:00:24. > :00:27.Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. Coming up on the programme tonight:
:00:28. > :00:30.As Richard Haass returns to Belfast,
:00:31. > :00:36.the First Minister says he and his party are committed to the process,
:00:37. > :00:42.but there will be challenges. It will be more likely to get agreement
:00:43. > :00:49.around issues relating to parades than it is to flags and more easy to
:00:50. > :00:52.get it on flags than in the past. A debate about the Police Ombudsman
:00:53. > :00:55.sees old divisions resurface. I would like to ask the member while
:00:56. > :01:00.he is on his feet about the organisation that he belonged to and
:01:01. > :01:06.how many of his colleagues have dual membership or was he colonel blimp
:01:07. > :01:11.who didn't realise they were out killing Catholics while he was doing
:01:12. > :01:14.his duty? I'm joined by our political
:01:15. > :01:18.correspondent, Martina Purdy. Richard Haass is back. The former US
:01:19. > :01:22.envoy to Northern Ireland, who's chairing all-party talks on flags,
:01:23. > :01:25.parades and the past returned to Belfast today. Dr Haass and his
:01:26. > :01:30.assistant, Megan O'Sullivan, will meet all the parties this week
:01:31. > :01:33.before round table talks on Friday. The American is still confident of a
:01:34. > :01:37.resolution before Christmas and the major parties are also hopeful that
:01:38. > :01:43.a deal can be struck in the next six weeks. From experience of previous
:01:44. > :01:47.negotiations, the real negotiations as you will remember because a lot
:01:48. > :01:52.of you were involved in watching it and questioning it, actually
:01:53. > :01:57.occurred in a tight process. I don't think it is too tight. I think we
:01:58. > :02:01.are down to the nitty-gritty and if the will is there, we will be able
:02:02. > :02:05.to advance and we will be able to come to a conclusion before that. I
:02:06. > :02:09.don't want to deal with extending. Richard Haass said he doesn't want
:02:10. > :02:14.this extended. He thinks it is long enough. I think it is long enough,
:02:15. > :02:18.but it needs the political will. If there is going to be a positive
:02:19. > :02:21.outcome, it will be because the executives parties who are on that
:02:22. > :02:27.panel reach a conclusion and that depends very largely on whether they
:02:28. > :02:30.are going to retreat into old ways because there is an election or two
:02:31. > :02:33.coming up next year or whether they are prepared to look at what is in
:02:34. > :02:38.the best long-term interests of the people of Northern Ireland. I hope
:02:39. > :02:41.it is the latter. My party is certainly up for attempting to
:02:42. > :02:49.resolve differences in these matters. I think it will be more
:02:50. > :02:53.likely to get agreement around issues relating to parades than it
:02:54. > :02:59.is to flags and more easy to get it on flags than in the past. Our goal
:03:00. > :03:04.was, our goal is and our goal will be to complete this work before the
:03:05. > :03:08.end of the year. That is to reach agreement and to make a full report
:03:09. > :03:14.to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and soon after to the
:03:15. > :03:22.public. Imwe continue to believe that this goal and this schedule are
:03:23. > :03:24.equal parts do-able and desirable. Richard Haass. Our political
:03:25. > :03:29.correspondent, Martina Purdy, is with me. It will be an intensive
:03:30. > :03:31.week for Richard Haass and the parties. What do you think we can
:03:32. > :03:36.expect? Well, I think this is the point in the talks where we step up
:03:37. > :03:43.a gear or as Richard Haass would say, it is time for the he pivot. It
:03:44. > :03:49.will be intensive. We heard Gerry Kelly say it is time to get down to
:03:50. > :03:53.the nitty gritty, Richard Haass is to hold two hour sessions with two
:03:54. > :03:58.main parties this week. He is going to hold a separate session with the
:03:59. > :04:02.First Minister and Deputy First Minister. The main point of
:04:03. > :04:05.consensus is that the past will be the most difficult to crack. The
:04:06. > :04:08.First Minister said if he had to rank them, I suppose, parading is
:04:09. > :04:12.the least contentious followed by flags, followed by the past and
:04:13. > :04:16.Richard Haass said this was because of the complexity of the past, but
:04:17. > :04:21.because it has not had the same attention as the other issues.
