:00:25. > :00:29.Accident and emergency service says looks set to go. I will have the
:00:29. > :00:37.latest details. The Taoiseach it launches a
:00:37. > :00:44.scathing attack on the Vatican. first time in this country, child
:00:44. > :00:49.sex so abuse exposes a approach to frustrate an inquiry.
:00:49. > :00:54.A woman is in court charged in connection with the rape attack in
:00:54. > :00:56.Lurgan. Why supermarket profits could put
:00:56. > :01:01.up the price of cutting corporation tax.
:01:01. > :01:04.How much are you willing to pay for a plastic bag?
:01:05. > :01:14.And to temperatures are on the rise. Not a heap white, but more some
:01:14. > :01:21.Allied. The health minister has given a
:01:21. > :01:29.strong indication that A&E services are likely to close. Belfast has
:01:29. > :01:36.three hospitals, all with A&E services. They are located one mile
:01:36. > :01:44.from each other, with the Westlink connecting all three. Our political
:01:44. > :01:49.reporter has more. The health minister, Edwin Poots, came to
:01:49. > :01:54.Stormont to brief members. He talked about resources, the
:01:54. > :01:59.shortage of junior doctors, and then he came to this issue of the
:01:59. > :02:04.house -- services across Belfast. He explained that of the three
:02:04. > :02:13.hospitals in Belfast, only three could provide accident and
:02:13. > :02:18.emergency services. This will have to be consulted on. This will not
:02:18. > :02:25.lead to job losses, it is not about saving money, it is about offering
:02:25. > :02:27.the quality of service in the City of Belfast, where they do not need
:02:27. > :02:37.three accidents and emergencies within one-and-a-half miles of each
:02:37. > :02:39.
:02:39. > :02:44.other. Ultimately, we believe we can deliver better outcomes.
:02:44. > :02:49.He talks about rationalisation. But what about that change?
:02:49. > :02:54.timescale will be very quick. There will be a consultation process in
:02:54. > :03:00.August. Then the hope for the health minister is that these
:03:00. > :03:06.changes can come into place in the autumn.
:03:06. > :03:11.That attack by the Taoiseach on the Catholic Church. He has accused the
:03:11. > :03:21.hierarchy of downplaying the rape of children. Edwin Poots described
:03:21. > :03:21.
:03:21. > :03:31.the culture of the Vatican as narcissistic. He was speaking in a
:03:31. > :03:38.Dail debate. It found that the then Bishop, John Magee, had ignored the
:03:38. > :03:44.church's reporting guidelines. Jenifer, this is unprecedented and
:03:44. > :03:53.savage in its strength. blistering attack. You might well
:03:53. > :03:57.ask, why are Irish politicians so vexed at the Vatican? In 1997, the
:03:57. > :04:06.Vatican's diplomat Ireland, wrote to Irish bishops, advising them
:04:06. > :04:11.that reporting of abuse allegations could beat contrary to law. That
:04:11. > :04:15.intervention was a code red moment. It gave individual bishops the
:04:15. > :04:22.freedom to ignore a child protection guidelines. Today, the
:04:22. > :04:32.Taoiseach outlined why the report was different to other reports. For
:04:32. > :04:42.
:04:42. > :04:47.the first time in this country eight report into his sexual abuse
:04:47. > :04:52.exposes abuse. The report highlights a elitism that dominates
:04:52. > :04:58.the culture of the Vatican today. The rape and torture of children
:04:58. > :05:04.were downplayed, and managed to uphold instead the primacy of the
:05:04. > :05:09.institution, its power, its standing, and his reputation.
:05:09. > :05:16.People are waiting for bated breath for a response from the Church?
:05:16. > :05:22.reaction yet. But there has been a statement from a Vatican spokesman.
:05:22. > :05:27.He made his comments in a personal capacity. He what -- he said there
:05:27. > :05:34.was nothing that encouraged British troops to break Irish law. How
:05:34. > :05:42.could it? There was no civil law at that stage. The Irish justice
:05:42. > :05:47.minister described those comments as disingenuous. They also asked
:05:47. > :05:54.the Justice Minister to consider a corporation into any future
:05:54. > :05:59.inquiries. There is a feeling that this tone of attack is in keeping
:05:59. > :06:06.with what the Brumby St are thinking? People are angry and
:06:06. > :06:10.dismayed about what the Cloyne report has uncovered. But
:06:10. > :06:16.everything lead back to the victims. They are the people whose lives
:06:16. > :06:21.have been made toxic by the abuse of people who use their status of
:06:21. > :06:25.clergy to carry out abuse. The Taoiseach acknowledged it could
:06:25. > :06:31.take the victims and their families a lifetime to pick up the pieces of
:06:31. > :06:35.their shattered existence. A man has been arrested in Lurgan
:06:35. > :06:39.in connection with the investigation into a rape and
:06:39. > :06:43.assault. Earlier today, the Gulf and they suspect was in court,
:06:43. > :06:50.accused of lying to the police, and helping her boyfriend to avoid
:06:50. > :06:56.arrest. A Lithuanian woman was raped by three men during the
:06:56. > :07:02.incident. Our district journalist reports.
