:00:27. > :00:31.Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. No Oscars for us sadly but
:00:31. > :00:40.congratulations to Terry George and while our MLAs know how to bask in
:00:40. > :00:45.reflected glory, one member had strong words of criticism.
:00:45. > :00:50.What was done about this Assembly to make the best of this success?
:00:50. > :00:53.What plans were put in place by the Department?
:00:53. > :00:59.And learning about our shared history - it could be a steep
:00:59. > :01:03.learning curve for some. Signing of the Ulster Covenant
:01:03. > :01:11.coming up next year is an opportunity but there are other
:01:11. > :01:17.issues. Remember, the covenant was signed 100 years ago.
:01:17. > :01:20.Keeping me right tonight, historian Jonathan Bardon.
:01:20. > :01:24.There's always a lot of talk about the past up here at Stormont but
:01:24. > :01:28.today's debate took us way back to the Ulster Covenant and the Easter
:01:28. > :01:36.Rising and how they should be commemorated. Jonathan Bardon is
:01:36. > :01:41.here to give us some context. There may be one school of thought that
:01:41. > :01:45.we should just ignore them? I don't think we should ignore these events
:01:45. > :01:49.that were so momentous and did so much to shape our present that I
:01:49. > :01:57.think they have to be marked in some way or other. I think the
:01:57. > :02:02.danger is that you could cherry- pick and just choose one or two
:02:02. > :02:07.events and the triumphalist about them. These events all connect with
:02:07. > :02:11.each other up. We are is a sense of them and us but you get the
:02:11. > :02:16.impression from the MLAs that they are trying to move away from that?
:02:17. > :02:22.I hope so. For example, he Ulster day or the day that the covenant
:02:22. > :02:30.was signed in September of 1912, that took place because of another
:02:30. > :02:33.momentous event when the British Government got the day in April
:02:33. > :02:40.1912 when the Titanic went down, introduce the third Home Rule Bill
:02:40. > :02:44.to give the whole of Ireland a vote of devolution. Of course the
:02:44. > :02:49.government was a reaction against that. The Easter Rising coming up
:02:49. > :02:56.in a few years' time, balances things out? I have a problem with
:02:56. > :03:02.that. The Easter rising was in 1916. The covenant was in 1912 so that
:03:02. > :03:06.gives you a four-year gap. Again, it is cherry picking. One thing
:03:06. > :03:11.leads on to another. At the Easter Rising would not have taken place
:03:11. > :03:16.without the First World War or and of course of 1916 is important, not
:03:16. > :03:19.just for the Easter Rising, but for the great offensive along the
:03:19. > :03:25.western front in which so many people from Ulster and the whole of
:03:25. > :03:29.Ireland died. More people were fighting on the Western Front, were
:03:29. > :03:36.Catholics indeed were fighting on the Western Front, and fought in
:03:36. > :03:42.the Easter Rising. The Alliance Party motion called
:03:42. > :03:47.for a co-ordinated approach to the commemoration of these events.
:03:47. > :03:50.The challenge is, can explore this past together in a way that both
:03:50. > :03:54.aids understanding through education and discussion in order
:03:54. > :04:00.to learn from our past and help us informed the possibility of a
:04:00. > :04:04.better future. Should we feel this challenge, there is potential for a
:04:04. > :04:07.divisive period rather than one focused on the future progress and
:04:07. > :04:13.the degree of maturity displayed over the coming 10 years in how we
:04:13. > :04:20.look at the past will ship how we live in the future. The signing of
:04:20. > :04:29.the Ulster Covenant, coming up next year is an opportunity. But there
:04:29. > :04:32.are other issues. The covenant was signed this year, 100 years ago.
