:00:24. > :00:29.It was 2008 when pupils here last sat the 11-plus transfer test,
:00:30. > :00:33.but seven years on the politicians still seem no closer to agreeing
:00:34. > :00:37.And clashes in the chamber between Sinn Fein
:00:38. > :00:47.Seven years since the 11-plus was scrapped, there's still no consensus
:00:48. > :01:04.Those schools who decide to follow down the path of academic selection
:01:05. > :01:05.decide to use dodgy dossiers. There is no educational reason for doing
:01:06. > :01:06.it. With a protest against arts cuts at
:01:07. > :01:17.Stormont, the Minister responsible I'll certainly be a champion for the
:01:18. > :01:20.arts. I will argue for additional money to the arts and I look forward
:01:21. > :01:21.to parties are bought on that argument.
:01:22. > :01:24.And joining me to share his thoughts on today's developments
:01:25. > :01:29.is Professor Rick Wilford from Queen's University.
:01:30. > :01:33.The 11-plus was scrapped in 2008, but fast-forward seven years
:01:34. > :01:37.and academic selection and transfer tests are still in existence.
:01:38. > :01:40.Today our politicians once again clashed
:01:41. > :01:48.over how to move the system on from its current unregulated state.
:01:49. > :01:56.It seems to me the transfer test has become the elephant in the room. It
:01:57. > :02:02.is a difficult issue but ignoring it will not make it go away. The only
:02:03. > :02:07.conclusion I can come to after the restoration of devolution in 2007 at
:02:08. > :02:12.some point, Sinn Fein and the DUP came to a truce on this issue. Since
:02:13. > :02:16.then can say they have abolished the 11 plus that the DUP can say they
:02:17. > :02:21.have salvaged through the root of the unofficial test. It is wrong to
:02:22. > :02:28.portray the current system of the unregulated test as some form of
:02:29. > :02:32.disaster out there. We were told whenever this party help negotiate
:02:33. > :02:41.the right for academic selection to be put in legislation in 2007, we
:02:42. > :02:44.were told by the education minister a system that was not regulated
:02:45. > :02:48.would be a disaster, it would be overwhelmed with challenges. The
:02:49. > :02:57.whole system would collapse quickly. But it has been indicated that tens
:02:58. > :03:02.of thousands of pupils have gone through these test. We have to
:03:03. > :03:08.change the regulator transfer test system. The current system including
:03:09. > :03:11.private test fees but additional pressure on children and families
:03:12. > :03:18.from socially deprived backgrounds. Children have two sets of two or
:03:19. > :03:23.more tests. This also affect our primary schools. This does become a
:03:24. > :03:26.wee note that parents when considering which primary schools
:03:27. > :03:30.and send their children to look to see if two singers provided for the
:03:31. > :03:35.local school transfer test. Our debate on education and as the same
:03:36. > :03:41.debate. We always come back to this issue. I don't know what the
:03:42. > :03:44.solution is. In terms of the motion, the call on the Minister to convene
:03:45. > :03:50.talks with all the major stakeholders to build a consensus
:03:51. > :03:55.you can see how much consensus that is here today. It doesn't exist. We
:03:56. > :04:03.have two sides of this argument that are poles apart. Every Bully Boy
:04:04. > :04:08.tactic is used by the Department to threaten the primary schools to dare
:04:09. > :04:13.to do with their parents would expect, namely to prepare their
:04:14. > :04:22.children for the next step in their educational journey. If that step
:04:23. > :04:27.includes undertaking a Kiwi test or something else, the full weight of
:04:28. > :04:31.threat and authority from the Department is brought down on behalf
:04:32. > :04:37.of its of the schools to how dare they try to do with the parents
:04:38. > :04:40.would expect. To equip their children, to make the transition
:04:41. > :04:47.from primary to grammar or secondary school. Why do need to separate
:04:48. > :04:53.those children? At age 11 or age 14 and send them to a different school.
:04:54. > :05:02.Why do you need to separate them? Because all the other national
:05:03. > :05:07.evidence shows this. We can ignore it. You could ignore the part of
:05:08. > :05:15.education in this matter and that is OK. But there is a lengthy list of
:05:16. > :05:18.bodies that point to the fact educational election doesn't work.
:05:19. > :05:19.It has a detrimental impact on the education system.
:05:20. > :05:22.And it was no surprise that academic selection came up again
:05:23. > :05:23.during today's questions to the Education Minister.
