06/02/2012 BBC Newsline

Welcome to BBC Newsline with Donna Traynor and Noel Thompson. Our main

story this evening: The former First Minister and DUP leader Lord

Bannside has been admitted to hospital.

I am at the Ulster Hospital with the latest on his condition. Also

on the programme this evening: Public spending watchdog the Audit

Office is to investigate the recruitment of hundreds of ex RUC

officers to the police. Ireland see red in Dublin. The

blame game continues after another defeat to Wales.

Not much change to come in the weather over the next 24 hours but

it will stay that way for the rest of the week. Find out shortly.

The former First Minister and DUP leader, Ian Paisley, Lord Bannside,

has been admitted to the Ulster Hospital on the outskirts of East

Belfast. His wife, Baroness Paisley, says it is a difficult time for the

family. This was Ian Paisley at just 10

days ago. He was saying goodbye to his adoring congregation in the

place where he preached his first sermon over 60 years ago. In his 86

here, he could still attract a crowd like few others. I have had

the privilege of being a picture here for 65 years. That is a long

time. Go we declare our intention that we

will organise massive demonstrations. The this was the

young firebrand in the late 1960s, the man who would throw snowballs

at the first Taoiseach to come north and he would, for around for

decades, at be known as the doctor know of Northern Ireland politics.

We say never, never, never, never! This defiant line was aimed at the

Anglo Irish Agreement in the mid- 1980s when Good Friday Agreement

replaced it he again led the campaign against it. As the DUP

became that the majority party and the IRA disarmed, he signed up to

the St Andrew's Agreement, sat down with his enemies and became

Stormont's First Minister, forging an unlikely friendship with Martin

McGuinness. After stepping down a year later, he went to the Lords as

Lord Bannside. At the weekend, he became ill and today his wife

confirmed he was being treated in the Ulster Hospital. She asked that

family privacy be respected at what she called this difficult time. No

details were given of his illness or his condition. Last November, we

caught up with Ian Paisley as he made a rare public appearance in

Carrickfergus. He said he had no intention of retiring completely

just yet. You will see me in the pulpit and I hope that people will

not forget me, I don't think they will. I think I'll have more time

to do visitations and go to places I would have liked to have gone

when end of us. His portrait hangs in Stormont where tonight, as

elsewhere, they are awaiting updates on his condition.

Our reporter Will Leitch is at the Ulster Hospital in Belfast where

Lord Bannside is being treated. The family have asked for privacy but

what do you know? Tonight, Lord Bannside is being cared for here at

the Ulster Hospital. We understand in the intensive care unit. He was

brought here last night and reports of a heart attack are unconfirmed

at this stage. The family have asked for privacy and therefore,

we're unable to bring any particular check of how he is very

at this moment. The family has asked for things to be kept quiet

at this time. There has to be no sign of the family going to the

hospital the sacrament. Ian Paisley is 85 and six years ago, he

withdrew from public life for a short while and later said that he

had been ill and spoke in his own words of having walked in death's

shadow. Tonight, he is ill once more and being cared for here.

