13/01/2017 BBC Newsline


13/01/2017

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RHI inspectors suspend payments to over half of the boiler owners they

:00:13.:00:33.

have audited. An election now looks inevitable with no sign of a

:00:34.:00:34.

political breakthrough. Are we about to see an end

:00:35.:00:36.

to free school transport? And shocking and scandalous and I

:00:37.:00:44.

cannot believe the education system is bearing the brunt.

:00:45.:00:45.

a gun attack on a couple in their West Belfast home

:00:46.:00:48.

I've been to Kilkeel to find out what Brexit will mean for the future

:00:49.:00:57.

An injury scare for Rory McIlroy but he remains in contention

:00:58.:01:03.

And black ice could cause problems overnight.

:01:04.:01:07.

I'll have your weekend forecast shortly.

:01:08.:01:18.

First tonight, it's been a roller-coaster of week beginning

:01:19.:01:21.

with the resignation of the Deputy First Minister

:01:22.:01:22.

which has brought the political institutions here to the brink.

:01:23.:01:27.

Today, inspectors responsible for regulating the RHI scheme say

:01:28.:01:32.

they've suspended payments at more than half the boilers

:01:33.:01:34.

The Department for the Economy is also declining to disclose

:01:35.:01:39.

information about participants of the scheme despite telling boiler

:01:40.:01:43.

owners it would be "freely available" to the public.

:01:44.:01:48.

Our agriculture and environment correspondent Conor Macauley has

:01:49.:01:49.

From the start, extensive information on each RHI installation

:01:50.:02:03.

was meant to be available for anyone. It included the location,

:02:04.:02:06.

the time it was installed and how much heat it could produce.

:02:07.:02:11.

Crucially, the information would also include the date the business

:02:12.:02:14.

joined the scheme and how much subsidy had been paid. All of this,

:02:15.:02:21.

they said, would be available to the general public for free, except it

:02:22.:02:25.

isn't. We asked the Department for all that information a month ago and

:02:26.:02:29.

despite repeated requests, it has still not provided it nor has given

:02:30.:02:33.

a reason for not doing so. Boiler owners were told when they signed up

:02:34.:02:36.

to the scheme that they consented to the publication of this information.

:02:37.:02:43.

There's a huge amount of interest out there. Some boiler owners have

:02:44.:02:51.

said naming would start a witchhunt. If the information was to be

:02:52.:02:54.

published, it would lead to the identification of those who got into

:02:55.:02:58.

the scheme giving the spike in November 2015 before the subsidy

:02:59.:03:03.

changed. It was that spike that effectively burst the budget.

:03:04.:03:07.

Hundreds of those RHI recipients have now objected in writing to any

:03:08.:03:11.

plan to publish the names. It may create a plan for the authorities.

:03:12.:03:15.

Under the data protection act they might have to review any decision to

:03:16.:03:19.

wallow through on the economy minister's intention to put their

:03:20.:03:23.

names out there and right back within 21 days to see if they are

:03:24.:03:27.

going ahead with it. It pushes a list of names for pipe. But new

:03:28.:03:32.

figures from inspectors may create an unstoppable pressure to proceed.

:03:33.:03:38.

Ofgem said today out of 63 boilers they had expected they had suspended

:03:39.:03:43.

payments to 33 of them pending investigations. Reasons given by

:03:44.:03:56.

boiler owners for non-publication are fears of adverse publicity, loss

:03:57.:04:01.

of business and crime. Officials will have to decide if that trumps

:04:02.:04:03.

the public interest. Breaking news on the heating scheme

:04:04.:04:17.

from Stormont. The business committee has been meeting in the

:04:18.:04:24.

last hour about the debate on Monday and they have added this draft

:04:25.:04:28.

statutory rule, drawn up by Simon Hamilton in the economy Department.

:04:29.:04:34.