:05:24. > :05:26.John O'Dowd was also asked about how schools meet the needs
:05:27. > :05:39.It is my believe the transfer process would be much better if the
:05:40. > :05:47.schools followed the Department guys. They should project it into
:05:48. > :05:52.school. I thank the Minister for his answer.
:05:53. > :06:00.Minister, would you not agree that what you have done is effectively
:06:01. > :06:06.privatised transfer system? Know, those Board of Governors who make a
:06:07. > :06:12.conscious decision every year. Every year a Board of Governors meeting
:06:13. > :06:16.meet to discuss the criteria. Every Board of Governors assistant and
:06:17. > :06:22.decides not to use academic selection follows a pathway which
:06:23. > :06:28.does not reject any child. Those schools who decide at a Board of
:06:29. > :06:34.Governors meeting to follow down the pathway of academic selection decide
:06:35. > :06:38.to use dodgy dossiers. There is no educational reason for doing it.
:06:39. > :06:44.There is a social reason for doing it and it it is for social
:06:45. > :06:47.selection, they should say so. I find it unacceptable the Minister
:06:48. > :06:53.uses such a statement as dodgy dossiers. In relation to the
:06:54. > :07:00.selection procedure. Does the Minister agree that in the main, the
:07:01. > :07:03.system works extremely well because we don't have educational
:07:04. > :07:07.authorities or boards involved in it? The fact they are kept out of it
:07:08. > :07:14.the system works well. Protestant and Catholic parents are happy with
:07:15. > :07:19.it in the main. The member stands in an elected Assembly, as an elected
:07:20. > :07:23.representative who is charged with holding public funds to account and
:07:24. > :07:27.makes the statement that the system works better because the Education
:07:28. > :07:33.Authority 's and bought a keep out of it. That is probably one of the
:07:34. > :07:39.most undemocratic statements I have ever heard in this chamber. What is
:07:40. > :07:42.the purpose of this chamber? Was is the purpose of elected
:07:43. > :07:48.representatives? What is the purpose of the ballot box if we do not elect
:07:49. > :07:53.politicians to govern our society? Following on from a written response
:07:54. > :07:57.received last week on the meeting the needs of transgender students
:07:58. > :08:05.with regards to uniforms, changing rooms and toilet facilities, whether
:08:06. > :08:11.he agrees guidance for schools should be accepted? I want to send
:08:12. > :08:18.out in form guidance and I have commissioned a survey across our
:08:19. > :08:23.schools to ensure that a meeting the needs of LGB young people within our
:08:24. > :08:26.schools. A survey has been commissioned and will be distributed
:08:27. > :08:33.and information brought back to me. Our post-primary transfer system is
:08:34. > :08:55.a bit of a mess, really, isn't it? This is the 75 time we had a vote on
:08:56. > :09:04.the issue. It is the fifth time yesterday we had a discussion on
:09:05. > :09:08.same-sex marriage. We are in a situation where there is no
:09:09. > :09:13.alternative. Now we have the kids who last weekend were celebrating
:09:14. > :09:19.hijinks and looking forward to a weekend of high anxiety with their
:09:20. > :09:23.first round of tests. Some of them will be sitting to round of tests.
:09:24. > :09:29.There is no consensus on this issue. Unlike yesterday's debate, John
:09:30. > :09:33.O'Dowd has the weight of evidence on his side of the argument. This was
:09:34. > :09:38.about conscious and opinion. In terms of whether they should or
:09:39. > :09:43.shouldn't be academic selection, some kind of 11 plus, the weight of
:09:44. > :09:49.evidence clearly is we should abandon it and go for a free
:09:50. > :09:57.integrated system. Maybe streaming and differentiation shown within
:09:58. > :10:02.schools but not at the point of ten, 11 determining their immediate
:10:03. > :10:06.academic career. Others take a different view from the one you have
:10:07. > :10:12.articulated. Both sides politically seem as far apart on this issue as
:10:13. > :10:17.ever. There is no agreement. Perhaps post the next election in May we
:10:18. > :10:21.might get a new education minister from a different part of the House
:10:22. > :10:26.who takes a different view. I cannot ever seen a particular meeting of
:10:27. > :10:29.minds on this issue. Some people are so entrenched in the belief of
:10:30. > :10:34.academic selection is a good discipline for children that it can
:10:35. > :10:38.differentiate among these skills. Others believe that if we are going
:10:39. > :10:43.to have some form of selection it should come later, if at all. What
:10:44. > :10:52.matters is educating the whole term. I do think, I am up product of
:10:53. > :10:58.grammar school. I can remember vividly being told the result of our
:10:59. > :11:05.11 plus on a day trip to London from South Wales to go to see the Queen.