:04:22. > :04:27.Sinn Fein published its proposals on the key issues today. How likely is
:04:28. > :04:32.it that these will form part of the solution? Sinn Fein is the only
:04:33. > :04:39.party to publish its submissions. Some of the proposals are likely to
:04:40. > :04:43.be rather contentious. One commentator suggested parading won't
:04:44. > :04:47.be easy to crack after all. The party has resolved from that
:04:48. > :04:50.position of being in favour of, or at least willing to compromise on
:04:51. > :04:54.scrapping the Parades Commission. It wants to keep the Parades Commission
:04:55. > :04:59.and give it more powers. That will would include rules around what
:05:00. > :05:03.flags or emblems can be displayed on a parade and wants monitors to
:05:04. > :05:08.examine parades and to report back to a post parade review and it talks
:05:09. > :05:11.about a Scottish model whereby those organising the parade would pay the
:05:12. > :05:19.costs and be liable for any damage done through public disorder. The
:05:20. > :05:23.party not happy to have the flag flying on main routes or have kerb
:05:24. > :05:28.stones painted. It wants two flags or no flags and no surprise that
:05:29. > :05:32.Sinn Fein is seeking an independent commission, but the party has got to
:05:33. > :05:36.go in hard and what Richard Haass said, what counts is not where the
:05:37. > :05:38.parties are now, but where they will be at the end of the process.
:05:39. > :05:43.Richard Haass says a deal by Christmas is desirable and do-able.
:05:44. > :05:47.Is it? Well, I think it is a tall order, but it is not impossible. It
:05:48. > :05:52.comes down to whether the parties are willing to make the hard
:05:53. > :05:57.decisions, you know, Peter Robinson said if the process fails, it is not
:05:58. > :06:01.down to Richard Haass, it is down to the parties. But he is going home at
:06:02. > :06:05.the end of the week for Thanksgiving. So he will get at
:06:06. > :06:09.least one holiday meal in peace! Earlier we saw the First Minister
:06:10. > :06:12.talking about the Haass talks during Question Time. But Peter Robinson
:06:13. > :06:14.also answered questions about the planned loyalist flag protests
:06:15. > :06:18.before Christmas and, first of all, the Planning Bill which has been
:06:19. > :06:23.dropped by the Environment Minister. Yes, we will be meeting with the
:06:24. > :06:26.Minister for The Department of the Environment in the near future to
:06:27. > :06:30.discuss the position, the executive should take on this matter. It would
:06:31. > :06:34.be better if the minister had had this meeting before he made his
:06:35. > :06:38.announcement. The issue of planning remains a key element in the
:06:39. > :06:42.development of our local economy. It is still the case that many of the
:06:43. > :06:45.potential investors that we speak with throughout the world, who are
:06:46. > :06:49.looking to invest in Northern Ireland have been put off by our
:06:50. > :06:53.planning system. It is internationally recognised that
:06:54. > :06:57.Northern Ireland has a poor planning outcome and an example of this is
:06:58. > :07:01.Sainsbury's Chief Executive, Justin King's remarks when he said a lack
:07:02. > :07:05.of speed and logic and joined up thinking when came to issues
:07:06. > :07:09.planning permissions makes Northern Ireland a challenging place in which
:07:10. > :07:11.to invest. If we are serious about getting jobs into Northern Ireland,
:07:12. > :07:14.we need to look at our planning system and ensure that it delivers
:07:15. > :07:18.the right outcomes. It seems to me, that the right thing
:07:19. > :07:24.to do would have been to put the legislation through the assembly and
:07:25. > :07:30.allow it to be tested in the courts if necessary. I hope that we can
:07:31. > :07:34.reach some agreement as to how we should go forward. There are a
:07:35. > :07:40.number of options available to us and I know that the member would be
:07:41. > :07:44.aware this forms part of the economic pack that we signed on
:07:45. > :07:49.behalf of the executive with the Prime Minister. It is therefore,
:07:50. > :07:55.executive policy, the ministers are required to, of course, meet all the
:07:56. > :08:00.decisions that are taken by the executive and uphold them. So I hope
:08:01. > :08:09.we can get a way through this particular problem. Thank you, Mr
:08:10. > :08:14.Deputy principal speaker. Can I ask the First Minister to clarify as he
:08:15. > :08:16.mentioned the that these were agreed with the Prime Minister and the
:08:17. > :08:19.planning Bill passed by the assembly at consideration stage, whether he
:08:20. > :08:22.believes the environmental minister is in breach of the pledge of
:08:23. > :08:26.office? Well, clearly, the pledge of office
:08:27. > :08:30.does require every minister to act in awe cordance with decisions taken
:08:31. > :08:36.by the executive. The executive took a clear decision on these matters.