:04:32. > :04:36.That demonstrates my point because I think we have a lot to learn
:04:36. > :04:41.about each other. My understanding of the covenant is that it was
:04:41. > :04:45.signed in September of this year. Is that correct? That is the date I
:04:45. > :04:51.had in mind so the point I would like to make his, we would in fact
:04:51. > :04:55.learn from each other and we should because I do think that perhaps the
:04:55. > :04:58.hard words we normally here and perhaps the noise and clamour of
:04:58. > :05:04.that was because people didn't have the confidence that what they would
:05:04. > :05:09.say it would be heard. I think we all have a responsibility, perhaps
:05:09. > :05:14.not just for the past, but to take this opportunity, it is a
:05:14. > :05:17.responsibility in my view and I want to make it clear, I want to
:05:17. > :05:20.make this commitment on behalf of my party, we will participate in
:05:20. > :05:25.these events and as many of these events, including those that
:05:25. > :05:29.reflect the Unionist tradition as it is possible for us to do so.
:05:29. > :05:35.SDLP believes it is vitally important that we don't just
:05:35. > :05:40.remember the past but we ask almost critical questions of it and that
:05:40. > :05:46.articulating a vision of the future is as much a part of the process as
:05:46. > :05:52.looking back. But also offers us a picture of two to record and teach
:05:52. > :05:56.our people and particularly our young people who the history, and I
:05:56. > :06:01.mean the history, not our history or their history, which I have even
:06:01. > :06:06.heard today in this chamber. I think to say our history or their
:06:06. > :06:11.history is something that shouldn't be talked about. It is the history
:06:11. > :06:15.of Northern Ireland and the people within it. I think it does a great
:06:15. > :06:19.disservice to the people who were involved in these events when they
:06:19. > :06:24.are labelled as our history for their history or one section of our
:06:24. > :06:28.history for one section of our people or one section but we ignore
:06:28. > :06:32.that part of history. That is their history, the history of Northern
:06:32. > :06:36.Ireland and the people within it. Interesting to hear some of the
:06:36. > :06:44.thoughts there but we have great difficulty with dealing in our
:06:44. > :06:48.recent past, can we deal with the past 100 years ago? I think we can.
:06:48. > :06:55.There are many experts who are extremely well versed in this who
:06:55. > :07:02.could tell us about this. The BBC has a great archive of film. The
:07:02. > :07:07.newspapers are full of useful material. Actually, the Ulster
:07:07. > :07:12.Unionists in particular in 1912 were superb publicists and produced
:07:12. > :07:16.lots of wonderful postcards and propaganda at the time and the
:07:16. > :07:21.nationalists responded. Is there anything we can learn from it in
:07:21. > :07:25.terms of killing? I think so. We learn by discovering that it is
:07:25. > :07:35.more complex and we thought it was, it is not the kind of history that
:07:35. > :07:35.
:07:35. > :07:39.you get in ballads more on gable walls or on banners. I think that
:07:39. > :07:44.is what is so important and the more we know about it, the better.
:07:45. > :07:48.The more capable we are a standing back and understanding each other
:07:48. > :07:52.and opposite points of view. Emigration is a big issue in the
:07:52. > :07:55.Republic, but here? It turns out no one really knows what the situation
:07:55. > :07:58.is here as the Employment and Learning minister revealed during
:07:58. > :08:03.questions. There were feisty moments when Arlene Foster dealt
:08:03. > :08:06.with that hoary old topic, fracking. More on that in a second but first,
:08:06. > :08:14.here's the chair of the DEL committee casting up to the past to
:08:14. > :08:18.his minister on the issue of youth unemployment.
:08:18. > :08:24.On 8th June, you stated that we recognise the committee has an
:08:24. > :08:28.important role to play, not just in scrutinising policy. Can you
:08:28. > :08:32.explain why you have not brought these issues to the Committee for
:08:32. > :08:36.discussion and can you tell us if you proposals that you have shared
:08:36. > :08:39.with colleagues, if they will be a rehash of what is going on in the
:08:39. > :08:45.rest of the UK or if you have something a bit of thinking to
:08:45. > :08:51.bring to this matter? First of all, he raises a couple of questions and
:08:51. > :08:54.I will try to address those. If the chair of the committee wants to
:08:54. > :08:58.invite officials to break the Committee on this matter of
:08:58. > :09:02.importance, I am more than happy to make my officials available to them.
