28/08/2014 BBC Newsline

week. Great, Peter, thanks very much. It

is Good evening. The headlines on BBC

Newsline. Details emerge of how budget cuts

could impact on our health service. A former US senator holds meetings

with the Executive parties in Belfast as another leading

American accuses politicians here The growing role social media is

playing in the hunt The loyalist reaction to the IRA

ceasefire - part two of our series on those

historic events twenty years ago. Find out what that is and why it led

to a local man's meltdown. Golf's Northern Ireland Open

is under way in Ballymena. Join me live for all the latest

at Galgorm castle. And be aware of heavy rain

and strong winds this evening. A warning's been issued by the

Met Office. The Health Minister has outlined

in black and white how the health service

will be impacted by potential cuts. Pay restraints

on health sector staff, cutting the number of agency medical staff

and further reducing expenditure on home care packages are

among the controversial measures. The paper, seen

by the BBC paints a stark picture. Our health correspondent

Marie-Louise Connolly is We have been talking about

concerns, we have details. That's right. We have the details. This is

the health Minister's last-ditch attempt to keep the health service

as we know it in Northern Ireland. They are only proposals. As you

outlined there, the following cuts are included in the paper. Pay

restraint for health care staff with the warning saying that if these

cuts go through, it could cause industrial action. Cuts to agency

doctors and nurses which would of is the impact on wards. Major cuts to

care packages for the elderly. The domiciliary packages. And there

would be less money for drug therapy, like cancer, arthritis and

MS. And the round the clock labs would not be possible -- cardiac

centre would not be possible. The bigger picture that we have been

talking about is transforming our care, that is to transform Northern

Ireland's health service, taking services away from the hospital and

into the community. It is said that it would for -- cause a major

problem for that policy, I think it would be dead in the water if these

proposals go through. These proposals did not come about

overnight. After four years of keeping silence on the whole

controversy surrounding health at the moment, the former health

minister has folk -- broken his silence in an exclusive interview

with the BBC. He has been telling me about how he feels about the recent

controversy within the health service.

The health minister often found himself in the eye of the storm.

Very little has changed since 2009 when talk of budget cuts brought

thousands of health workers out onto the streets. Five years later,

thousands of health workers out onto watching from the sidelines, he says

he can empathise with the man who took his place. I do have sympathy

for him. He is not getting the support he is entitled to from the

wreckage of colleagues and I think we as the public expects to see that

happening now. It is very important that the Executive get behind the

health minister and get behind the health service and find the money

that is required to keep the show on the road. Because if they don't,

lives will be lost. Responsibility for the budget in this Assembly is

responsibility for every party. Hardly a week went past without

someone criticising the management of the budget. I am extremely angry

about the way the health service has been treated. In 2011, the health

budget was slashed by ?300 million. Mr McGimpsey says that these

negative fails to grasp that the Executive -- that the budget must

reflect demand. The fact is, we know that demand is rising for health and

social care services in Northern Ireland. And you have to increase

the provision in order to meet that demand. How does party politics in

Northern Ireland damaged the running of a department, in particular

health? I constantly plead with other parties, let's not play

politics with the health service. We all need to work together to make

the health service work. And I have to say that those pleas fell on deaf

ears by and large. Next week, the health minister is expected before

the health committee. Explanations for previous actions will be

expected and indications as to how the service will be moved forward.

Of course he wants to make us look at the money which is ever ready

else's fold. But it is his plan and his fault and when it comes before

the committee next week, we will ask whether he has been interrogating

that plan and analysing its efficiency to work out why his plan

is causing problems. Both these ministers know what a poisoned

chalice running the health service can be and if no extra funding is

allocated, it is possible that a new person will be at the helm within

weeks. Now, there is renewed US involvement

in the peace process here. Gary Hart has become involved. A senior aide

to former President Bill Clinton accused Northern Ireland politicians

of what she called an abysmal abdication of leadership. Nancy

Soderberg said that unionists and nationalists were too stuck in the

past. It has been an entire generation and we are still arguing

about the past instead of how to desegregate schools, get trade going

and get a prosperous Northern Ireland. I think it is time that the

next generation get that chance and it is up to the leadership, or the

next generation of leaders, to do that. I asked Nancy Soderberg

whether she could see a way for Northern Ireland to move forward?

