:00:14. > :00:24.Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Sarah Travers. The headlines
:00:24. > :00:24.
:00:24. > :00:28.this Thursday evening: what next for the former Taoiseach after a
:00:28. > :00:33.corruption inquiry finds he lied about his finances.
:00:33. > :00:40.Police believe a Chinese gang are behind this cannabis factory in
:00:40. > :00:47.County Fermanagh. Pensioners get to grips with tax allowance budget
:00:47. > :00:55.cuts and some are angry. Leave the pensioners be. Why take it from us?
:00:55. > :00:57.After almost 20 years at his famous to win at North West 200, one of
:00:57. > :01:01.the bigger stars is returning to the coast this summer.
:01:01. > :01:08.If it is rain you are after, there will be some tonight but not for
:01:08. > :01:11.The longest and most expensive public inquiry into corruption ever
:01:11. > :01:14.held in the Republic today found that the former Taoiseach Bertie
:01:14. > :01:19.Ahern lied about the source of several hundred thousand pounds
:01:19. > :01:23.lodged into bank accounts connected to him. Although the Mahon Tribunal
:01:23. > :01:25.stopped short of accusing him of corruption, it did find that a
:01:25. > :01:35.number of others, including a former EU Commissioner, had been
:01:35. > :01:37.corrupt. Among its main findings Corruption affected "every level of
:01:38. > :01:41.Irish political life and was allowed to continue unabated".
:01:41. > :01:50.Bertie Ahern failed to truthfully explain the source of money given
:01:50. > :01:54.to him. The Tribunal also rejected Now, the Irish government has asked
:01:54. > :01:57.the police to look at the report. In a moment, we'll hear reaction to
:01:57. > :02:03.today's findings from Dublin but first Jennifer O'Leary reports on
:02:03. > :02:09.why the Tribunal focused so much on the former Taoiseach.
:02:09. > :02:14.Even before the report's publication, the tribunal into
:02:14. > :02:19.alleged planning corruption caused political fall-out. In September
:02:19. > :02:24.2006, the Irish Times published information that the tribunal was
:02:25. > :02:29.investigating payments made to Berti and her and when he was
:02:29. > :02:33.Minister of Finance. They wanted to see if there was evidence he had
:02:33. > :02:39.received payments from a property developer so he had to explain his
:02:39. > :02:43.personal finances and why a bank accounts had been opened later in
:02:43. > :02:48.his career and he was unable. Questions are asked about thousands
:02:48. > :02:57.of pounds he got from aim businessman and the initial renting
:02:57. > :03:05.and purchasing of his house from the same man. I also had to pay off
:03:06. > :03:11.other bills so the money I saved was gone. It created enormous
:03:11. > :03:15.political scandal but when the Irish Times came out with a -- an
:03:15. > :03:22.opinion poll it found his popularity had gone up. But the
:03:22. > :03:28.issue dominated that 2007 election campaign. I earned the money. Are
:03:28. > :03:36.you questioning that I shouldn't be allowed to use money? I've no more
:03:36. > :03:41.to say about it. He won the election and three months later he
:03:41. > :03:47.went the Mahon Tribunal. There was something surreal about it. Mr
:03:47. > :03:51.Ahern's ever done as was slightly surreal as well. His former
:03:51. > :04:00.secretary gave evidence that suggested previous evidence he gave
:04:00. > :04:08.was not correct. She doesn't remember something. She was a
:04:08. > :04:11.mother of three. There was a perception at the time that he hit
:04:11. > :04:16.behind the skirts and that really hit home. At that stage, he
:04:16. > :04:23.realised it would be difficult to continue in office. One month later
:04:23. > :04:28.he resigned as Taoiseach. I have never received a corrupt payment. I
:04:28. > :04:36.have never done anything dishonourable. History will judge
:04:36. > :04:42.Bertie Aherne's political legacy. A reminder of the three main
:04:42. > :04:47.points: Corruption affected every level of Irish political life and
:04:47. > :04:52.was allowed to continue unabated. Bertie Aherne failed to true fully
:04:52. > :04:57.explain the source of money given to him and the tribunal rejected Mr
:04:57. > :05:04.Ahern's a evidence of dig-outs. Our reporter is live in Dublin for
:05:04. > :05:12.us. A damning report then? Yes, it has taken 15 years at a
:05:12. > :05:17.cost of something like �250 million. The findings are clear. 11