It is the plan from VDU PE to try and cut the costs of that heating

:04:35.:04:42.

scheme -- the DUP. This has been added even though it hasn't been

:04:43.:04:46.

passed by the Finance minister who has set his officials would go

:04:47.:04:49.

through it with a fine tooth comb. Instead they are going directly to

:04:50.:04:55.

the Assembly. Sinn Fein didn't object and apparently it is because

:04:56.:04:59.

their representatives were not there which may be a sign of them not

:05:00.:05:03.

taking part any longer in Assembly committee business but it looks like

:05:04.:05:07.

one way or another it will be debated on Monday by MLAs. We

:05:08.:05:15.

understand regulations drawn up in line with the fresh start agreement

:05:16.:05:19.

to mitigate the effects of the bed in tax will also be added to the

:05:20.:05:22.

order paper on Monday, probably less of a row about that because Sinn

:05:23.:05:25.

Fein have said they will back that. It makes for an extremely busy day

:05:26.:05:29.

because we will have the nomination or renomination of the first and

:05:30.:05:35.

Deputy First Minister. We expect Arlene Foster's to go forward and

:05:36.:05:40.

Martin McGuinness's not to go forward.

:05:41.:05:42.

The Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt says a call by his SDLP

:05:43.:05:44.

counterpart for joint authority if the Stormont institutions

:05:45.:05:47.

He and Colum Eastwood have pledged to work together as the official

:05:48.:05:54.

But this week Mr Eastwood said direct rule would be unacceptable

:05:55.:05:58.

Here's our political correspondent Gareth Gordon.

:05:59.:06:06.

We have called time on the DUP's bullying and arrogance. We are back

:06:07.:06:19.

to the issues of equality and the Good Friday Agreement. Steering

:06:20.:06:26.

direct role in the face? We're going to go to an election. People will

:06:27.:06:32.

have an opinion on the DUP's behaviour and I'm confident how they

:06:33.:06:38.

will respond. Gerry Adams has made clear, equality is the Trojan horse

:06:39.:06:42.

to great unionism and he once compliant unionist to roll over to

:06:43.:06:45.

Republicans and time and time again, we will not do that. That's what

:06:46.:06:49.

Sinn Fein is about because they are frustrated that we will not concede

:06:50.:06:50.

to key Republican demands. So short of an eleventh-hour change

:06:51.:06:54.

of heart Sinn Fein will refuse to nominate a deputy first minister

:06:55.:06:57.

on Monday and an election Ulster Unionists gathered

:06:58.:07:00.

at Stormont Today. They want the election

:07:01.:07:06.

to be a referendum But what about their relationship

:07:07.:07:08.

with the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood following his call for joint

:07:09.:07:15.

authority if the institutions I wasn't aware he was going to say

:07:16.:07:25.

it but I'm not surprised because after all he is a national spot the

:07:26.:07:31.

line is, is not going to happen. Sinn Fein activists met in Derry

:07:32.:07:34.

last night with an uncompromising message for the DUP. There are days

:07:35.:07:39.

of demand and telling us what to do are over. We are making a stand.

:07:40.:07:42.

Health is one of the biggest areas which is going to be affected

:07:43.:07:54.

Gynaecology, which includes a hysterectomy operation, over 5000

:07:55.:08:33.

people are on a less waiting to be admitted. More than 1100 have been

:08:34.:08:38.

waiting between six months and a year.

:08:39.:08:39.

The Health Minister Michelle O'Neill had planned to launch a strategy

:08:40.:08:43.

to tackle waiting lists this month but without an Executive

:08:44.:08:46.

A short time ago I asked the minister what she had

:08:47.:08:49.

Because of the current crisis, confidence in the institutions

:08:50.:09:03.

because of the RHI scandal, I said we're going to be in a difficult

:09:04.:09:09.

position to overarching budgets for all other Government departments. I

:09:10.:09:14.

never once said otherwise. I'm still waiting to publish the plan. As far

:09:15.:09:18.

as health is concerned, you're good to go with this plan and you believe

:09:19.:09:21.

you have the money and agreement from the finance minister to back

:09:22.:09:27.

it? I absolutely can assure the public that I am doing absolutely

:09:28.:09:30.

everything I can and I will publish an elective care plan but I'm not

:09:31.:09:34.

waiting to publish the plan to take action. Our health correspondent is

:09:35.:09:45.

here. Yesterday we were reporting this elective care plan had been

:09:46.:09:52.

shelved so what has happened in 24 hours? This evening there is a

:09:53.:09:55.

completely different to an emerging from the Department of Health, a

:09:56.:10:00.

much more positive tone. Perhaps it has been influenced by the angry

:10:01.:10:03.