:11:06. > :11:09.The headmistress went up and the train telling us whether we have
:11:10. > :11:17.passed or failed. For those children who were told they had failed it
:11:18. > :11:23.ruined the day. It is a cruel system. I think it is something that
:11:24. > :11:28.it's time is up and we should focus on a more integrated, holistic,
:11:29. > :11:31.focus system of education. Is be interesting to see if the
:11:32. > :11:33.politicians can move in that direction any time soon. We will
:11:34. > :11:35.talk to you later in the programme. Outside the Chamber today,
:11:36. > :11:38.several hundred artists, musicians, writers and actors protested
:11:39. > :11:41.against cuts in the arts budget, and that was because the
:11:42. > :11:43.Arts Minister was answering Not surprisingly,
:11:44. > :11:46.the same topic was top of the agenda, and Caral Ni Chuilin
:11:47. > :11:49.was repeatedly asked about what she's doing to help organisations
:11:50. > :11:59.struggling with reduced funding. The Minister be aware of the
:12:00. > :12:06.spirited protest outside the Assembly today. Perhaps that spirit
:12:07. > :12:09.belies the deep anger that is felt by those protesters and many of them
:12:10. > :12:15.and in the chamber here this afternoon. They express themselves
:12:16. > :12:21.alarmed and disturbed at the courts resulting as it has in loss of
:12:22. > :12:26.employment, insecurity and taking away from vital programmes that are
:12:27. > :12:33.instrumental within the community. Whether Minister reaffirm her
:12:34. > :12:38.commitment to the arts and reaffirm she will restore those monies to the
:12:39. > :12:45.Arts Council? First of all, I was going to see
:12:46. > :12:50.people are here, the artists are here in the chamber. It is good to
:12:51. > :12:55.see given some of the badges, there is cross-party support for the arts.
:12:56. > :13:01.It is good to see there is pressure being brought to bear on how
:13:02. > :13:04.important the arts is. I can't give a guarantee and will not give a
:13:05. > :13:09.guarantee because I think it is a plus that I will be able to restore
:13:10. > :13:16.the budget that I definitely want to do in absence of any security. Not
:13:17. > :13:22.only from our side finances security we need as an Executive in terms of
:13:23. > :13:26.monies that we have had taken from us in July 2011. It is earmarked for
:13:27. > :13:31.more of the same from July this year. I will be a champion for the
:13:32. > :13:33.arts, I will argue for additional money for the arts and I would look
:13:34. > :13:43.forward to party support. I asked the minister how she can
:13:44. > :13:48.justify imposing media cut on funding that has been committed to
:13:49. > :13:53.arts organisations and then siphoning off the money to projects
:13:54. > :13:57.with no application process and no transparency. Is that good
:13:58. > :14:03.practice? I think you have a brass neck giving your history around red
:14:04. > :14:10.sky and others. You have an absolute brass neck. First of all,
:14:11. > :14:16.transparency. I didn't meet anybody in rooms and conjure up Eddie deals.
:14:17. > :14:19.The whole process was done in an open, transparent way, with a
:14:20. > :14:38.business case, and it wasn't siphoning off. All other ale bes
:14:39. > :14:48.were consulted. In light of Ulster Park stadium not being suitable, and
:14:49. > :14:54.is though not a possibility of the savings being passed to other arts
:14:55. > :14:59.areas? Bearing in mind that one is a programme and one is a resource, I
:15:00. > :15:04.hope the member is in suggestion that Ravenhill can be redeveloped
:15:05. > :15:08.and then money for the games be given away, because that is not
:15:09. > :15:13.going to happen. Certainly not on my watch. I fully support the need for
:15:14. > :15:16.additional money in the arts sector, and I will argue for that, but I
:15:17. > :15:20.don't think anybody from that sector or anywhere would even hint suggest
:15:21. > :15:21.that money should be taken from the games to be given to somewhere else.
:15:22. > :15:25.Away from Stormont, the big news of the day was
:15:26. > :15:31.the announcement that the Michelin factory in Ballymena is to close
:15:32. > :15:36.That triggered an urgent question in the Assembly this afternoon,
:15:37. > :15:38.when the Enterprise Minister, Jonathan Bell, was asked
:15:39. > :15:54.The recent announcement is due to overcapacity in truck tyres and a
:15:55. > :16:00.substantial increase in import from the Far East particularly China.