Mark, what is being said at Stormont? The one talking-point

here has been at the help of Lord Bannside. It was mentioned at the

DUP's Group meeting this morning and members were asked to pray for

their former leader. Now as the reports went out and became public

in the afternoon, members of other parties were asking after him and

during the last five or six years, when Ian Paisley switched, other

party members have been asking for his health. He did have that patch

of ill-health during the magician's but he pulled around from that last

year it was confirmed he had been fitted with pacemaker. Everybody

here is hoping for the best. The government spending watchdog is

to investigate the recruitment of former RUC officers to the police

as civilian staff on temporary contracts. The move by the Audit

Office follows BBC Newsline's revelations that hundreds of

retired officers who left with generous Patten redundancy packages

have been re-employed. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent

Kearney broke the story. We now have an investigation? It is the

job of the orders of us to ensure government departments and agencies

spend their money properly. I understand the Office has today

send letters to the PSNI, the Policing Board and the Department

of Justice, informing them it intends to carry out a value-for-

money review. I believe the terms of reference for that if you are

still being finalised and the intention is to launch the

investigation as soon as possible. I understand the investigation will

focus on the PSNI's use of temporary and agency staff. They

have been recruited to jobs that were not publicly advertised. It

was through an agency and the vast majority of them are former police

officers who left with redundancy packages. The final terms of

reference have still to be finalised but this will be a very

in-depth investigation? Indeed because we know in recent weeks,

Policing Board members have written number of points. They have

questioned the openness and transparency of this recruit and

process, they have said it has been more expensive than an open

recruitment process. That is because the agency receives a fee

for all those who are recruited. This was supposed to be a short-

term fix to fill gaps left by the retirement of large numbers of

experienced police officers in a very short period of time but here

we are, 10 years later, and the policy is still in place. Last week,

two former retired officers, they both spoke to the BBC and said they

also have concerns so I think the Audit Office will look at all of

these issues and that it whether or not this policy it was operated

fairly, did it offer value for money and was at effective? Given

the public reaction to revelations and all has gone on in recent weeks,

was this investigation 11? There was a sense that it was because we

had Sinn Fein and the SDLP who have asked the Office to investigate

this issue. The DUP members of the Policing Board then said they would

welcome an investigation and the PSNI itself was then put in a

position where they said they would also welcome independent scrutiny

so certainly there was an expectation that an investigation

would be launched. Still to come on programme: A

controversial penalty gives Wales victory over Ireland in a last

minute thrilling victory in the Six Nations.

There was a big sign on a motorway today, pointing the way to the

Titanic commemorations. A 50 year-old woman has appeared in

court in Londonderry, charged with attempting to murder her 20 year-

old son. The charges in connection with the domestic incident at the

weekend. In court was Teresa Dougherty from

Derry. She is accused of attempting to murder her son in a domestic

incident on Saturday night. Her son is on a life-support machine at the

Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and is being treated for serious

head injury. As the attempted murder charge was read out, she

shook her head and wept. She nodded to show that she understood the

charge. The investigating police officer told the judge he was

opposing bail because he believed the defendant's long-standing

alcohol addiction could result in her committing further offences.

The defence solicitor told the court that the to live on their own.

Both had developed difficulties with alcohol and this was the issue

in the case. He added it was hoped Mr O'Connor would make a good

recovery and it was not clear yet if the attempted murder charge

would remain in place. The solicitor said she was prepared to

get help from her GP. The prosecution had no issue that the

bail application. She was released on her on bail of �500 with a

charity also of �500. She was ordered to reside at her father's

house, not to consume more possess alcohol, not to enter licensed

premises and to submit to police protests and not to have any direct

or indirect contact with her son will stop the case was adjourned

for an update next month. At 21 year-old man is being held by

the police following the murder of a man in the Lurgan at the weekend.

The body was found yesterday morning.

The victim is believed to have been in his early forties and his body

was found early on Sunday morning end a flat in the Mourne the area

of the town. Forensic officers have been carrying out searches of the

flat and surrounding area. The local community is shocked at what

has happened. It is surprising because this has always been a

quiet area and a very settled community. Obviously people come

and go because they are Executive houses but on the whole it has been

quiet and it seems so out of the ordinary that this has happened.

There was also troubled just a few miles away. On Sunday morning, a

police officer was stabbed by responding to an emergency call in

the Kilwilkee estate. Police were also attacked by youths throwing

petrol bombs. This has been a tragic weekend for Lurgan and at

this time our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim.

We are working in Lurgan to try and moving so on. It is a different era,

this is a setback but I know that all communities will come together

and continued to work to drive Lurgan forward. Police have

arrested a 21 year-old man in connection with the murder and he

is still being held for questioning. The trial of two men charged with

murdering Constable Stephen Carroll has heard that very high levels of

gunshot particles were found on a jacket which the prosecution claims

belongs to Brendan McConnell, one of the ages. A forensic scientist

told the court it was likely the jacket was in close contact with

the gun when it was fired at the police officer who was shot dead in

Craigavon in 2009. Politicians at Stormont have been

paying tribute to the Queen on the 60th anniversary of the day she

came to the throne. Over the years, she has been a frequent visitor to

Northern Ireland, welcomed by some more than others and she is due to

come here again as part of a celebrations. The Queen made her

first visit to Northern Ireland 59 years ago. Since then she has

returned many, many times. To mark her Diamond Jubilee, she is due to

visit here once again. 60 glorious years and we are really looking

forward to all the street parties and celebrations but we have

planned. I think she is marvellous. She is completely down to earth,

isn't she? Who doesn't like her? She is liked all over the world.

While many may look forward to her next engagement in Northern Ireland,

it is her trek across the border that continues to make the biggest

impact. Last year she became the first British monarch to visit the

Republic of Ireland since it gained independence in 1921 will stop it

is like a door that has been locked for a long time and she has been

dying to see what is on the other side of it because many people will

not understand not be able to go somewhere or see something and

being almost like a child not allowed to go to her room, for her

it was off limits. She always wanted to go in an official

capacity so it was issued turning- point for her. Details of exactly

when the Queen is due to visit Northern Ireland will be released

It was heartbreaking, wasn't it? Ireland lost by a couple of points.