reaction from the public when we reported yesterday that the elective

:10:04.:10:07.

care plan for hospital waiting lists was going to be shelved. It's one

:10:08.:10:11.

thing being able to publish a report on a plan, but something completely

:10:12.:10:17.

different when you don't have the budget or an executive in place to

:10:18.:10:22.

sign that plan off, that's exactly what the department told us

:10:23.:10:25.

yesterday and that statement said that the current situation is, there

:10:26.:10:28.

is no longer an executive in place to agree a budget for an elective

:10:29.:10:32.

care plan, hence we said that the plan would be shelved. I think this

:10:33.:10:37.

week what has been happening at Stormont has focused minds within

:10:38.:10:41.

the health service between those who work in health and social care.

:10:42.:10:45.

People are asking, if after an election a different health minister

:10:46.:10:49.

is in place, which is highly likely, that person might be singing off a

:10:50.:10:52.

completely different hymn sheet than Michelle O'Neill does at the moment

:10:53.:10:57.

and what they intend to do with the health service could further

:10:58.:11:00.

slowdown reform of the health institutions here in Northern

:11:01.:11:04.

Ireland and that is something we can't afford to happen. Thank you.

:11:05.:11:11.

We wait to see if this plan has published and implemented.

:11:12.:11:12.

BBC Newsline has learned that charging families for school

:11:13.:11:14.

transport which is currently free is part of a package of money-saving

:11:15.:11:18.

measures being considered by the Education Authority.

:11:19.:11:20.

The authority needs to make substantial cuts to its budget.

:11:21.:11:24.

Our education correspondent Robbie Meredith has

:11:25.:11:26.

Around 90,000 pupils - like these at Devenish

:11:27.:11:32.

College in Enniskillen - get free bus passes to get

:11:33.:11:34.

If they live more than three miles away from their post-primary school

:11:35.:11:40.

or two miles from their primary school, the Education Authority

:11:41.:11:42.

But meeting that bill costs the EA ?72 million a year.

:11:43.:11:52.

And they've got to find around ?100 million in savings by next year.

:11:53.:11:59.

The BBC understands that a yearly fee for school transport

:12:00.:12:01.

of between ?50 and ?200 per pupil is one of the measures

:12:02.:12:04.

A similar scheme operates in the Republic of Ireland.

:12:05.:12:09.

There, families pay 100 euro for each primary child and 350 Euro

:12:10.:12:13.

for each post-primary child, with a maximum yearly

:12:14.:12:16.

Two thirds of Devenish College's 480 pupils currently

:12:17.:12:24.

There will be clear evidence that many families are already struggling

:12:25.:12:35.

so to add an additional burden on to those families, especially at the

:12:36.:12:41.

charge was implied at the start of September, I think parents would

:12:42.:12:43.

struggle to pay that additional fee. Meanwhile, at St Patrick's High

:12:44.:12:46.

in Keady, 400 pupils get free school transport,

:12:47.:12:48.

including the head I live about seven miles away and I

:12:49.:13:00.

made use of the bus for the past few years and I know that at my parents

:13:01.:13:04.

had to pay for me to get the bus to school, it would seriously impact

:13:05.:13:08.

the family. As living in rural areas, it isn't easy to get in and

:13:09.:13:19.

out of school -- us, because this is the closest school to us.

:13:20.:13:20.

Their head isn't blaming the EA for the proposal.

:13:21.:13:24.

If we can afford ?490 million in the Government, they need to look

:13:25.:13:30.

somewhere else instead of education. There is a road to travel before

:13:31.:13:32.

charges are introduced. The EA will have to consult

:13:33.:13:35.

and even if it goes ahead they'll still pay the bulk of

:13:36.:13:38.

a pupil's yearly bus fare. But it's another sign of just how

:13:39.:13:40.

squeezed the education budget is. The police have described

:13:41.:13:47.

a gun attack on a couple in their West Belfast home

:13:48.:13:51.

as "brutal and callous." The father and mother were shot

:13:52.:13:54.

in the legs as they tried The couple were attacked

:13:55.:13:57.

in the living room of their home on Norglen Parade just

:13:58.:14:03.

after 6:15 yesterday evening. Three masked and armed men

:14:04.:14:09.