:16:01. > :16:07.Invest Northern Ireland has been in regular contact with senior Michelin
:16:08. > :16:13.personnel, and was engaged in ongoing discussions related to
:16:14. > :16:17.further investments. So clearly, therefore, today's announcement,
:16:18. > :16:26.Deputy Speaker, is extremely disappointing. I can say my
:16:27. > :16:30.department and Invest Northern Ireland can fully understand the
:16:31. > :16:34.decision to close the plant, we appreciate the company's commitment
:16:35. > :16:42.to supporting its employees to find alternative employment with its ?5
:16:43. > :16:47.million development fund. This has been a catastrophic blow over
:16:48. > :16:56.Ballymena on the back of the equally devastating loss of TATA, and what
:16:57. > :17:02.my constituents want to know is did this Department, the executive and
:17:03. > :17:08.Invest NI do all they could have done? Our responsibility now is to
:17:09. > :17:11.see what we can do in terms of creating real employment and
:17:12. > :17:15.training opportunities. I have just finished a very detailed meeting
:17:16. > :17:19.with the Minister for employment and learning, as to what we can do
:17:20. > :17:25.regarding putting the colleges to work alongside, to ensure people
:17:26. > :17:29.that need accreditation for skills that they already possess that they
:17:30. > :17:34.can have that, to see what the Social Security agency and all the
:17:35. > :17:40.relevant agencies can do, and working alongside the minister, we
:17:41. > :17:45.will put together individual programmes, and we will put together
:17:46. > :17:50.group programmes. Can I ask the Minister, does he recognise now that
:17:51. > :17:53.there is a crisis in manufacturing? If you don't listen to anything is
:17:54. > :17:57.that I say, the thing that will transform and game change heavy
:17:58. > :18:03.manufacturing in Northern Ireland is a reduction in our corporation tax.
:18:04. > :18:10.I know the parties are working very hard, and I hope to see a positive
:18:11. > :18:14.response with a date and a rate set to reduce corporation tax.
:18:15. > :18:16.The passing of Private Members' legislation is relatively rare,
:18:17. > :18:19.but it looks as if the Green Party's Steven Agnew could see
:18:20. > :18:22.his Bill the third to become law so far in this mandate.
:18:23. > :18:24.The Children's Services Co-operation Bill, which calls for greater
:18:25. > :18:28.joined-up working between Government departments, passed its final stage.
:18:29. > :18:30.The Ulster Unionist leader, Mike Nesbitt, explained why he
:18:31. > :18:48.It is about social housing for people, health services the people,
:18:49. > :18:54.delivering horizontally through all the various layers and Department of
:18:55. > :19:00.Government to offer a holistic and individual package that meets their
:19:01. > :19:03.needs. I am looking forward to the report on the operations and the
:19:04. > :19:06.results of this in less than two years, and I'm looking forward to
:19:07. > :19:10.seeing how we can learn and improve on that. I think we have all been
:19:11. > :19:15.frustrated at one point with the silent mentality of Government, and
:19:16. > :19:22.we hope that this bill will change mindsets in that regard. I would
:19:23. > :19:24.like to see the roll-out of this collaborative approach to other
:19:25. > :19:33.areas such as economic growth. This lobby measured in practice, and
:19:34. > :19:39.given that the paint is not yet dry in terms of the content of the
:19:40. > :19:42.bill, but given that there is a body of officials who have been working
:19:43. > :19:47.at this, and have been thinking about this, and have been working
:19:48. > :19:52.with ministers in relation to all of this, can the junior minister
:19:53. > :20:00.indicate if there isn't now some further thinking about how this will
:20:01. > :20:04.be mainstream into the life of Government? I would also welcome the
:20:05. > :20:09.presence of the junior ministers to respond to this stage of the bill
:20:10. > :20:13.here today, and congratulate Emma Pengelly on her appointment to
:20:14. > :20:16.junior minister in the office of first and Deputy first Minister. I'm
:20:17. > :20:21.glad I have the opportunity of knowing Emma E.ON the assembly and
:20:22. > :20:27.have a good working relationship with her. She has received scrutiny
:20:28. > :20:33.further to her appointment which at times I think has spilled over into
:20:34. > :20:38.unfair and inappropriate criticism. Identifying we really want there to
:20:39. > :20:41.have to be a statutory duty the people to cooperate, and I suppose
:20:42. > :20:48.that is what I am tried to get at. A statutory duty is a last resort, and
:20:49. > :20:52.what we would want is for agencies and Departments to want to work
:20:53. > :20:57.together to reach better agreements for our young people. I think that
:20:58. > :21:01.the work that we have carried on in the office of first and Deputy first
:21:02. > :21:05.Minister, we do see that change starting to come across the
:21:06. > :21:09.agencies, and I think it is a change of culture as opposed to one of
:21:10. > :21:13.statute, so while I welcome this bill, I think it is a useful
:21:14. > :21:17.contribution, we will continue to work our hardest to ensure there is
:21:18. > :21:22.a willingness at all levels to cooperate and collaborate fully on
:21:23. > :21:25.these types of important issues. Often we will talk about vulnerable
:21:26. > :21:30.children, and let me be clear, this is about all children, but it is to
:21:31. > :21:34.ensure that there are no gap through which vulnerable children can fall,
:21:35. > :21:40.because when we provide the net for all, we catch all, including
:21:41. > :21:44.vulnerable children, and it ensures that those who need the support get
:21:45. > :21:47.it, because often we spend too much time trying to identify who the
:21:48. > :21:49.vulnerable are, and not enough time in providing the services.