:05:17. > :05:26.councillor -- Helene -- councillors and others were corrupt which
:05:27. > :05:33.includes a former EU Minister. One minister corruptly sought repayment
:05:33. > :05:39.from the developer and used it for his personal benefit. A former
:05:39. > :05:44.deputy leader of Fianna Foyle found he had abused his role to a
:05:44. > :05:50.significant degree. Much of the attention focuses on the former
:05:51. > :05:55.Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. He gave evidence on 15 occasions and the
:05:55. > :06:01.tribunal found that it did not believe a word of his sworn
:06:01. > :06:05.evidence, that he had failed to truthfully account for money that
:06:05. > :06:13.had passed through bank accounts connected to him in the late
:06:13. > :06:18.Eighties and Nineties. As to allegations he received �80,000
:06:18. > :06:25.from a developer, the tribunal found no conclusive evidence on
:06:25. > :06:31.that. In many ways, this report casts a dark shadow on all
:06:31. > :06:35.political life during that period. For those who were at a high level
:06:35. > :06:42.in political life in the late Eighties and the Nineties, it is
:06:42. > :06:47.not a good day. A lot of the focus today is on Fianna Foyle members,
:06:47. > :06:53.corruption extended across other paw t -- parties to. The current
:06:53. > :07:03.Taoiseach said he was surprised by some of the FA -- findings and he
:07:03. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:09.is affording it to the Gardai. By referring the report to the DPP and
:07:09. > :07:13.to the Garda Commission, we will have a debate on this on Tuesday,
:07:13. > :07:23.Wednesday and Thursday and we will consider the recommendations and
:07:23. > :07:27.
:07:27. > :07:32.Political focus is turning to the current leader. He has promised to
:07:32. > :07:36.act without fear or favour on anyone who has abused their
:07:36. > :07:40.position. Mr Ahern it is facing expulsion from the party and it
:07:40. > :07:46.will be a dramatic fall from grace for the man who has been a lifelong
:07:46. > :07:50.member of the party and who once led them to victories in three
:07:50. > :07:53.consecutive general elections. Thank you. The police believe a
:07:53. > :07:56.Chinese criminal gang was running a cannabis factory discovered in
:07:56. > :08:00.County Fermanagh yesterday. Hundreds of cannabis plants were
:08:00. > :08:07.found in a house near the village of Tempo, outside Enniskillen. One
:08:07. > :08:12.man's been arrested. More from our district journalist, Julian Fowler.
:08:12. > :08:17.In a rural area of County Fermanagh this house was being used as a
:08:17. > :08:23.cannabis factory. Almost every use had been turned into a nursery to
:08:23. > :08:27.grow the drug. The police found 800 cannabis plants worth about
:08:28. > :08:32.�350,000. The mains electricity supply had to be disconnected
:08:32. > :08:36.before it was safe to enter the house. It is believed tens of
:08:36. > :08:41.thousands of pounds of electricity would have been needed to cultivate
:08:41. > :08:45.the plants. The factories thought to have been running for several
:08:45. > :08:50.months and police have appealed to landlords and estate agents to be
:08:50. > :08:56.vigilant. I believe the gang has more than one house in the area and
:08:56. > :09:00.I would appeal to anyone who sees houses rented out to check them out
:09:00. > :09:04.because this House will take thousands of pounds to repair.
:09:04. > :09:13.Although the property has been cleared, the owner faces a large
:09:13. > :09:16.bill to repair all the damage Fifty new computer software jobs
:09:16. > :09:19.are coming to Belfast as a result of an investment by a leading
:09:19. > :09:23.American pharmacy firm. CVS Caremark has more than 7,000
:09:23. > :09:26.pharmacies across the United States and it plans to open an IT unit for
:09:26. > :09:29.the development of software in the city centre. The company was
:09:29. > :09:34.offered �300,000 from Invest NI to come here while the Department of
:09:34. > :09:44.Employment and Learning pledged �200,000. The senior vice president
:09:44. > :09:48.
:09:48. > :09:51.of the company explained why they I have done business in Belfast
:09:51. > :09:57.over the years and the quality of the work force coming out of
:09:57. > :10:02.university has always been outstanding. The friendliness and
:10:02. > :10:12.the business environment has been outstanding also. So that these
:10:12. > :10:12.