forced their way into the property It's believed they were shot

:14:10.:14:11.

while attempting to protect their son who was also in the house

:14:12.:14:15.

at the time. The couple were taken

:14:16.:14:18.

to hospital for treatment The police say a criminal gang

:14:19.:14:19.

were behind the attack but wouldn't be drawn

:14:20.:14:23.

on whether paramilitaries The ordeal and trauma the couple

:14:24.:14:33.

went through must have been horrific. This is a brittle and

:14:34.:14:38.

callous and horrific attack on a defenceless couple in their house at

:14:39.:14:43.

tea-time on a Thursday evening and I condemn it in the strongest possible

:14:44.:14:49.

terms -- brutal attack. The people who did this have no moral compass

:14:50.:14:51.

whatsoever. The family have lived in the area

:14:52.:14:52.

for more than 15 years and are said to be well known and respected

:14:53.:14:55.

in the community. I don't know who was involved and I

:14:56.:15:04.

don't really care, they should not be bringing guns onto the street.

:15:05.:15:08.

There is no place for guns in our society. Whatever the motivation for

:15:09.:15:15.

the shooting, there is absolutely no justification and the people

:15:16.:15:17.

responsible should pack up and go away. the shooting took place on a

:15:18.:15:22.

busy street with a number of families live. A couple nearby

:15:23.:15:25.

didn't want to appeared on camera but said they were disgusted at the

:15:26.:15:29.

attack on their neighbours. The police are continuing to appeal for

:15:30.:15:30.

information. Snow has caused travel problems

:15:31.:15:35.

overnight and throughout today. And as Louise Cullen reports some

:15:36.:15:38.

schools had to close. We were warned it was coming and

:15:39.:15:49.

whether delivered on its promise. The snow was pretty to look at, but

:15:50.:15:55.

the card scenes caused problems for some. This morning at seven o'clock,

:15:56.:16:00.

there was only one lane of traffic, so parents couldn't park. Saint Joe

:16:01.:16:07.

Sims wasn't the only school to shut for the day. In all, hundreds of

:16:08.:16:13.

teenagers and children had the day off but they went too bothered. For

:16:14.:16:18.

some, the snow has brought an unexpected day off. For others, it's

:16:19.:16:21.

just me the day you get more challenging but for all of us, it's

:16:22.:16:28.

been a chilly one. -- it's been a bit more challenging.

:16:29.:16:31.

The Prime Minister is due to deliver a major speech on Tuesday

:16:32.:16:34.

which will lay out how she sees the UK's future after it

:16:35.:16:36.

Fishing regions voted heavily in favour of Brexit saying EU rules

:16:37.:16:40.

Yesterday, I went to Kilkeel the home to many

:16:41.:16:45.

For the fishing fleet here, what the cat and how much they can catch is

:16:46.:16:57.

negotiated and agreed by EU states in Brussels. Many in this fishing

:16:58.:17:02.

town believe that Brexit offers the opportunity to regain control of the

:17:03.:17:07.

local waters they currently have to share. In a moment, I'll speak to a

:17:08.:17:11.

fisherman's representative, but first, here is our South East

:17:12.:17:20.

reporter. The Kilkeel fleet has flown the flight for Brexit. They

:17:21.:17:25.

believe it as an opportunity to put right a wrong placed on it for

:17:26.:17:33.

decades ago -- four decades. The subsequent quarters, regulations and

:17:34.:17:35.

restrictions have been heated in these parts. All those things will

:17:36.:17:44.

all go, post-Brexit, and we should be back to a position of plenty. but

:17:45.:17:49.

turning around 40 years of the claim not be a simple matter and Brexit

:17:50.:17:52.

also brings concerns to an industry hugely dependent on skilled migrant

:17:53.:17:59.

workers. We lost a generation of skills within the fishing industry,

:18:00.:18:05.

now a major problem, a looming crisis, is a shortage of crew and if

:18:06.:18:10.

that's not addressed very soon, a lot of the boys there will be tied

:18:11.:18:15.

up. Ironically, some of those who were pro-Brexit now feel the fishing

:18:16.:18:18.

industry needs an exemption when it comes to skilled migrant workers. I

:18:19.:18:25.

think we do, especially in the short to medium term, until we could

:18:26.:18:31.