The proposals put forward by Richard Haass Lady process out pretty

clearly. -- lay the process out. It lets the healing begin but does not

prevent a conversation about the future. The former US senator, Gary

Hart, has been asked to meet local politicians and prepare a report for

the US Secretary of State, John Kerry. He has been holding talks

with the parties in Belfast. Gary Hart was remaining tight-lipped

about his trip to Belfast. No comment. He was talking to

politicians and he sought the nomination for president twice in

the 1980s. On the second occasion he withdrew from the race after

negative buzz -- publicity over his relationship with a model. The

Richard Haass talks ended months ago and there was no political

agreement. So once again we have a visiting American meeting local

politicians in a Belfast hotel. But this is not Richard Haass two. Gary

Hart is here at the request of John Kerry, he is not here to negotiate,

but simply to listen and learn. Today, Gary Hart was told by some

that politics here is in crisis. The reality is is that we are in quite a

troubled situation in terms of the Executive and I think it is

important that this was it gives people an opportunity to bring the

US administration up to date and also from our perspective, to focus

minds on the need for a need to change focus. Others warned the US

senator that there was little time to solve outstanding issues. We have

got a problem. Three years of elections, then Westminster

elections and the Stormont elections. The danger is that we

will see no progress because of that political cycle. Gary Hart was also

told that some people here are losing faith in politics. People are

disillusioned, disheartened. The two big parties are perceived by the

vast majority of the public to just be looking after themselves. So,

will the former senator returned after today? Some suggest that this

visit has to be a one-off. I think it has to be internal forward --

going forward, this has to be internal to Northern Ireland. There

will be no return of Richard Haass. By tonight, Gary Hart will have met

the five Executive parties. He will have talks in London before

returning to the United States. The woman who died in a crash

in Carrickfergus last night was 53-year-old Heather Steele

from the area. The crash happened on the

Belfast Road. Two men were taken to hospital for

treatment but their injuries are not The road was closed overnight

but has now reopened. This is BBC Newsline - plenty

to come before seven including: It looks good,

so why did this dessert lead to We brought you a story on Tuesday

about the cost of school uniforms and how parents are using swap shops

and charities to save money. Well,

that certainly touched a nerve! BBC Newsline's Facebook page was

inundated with messages from viewers complaining

about the price of uniforms.. Our education correspondent

Maggie Taggart reports now on some This website was inspired by a

parent who wants to murder that want to make sure unwanted school

uniforms are reused. This one, in Newry, which was set up to give away

household goods has been overwhelmed by requests for branded uniforms. It

seems to be year-on-year, the price of uniforms is increasing or the

level of what the school requires is increasing. First it

level of what the school requires is fleeces, or the thing -- all the

other things. People are saying they can't afford it. Sarah used

other things. People are saying they website and now she helps run it.

Everybody is in this predicament. There is only so much

Everybody is in this predicament. do. You have to prioritise food for

your family before a branded school jumper. You have to prioritise your

food. There must be many families where outgrown uniforms are just

lying around and families elsewhere are finding it tough to afford the

clothes that the schools insist on. The website to match them up. This

site offers free adverts The website to match them up. This

parents can use it to sell uniforms they don't need. I have had quite a

number of things on site and I have passed them on to a number of

number of things on site and I have families. That makes me feel good.

It is read positive. We have included the database of all schools

so anybody who wants to put items on the website can simply choose their

school, list what they have, and it is as simple as that. Guidance from

the Department for Education says that schools should eliminate

exclusive deals with the uniforms of pliers and make sure that uniforms

are available from high Street or Internet retailers. I have always

said that I will consider bringing in legislation to make sure that

schools allow a free market in provision of uniforms and equality

of access to that is maintained. And that cost is not prevent people

having access. Rather than complying with the guidelines, some schools

are accused of adding even more expensive items to their list.

