should have a chance to walk on it. Two years

ago in the same Coleraine Council area, the beach was hired to fill

these scenes in Game Of Thrones. The area is reaping the benefit now. It

is now a far more renowned beach. And so the exposure we have got

through the filming in the area has a significant tourism benefit which

is beneficial locally. Tourism officials are delighted at the

interest. This is the first time we have seen people coming to the

ground is looking to do Game Of Thrones tools. We have more people

on the website looking for it, we have a map which we have actively

print because it is so popular. This is the first season we have had an

idea of how impact full Game Of Thrones is. It is not quite possible

to see exactly what is going on in the sand dunes. All will become

clear when CDs five is screened. -- series five.

Once they've filmed it, we need something to watch it on, and

Modern tablet computers are everywhere,

even though just a few years ago you'd hardly have seen one.

Almost half of households in Northern Ireland now own one.

Along with Wales, we have the highest levels

The figures come in an annual report by the media regulator Ofcom,

Any spare moment and the screens are out and focus of our attention. In

any waiting room, you can see how the generations divide. It is the

younger ones more likely to embrace a mobile lifestyle. Now Ofcom's

report suggests we could be taking our love of tablet computers to

extremes. Adults in the UK spend an average of over eight hours on media

devices, longer than a night's sleep. Almost half of homes in

Northern Ireland have a tablet computer. They are everywhere. I

might have memorised that or I could have been reading it from my iPad of

the camera there. One into households have some form of tablet

computer. That is amazing because a couple of years ago that did not

happen. Smartphones were not around until the last three or four years.

55% of consumers have a smartphone and they are using it more and more

to go online win on the move. People do not sit on a desk -- at a desk in

the way they once did. Some youngsters have been at this camp,

learning how to write programmes and learning to write a career -- to

begin a career using this technology. We'll have gadgets,

mobile phones and tablets. What this is about is to encourage young

people to become creators of content and apps. That is well the jobs are

in the industry. We have plans to employ another 20,000 in the next

ten years. It is pretty exciting to put it on a tablet and see it and

have to debug it and go through the whole programme and see he's an app

is developed. This is the future and this is where the jobs are. It is

helpful and good for socialising, medicine, everything. This is the

future. For all that, we spend less time online in the UK average. About

three hours a week less, but it has not stopped our love of gadgets.

More mobile devices, more pay-TV, more internet connectivity. Whether

it is simply part of our or a potential career opportunity,

digital technology is playing an ever bigger part in the way we live.

Ulster Bank is selling the loans attached to Belfast's high

It doesn't mean the hotel is being sold but it will put its future

It's part of a wider move by Ulster Bank to reduce its involvement

With the details, here's our economics and

The 5-star merchant plays an important part of Ireland's

hospitality industry. It was key to the regeneration of the Cathedral

Quarter and attracts high spending tourists. It was developed using

Ulster Bank loans. As part of the bank's restructuring, it is

retreating bank's restructuring, it is

commercial property business, mainly by selling loans to other lenders.

That is what is happening with him in action. It creates uncertainty

but it is basically business as usual. It is important to be clear

that the Merchant Hotel is not up for sale. What is happening is part

of a much wider exercise by our banks to Die Welt which -- to remove

themselves from the loans sector which we had during the bone -- boom

period. Not all of the loans are being sold as there are borrowings

with other banks. Once upon a time, Ulster Bank's headquarters were in

this building, which is now the merchant. Ulster Bank's parent

company, RBS, has said that challenging targets to get rid of

all is boom time property lending is important. It has made good progress

but is now beginning to pick up the pace.

Day one of golf's final major of the year is under way

and the world number one is just out on the course.

Mark Sidebottom's here with this evening's sport.

Rory McIlroy is the raging hot favourite for the

US PGA, he's chasing back-to-back majors and he teed off just

He will play alongside the two other major winners of 2014,

The 25-year-old looked very relaxed as he practiced ahead of his round.

This outstanding tee-shot from Padraig Harrington was

He played alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

He finished two over par. Graeme McDowell is too over late in his

round. Darren Clarke tees off in about half an hour.