:09:02. > :09:08.At times the committee has asked for a whole host of briefings to be
:09:08. > :09:11.made to the committee on matters small and occasionally on matters
:09:11. > :09:16.large and certainly in this large matter, I would welcome the
:09:16. > :09:21.committee having a discussion around the matters. Of course the
:09:21. > :09:27.committee will appropriate that it is for the Executive to determine
:09:27. > :09:31.the policy and that is where agreement has to be found. After
:09:31. > :09:35.that, we look to the finance minister in terms of resourcing
:09:35. > :09:40.mess. Secondly, while we are mindful of the policies being
:09:40. > :09:43.developed in the rest of the UK, we are devolved region and we do not
:09:43. > :09:48.follow what happens in other jurisdictions. However we will take
:09:48. > :09:52.on board the lessons of what is working in the rest of the UK and
:09:52. > :09:57.indeed I am keen to add a premium up with the Northern Ireland of a
:09:57. > :10:01.dish nullity that is linked to our own economy and the proposal I'd
:10:01. > :10:05.put forward towards skill areas we have a Northern Ireland so we
:10:05. > :10:10.insure this is not simply about dealing with unemployment but also
:10:10. > :10:17.about an investment in the future of our economy by ensuring we are
:10:17. > :10:20.investigating -- investing in the right areas. He could I asked the
:10:20. > :10:24.Minister said his department has carried out any assessment of the
:10:24. > :10:28.number of young people who have emigrated particularly from rural
:10:28. > :10:34.areas in search of work and does the Department have a strategy for
:10:34. > :10:41.tackling youth unemployment in rural areas? I am very much aware
:10:41. > :10:45.of the issues he is raising but it is difficult to give a precise
:10:45. > :10:51.figure for emigration at this stage. It is not something for which the
:10:51. > :11:00.Executive is responsible and terms of monitoring those issues. He but
:11:00. > :11:02.we are aware of the issues. I am mindful of making sure there is a
:11:02. > :11:07.range of policies across Northern Ireland both for urban and rural
:11:08. > :11:13.areas. He will be aware for example that we have ruled out a project
:11:13. > :11:18.into areas like Cookstown and more oil recently so we are recognising
:11:18. > :11:27.that there are rock pockets of disadvantage where we need to make
:11:27. > :11:31.some particular interventions. Arlene Foster next and the possible
:11:31. > :11:37.income -- impact on tourism. With the Minister agree that there is a
:11:38. > :11:44.danger to tourism because of for a king. Was she assure me that
:11:44. > :11:54.stakeholders will be consulted before any input into the decision
:11:54. > :11:54.
:11:54. > :12:00.process. Also when the Minister agree that the other form of
:12:00. > :12:03.alternative energy, especially around the Ballycastle area. I have
:12:03. > :12:12.already indicated that there are no plans in place for hydraulic
:12:12. > :12:17.fracturing in the north Antrim area. Neither Rathlin energy or or
:12:17. > :12:23.singleton intense to use that but I do say this to remember, I was then
:12:23. > :12:29.an area last week which provides 80% of gas to the UK. That is the
:12:29. > :12:35.same state that is hosting the 2022 World Cup, it doesn't seem to have
:12:35. > :12:39.done any damage to their tourism infrastructure and indeed their
:12:39. > :12:45.bedding for the 2020 Olympics so the benefits which the production
:12:45. > :12:51.of gas can bring to a particular part of the world are huge. In
:12:51. > :12:55.answer to his first of many questions, do I see that fracturing
:12:55. > :12:59.damages tourism? Not if it is carried out in the way in which
:12:59. > :13:05.will comply with planning permissions, environmental impact
:13:05. > :13:10.assessments. I do not see a direct lineage between tourism and
:13:10. > :13:17.hydraulic fracturing and there has been whipped up, in certain parts
:13:17. > :13:21.of our country, quite disgraceful at putting it stories which are a
:13:21. > :13:26.disgrace of instead of looking at the facts. We are at a stage where
:13:26. > :13:30.a planning application needs to put in place, where an environmental
:13:30. > :13:40.impact is to be put in place and people would do well to wait until
:13:40. > :13:40.