rebuild our own capabilities, to clear our own boats. Ultimately, an

:18:32.:18:37.

industry like this one sinks or thoughts on the quality of its

:18:38.:18:40.

product and the prawns being landed here are right up there with the

:18:41.:18:46.

world's best. We had massive demand worldwide the day before the vote

:18:47.:18:51.

for Brexit and an extent was the same, a world-class product will

:18:52.:18:55.

always have demand. Take it will class product, create more and it

:18:56.:19:03.

will pay better wages and get people into the industry. If it is managed

:19:04.:19:10.

properly it will be successful worldwide. the hope and expectation

:19:11.:19:18.

is that post-Brexit, the fishing industry in Kilkeel in particular

:19:19.:19:23.

have a bright future. Fishing is a small contributor to the UK's

:19:24.:19:28.

economy as a whole and to be a low priority to the Government in Brexit

:19:29.:19:32.

negotiations. I asked a local fisherman how he could ensure the

:19:33.:19:39.

fishing fleet here could not be marginalised. Last time we got lost

:19:40.:19:42.

in the negotiation and we have to make sure it doesn't happen this

:19:43.:19:47.

time. We had to put pressure on the politicians are people who count to

:19:48.:19:53.

make sure our voices are heard and our needs are met. The EU is the

:19:54.:19:56.

local fishing fleet's biggest customer so you need to maintain

:19:57.:20:01.

access but that may come at a cost in regard to tariffs. Will that not

:20:02.:20:05.

put more pressure on the local fleet? 40 years ago I would have

:20:06.:20:09.

said that would have been an issue. The demand for fish that far exceeds

:20:10.:20:15.

the supply and the people who eat it needed more than we need to sell it.

:20:16.:20:19.

We've heard over the years plans to develop this harbour so that bigger

:20:20.:20:24.

ships including herring ships can come in here but surely if we leave

:20:25.:20:29.

the EU, that project, with no structural funds, is dead in the

:20:30.:20:33.

water. You like as far as structural funds go, the UK is a net

:20:34.:20:38.

contributor to the EU is what we are not putting funds in, we're having

:20:39.:20:41.

to spend them on what we need to spend them on. As far as plans for

:20:42.:20:47.

Kilkeel harbour ago, I'm more concerned about local politics than

:20:48.:20:48.

Brexit and the state of the EU. The view of a local fisherman's

:20:49.:20:52.

representative, speaking to me yesterday in Kilkeel on what might

:20:53.:20:54.

happen with Brexit. night and day, the Stormont crisis

:20:55.:21:16.

is being played out on social media. I want to hold an immediate inquiry.

:21:17.:21:22.

Arlene Foster posted this video on Facebook after Martin McGuinness

:21:23.:21:26.

resign. It's clear Sinn Fein's actions are not principled, they are

:21:27.:21:31.

political. Martin McGuinness has also been posting online this week,

:21:32.:21:35.

using Twitter to thank all those who said to him, get well soon. Sinn

:21:36.:21:44.

Fein minister Martin had it were to over the bed and tax with DUP

:21:45.:21:48.

Minister Paul Gibbon and when he changed his mind on the bursary

:21:49.:21:54.

scheme, the announcement was made on Twitter. More and more often,

:21:55.:21:58.

politicians are bypassing news outlets and utilising the power of

:21:59.:22:01.

social media. It's happening all over the world. This politics

:22:02.:22:06.

professor says we shouldn't be surprised. The key is that social

:22:07.:22:13.

media is in their own hands and they can use it closely, so they enjoy

:22:14.:22:22.

autonomy and would have to be bothered interacting with pesky

:22:23.:22:27.

journalists. the downside is the online abuse they often get. Arlene

:22:28.:22:35.

Foster gave her own response on Facebook. Every Stormont crisis

:22:36.:22:37.

leads to online political satire. There's no shortage of material

:22:38.:22:54.

online for those who can bear to watch it.

:22:55.:22:58.

Gavin Andrews is here, and an injury scare for Rory McIlroy.

:22:59.:23:07.

The world number two hurt his back before

:23:08.:23:09.

starting his second round at the South Africa

:23:10.:23:11.

Feeling the effects, he got off to a slow start before

:23:12.:23:15.