:21:50. > :21:52.The Justice Minister brought a statement to the House this morning.
:21:53. > :21:55.It was supposed to be about helping people access
:21:56. > :21:57.the justice system, but David Ford found himself primarily answering
:21:58. > :22:11.The overall purpose of the review was threefold. First identify and
:22:12. > :22:15.prioritise those services publicly funded with advice, and reputation
:22:16. > :22:19.should be provided, in order to meet human rights obligations, safeguard
:22:20. > :22:23.the interests of vulnerable people and meet the wider public interest.
:22:24. > :22:25.Second, to consider the delivery models that might be best suited to
:22:26. > :22:31.the provision of publicly funded legal services through mechanisms
:22:32. > :22:35.other than legal aid. Third, to consider whether there are aspects
:22:36. > :22:39.of the justice system where if fish is might contribute towards reducing
:22:40. > :22:44.the cost of publicly funded legal services while sustaining the
:22:45. > :22:46.quality of service provision. I have now received a very comprehensive
:22:47. > :22:52.and detailed report. Today I am pleased to publish the report, and
:22:53. > :22:55.to begin a period of public consultation on the findings. Does
:22:56. > :23:05.the Minister accept that there has been a failure to set realistic
:23:06. > :23:08.legal aid budgets, and can I ask the Minister what he intends to do to
:23:09. > :23:17.rectify this situation prior to the setting of the 2016 /17 budget.
:23:18. > :23:24.Mr Speaker, it is quite clear as Mr Douglas says that the cost of legal
:23:25. > :23:27.aid has remained stubbornly high, and has not significantly changed
:23:28. > :23:31.over the five years since devolution. I could say what would
:23:32. > :23:35.have happened if we hadn't implemented some of the reforms, and
:23:36. > :23:41.indeed some of the criminal reforms we went through in an early stage,
:23:42. > :23:44.and we have been looking at a further ?20 million or more on legal
:23:45. > :23:47.aid costs at the same time. The reality is we had the budget that we
:23:48. > :23:51.had when justice was devolved, and we have sought to work with that
:23:52. > :23:56.given all the other pressures across the justice system, and my officials
:23:57. > :23:59.who I shall be having a discussion with later today are looking towards
:24:00. > :24:03.the budgeting process for next year, and they are looking at the balance
:24:04. > :24:09.of the jet between different aspect of the justice system. Clearly the
:24:10. > :24:13.figures which applied on the basis of the budget and the application of
:24:14. > :24:16.cuts by the executive are inadequate to meet the current legal aid costs,
:24:17. > :24:20.but nor can it be the case that legal aid can be protected for ever
:24:21. > :24:26.when other aspects of the justice system are seeing their budgets go
:24:27. > :24:29.down. He did ask the reviewer to consider models to deliver publicly
:24:30. > :24:35.funded legal services through mechanisms other than legal aid.