:13:40. > :13:45.those are in place before getting I would thank the minister for
:13:45. > :13:49.reminding us for the position and exploration of gas. Cot minister
:13:49. > :13:53.explain to the House what it will mean to Northern Ireland if there
:13:53. > :13:58.is gas there and if it would be feasible to do so, what it will
:13:58. > :14:03.mean for Northern Ireland. Well, the work that has been taken on at
:14:03. > :14:06.present by the particular company, a company which has now met with
:14:06. > :14:14.both myself and the minister of environment, are really carrying
:14:14. > :14:18.out work to see whether it is feasible to take shail gas out of
:14:18. > :14:22.the basin and in and around Fermanagh. That work is ongoing.
:14:22. > :14:27.They will carry out more work and then put in a planning application
:14:27. > :14:32.and a strategic environmental impact assessment. If they can take
:14:32. > :14:35.gas out of county Fermanagh in a safe way, which respects the
:14:35. > :14:41.environment and respects what happens in county Fermanagh, and
:14:41. > :14:46.can I say, I find it quite offensive for people to say that I
:14:46. > :14:51.would in some way damage county Fermanagh, Mr Speaker, as if.
:14:51. > :14:55.to the issue of some of these commemorations. There's the Ulster
:14:55. > :15:02.covenant, Easter rising, Titanic. There's the sufferage movement that
:15:02. > :15:09.we don't hear much about. Tem us about that. Ulster played its part
:15:09. > :15:12.in the campaign for vote for women. There were some very active
:15:12. > :15:19.suffragettes coming up towards to the First World War, for example,
:15:19. > :15:25.making an attack, I think, burning down the cave hill tennis Pavilion.
:15:25. > :15:31.There were teachers in Victoria College on a Friday would then take
:15:31. > :15:34.the boat to Britain and go down to London and join other suffragettes
:15:34. > :15:38.in throwing rocks through plate glass windows in Oxford Street and
:15:38. > :15:42.be back in the class on Monday morning. They certainly took things
:15:42. > :15:45.into their own hands a lot of it was quite violent. Yes it was the.
:15:45. > :15:51.The Government was very concerned about it. The Prime Minister who
:15:51. > :15:58.introduced the third home rule bill, Herbert Henry Asquith was in Dublin.
:15:58. > :16:02.He was cheered by great numbers of Nationalists when suffragettes
:16:02. > :16:05.attacked him. Our MLAs love a bit of reflected glory and what could
:16:05. > :16:10.be better than Hollywood glamour and razzmatazz. They were queuing
:16:10. > :16:13.up at the start of business to praise local director and
:16:13. > :16:17.screenwriter Terry George, whose short film The Shore won its
:16:17. > :16:21.category at the Oscars. This is a fantastic achievement given the
:16:21. > :16:24.prominence of the Oscars as being the highest accolade possible in
:16:24. > :16:31.the film industry. Whilst we have a number of nominees from Northern
:16:31. > :16:35.Ireland in the past, including Liam knee son, Keneth brana, to win this
:16:35. > :16:38.year in this category is outstanding. What was done by this
:16:39. > :16:44.Assembly to make the best of this success, what plans were put in
:16:44. > :16:47.place by the department ofent price, or the department of leisure to
:16:47. > :16:52.mark such a significant occasion on the winning of this occasion? Where
:16:52. > :16:56.was invest NI for example. Over recent years film making in
:16:56. > :16:59.Northern Ireland has been growing dramatically. This is helped in no
:16:59. > :17:02.small part not only bit funding given to Northern Ireland screen
:17:02. > :17:07.but also the ability of Northern Ireland to attract film makers to
:17:07. > :17:11.our shores, through the work of the Northern Ireland executive. With
:17:11. > :17:15.major television shows like game of thrones and movies like your
:17:15. > :17:22.Highness and killing Bono, we're developing the technical skills to
:17:22. > :17:27.go with the artistic talent to go with directors such as Terry George.