I do not think anyone would dispute that the best team won, but it is

the way that the Irish last which is causing all the controversy. The

English referee is in the headlines for two decisions which cost

Ireland the match, one of which was in the final minute of the game

when he awarded a penalty to Wales, judging that Ulstermen Stephen

No, I am sorry, I do not see that as being remotely dangerous.

crucially, though, the referee did. With less than one minute of the

game remaining and Ireland ahead by one white, Stephen Ferris was sent

to the sin-bin. -- 1 point. Wales took full advantage. We came very

close, and I think Stephen was very harshly treated. Anyone that knows

him, he tackles very hard but very fair, and I think that this was a

prime example of the way he hits, nothing illegal about it. The home

fans also thought that the English official made the wrong course.

reaction in the stands said it all. We all of the same view, we thought

it was a bad decision. But did not appear as if he had thrown him down.

Very disappointing, they should have won, it was never a penalty

and a yellow card. Even the Welsh coach felt his players should have

received a red card rather than There were a few glimpses of

Ireland at their very best. For long periods, Wales dominated

possession and territory, but Rory Best's try gave the home side an

unlikely lead at half-time. With Tommy Bowe finishing well, he

scored his 100 points in a green Jersey, and it looked like Ireland

would start the campaign with a victory. Wales had other plans,

though, and scoring -- outscoring their opponents by three tries to

two, snatching a late win. Just like at the World Cup, it is the

Welsh players and their fans who are celebrating, and things do not

get any easier for these men. They face a trip to Paris to take on

The Sunderland footballer James Maclean's switch of allegiance from

Northern Ireland to the republic is likely to be completed this week.

He is expected to be named in Giovanni Trapattoni's squad for the

friendly against the Czech Republic. Locally, Linfield maintained their

four-point lead at the top of the Carling Premiership at the weekend,

thrashing League Cup winners Crusaders. Goals by Albert Watson

and Phillip Lowry in the first half and Darryl Fordyce in the second

half helped them to an emphatic 5-0 victory. Portadown stayed in title

contention with a 2-0 win aganst Lisburn Distillery. Gary Breen was

on target for Ronnie McFall's team. Cliftonville are in third, two

points further back. Joe Gormely fired in a late winner against

Ballymena United at the Showgrounds. Top performance of the day may just

have been that of Brian McCaul. He scored a fantastic hat-trick to

earn Glenavon a 3-2 win against But not very impressive were the

floodlghts at Dungannon. They failed for the second time in week,

which meant there wasn't a ball kicked. Coleraine fans will be let

I am sure they were not too happy! Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes has

taken another important step towards qualification for the

London Olympics, the bronze medallist at the last Games in

Beijing retained the Irish senior title in Dublin, and he was not the

only Ulsterman celebrating. Focused on making it to London,

Paddy Barnes proudly showed off his championship belts today after

winning a record-breaking sixth Irish title in a row. Stage one

complete, he must now go to Turkey to the European Championships to

cement his Olympic place this summer, along with fellow Belfast

It is madness. If you are Anna leg gold medallists -- a Olympic gold

medallists, one bad day at the office, and you're not going to the

Olympic Games. It does not matter, you can perform on the day. I put a

lot of pressure on myself, because I had not won the title yet, and I

really want to go to the Olympics, and this was make-or-break for my

Olympic dream. One boxer who was already qualified his Michael

Conlan. But he fancies some company. It would be a big boost to have the

lance, Tommy and Paddy, with me. We are all good mates. I go to

training camps with them, so hopefully they will get to qualify

and join me on the plane, you know. And hopefully bring some more a

Olympic glory back to Ireland. It was a mixed weekend for the

Gaelic football teams of Ulster in the opening round of the National

League, but one familiar face wrote back the years with a vintage

display at Croke Park. Owen Mulligan's performance helped

Tyrone beat Kildare. Thomas Niblock reports. This will be some score,

it is! Owen Mulligan, back to his very best, and when he was not

scoring, he was providing for Tyrone were trailing by three

points at half-time, but an inspired second half gave Stephen

O'Neill and company are a five- point victory. It looked like Hama

would lose out to defending league champions Cork when the visitors

took a late lead, but his equaliser meant it finished level at full-

time. There was an intensity there that should not have been there,

and he would have looked probably at the court team, some of them are

very young. -- Cork. The second half will do them no harm. Perhaps

the most surprising result yesterday was dairy losing at home

to Galway. -- Derry. We have to put our hands up, they were the better

team on the day. Their forwards knew what they wanted to do, they

ran to the right positions, and they took their opportunities.