:08:37. > :08:40.It is recorded in the minutes of the executive meeting. Yes, he is in
:08:41. > :08:44.breach of the pledge of office. However, without going into his
:08:45. > :08:48.position, I think it is important that we resolve the issue and move
:08:49. > :08:52.forward on planning. Planning continues to be a significant
:08:53. > :08:55.problem in Northern Ireland. We have to address that. And it will require
:08:56. > :08:59.new legislation to address some of the weaknesses in the planning
:09:00. > :09:03.system at present. As is so often the case in Northern
:09:04. > :09:07.Ireland, we are dealing with competing rights. I have to say that
:09:08. > :09:14.it seems to me that in relation to this matter, as the actual
:09:15. > :09:21.anniversary of the decision by Belfast City Council comes early in
:09:22. > :09:25.the week than the Saturday, and also that the decision led to the flag
:09:26. > :09:30.being lowered which occurred other than on the Saturday, it appears to
:09:31. > :09:35.me that a lunch time protest would do less violence to trade in
:09:36. > :09:39.Belfast. It would more accurately be able to protest against the people
:09:40. > :09:43.who took the decision because I suspect very few of them are going
:09:44. > :09:49.to be in the City Hall on Saturday. While, it is not ideal for anybody,
:09:50. > :09:52.it would be a worthwhile compromise. The First Minister talking about the
:09:53. > :09:55.planned loyalist flag protests. There were heated exchanges in the
:09:56. > :09:58.Assembly today as the future of the Police Ombudsman's Office was
:09:59. > :10:01.debated. A DUP motion calling for changes to the organisation was
:10:02. > :10:04.passed, but not before nationalists and unionists locked horns over one
:10:05. > :10:13.of the Assembly's most divisive topics. The original consultation in
:10:14. > :10:17.2012 centred on the individual skills of the ombudsman. Issues
:10:18. > :10:21.regarding their appointment and the structure of the office. But this
:10:22. > :10:28.latest consultation looks nothing less than a last minute attempt to
:10:29. > :10:32.add even more powers to a body that has far from proved its ability to
:10:33. > :10:38.fulfil the purpose it has at present. We are back to the old
:10:39. > :10:44.blame the Brits mentity which does nothing to help us deal with the
:10:45. > :10:50.past. I think it is a disgrace. A disgrace members that former police
:10:51. > :10:55.officers whose duty it was to uphold the law, to enforce the law, are now
:10:56. > :10:59.refusing to comply. What other profession or organisation would get
:11:00. > :11:05.away with that? Would nurses get away with that? Would sworningers
:11:06. > :11:12.get away -- social workers get away with that? No, they would not. Yet
:11:13. > :11:16.we are about to stand here and say that it is OK for some of them
:11:17. > :11:23.actually not to comply with the standards that are required. Dealing
:11:24. > :11:27.with the past is a toxic mix for not only the ombudsman, but for the
:11:28. > :11:32.politician, for this chamber and for the wider society in Northern
:11:33. > :11:37.Ireland. We all have a duty and responsibility, whether it is
:11:38. > :11:40.through the Richard Haass talks or other mechanisms that are going on
:11:41. > :11:46.throughout our community dealing with the past. It has to be dealt
:11:47. > :11:49.with in a much wider context and to place the whole responsibility of
:11:50. > :11:57.dealing with the past entirely on the ombudsman is unfair and
:11:58. > :12:01.unreasonable. The lack of accountability was o poison at the
:12:02. > :12:06.heart of policing for many years. And so it is in the interests of
:12:07. > :12:13.everyone in society here that we have a fully accountable policing
:12:14. > :12:20.service. The office of the Police Ombudsman plays a crucial and
:12:21. > :12:27.indispensable role in all of that. But why doesn't Mr Sheehan ask his
:12:28. > :12:33.own members to be open and honest and co-operate with other bodies
:12:34. > :12:39.here instead of his Deputy First Minister here saying at the Saville
:12:40. > :12:44.Inquiry that he was bound by some code of honour and he couldn't give
:12:45. > :12:49.anymore information... Our position is quite clear, if there is an
:12:50. > :12:54.independent truth recovery process, Republicans will co-operate with it.