:17:27. > :17:31.I was fortunate enough some years ago to be one of the first trainees
:17:31. > :17:34.on the Irish broadcasting fund. From that fund we have accepted a
:17:34. > :17:38.number of companies which are currently producing film and
:17:38. > :17:43.television. So when we get an achievement of this world standing
:17:43. > :17:48.nature, it's something that we should shout about. I'm sure it's a
:17:48. > :17:55.great celebration in County Down and of Coney Island as well, which
:17:55. > :17:59.was made so famous by van Morrison. The former Chief Operating Officer
:17:59. > :18:03.of loch shore investments said the main reason she invested in The
:18:03. > :18:09.Shore was the impact it could have on the branding of Northern Ireland
:18:09. > :18:12.to the world as, and Terry George in his speech said we negotiated a
:18:12. > :18:18.peace and proved to the world that the Irish are great talkers. The
:18:18. > :18:27.film itself, Mr Speaker, is about someone who fled to America because
:18:27. > :18:32.of the Troubles. What a different peace when people leave for totally
:18:32. > :18:37.different reasons. Robin Swan joins me now. You waste nod time on
:18:37. > :18:42.getting this onto the agenda today. It's a fantastic achievement for
:18:42. > :18:44.Terry George and the film industry, especially when we're promoting the
:18:44. > :18:49.creative industries. Fantastic opportunity to put Northern Ireland
:18:49. > :18:54.on the world stage. You sounded a note of criticism. Of missed
:18:54. > :18:56.opportunity. The world was there, the world was watching, Terry
:18:56. > :19:00.George had no support from the Northern Ireland executive, there
:19:00. > :19:05.was nobody there to say this is a Northern Ireland product ah, part
:19:05. > :19:08.from Terry himself. He finished up with the Irish film boards after
:19:08. > :19:12.awards party. There was nothing there to celebrate Northern
:19:12. > :19:15.Ireland's achievement. Does the film not speak for itself. The film
:19:15. > :19:18.was a great reflection on Northern Ireland and what had happened,
:19:18. > :19:22.especially the story behind the entire film and the production
:19:22. > :19:28.itself. I think we're missing opportunities like this. We have
:19:28. > :19:31.Rory McIlroy in the world of golf, and nobody supporting him as the
:19:31. > :19:34.Northern Ireland executive. More need to be there to capture that
:19:34. > :19:39.spirit and the opportunity there to promote Northern Ireland. Would
:19:39. > :19:44.that not lead to criticism of MLAs only need to plan a trip to San
:19:44. > :19:49.Diego and there's shout of junkets, would that not lead to people
:19:50. > :19:54.accusing them of wasting money. it's industry based, I'm not
:19:54. > :19:57.talking about MLA junkets, this is serious contributions and support
:19:57. > :20:02.of the creative industries in Northern Ireland and being there on
:20:02. > :20:07.the world stage and making ourself known as a world player. We have
:20:07. > :20:11.the game of throne world wide series, let's maximise the
:20:11. > :20:14.potential and maximise all that is good about Northern Ireland. It's a
:20:15. > :20:19.fantastic achievement and not to take away from it, we've had short
:20:19. > :20:23.films nominated in the past, can you see a time when we would have a
:20:23. > :20:30.full length, feature film nominated or winning an Oscar? Certainly.
:20:30. > :20:33.We've had previous actors nominated from Northern Ireland Liam Neeson,
:20:33. > :20:37.we have the ability there. If we put enough investment into the
:20:37. > :20:42.creative industries into screen NI and into all the creative
:20:42. > :20:46.individuals who are out there, surely, before long, we will
:20:46. > :20:56.produce full length films here that will take the Oscars no, problem,
:20:56. > :20:56.