20 years ago this week, the IRA announced that

Six weeks later, loyalist paramilitaries also declared

a ceasefire and offered abject and true remorse to the families of

In the second of our special reports on those historic events in 1994,

our home affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney looks

back at the unionist and loyalist reaction to the IRA announcement.

This was one of the founding members of the UVF. In 1994, he was chosen

to announce the loyalist paramilitary cease-fires. The main

loyalist military commanders will cease all hostilities as of 12

midnight on Thursday 30th of October 1994. The announcement came six

weeks after the IRA had declared a cease-fire. But the loyalists insist

that they were not reacting to that move. There has always been an

argument that loyalist reacted. Loyalist has already decided that

they were going to call a cease-fire, it was a question of

when. Their difficulty was that it was not one, jewellers group, there

were a number of groups that had to be brought together. -- one

homogenous group. There were arguments about whether there should

be cease-fires or not. Not all loyalist agreed at the time. Jackie

McDonald is seen here attending an opening of a memorial garden last

month. It took place on the 20th anniversary of the IRA killings of

senior UDA members. They were shot just weeks after another senior UDA

members was killed in Lisburn. And just weeks before the IRA announced

its the fire -- cease-fire. Jackie McDonald believes that the IRA was

settling old scores before announcing a cease-fire and that the

loyalist should have retaliated first. I disagreed with it. And the

reason is exactly what I said, I think the IRA have decided to tie up

the loose ends. I don't agree with it. With hindsight, he says the

cease-fire declaration was the right move. The cease-fires, when they

were called and what has been done since means many lives have been

saved. That is something we all have to consider. Unionist political

leaders were deeply suspicious of the IRA statement and demanded that

its vast army of weapons had to be decommissioned. The only way that

you can prove that there would be a permanent cessation of violence is

by the SIS -- the surrender of their killing machine, their Semtex soars,

their guns, their mortars and their equipment. We were determined that

we would not be taken in by a false dawn. We needed to see the guns

going away in an organised way and they have to be support for the

police and the rule of law. Sinn Fein and the republican movement

only did that late in the day, 2006, 2007, at our resistance. When others

lead them into government while Sinn Fein -- while murders were being

carried out on the street. Some believe that a permanent IRA

cease-fire was inevitable. I hope that some who have influence with

the IRA will persuade them to make the next decisive step and maybe

hold permanent. I think they were an organisation that was an

organisation that was in floor -- was in flux. They weren't prepared

to face up to the truth of the situation, that they were not going

to get what they wanted. The 1994 IRA cease-fire collapsed 18 months

later when a huge bomb devastated Canary Wharf in London. A new

permanent cease-fire was declared in 1997 and decommissioning eventually

took place. The provisional IRA structures have been dismantled and

Republicans say it will never re-emerged. I cannot say that the --

I can say that the war is over, that the -- they are never coming back.

Paramilitary groups have also decommissioned but remain intact.

News just coming in. Two families from north Sudan have been targeted

in racist attacks in North Saddam. Children were sleeping at the time.

There were no injuries. The two homes each had a window

smashed around 2:30am today. The families are occupied by families

fleeing the conflict inside arm. The window that was broken still has not

been replaced. Elsewhere, the balloons are up because there is a

birthday party happening this evening this by the fact that the

house was attacked in the early hours. In the kitchen, the families

are busy cooking the meal. Here is Mohammed and his wife and here are

the chips. So tell me, the party is going on despite what happened, you

are not frightened? We don't know what to do exactly, but we don't

have any choice. We came from an unsafe country to live a normal life

like everyone else. This is my first year to celebrate with

you has elevated his birthday with you has elevated his birthday with

him? Yes, I left him in my country and he joined me in December and

this is my first celebration with him.

this is my first celebration with ourselves with this danger. Apart

from that, you have been living here ourselves with this danger. Apart

nice. They stay with my son, they are nice people. It has been a

little -- a big day for the Sun, a birthday party with his son -- with

his friends and a brick through the window.

If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen - that's exactly what

Saintfield man Iain Watters did after his baked Alaska flopped

Social media reaction was quick to follow.