:10:12. > :10:16.Still to come: Fears that a new single welfare payment will leave
:10:16. > :10:26.many worse off. And Ireland's cricketers keeps alive their hopes
:10:26. > :10:27.
:10:27. > :10:31.of qualifying for the World Pensioners' groups have reacted
:10:31. > :10:35.angrily to Government budget plans to end their special tax allowances,
:10:35. > :10:40.calling it a raid on their incomes. The so-called granny tax could lead
:10:40. > :10:43.to millions of older people across the United Kingdom being around �80
:10:43. > :10:50.per year worse off. Now a special pensioner's parliament is to be
:10:50. > :10:53.held here in May to look at the issue.
:10:53. > :10:57.The bright they tend to one man into his garden in East Belfast. He
:10:57. > :11:01.was not feeling quite so sunny yesterday. My instinctive reaction
:11:01. > :11:05.was to say that this is a Budget that is Robin Hood in reverse.
:11:06. > :11:10.Robbing the poor to pay the rich. Pensioners were expecting a little
:11:10. > :11:15.bit more as they got older and they will not get that now. It will be
:11:15. > :11:21.confined to the same rates of tax as everyone else. Many people find
:11:21. > :11:25.as they get older that things get more expensive. Previously, most
:11:25. > :11:30.pensioners could have an income of just under �10,000 per ser before
:11:30. > :11:35.paying tax. But the 75 sad over, it was more than 10,000. Those
:11:35. > :11:40.allowances will go, making it the same as most other people. The plan
:11:40. > :11:43.is to raise that General threshold to over 9,000.
:11:43. > :11:48.Some estimates say that pictures will be on average �84 per year
:11:48. > :11:52.worse off. We are already feeling the strain, finding it hard to make
:11:52. > :11:57.ends meet. We have seen cuts to the likes of the winter fuel payment,
:11:57. > :12:01.and this extra cut will make it hard to heat and eat. It is
:12:01. > :12:06.lunchtime at this garden-centre above Belfast. Plenty of
:12:06. > :12:14.conversation and much of it about the tax changes. I am not too
:12:14. > :12:21.pleased, I must admit. I thought they would leave it alone. We have
:12:21. > :12:24.got through quite a lot, one where the other. We'd the pensioners be.
:12:24. > :12:29.The Chancellor insist that no pensioner will be worse off in cash
:12:29. > :12:34.terms. What about feel terms, they ask? Especially when the increase
:12:34. > :12:41.in state pension is just about matching inflation. Pensioners say,
:12:41. > :12:45.if anyone is getting richer it is certainly not them.
:12:45. > :12:49.What do you think? The so-called granny tax has you talking on
:12:49. > :12:54.Facebook and the opinion is divided. A pure white to join the debate, go
:12:54. > :12:58.to her Facebook website. It is the biggest shake-up in
:12:58. > :13:02.social welfare in a generation. One aim is to simplify and improve a
:13:02. > :13:05.complex system. Instead of receiving benefit payments across
:13:06. > :13:11.the month, the planned in future is to have a single monthly payment
:13:11. > :13:14.called Universal credit. The Government say no one will be worse
:13:14. > :13:22.off with their welfare-to-work plans, but critics are not
:13:22. > :13:25.convinced. Meetings like these on the benefit
:13:26. > :13:29.shake-up are being held in small community halls around Northern
:13:29. > :13:33.Ireland. Community leaders are beating people on what is coming
:13:33. > :13:38.down the line. I do not call the reforms welfare reforms, I call
:13:38. > :13:44.them welfare cuts. There is nothing that has come in, certainly in a
:13:44. > :13:47.wrestle credit, it is supposed to simplify the benefits system and I
:13:47. > :13:51.would be in favour of simplifying the system, but the drastic cuts
:13:51. > :13:55.that are being put in place have not been properly thought out.
:13:55. > :14:04.Government is still working out a lot of the detail. Few people seem
:14:04. > :14:09.to like what they heard. I am on DLA. I am very concerned. I am
:14:09. > :14:13.self-employed. If I become unemployed I would receive no
:14:13. > :14:17.benefit whatsoever because, if it is under this universal benefits
:14:17. > :14:24.scheme, that money would not come into her house. It is an attack on
:14:25. > :14:29.the poor and most of Honourable. number of benefits will be scrapped.