:07:02. > :07:07.This is B33 year-old Lithuanian. The Gulf under their man described
:07:07. > :07:13.by the police as a key suspect in the alleged gang rape of a woman in
:07:13. > :07:20.Lurgan. It is alleged that he and at least two other men raped their
:07:20. > :07:27.victim repeatedly. It is also alleged that they assaulted A23
:07:27. > :07:33.year-old man. Around teatime on Wednesday, she drove the female
:07:33. > :07:39.victim to Lurgan police station. The following day, the police
:07:39. > :07:44.called at her home, looking for her boyfriend. But he had already left.
:07:44. > :07:51.The next day, Friday, she again called the Lurgan police station.
:07:51. > :07:58.This time she brought with her bloodstained clothing. Again, she
:07:58. > :08:02.left, but that evening, the police phoned her. On Monday, she called
:08:02. > :08:06.the police station for a third time. This time, she was arrested. It was
:08:06. > :08:11.only after her first encounter with the police that the male victim was
:08:11. > :08:16.found. He remains in a critical condition in hospital. She admits
:08:16. > :08:21.she gave the police a false name. She also admits she helped her
:08:21. > :08:27.boyfriend fleet, but claims she did this because she was scared of him.
:08:27. > :08:31.She denies an accusation but she send text messages to the victim.
:08:31. > :08:35.She says her phone it must have been used by somebody else. This
:08:35. > :08:45.evening, the police said they arrested a man on suspicion of
:08:45. > :08:52.attempted murder. She was refused bail, and will appear in court next
:08:52. > :09:01.Friday. The finance minister, Sammy Wilson,
:09:02. > :09:07.has warned that devolving business tax powers -- packs powers to
:09:07. > :09:14.Stormont will not happen if it is too expensive. Here is our business
:09:14. > :09:21.and economics editor of. Stormont is shopping around for an
:09:21. > :09:28.idea to boost our economy. The most eye-catching offer is a cut in a
:09:28. > :09:34.business tax. But every pound lost, they will Cup Stormont's spending.
:09:34. > :09:38.Let us call it the Tesco effect. Previous Treasury estimates only
:09:38. > :09:44.looked at companies headquartered here in Northern Ireland. Now, they
:09:44. > :09:51.have included companies like Tesco, who operate here, but a
:09:51. > :10:01.headquartered in GB. The cost has shot up to more than �400 million.
:10:01. > :10:05.Tesco made profits of over �2.4 billion. That means around 17
:10:05. > :10:12.million in profit in Northern Ireland. If the tax was hard, they
:10:12. > :10:18.could save �9 million. Any other big UK company with big
:10:18. > :10:23.corporations here, you can see how 100 million is easily reached. But
:10:24. > :10:28.a Stormont willing to pay more than �400 million a year? Might reaction
:10:28. > :10:34.to the initial figure was it was too high. If that has gone up, then
:10:34. > :10:37.it is even higher. That create huge problems for the adjustment to
:10:37. > :10:45.public spending in Northern Ireland. It is something we believe we have
:10:45. > :10:50.got a lot of negotiation with the government to do. We do not what to
:10:50. > :10:55.see the devolution of corporation tax at any price. That has an
:10:55. > :11:03.immediate impact on the deliver real public services. The local
:11:03. > :11:07.business lobby says the price need not be so high. We will be able to
:11:07. > :11:16.take account of the additional payroll tax which will rise because
:11:16. > :11:26.of extra jobs, additional VAT, and also, we will be able to attack us
:11:26. > :11:27.
:11:27. > :11:32.-- are just tax rates. You can reduce costs of the �200 million a
:11:32. > :11:39.year. If this takes of the way we hope, there will not be a cost to
:11:39. > :11:45.the Northern Ireland Executive. debate moves to Whitehall, where
:11:45. > :11:49.officials and politicians will argue it out. There is plenty of
:11:50. > :11:57.negotiation left on have a price is worked out.