:12:55. > :12:58.I would like to ask the member while he is on his feet about the
:12:59. > :13:03.organisation that he belonged to, how many of his colleagues had dual
:13:04. > :13:07.membership or was he some sort of Colonel Blimp and didn't realise
:13:08. > :13:13.they were out killing Catholics while he was doing his duty? Order.
:13:14. > :13:19.Order. I would ask the members to have good temper and regard for what
:13:20. > :13:23.they are saying. You have an extra minute.
:13:24. > :13:28.Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. Those remarks of someone
:13:29. > :13:32.who is a convicted terrorist in this province, it is shameful against
:13:33. > :13:36.people who are upholding law and order. Why doesn't he go to Mr
:13:37. > :13:43.McGuinness and tell him to come and give the evidence that he should? If
:13:44. > :13:47.I am going to be shouted down, Mr Deputy Speaker, he hasn't the
:13:48. > :13:51.courage the way he sneaked behind ditches when he was in the
:13:52. > :13:56.profissional ra. Is that -- IRA, is that what he wants to continue to
:13:57. > :13:59.do? This is a democratic process here. Something you may not be
:14:00. > :14:04.overly au fait with, but it is something we have here. I didn't go
:14:05. > :14:09.out and murder people in the streets of Northern Ireland like he and his
:14:10. > :14:13.colleagues did. The code of practise issued under part two of the krill
:14:14. > :14:15.national procedure and investigations act sets out the
:14:16. > :14:21.manner in which police officers are to record, retain and reveal to the
:14:22. > :14:24.prosecutor material obtained in a criminal investigation which maybe
:14:25. > :14:29.relevant to an investigation and related matters. It is not clear
:14:30. > :14:33.that these provisions are inadequate. As has been well
:14:34. > :14:38.hoimented, former officers cannot be compelled to co-operate with the
:14:39. > :14:46.Police Ombudsman's investigations, the only exception if a criminal
:14:47. > :14:51.investigation is being conducted, there would be sufficient grounds to
:14:52. > :14:54.arrest an officer. I would urge anyone who has information to
:14:55. > :14:59.co-operate with the Police Ombudsman in all respects.