Ulster's former Directory of Rugby David Humphreys has today broken

his silence for the first time since his shock depature from Ravenhill

A constant at Ravenhill for over two decades as

a player and administrator, as Gavin Andrews reports, Humphreys felt the

As a player, David Humphreys delivered when it mattered. To the

new side of the field. Humphreys... delivered when it mattered. To the

The European cup when our dedicated 22 years of his life to Ulster. His

exit from Ravenhill, though, should not, as such a surprise. I was not

looking to leave. But when I look back as a player, there were a

number of opportunities to play elsewhere. It is not that I ever

regret not leaving, but at this stage, I knew when I decided to

remain a professional sport, that at some point in my future and my

family and I would have to move away. This is a fast opportunity

that has come along that I felt was a good fit for me and my family. It

is a club I am excited to be part of. And our venue in King 's home

that is not far out of his comfort zone. So much in Gloucester is the

same as what I have come from. It is a club rooted in the community with

a huge identity in the area. Those are things that are

a huge identity in the area. Those quantify. The question Ulster fans

will be asking, can the team he left behind do the same? David Humphreys

breaks his silence. On a similar theme, all is quiet in County

Armagh. The build up to

Saturday?s All-Ireland football quarterfinal double header in

Croke Park, which sees Armagh meet Donegal and Monaghan take on Dublin,

has been low key. So low key in fact that no-one in

the Armagh camp is saying anything. Thomas Niblock is live in the

cathedral city with a lone voice. There has been a little bit of talk.

Not from the Armagh manager or players. The media ban has been in

place following that role in the Ulster Championship. There has been

some chatting to local newspapers but very little, and that media ban

remains in place. They have already won the league. Their manager is

here and formerly played for Armagh. We're watching the team warm up

before their match. Congratulations, they have won the league. But for

Armagh, media ban, farcical situation when a press conference

was called at Croke Park and then cancelled this week. As it almost

become a distraction? May be. It served a purpose to begin with.

There... The punishment maybe didn't fit the crime after the cover my

game. -- the punishment. The situation we had in the week was

farcical. Maybe now it is a bigger distraction that has ever been. It

is almost take on -- taken on a life of its own. In some respects, could

it be the classic smoke screen? I suppose it is. I don't think it was

an accident. I think it was a smoke screen as far as Donegal were

concerned. Taking the focus away from the game. Nobody is actually

talking about the game. Donegal to win? Armagh to win? Donegal to edge

it, but this Armagh team have progressed game by game. The big

thing about Armagh is that they will not fair Donegal. If only I were a

two trick pony! Time for the weather.

More rain in the forecast but a lot of us had reasonably dry weather

today. It was not perfect, some showers kicking about. One or two

porky ones about at the moment. Not a bad evening, but it will stay dry

for the first half of the night. In the early hours, rain moves up from

the south and that is a thing start tomorrow morning. Initially, most of

the rain in the east but we expect heavy showers just about anywhere

tomorrow. A weather warning has been issued. That is from six o'clock

tomorrow morning. It is in a number of areas. Plenty of rain in the rush

hour tomorrow morning. Some of that torrential and fund only. It could

lead to destruction with local flooding in places. If you're

travelling tomorrow morning, it would be wise to give yourself extra

time. The rain is probably more patchy and try across parts of the

West and it is from the west we will see drier weather eventually moving

in. It improves in the afternoon. Still some showers, but upright and

try end to the day in many places. Friday night should be try. One to

feel a sharp showers, but hopefully not too bad for the Festival of

light, which is on this weekend in Newcastle. -- Festival of Flight.

The most likely areas to be affected will be Southern and eastern areas

of England. That is where heavy rain and unusually windy weather will be

on Sunday. Northern Ireland, yes, sharp showers over the weekend but

at least it will not be as bad as parts of southern Britain and will

be dry and sunny gaps as well. Thank you. Join me for the late summary at

10:25 p.m.. Enjoy your evening. Goodbye.