:11:57. > :12:02.Still to come: We reveal Northern Ireland's successors at the UK food
:12:02. > :12:12.Oscars. The Cup kicks off in a carnival
:12:12. > :12:15.
:12:15. > :12:24.style. We welcome this every year. How much would you play for a
:12:24. > :12:27.plastic bag? Alex Attwood said it would help raise money, because our
:12:27. > :12:32.environment correspondent reports, not everyone agreed with the
:12:32. > :12:36.potential cost. The plastic bag has become an icon
:12:36. > :12:43.of consumerism. It is impossible to walk down any street, and not see
:12:43. > :12:52.them. We used to wonder million of them every year, usually just once.
:12:52. > :13:02.It is a waste of material. The Assembly have decided to bring
:13:02. > :13:03.
:13:03. > :13:11.in a plastic bag charge by 20th April 13. I would pay about 5p.
:13:11. > :13:21.20 p at the most. I heard it mentioned this morning. It is
:13:21. > :13:26.ridiculous! I would say to people stop plastic bag tax makes a huge
:13:26. > :13:36.difference for the environment. The bad attacks across the border
:13:36. > :13:41.has made its mark. It is 22 a bag. While it has caused a dramatic drop
:13:41. > :13:46.in bad numbers, there has been a rise in other clubs are clear
:13:46. > :13:51.plastic bags to compensate. From October, shoppers will pay 5p for a
:13:51. > :13:58.plastic bag. One criticism of bad tax is that it is the shop owners
:13:58. > :14:08.who will have to collected. This will add to the burden of small
:14:08. > :14:09.
:14:09. > :14:17.traders. It will be disproportionate. It is unfortunate
:14:17. > :14:22.that we expect shopkeepers to be the tax collectors for this levy.
:14:22. > :14:32.But if the price is set too low, it will not cover costs. If it is set
:14:32. > :14:35.
:14:35. > :14:41.too high, people were not pay up. Alex Attwood is with me now. You
:14:41. > :14:45.meet the price to be high enough to cover the admin cost and to fund
:14:45. > :14:50.those at environmental projects. Let's see what the consultation
:14:50. > :15:00.reveals. In the south, when they introduced it 10 years ago, they
:15:00. > :15:01.
:15:01. > :15:05.set a figure of �12 on plastic bags -- 12p. The generated revenue for
:15:05. > :15:11.the state. There is models are their where you can marry together
:15:11. > :15:16.for a reduction in plastic bag usage, raise revenue for the state
:15:16. > :15:25.and do so at a cost that disproportionate. It has to be
:15:25. > :15:29.effective. What do you favour? 15p a bag? I am not naive that this is
:15:29. > :15:35.a panacea for the issues of the green economy but going forward.
:15:35. > :15:43.This is a small part of a small answer to the issue of green issues.
:15:43. > :15:47.It could be 5p, up to 10 or 12p. I will listen to the consultation.
:15:47. > :15:53.What I will decide is a figure that brings about significant reduction
:15:53. > :15:59.in plastic bag usage, raises revenue and set new standards in
:15:59. > :16:05.terms of green issues going forward. When we make that decision? After
:16:05. > :16:10.the consultation. Late this year into the autumn. You spoke about
:16:10. > :16:16.this being a small portion, plastic bags only make-up 1% of visible
:16:16. > :16:23.waste. What are you going to do about the bigger problem? Packaging
:16:23. > :16:27.in relation to what consumers buy. If we are to move on the issue of
:16:27. > :16:32.single-use plastic bags, shouldn't we be moving more on the issue of
:16:32. > :16:38.the use of plastic generally in the north. In Belfast, we recycle 20 %
:16:38. > :16:47.of domestic waste. I want to know why the cod have 50, 60, 70 %
:16:47. > :16:54.recycling rates going forward. -- can't have. The big opportunity is
:16:54. > :16:58.to be the leader on these islands of green eight -- green technology,
:16:58. > :17:05.giving an hour wind, title and water resources. This issue about
:17:05. > :17:10.the attacks on bags is a small part of a bigger strategy I have in
:17:10. > :17:14.terms of recycling and renewables going forward. Citizens,
:17:14. > :17:19.shopkeepers and everyone else, takes this issue forward in a
:17:19. > :17:27.positive way. He thank you for coming in.
:17:27. > :17:32.Yesterday we highlighted the build- up of algae on Loch Breckland lake.