:20:56. > :21:00.same as Terry George did. Thank you for joining us. The SDLP's kolum
:21:00. > :21:06.Eastwood was put in his place earlier. Would he be bold to
:21:06. > :21:09.criticise the spending plans again. This budget has a lack of any real
:21:09. > :21:14.focus on job creation. There's a weakness in dealing with the
:21:14. > :21:19.threats to people amongst the poorest in our society and
:21:19. > :21:25.threatened by the oncoming onslaught of welfare reform. The
:21:25. > :21:29.devolution of corporation tax is moving at a far too slow pace. Mr
:21:29. > :21:33.Deputy Speaker, the politics of this budget is equivalent to a
:21:33. > :21:40.splash of bright paint on a distinctly grey canvas. Political
:21:40. > :21:45.choreography cannot distract from the reality of the defishcy of good
:21:45. > :21:50.Government. How can we convince anyone that the leadership is
:21:50. > :21:53.capable of dealing with more fiscal powers, when it hasn't fully
:21:53. > :21:59.utilised the block expenditure in its possession. It's sad to see for
:21:59. > :22:05.someone so young, he has got himself into a state of despair,
:22:05. > :22:10.which, I mean, usually, the youth are the people who have got
:22:10. > :22:14.idealism that lifts them beyond the circumstances in which they find
:22:14. > :22:19.themselves, help to pull themselves out of the mud an the mire and look
:22:19. > :22:23.to rise for a brighter future. I'm afraid that the young people in the
:22:23. > :22:28.SDLP have got their eyes as firmly on the ground in front of them as
:22:28. > :22:33.some of the older members who have had the batterings and beatings of
:22:33. > :22:38.electoral defeat after electoral defeat and therefore, have got into
:22:38. > :22:42.this kind of negative attitude. Well that's him told. Now, Stormont
:22:42. > :22:46.committees cover all sorts of topics, but sometimes MLAs can
:22:46. > :22:49.wonder off down unexpected avenues, leaving guests a little bewildered.
:22:50. > :22:56.Here's what happened when a presentation to the education
:22:56. > :23:00.committee on preschool places took a slight diversion and listen out
:23:00. > :23:04.for sometimes torturous similar Liz as we look at the work of the
:23:04. > :23:09.committees here on the Hill. This is a bit like, this has turned
:23:09. > :23:13.into the debate about food globally, I mean, I presume you do believe
:23:13. > :23:18.there's enough food in the world to feed snerch I'm not qualified to
:23:18. > :23:23.comment on that. You don't have an opinion? I'm not here to answer
:23:23. > :23:28.question abouts that. I may well be if there is and it's not
:23:28. > :23:31.necessarily in the right place. That's why we have familiarins and
:23:31. > :23:37.food shortages. That's why the food of Africa gets thrown up. This
:23:37. > :23:40.debate is turning into one of these arguments. Yeah we all want to
:23:40. > :23:48.eliminate global hunger but we can't take the necessary steps to
:23:48. > :23:53.do it. So we tolerate 10% of kids not getting a place. It's not 10%.
:23:53. > :23:59.In some areas we're hitting 100%. Some areas it's about 90%. This is
:23:59. > :24:06.very close. We are looking at the experience from last year. Even the
:24:07. > :24:11.figures about parents who didn't get placed aren't entirely accurate.
:24:11. > :24:14.I think areas we need to do a bit more work. We also need to look at
:24:14. > :24:20.parents who don't apply. There's a number of parents who actually
:24:20. > :24:24.don't apply for a place for their children. We need to look at that.