Two late dropped shots saw him finish on nine under par,

:23:16.:23:18.

three shots off the lead at the halfway stage.

:23:19.:23:21.

I'm surprised I'm standing here. I've tweaked my back and the first

:23:22.:23:33.

few shots of today were not very comfortable and still aren't. I

:23:34.:23:38.

can't really take a deep breath because I'd done something to my

:23:39.:23:42.

upper back so I'm going to go and get treatment today. Considering

:23:43.:23:48.

that, I played well and stuck at it and hopefully I can feel better

:23:49.:23:54.

tomorrow. Make the injury means you're going to withdraw? I don't

:23:55.:23:59.

want to do that, that's why I kept going today. I'm going to see the

:24:00.:24:05.

physio now and hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

:24:06.:24:05.

Ulster Rugby face a must-win game at the Exeter Chiefs on Sunday

:24:06.:24:08.

if they're to keep alive their slim hopes of making the knockout stages

:24:09.:24:11.

Scrum-half Dave Shanahan will make his first start for the province

:24:12.:24:15.

while Charles Piutau and Pete Browne also come into the starting line-up.

:24:16.:24:18.

A lot of steps about how we need to win have been pointed out to us. We

:24:19.:24:28.

need more opportunities than the opposition. Getting the killer

:24:29.:24:34.

instinct is important for us. The boys are not far away, we just have

:24:35.:24:38.

to stay strong and they are working hard every day. They had at home and

:24:39.:24:52.

we keep on the momentum. We have to be prepared for that.

:24:53.:24:54.

The Belfast Giants have a crunch game tomorrow night as they travel

:24:55.:24:57.

to the Elite League leaders, the Cardiff Devils.

:24:58.:24:59.

The Giants are second in the table and looking to cut the gap

:25:00.:25:02.

Not invincible, they can be beaten. You've got to played a A-game.

:25:03.:25:25.

In the Danskebank Premiership, Crusaders are away to Glentoran

:25:26.:25:28.

tomorrow and will be looking to maintain their seven-point lead

:25:29.:25:30.

We'll have the best action on Final Score at five o'clock.

:25:31.:25:34.

Some of us got more snow than others. We begin to lose the cold

:25:35.:25:49.

air over the weekend but it is still chilly tonight. We've had some nice

:25:50.:25:58.

photographs. Tonight it is quite chilly, especially the first-half

:25:59.:26:01.

and The Met Office has issued the weather warning. Black case could be

:26:02.:26:07.

hazardous and places by the morning. Temperatures will dip to freezing

:26:08.:26:10.

but as we make our way through the night, milder air is going to come

:26:11.:26:15.

in and that will lift temperatures by breakfast time, still chilly

:26:16.:26:20.

nonetheless but not as cold as this morning. The mildly continues to

:26:21.:26:26.

move in so it will not be quite as cold but there will be scattered

:26:27.:26:28.

showers. The scattered showers coming from the beginning of the

:26:29.:26:32.

day, especially for northern and western areas. The will be sunny

:26:33.:26:35.

gaps in between and those showers are hit and miss. With the

:26:36.:26:42.

temperatures compared to today, seven or eight Celsius, so well up,

:26:43.:26:45.

and if you're travelling around the ailing tomorrow, the odd scattered

:26:46.:26:50.

showers here and there, some sunny gaps with temperatures of seven or

:26:51.:26:59.

eight Celsius. Tomorrow evening, the northwesterly winds might make you

:27:00.:27:01.

feel quite chilly towards the north coast with a shower here and there

:27:02.:27:06.

but a largely dry end to the day. Tomorrow night, more rain coming in

:27:07.:27:12.

and also milder air. By breakfast time on Sunday, we're looking at

:27:13.:27:16.

temperatures of eight or nine Celsius, well above average for the

:27:17.:27:19.

time of year and we're looking at highs of 11 or 12 Celsius by the

:27:20.:27:24.

middle of the day, but a cloudy day, rain on Sunday for northern and

:27:25.:27:27.

western areas especially but that is good news, we keep cold early for

:27:28.:27:32.

Monday and Tuesday and temperatures are staying in the double digits.

:27:33.:27:33.

Be careful on the roads and have a great

:27:34.:27:54.

Parents are facing an explosion in the number of children saying

:27:55.:27:58.

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