Viewers were crying foul play and sabotage until the 31-year-old

contestant took to Twitter to concede he'd had a meltdown.

Ian isn't happy. It has all melted. The blame kicks in. Why does the

eyes can out of the freezer? Don't you just hate it when that happens?

That is not cooking. -- why does the ice come out of the freezer.

That is not cooking. -- why does the baked Alaska flopped. Oh, no! People

are saying it sabotage. The Assembly might even look into it. I won't

comment on that. The cameras pick up every single mistake you make. They

swoop in on every single minute that you are doing anything. So I feel

for him. It is a bit of a fashion right now. But it is technical so

you don't see many restaurants doing it. You have to have an

understanding of basic pastry before you attempt something like this. Do

you do melba toast? Yes. I am going to try it. Yummy! Do you want a wee

bit? Very nice. The Women's Institute know a thing or two about

baking. What would they do with their baked Alaska flopped? I think

in the wartime, they didn't throw anything out, so it is kind of the

way that we have been educated, we would just in custard on it and

smile! You are pushing the boat out with the old Swan, aren't you?

Baking is serious business. Diana doesn't appear in the rest of the

series because of ill health. The removal of ice cream from the

freezer was in no way responsible for Ian's departure.

And yes, there was a hungry cameraman! Now let's get the sport.

We are at the Northern Ireland open. Storm clouds gathering?

Yes, but let's hope the rain doesn't come here soon.

This is a breeding ground for stars of the future. Somebody you should

keep an eye on. Sweden's player who produced an amazing performance. He

shot a course record of nine under par to lead the magician. A

fantastic -- to lead the competition. If fantastic

performance. Chris, why has the club decided to

bring this prestigious tournament back to Northern Ireland? We held in

last year for the first time and it attracted thousands of visitors. So

together with our sponsors, we decided to hold it again this year.

This tour is fantastic. It has exposure to 440 million people

internationally. It protects and develops the brand of Northern

Ireland golfer which is very important. We have some great

players playing at the moment and some very important people want to

keep it going. One of the established stars of Northern

Ireland is playing. It is fantastic to have Michael involved right from

the beginning. As I said last night, the lovely thing is that you get the

whole family as well. So it is a real clue for us. And not just golf

here this weekend, you are hoping to attract 45,000 people? Yes, many

have registered so far for the food fest at the castle. That opens at 12

tomorrow. We have eight mini breweries doing beer and cider.

There were 18 brands. We have 15 food suppliers there. We have five

food stalls. We have lots of activities for children and the

whole family. And we have the garden centre has well. So when the

children get fed up with watching golf, they can go up there! Sounds

great! . Tickets are free. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's Gareth

Maybin is joint leader The Ballyclare man shot a five under

par round of 67 to sit joint top of the leader board at the end of

the first round in Turin alongside Let's find out about the weather.

Now news about storms. It has been confirmed by climatologists that

last year was the stormiest four 140 years. You may remember winds

battering the coast, bringing down power lines. Scientists carried out

the research. Back to the storms that are heading our way tonight. We

have some strong winds and heavy rain. The Met office has issued a

weather warning. So be prepared for some possible disruption caused by

that. The rain will sweep eastwards. Some of it will be quite heavy. It

was clear away through the early hours of Friday but it will be not

be completely dry afterwards. There will be showers and spells of rain.

Temperatures for some of us will not fall very low. That brings us to

tomorrow. It will say Windy with spells are wet weather. Also some

dry and is funny -- sunny spells. Shell is most

dry and is funny -- sunny spells. north-west coast tomorrow. --

showers most likely. There some showers popping up during the

day across the North some showers popping up during the

spells sunshine. Temperatures tomorrow at 17 or 18 degrees,

average for the time of year. The most unsettled weather across

Scotland, northern England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Dry and

brighter conditions over much of England. Temperatures not too bad.

Some persistent rain likely in some southern counties into the afternoon

and evening. Turning drier then. Overnight into Saturday it will turn

much drier. The weekend is not looking too bad. A few showers on

Saturday but by Sunday, much drier weather in store.

Thanks very much. That's it. Good night and thanks for watching.