:24:24. > :24:29.We need to look at parents who drop off during the application process
:24:29. > :24:32.and find out why that is. We need to look at the cohort and if
:24:32. > :24:35.there's barriers to applications, address those. Once people come
:24:35. > :24:40.into the application process make sure it works better for them so
:24:40. > :24:46.they get the places at the end. minister mentioned, I think it's
:24:46. > :24:51.worth noting, that the DSD is putting in money. It's always been
:24:51. > :24:55.the view and strongly the view of the MAC that it can't be a stand
:24:56. > :25:00.alone place. Part of the reason why it was put there was because of the
:25:00. > :25:03.clustering, the sense of clustering of cultural activity and those two
:25:03. > :25:08.would feed off each other. The point that we made is that you
:25:08. > :25:11.can't fund the MAC and strip everything else back. It's like
:25:11. > :25:17.putting Wayne Rooney out without any other players around them. The
:25:17. > :25:19.MAC is a focal point for arts and culture activities in the cathedral
:25:19. > :25:24.quarter. Everything else has to keep going and that includes the
:25:24. > :25:32.black box, which has become a very important part of what cathedral
:25:32. > :25:37.quarter is. The other big thing that the minister mentioned was the
:25:37. > :25:41.managed work space and 50% subsidy and so on. That is a really
:25:41. > :25:44.important part of clustering. I think we can do that a lot better.
:25:44. > :25:49.Wod' like to work with the department more on that front.
:25:49. > :25:57.Every little bit counts. Every little bit counts. Sean will tell
:25:57. > :26:00.you if you get 5% or 10% from a Government, that leverages another
:26:00. > :26:04.10% from somewhere else. This is a set of dominoes. You take one piece
:26:04. > :26:09.out and the rest don't fall. Sean has to cut back, reduce prices or
:26:09. > :26:14.whatever it might be. The cocktail is important. It's like not putting
:26:14. > :26:18.gin in a gin sling, I don't know, I've never had a gin cling, I just
:26:18. > :26:23.thought of that. The cocktail is really important. These numbers
:26:23. > :26:27.were very important. We're so grateful that they've been restored.
:26:27. > :26:30.Peter Robinson says the conflict transformation at the former maize
:26:30. > :26:37.jail could provide a space for people to share their experiences
:26:37. > :26:40.from the Troubles. But the executive is having difficulty
:26:40. > :26:43.finding someone to head the development of the site. It's not
:26:43. > :26:48.great news. The first and deputy First Minister had hoped to
:26:48. > :26:56.announce shortly the appointment of a chairman of the board, along with
:26:56. > :27:01.board members. But in weekly answer booklet today, the Ulster Unionists
:27:01. > :27:05.found out that they weren't able to appoint a chairman because they
:27:05. > :27:09.didn't get a suitable candidate. The pool will stay but they will
:27:09. > :27:13.look again at finding a chairman. Some speculation that the first and
:27:13. > :27:16.deputy First Minister couldn't agree. I spoke with Mike Nesbitt
:27:16. > :27:20.and asked how concerned he was. very disappointed. But I'm
:27:20. > :27:23.concerned yes, because you would have thought for such a big and
:27:23. > :27:28.potentially exciting development, you would have had a queue of
:27:28. > :27:34.suitably qualified people coming forward. Yet, according to them,
:27:34. > :27:43.not one. What about the David McNargolery issue and the plans to
:27:43. > :27:45.discipline him glrb McNarry. understand a date has been set but
:27:45. > :27:50.the party will not comment, nor will they comment on suggestion
:27:50. > :27:56.that's other people are also going to appear before the disciplinery
:27:56. > :28:02.panel. The SDLP now, Alastair McDonald had a baptism of fire when
:28:02. > :28:07.he took over as leader. But he has reached the 100-day stage. First
:28:07. > :28:13.the lights, then a party row, public row, over MLAs and salaries.
:28:13. > :28:17.He got good news, given to us today, that is that he had set a number of
:28:17. > :28:21.targets for his first 100 days in targets. He's met those targets.
:28:21. > :28:25.His fundraising target of �20,000 was met before Christmas.
:28:25. > :28:29.A final word from you. Is there a danger in all these commemorations
:28:29. > :28:35.of stirring up old wounds from the past. There certainly is and the
:28:35. > :28:39.Government needs to lead to ensure that doesn't happen, to make sure
:28:39. > :28:46.it's inclusive, non-triumphalist and brings everybody on board by
:28:46. > :28:49.looking at the sequence of events from April of 1912 all the way up