:17:32. > :17:37.The Department of Culture and leisure says that we'd has spread
:17:37. > :17:42.quickly. As promised, Department staff began to clear the lake using
:17:42. > :17:48.a weed harvester. There has been concerns that the machine was not
:17:48. > :17:52.working and it while we were there, it was not operating.
:17:52. > :18:00.The work started this morning and the Harvester has cleared a path
:18:00. > :18:05.way through the centre of the lake. I still remain concerned that if we
:18:05. > :18:13.had not raised the issue to local media, it would it have swung into
:18:13. > :18:16.action so quickly? Our food industry has seen as the
:18:16. > :18:23.brightest hope for providing new employment opportunities.
:18:23. > :18:28.This week there was a boost when 40 companies won between them 160
:18:28. > :18:35.awards in what is described as the Oscars of the food industry.
:18:35. > :18:38.Foot has always been at the heart of the local economy. -- food. Food
:18:39. > :18:45.production and processing provide employment for more than 80,000
:18:45. > :18:49.people. Building on that success requires constant innovation and
:18:49. > :18:55.this delicatessen business is one of 14 Northern Ireland companies to
:18:55. > :19:03.win gold stars from the UK Guild of fine food. It is a way of life for
:19:03. > :19:09.us. We grow a lot of vegetables and herbs and soft fruits for the
:19:09. > :19:16.produce. It makes it very unique. Competing against 1,600 UK and
:19:16. > :19:23.Irish companies, Dale Farm with its dairies when a string of gold stars
:19:23. > :19:33.for its cheese and butter. There was a foot Oscar for best TV
:19:33. > :19:35.
:19:35. > :19:43.company. -- teabag company. This company achieved the top award
:19:43. > :19:49.of three gold stars. We were fortunate. We managed to get 14 of
:19:49. > :19:56.them for our bacon, beef, lamb, pork. We are delighted. Spare a
:19:56. > :20:00.thought for the judges of the taste Awards. They took 34 days to taste
:20:00. > :20:10.over 7,000 products. Northern Ireland finished with one here and
:20:10. > :20:11.
:20:11. > :20:16.60 gold awards -- 160 awards. I will try and be a judge next year.
:20:16. > :20:20.I have just harvested three parts of potatoes in my back garden.
:20:20. > :20:26.For Martin brought back some chocolate brownies. They were quite
:20:26. > :20:30.delicious. Now to spot and a football
:20:30. > :20:33.tournament that was under threat because of a lack of funding has
:20:33. > :20:42.started and Londonderry. The Foyle Cup attracts teams from
:20:42. > :20:49.all over the world. Some skills are on display at this
:20:49. > :20:54.year's Foyle Cup. Humble beginnings of eight teams in 1992, the
:20:54. > :20:58.tournament now has 100 sides competing. Shankill Juniors have
:20:58. > :21:04.been represented here every year since it started. We get to play
:21:04. > :21:09.against teams from all over Europe and Northern Ireland. It is
:21:09. > :21:14.important to put ourselves among the best. We are from a working-
:21:14. > :21:19.class area and don't have the funds to travel. We appreciate them
:21:19. > :21:24.coming here. It gives our boys an opportunity to match themselves
:21:24. > :21:28.against the best. There were question marks over the competition
:21:28. > :21:34.after a failed to secure funding. There -- after behind-the-scenes
:21:34. > :21:38.lobbying, the tourism minister provided a one-off payment for 2011.
:21:38. > :21:43.The organisers say there is no doubting the value of the
:21:43. > :21:50.competition. It is reaching to our communities, bringing kids together.
:21:50. > :21:56.Look at the parade at the start, we had kids from all over marching
:21:56. > :22:01.together. Kids as soon as 10 years of age. We have to start the
:22:01. > :22:07.healing at that Ian age. That is the way we are going to move
:22:07. > :22:12.forward. -- we have to start the healing at that young age. On the
:22:12. > :22:18.pitch, it is as competitive as ever. It is a great experience playing
:22:18. > :22:25.with so many teams from around the world. The competition runs until
:22:25. > :22:27.the weekend. The world famous Belleek pottery
:22:27. > :22:30.factory is a major tourist attraction but a recent discovery
:22:30. > :22:35.has shown this is no modern phenomenon.
:22:35. > :22:45.The visitors' book dating back to 1868 has come to light. It reveals
:22:45. > :22:46.