:14:30. > :14:33.A new universal benefit if we follow the Westminster model will
:14:33. > :14:38.bring together things like housing benefit and job-seeker Allowance.
:14:38. > :14:43.It will also be together tax credit and working tax credit. It will be
:14:43. > :14:46.pat -- it will be capped at �26,000 per year. We need to change the
:14:46. > :14:51.benefits system. It is dysfunctional at causing more harm
:14:51. > :14:55.than good. People are not getting what they deserve or what they need.
:14:55. > :14:59.That need to change and is at the core of this reform. The Government
:14:59. > :15:04.says that no one will be worse off and millions will be benefit --
:15:04. > :15:09.will do better under universal credit. Critics say many are
:15:09. > :15:14.already worse off due to recent cuts. The Cinque -- this includes
:15:14. > :15:17.the scrapping of the pregnancy bad and the cuts to housing benefit.
:15:17. > :15:20.If this were about the simplification of benefits you
:15:20. > :15:24.would get more to it from us. If it were about moving people from
:15:24. > :15:29.benefit into work, he would get no argument from us. The situation is
:15:29. > :15:33.that it is predicated on cuts. 18 billion has been removed. We have
:15:33. > :15:38.grave concerns. One of those concerns his changes to the working
:15:38. > :15:42.tax credits. Right now, the couple on low income with children can get
:15:42. > :15:46.some tax relief if they work 16 hours per week. That is about to
:15:46. > :15:49.change and they will have to work an extra eight hours. One man we
:15:49. > :15:54.spoke to is concerned that his family could lose out if his wife
:15:54. > :15:58.cannot get those extra hours in her current job. I have three young
:15:59. > :16:03.girls at home, the fact of the matter is that we will take the
:16:03. > :16:10.hats on this. My wife wants to work. The choice is this, we do except
:16:10. > :16:14.the fact that she comes out of work while she just must accept that the
:16:14. > :16:17.credits will be cut. We are between a rock and a hard place. Their
:16:17. > :16:20.claims that Universal Credit could leave women and children are
:16:20. > :16:25.vulnerable. The single payment is more likely to go to the male head
:16:25. > :16:31.of the household. It should be paid to the carer, because the keratin
:16:31. > :16:35.layer had responsibility for budgeting. They have responsibility
:16:35. > :16:40.for making sure that his energies eating the food and school uniform.
:16:40. > :16:45.Mainly, this is the woman. In some houses, this is the man. Society
:16:45. > :16:50.has changed slightly. That is why it should be paid to the carer. To
:16:50. > :16:53.make sure the money goes to people who are all vulnerable. There is
:16:53. > :16:57.also concerned that low income families used to getting different
:16:57. > :17:00.payment every few weeks might struggle to manage a monthly budget.
:17:00. > :17:09.The executive will come under pressure to address these concerns
:17:09. > :17:12.when it passes its own welfare bill. In last night's BBC News Line, be
:17:12. > :17:16.deported on changes in Incapacity Benefit and the effect it could
:17:16. > :17:20.have -- could have won some people. A woman who is fighting cancer has
:17:20. > :17:24.been telling us how her employment support allowance was cut, and she
:17:24. > :17:28.told us that she was told she was fit to work even though she was
:17:28. > :17:32.still being treated for the disease. I note there are other people out
:17:32. > :17:39.there as they are all scared to come forward. As far as I'm
:17:39. > :17:44.concerned, I was treated badly. I was working from 17, I have paid
:17:44. > :17:50.all my taxes and insurance, as the only other time I was set was when
:17:50. > :17:55.I was pregnant. It is more that they are getting away with it. They
:17:55. > :18:01.are just treating you like a second-class citizen. That is how I
:18:02. > :18:04.feel. That I do not count, I do not matter. The agency responsible for
:18:04. > :18:08.employment support allowance said this afternoon that it cannot
:18:08. > :18:11.comment on individual cases, but everyone receiving this payment and
:18:12. > :18:16.it was a work capability assessment to establish how the condition
:18:16. > :18:20.affects their ability to work. It added that these tests have been
:18:20. > :18:23.developed in consultation with medical experts.
:18:23. > :18:28.The Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland will be on Sunday
:18:28. > :18:33.Politics this week to discuss some of the issues raised on a CD and
:18:33. > :18:37.welfare reform. That is Sunday Politics at midday on Sunday.