Finally, an Ulster Derby in Division One, and Down when the

very happy with Leon Doyle's performance. -- will be very happy.

The centre half backs scored as they won by a single point scored

Finally tonight, ice hockey, the Belfast Giants enjoyed a perfect

weekend at the Odyssey. Not only did they extend their lead at the

top of the Elite League to seven points, their 4-1 victory over the

Cardiff Devils ensured they reached the Challenge Cup final, winning 5-

3 on aggregate. Big weekend for them and for the New York Giants,

won the civil war. I would love to say I sat up and watched it, I made

it to the end of the first quarter! -- the Super Bowl.

Ahead of the opening of the Titanic signature building in Belfast, a

huge if not titanic sign has been erected to mark the spot. It is

made from solid steel and his 50 metres long. Mervyn Jess traced its

journey from the firm that made it in County Tyrone.

It was hard to miss as it made its way through the Tyrone countryside

from the manufacturers near Cookstown, stopping off at the

nearby Sacred Heart Primary School en route. It is really exciting,

very exciting to see the sign outside of our school. It is

massive! We are all heading to Belfast as soon as the Titanic

Quarter opens to see it in place, and the children are privileged,

the first primary school to see the sign. They are a big part of the

Titanic Quarter. The 15 tonnes of steel set off for Belfast. There

are lots of signs along the M1, but none of them like this. It

eventually arrived at its final destination, the Titanic Quarter,

outside the newly completed signature building. It is a titanic

sign to go with a titanic building. It arrived at about the same time

as the Titanic angered at 100 years ago, and it is about the same

weight. It will be great for photo- opportunities. It is full steam

ahead to get things ready in time for the fast approaching centenary

commemorations with the nearby Nomadic having a final coat of

paint applied ever so tenderly. When this sign is eventually put in

place, it will effectively be the topping out of the building, one of

the final pieces in this jigsaw of a construction project that has

been going on now for three years. The building itself is due to open

What do think? Is it going to be painted? I would hope so! Is it

going to be rusty or rustic? We are not getting the ice and snow they

are having across the water in Britain, thank goodness. This is

Temperatures across parts of Britain, minus 10 degrees, very

cold. For as it is about mist and fog, pockets forming already, but

the weather itself is pretty uneventful. This was the picture

today, not very much happening, but we had some good spells of sunshine

for the eastern half of Northern Ireland at least, and a similar

picture tomorrow as well. As we go into this evening, generally dry,

perhaps a little bit of damp weather poking into parts of the

West. Thicker cloud, temperatures of about four degrees. Along the

east coast, clear skies, a slight frost developing with temperatures

down to three degrees. Some of us will get off to a chilly start, but

much the same as today, staying cloudy in western areas, another

mainly dry day with fairly light winds. From the beginning, it will

be fairly cloudy, but that cloud will give way to sunshine in

eastern areas as we go into the afternoon, and then we will have

sunshine coming out for parts of Antrim, Down and Armagh as well.

Temperatures just above the average for the time obvious well. In the

West, however, we hold on to the cloud, and it may give us a little

bit of dampness, but temperatures of about eight degrees. Into

tomorrow evening, then, clear skies in eastern areas, allowing for a

touch of frost to develop in one of two places. We hold on to the cloud

from the West, but as we go into the early part of Wednesday morning,

cloud pushing in on this weather front edging in from the Atlantic,

and that will bring a change midweek. We have that weather front

edging its way in, and the winds are going to become much stronger,

and it will become much wetter as well. This is the picture for

Wednesday, blew right across the map, heavy rain at times, winds

building in strength. With the weight and -- with the rain and

wind, feeling cold. The good news is that rain will shift out of the

way, gradually becoming more dry, and temperatures are on the up,

double figures by Friday. Of course, if you want more weather, visit the

website. You will be kept up to date, and we are also on Twitter if

date, and we are also on Twitter if And you are looking for more

weather pictures as well, always! Our main news busy evening: For

Mark First Minister and DUP leader Lord Bannside is being treated in

intensive care unit of the Ulster Hospital in Dun Donald. His wife

says it is a difficult time for the family and has asked for privacy to

be respected. Will bring the waller details throughout the evening has

or if they emerge. -- we will bring you all the details. Public

spending watchdog the Northern Ireland Audit Office is to

investigate the recruitment of hundreds of former RUC officers to