:15:00. > :15:02.The Justice Minister, David Ford. Now, do you remember the Civic Forum
:15:03. > :15:05.set-up in 2000, its aim was to address pressing social, economic
:15:06. > :15:10.and cultural matters, but it hasn't met since 2002. The SDLP is now
:15:11. > :15:14.trying to have it recalled. Today was the second time in eight months
:15:15. > :15:20.the party has brought the issue to the floor of the house and it met
:15:21. > :15:24.with a mixed reaction. To be honest, Mr Speaker, I couldn't care if the
:15:25. > :15:27.Civic Forum was never recalled because let's be honest, it was a
:15:28. > :15:33.product of the Belfast agreement. Something that our party opposed and
:15:34. > :15:37.still do. It was operationally ineffective with not one of its
:15:38. > :15:41.original recommendations being accepted or implemented by the
:15:42. > :15:47.executive of the day and I have no reason to believe that if recalled,
:15:48. > :15:52.it would change. We do not want another unelected Parliamentary
:15:53. > :15:57.organisation. Our existing assembly committees already perform a similar
:15:58. > :16:01.function in taking evidence from the public, various bodies and society
:16:02. > :16:05.in general. Much more could be done to develop this system and improve
:16:06. > :16:10.the context between the Government and the public. The establishment of
:16:11. > :16:14.a Civic Forum is a requirement of the Northern Ireland Act on which
:16:15. > :16:21.these institutions and this society is founded whether some people like
:16:22. > :16:25.that or not. It is an opportunity to enhance the representativeness and
:16:26. > :16:32.effectiveness of our political process, but I believe that the
:16:33. > :16:36.Civic Forum is one way to include the creativity and expertise that we
:16:37. > :16:41.have in civic society in the political process and to encourage,
:16:42. > :16:46.enhanced democratic par peus tation in Northern Ireland. I would argue
:16:47. > :16:52.had we had a Civic Forum operational for the last number of years, we
:16:53. > :16:56.would not have needed to have a Haass process because we would have
:16:57. > :17:00.had the benefit of people out there who have views and the fact that we
:17:01. > :17:05.have not been able to resolve the difficulties tells us there is a
:17:06. > :17:10.deficit in the dialogue that is required to reach agreement on these
:17:11. > :17:14.matters. The reason for the motion isn't that we are a broken record or
:17:15. > :17:17.anything else, we got this motion passed last April and nothing
:17:18. > :17:20.happened. Unfortunately, we don't want to use our time to discuss
:17:21. > :17:24.things that we have already got passed through this House, but
:17:25. > :17:29.sometimes you have to do that. Colum Eastwood. The SDLP's Alban
:17:30. > :17:36.Maginness is with me now. We have managed without the Civic Forum
:17:37. > :17:43.since 2002, why bring it back? Well, as John McAllister said today, we
:17:44. > :17:47.need a critical friend in civic society to tell us where we are
:17:48. > :17:51.going wrong, where we are going right and there is an added value in
:17:52. > :17:54.civic society making its contribution, think of people in the
:17:55. > :17:58.arts, think of people in trade unions, think of people in the
:17:59. > :18:03.churches all making their voices heard, or particular lating concerns
:18:04. > :18:07.within the community. For example, the flags controversy could well
:18:08. > :18:14.have been articulated in a timely fashion within the Civic Forum. Alex
:18:15. > :18:26.at wood made the point yesterday that several hupd submissions have
:18:27. > :18:31.been made by Civic society to the Haass talks? Well, there is an
:18:32. > :18:35.appetite out there amongst people who are not politically involved,
:18:36. > :18:39.who want a say in the shaping of our future, who want to contribute
:18:40. > :18:43.something to the political process without entering the formal
:18:44. > :18:46.political process such as the assembly or councils and therefore,
:18:47. > :18:53.this is a vehicle, this is a method in which they can express their
:18:54. > :19:00.views. What do you make of Lesley Cree, we need another elected,
:19:01. > :19:10.Parliamentary organisation, like we need a hole in the head. He wasn't
:19:11. > :19:20.enthusiastic. Stephen M outrey pretends that the DUP aren't working
:19:21. > :19:25.under the Good Friday agreement. As for the Ulster Unionists, shame upon
:19:26. > :19:30.them for going back on the Good Friday agreement and saying that the
:19:31. > :19:38.Civic Forum is not part of the agreement. Do we need another level
:19:39. > :19:44.of expensive bureaucracy? The cost in 2001/2002 was ?425,000, the
:19:45. > :19:47.following year it was ?328,000, that was ten years ago, so today the
:19:48. > :19:51.costs would be that and more. There is a limit to the amount of public
:19:52. > :19:55.money that's available? Of course, there is a limit and you can
:19:56. > :20:00.introduce economies in relation to any institution, but I think it is
:20:01. > :20:07.money well spent whenever you are giving a voice to people in civic
:20:08. > :20:10.society and it is not a disproportionate cost particularly
:20:11. > :20:15.if you compare it to the money that we are throwing away on flag
:20:16. > :20:20.protests, and on policing generally and this could well have avoided
:20:21. > :20:25.that situation arising in the first instance. In a sentence, can it
:20:26. > :20:29.happen? Will it happen? Well, it can happen and there is an appetite
:20:30. > :20:32.there in civic society for an institution such as this.