:22:46. > :22:52.the lengths some people have gone These days, Belleek welcomes
:22:52. > :22:58.tourists by the coachload. Over a century ago, it wasn't just as easy
:22:58. > :23:05.to get here. In 1870, the 5th Earl Spencer travelled by boat and horse
:23:05. > :23:08.drawn carriage. The great grand uncle of Princess Diana was
:23:08. > :23:12.appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by Queen Victoria. His
:23:12. > :23:18.visit was recorded in the visitors' book which has been missing for 143
:23:18. > :23:22.years. In order to get to Belleek in 1870, Earl Spencer had to arrive
:23:22. > :23:31.here on board a speech chip. Their visit was reported in the Irish
:23:31. > :23:35.Times, estates -- it states, a stiff gale blew. Lord Spencer lost
:23:36. > :23:39.his hat on a passage. Staff and actors dressed in period costumes
:23:39. > :23:44.and were clinging to their hats as the visit was re-enacted to mark
:23:44. > :23:50.the return of the visitors' book to the pottery. It was found in an
:23:50. > :23:56.attic in Tipperary and was bought by two avid Belleek kept -- two
:23:56. > :24:02.avid Belleek collectors. This was the only bit of information we had
:24:02. > :24:07.ever seen like this. We paid for it at auction and got it. I their
:24:07. > :24:14.entries in the book reveal but that -- visitors have been coming here
:24:14. > :24:19.since 1868. Above all else, it reveals brand and brand awareness.
:24:19. > :24:25.How do people come from some of the places you see here? Australia,
:24:25. > :24:30.Calcutta in India, South Africa. How did they find out about our
:24:30. > :24:36.company? It is the name that has been carried over to these places.
:24:36. > :24:40.For this is those early days, 2.5 million people have been to see the
:24:40. > :24:46.craftsmen and women at work. The visitors' book is now on display
:24:46. > :24:56.for tourists following in the footsteps of Earl Spencer.
:24:56. > :24:58.
:24:58. > :25:02.You never know who has been here. Hope on the horizon is for more
:25:02. > :25:10.sunshine. It has been quite cold the last
:25:10. > :25:14.couple of days. On 20th July, you may have had your heating on in the
:25:14. > :25:18.evening. Temperatures are going to rise and we are going to see more
:25:18. > :25:24.sunshine eventually. I can't promise that the whole of the
:25:24. > :25:30.weekend will stay warm. It is cloudy at the moment and there is
:25:30. > :25:37.some damp weather for parts of the East. That will continue on and off
:25:37. > :25:41.through the night. It is a nuisance. Generally, some clear spells and
:25:41. > :25:45.temperatures dropping to eight Celsius. We still have some of that
:25:45. > :25:50.cloudy weather to start with tomorrow. Gradually it will
:25:50. > :25:55.brighten up and the showers will be few and far between. A brighter day
:25:55. > :26:02.and foremost, dry weather also. The first thing you can see is that
:26:02. > :26:07.dreary weather and a disappointing start. The winds are still in the
:26:07. > :26:15.north. It will still not feel that one. We have sunshine around
:26:15. > :26:22.tomorrow. Temperatures creep up a little bit too today. Pay is the
:26:22. > :26:26.possibility of a shower to the north. -- there is a possibility.
:26:26. > :26:30.The fine weather continues into tomorrow evening. The last couple
:26:30. > :26:37.of days, there hasn't been much sunshine towards the north coast
:26:37. > :26:44.but hopefully you may get some tomorrow. Still that Pre's but it
:26:44. > :26:49.will start to ease through Friday it. -- breeze. Temperatures around
:26:50. > :26:53.18 Celsius on Friday. The sunshine will be strong. You may have
:26:53. > :27:03.forgotten what it feels like. Saturday looks like starting quite
:27:03. > :27:03.
:27:03. > :27:10.nice. Temperatures should get up to 20 Celsius. Forget the showers,
:27:10. > :27:13.that is a mistake. To begin with on Sunday, there will be some sunshine
:27:13. > :27:18.Sunday, there will be some sunshine around. A catch up with this on
:27:18. > :27:23.Twitter. You are human after all.
:27:23. > :27:29.I do make mistakes. Let us leave you with the reminder
:27:29. > :27:31.of the stories making headlines. The health must has indicated that
:27:31. > :27:36.accident and emergency services are to close at Belfast City Hospital.
:27:36. > :27:40.-- Health Minister. There has been a scathing attack on
:27:40. > :27:46.the bat met -- Vatican accusing it of downgrading child abuse.
:27:46. > :27:50.A woman has appeared in court charged with a brick attack last
:27:50. > :27:55.week. The Prime Minister has said it in