:24:36. > :24:41.What mechanisms of that nature have been recommended? And is he still
:24:42. > :24:47.flirting with the idea of a public defender office? We need to look as
:24:48. > :24:50.I have highlighted and as the report highlights at a range of alternative
:24:51. > :25:03.dispute resolution, but I'm not quite sure that I was flirting with
:25:04. > :25:05.the public to defender system. The report recommends and I maintain
:25:06. > :25:15.that we should keep the current system. But adjacent jurisdictions
:25:16. > :25:18.have looked at least in part at managing the costs that may make
:25:19. > :25:19.that a necessary way in which this jurisdiction might have to look at
:25:20. > :25:22.some point in the future. Yesterday's debate into same-sex
:25:23. > :25:25.marriage saw the use of Petitions Today, Stewart Dickson of Alliance
:25:26. > :25:29.questioned the Speaker on the rules following some
:25:30. > :25:31.speculation that petitions are being signed in advance by MLAs
:25:32. > :25:54.before a topic is even tabled. Mr Speaker, you will be aware in me
:25:55. > :26:01.Saint -- recent days that there have been accusations of Tippex being
:26:02. > :26:03.used on these forms, the clear influence that individual members
:26:04. > :26:09.are not using their own personal discretion when it comes to
:26:10. > :26:12.completing such forms. May I ask you to investigate both the efficacy of
:26:13. > :26:18.doing that and whether or not it makes the appropriate standing
:26:19. > :26:25.orders. In fact, I was aware of this situation, and standing orders and
:26:26. > :26:29.procedure is very clear. We have to be satisfied at the speakers office
:26:30. > :26:38.that the signatures are genuine. But the petition are concerned requires
:26:39. > :26:46.the issue. That is as far as my ability to take this forward. The
:26:47. > :26:51.Tippex on the sheet is nothing I can do anything about as long as the
:26:52. > :26:55.signature is visible and is genuine. Mr Speaker, you say that you have
:26:56. > :27:01.looked at the signatures. Have you found any discrepancies or any
:27:02. > :27:08.reason for you not to accept it them as genuine and authentic signatures
:27:09. > :27:12.on the petitions? I understand why you are asking the question, but
:27:13. > :27:14.clearly if I announced it was a valid petition of concern, it was
:27:15. > :27:16.valid. The Speaker, Mitchel McLaughlin,
:27:17. > :27:18.responding to enquiries from And Professor Rick Wilford is with
:27:19. > :27:22.me again for a final few thoughts. Petitions of Concern again
:27:23. > :27:23.attracting attention. It's proving very divisive between
:27:24. > :27:33.the DUP and the other parties. Yes, although it is a case of pots
:27:34. > :27:41.calling kettles black, because they have both made use or misuse of
:27:42. > :27:47.them. This has become, the risk is if you give politicians a tool, they
:27:48. > :27:52.will miss use it. We are seeing that in spades with the Petitions of
:27:53. > :27:58.Concern. It is certainly not being used for the purpose for which it
:27:59. > :28:03.was originally intended. And now it is, here is one I made earlier, all
:28:04. > :28:08.you have to do is sign it, and it makes a complete mockery of that.
:28:09. > :28:12.And the final one, Ukip has confirmed today that Councillor
:28:13. > :28:17.Henry Reilly has been expelled from the party. What's the political
:28:18. > :28:27.fallout from that likely to be? And minimal, a small splash. He may run
:28:28. > :28:32.as an independent at the next local council elections, or indeed for the
:28:33. > :28:35.assembly next May. The likelihood I think is that he will become
:28:36. > :28:40.independent because he does have a basis of support in his area, and
:28:41. > :28:43.that is where his real strength is. I think he will end up as a
:28:44. > :28:45.politically marginalised figure. Just before we go tonight,
:28:46. > :28:47.we inadvertently captioned David McNarry as a member of NI21
:28:48. > :28:49.last night. Join me for The View on Thursday
:28:50. > :28:55.night at 10.35 on BBC One. There's an extra special line-up
:28:56. > :29:12.on Nolan Live this week. We'll be linking up with
:29:13. > :29:14.RTE to bring you debates And revealing the results
:29:15. > :29:19.of our cross-border survey on a range of political
:29:20. > :29:21.and social issues. Join me in Belfast. Join me,
:29:22. > :29:24.Miriam O'Callaghan, in Dublin. That's tonight after
:29:25. > :29:34.the news on BBC One. The knives are sharpened and the heat
:29:35. > :29:38.is on. It can only mean one thing. Britain's best chefs
:29:39. > :29:43.are back in town. They're here because they want
:29:44. > :29:48.this title. I'm really excited. MasterChef: The Professionals
:29:49. > :29:52.starts cooking...