:20:33. > :20:35.Well, we will see. .
:20:36. > :20:39.There were several violent incidents over the weekend. A 15-year-old boy
:20:40. > :20:42.was shot in the legs in Coleraine, a pipe bomb thrown at police in
:20:43. > :20:45.Strabane and the Alliance Party's office in East Belfast attacked with
:20:46. > :20:51.petrol bombs. This morning the Assembly united in condemning the
:20:52. > :20:55.attacks. A combination of those events make it very clear to all of
:20:56. > :21:00.us that across the community there are people whether they be loyalist
:21:01. > :21:03.or Republican or people not affiliated in such a way that they
:21:04. > :21:09.want to try and drive us back to the past. This community has to be
:21:10. > :21:13.absolutely clear, not just in its unity of opposition to such attacks,
:21:14. > :21:17.which of corks we will demonstrate today, but to take that unity
:21:18. > :21:21.further to ensure that those people who have carried out these attacks
:21:22. > :21:25.cannot do so again because they are ap rehelpeded by the police, they
:21:26. > :21:30.are brought before the courts and they are convicted and put in
:21:31. > :21:38.prison. One thing all these attacks have in common is the fact they were
:21:39. > :21:43.committed cowards. People who are not prepared to stand for election,
:21:44. > :21:54.but done in the shadows. The attack on the Alliesance Paefrt in east
:21:55. > :21:59.Belfast was reprehensible. The language and actions of some elected
:22:00. > :22:03.representatives in our community have in my opinion fallen short of
:22:04. > :22:10.what is required from them with regards to the support for PSNI and
:22:11. > :22:13.the rule of law and democracy. Anyone who is harbouring any
:22:14. > :22:17.individuals in relation to any of these incidents need to realise
:22:18. > :22:22.very, very clearly that until people who are involved and are behind
:22:23. > :22:25.these attacks are taken of the our streets that it could be any member
:22:26. > :22:31.of our community, any member of any family in our community that could
:22:32. > :22:33.fall victim to these attacks. We are disappointed what happened over the
:22:34. > :22:38.weekend. It is very, very important that the community knows that there
:22:39. > :22:43.is no support for this type of activity out there in the community.
:22:44. > :22:48.These people are not presenting any alternatives. They are, the people
:22:49. > :22:52.want to live in peace and they want to move on. The people car cing out
:22:53. > :22:56.the attacks have nothing to offer the people of this kunl. Role rain
:22:57. > :23:03.this morning -- Coleraine this morning, certainly was a wake up
:23:04. > :23:08.call. A 15-year-old child, whose house entered at 5am by hooded men
:23:09. > :23:13.with revolvers and baseball bats at a time when grown men should have
:23:14. > :23:20.been in their beds preparing for a day's work. If as politicians and
:23:21. > :23:24.many in this House did, you support the undermining of the rule of law
:23:25. > :23:31.by the early release of prisoners and you diminish the status of the
:23:32. > :23:37.rule of law, then you cannot be entirely surprised that subsequently
:23:38. > :23:41.others follow in that mode of diminishing and discrediting the
:23:42. > :23:50.rule of law. The TUV leader, Jim Allister. Well
:23:51. > :23:53.the winter has begun to bite with temperatures set to drop tonight
:23:54. > :23:55.-and the response of the Roads Service to the challenge of
:23:56. > :23:58.maintaining key transport arteries was on the agenda during questions
:23:59. > :24:01.to the Minister for Regional Development. But given that snow is
:24:02. > :24:03.forecast, would the minister agree with me that there must be many
:24:04. > :24:08.dairy farmers wondering how they are going to get their milk tankers on
:24:09. > :24:14.to the main roads? And how they are going to get feeding stuffs in? My
:24:15. > :24:17.department is on alert for the winter preparations and my
:24:18. > :24:21.understanding is a yellow warning has been issued by the Met Office
:24:22. > :24:26.for later this evening and into tomorrow. And it is also indicating
:24:27. > :24:33.strong winds or gales for potentially Wednesday. So we are
:24:34. > :24:37.into the winter season very much and in general, road service will
:24:38. > :24:42.continue to provide the services that it can. I can tell you that we
:24:43. > :24:49.have resources of something in the region of over 100,000 tonnes of
:24:50. > :24:55.salt. We have 300 operatives. It is a major operation. We don't have the
:24:56. > :25:00.resources to salt every road and I know that that is an issue even in
:25:01. > :25:04.my own constituency as we have heard, but the resources are there
:25:05. > :25:10.for financially not unlimited to us and we make the best use of them and
:25:11. > :25:14.I think, I want to thank and encourage all of the operatives who
:25:15. > :25:20.will undertake this important work on behalf of the entire community in
:25:21. > :25:27.this winter season. Can the minister tell us what consideration he has
:25:28. > :25:34.given to extending free car parking charges to places like Enniskillen?
:25:35. > :25:37.Where a town wishes to avail of a special period of free parking, the
:25:38. > :25:44.council in that area can negotiate with my department to provide such a
:25:45. > :25:51.facility to the benefit of rate payers and the member has cshl
:25:52. > :25:56.influence at Fermanagh District Council and he will want to bring
:25:57. > :26:01.that to bear so it happens in Enniskillen and other areas. It
:26:02. > :26:07.happened in Newtownabbey Council made similar arrangements for
:26:08. > :26:10.Ballyclare. Christmas shoppers will use their car, it is the preferred
:26:11. > :26:21.means of transport rather than buses, rather than bicycles or
:26:22. > :26:26.walking. Is it not sensible to extend the moratorium on
:26:27. > :26:30.restrictions to the motorist in Belfast city centre in the run-up to
:26:31. > :26:35.Christmas and particularly at weekends, can I suggest abandoning
:26:36. > :26:44.the bus lanes? The evidence of increased bus usage in the centre of
:26:45. > :26:51.Belfast carrying even more passengers consistently over one
:26:52. > :26:57.million-and-a-half more journeys made last year. The increased level
:26:58. > :27:02.of train journeys, and I think a great many people do indeed access
:27:03. > :27:06.the centre of Belfast by using public transport and I welcome that
:27:07. > :27:10.and I had the opportunity not last weekend, but the previous weekend to
:27:11. > :27:16.be shopping with my wife and family in the centre of Belfast and I found
:27:17. > :27:22.it a very good experience. I think there is a buzz and hopefully a
:27:23. > :27:25.Christmas buzz. Danny Kennedy, outing himself as a
:27:26. > :27:28.keen Belfast seasonal shopper. Just before we go, I'm joined again by
:27:29. > :27:33.our political correspondent, Martina Purdy. You were keeping a close eye
:27:34. > :27:37.on First Minister's Question Time today. Were there any hints that we
:27:38. > :27:41.might see the Welfare Reform Bill soon? Well, the DUP asked that
:27:42. > :27:46.question today and Peter Robinson said he wasn't able to say when the
:27:47. > :27:52.Bill was coming back. He said it would require cross party support.
:27:53. > :27:56.The Bill, he said, isn't what is contentious, it is the draft
:27:57. > :28:02.regulations that accompany it and he doesn't understand why the Bill
:28:03. > :28:06.can't proceed. He did confirm that the elements of the deal that are in
:28:07. > :28:11.place include a concession that those already on housing benefit
:28:12. > :28:19.will not be penalised for having a he spare bedroom. That's good news.
:28:20. > :28:23.The Speaker is very fond of asking MLAs to move on, but it seems he'll
:28:24. > :28:26.be taking his own advice next year. Yes, the political editor at the
:28:27. > :28:31.BBC, Mark Devon port reported that William hey will be stepping out
:28:32. > :28:38.from the assembly and he has been in the Speaker's post since 2007 and
:28:39. > :28:42.the expectation is that Sinn Fein's Mitchell McLoughlin will be stepping
:28:43. > :28:47.into that role. No confirmation yet about who will be replacing William
:28:48. > :28:51.Hay though. That's it for tonight. I will be
:28:52. > :28:57.back at the same time tomorrow night. Do join me then. 11. 20pm on
:28:58. > :29:00.BBC Two. Bye.