:18:38. > :18:41.The Irish Cup football registration row rumbles on.
:18:41. > :18:45.It is all turning into a bit of a shambles, and it is not the first
:18:45. > :18:48.time that this problem has arisen during this competition. It surely
:18:48. > :18:53.is a row which is threatening to throw the competition into disarray
:18:53. > :18:59.yet again this year. Newry City and Linfield were to have met on
:18:59. > :19:04.Saturday week's semi-final, but Ballinderry's United appeal against
:19:04. > :19:08.their expulsion has led to the has borne much of the game. Ali Merah
:19:08. > :19:12.got through, but were thrown out of the competition after an appeals
:19:12. > :19:15.board ruled that one player, who had scored the winner, was
:19:15. > :19:19.ineligible for the game. Other semi-final between Dungannon and
:19:19. > :19:23.Crusaders will be resettled to 31st March.
:19:23. > :19:27.He is one of the biggest names in world motorcycling. And he has
:19:27. > :19:32.committed this year's International North West 200. Portable world
:19:32. > :19:36.Superbike champion Carl Fogarty will be entertaining the fans with
:19:36. > :19:40.parade laps of the triangle circuit. 20 years since his famous when on
:19:40. > :19:44.the north coast. This is one of the most iconic
:19:44. > :19:51.moments in the history of the North West 200. The baking superstar
:19:51. > :19:53.winning the Superbike race on the north coast in the -- in 1983. Carl
:19:54. > :19:58.Fogarty has never been back to the event since, but cannot wait to
:19:59. > :20:03.return this May. It is one of the races that has a special place in
:20:03. > :20:06.my heart. One of the first big race that I won and wanted to win. I had
:20:06. > :20:11.bad luck there for many years and finally won. I am looking forward
:20:11. > :20:16.to going back. Carl Fogarty had tried for you to win another
:20:16. > :20:20.nylon's biggest race, the Englishman was beaten on the last
:20:20. > :20:24.corner and even ran out of fuel will leading. That is why, as he
:20:24. > :20:28.was on the verge of winning the world title, he told his Italian
:20:28. > :20:36.team boss that he had to come back to the north-west for unfinished
:20:36. > :20:40.business. I am battling for the world title. He did not know what
:20:40. > :20:47.it was, he thought it was a short circuit race in North Island. These
:20:47. > :20:54.topics S&N said, you're crazy, you are crazy! I said I had to win the
:20:54. > :20:58.north-west. OK, he said, don't go again. Okay I said, I don't want to
:20:58. > :21:00.I one now. Carl Fogarty's problem will be
:21:00. > :21:10.remembering his way around the circuit. And he has some homework
:21:10. > :21:13.
:21:13. > :21:19.to do. That is not calling... Visit to poor Stuart? I don't know. Port
:21:19. > :21:23.rush to poor Stuart and Coleraine, isn't it? And the fans will love
:21:23. > :21:28.seeing him this summer. That will be pretty quick.
:21:28. > :21:33.The men's hockey team just missed out on a place in the Olympics,
:21:33. > :21:35.Brian's women are just one win away from making it to London 2012. At
:21:35. > :21:40.the qualifying tournament in Belgium this afternoon, Ireland
:21:40. > :21:44.beat Spain 3-2. Former tennis player Alex Spears with the winning
:21:44. > :21:47.goal. Ireland they play their final game at this Sunday with the
:21:47. > :21:52.winners became a place in the summer's Olympic Games.
:21:52. > :21:57.Allen's cricket players are showing impressive form, too. They are all
:21:57. > :22:00.cause for the World Cup in Sri Lanka. They kept up their hopes for
:22:00. > :22:09.qualifying for the 2020 tournament alive with an easy win over Canada
:22:09. > :22:13.in Dubai earlier today. It took Ulstermen William
:22:13. > :22:17.Porterfield and Paul Sterling just over half an hour to seal the game
:22:17. > :22:23.and secure Allen posmac progression into the next round. A fantastic
:22:23. > :22:30.taste by Highland to have won by 10 wickets. With that shot like this.
:22:30. > :22:36.One an astonishing shot. Six over extra cover. Sterling at C Tiler's
:22:36. > :22:39.fastest-ever half century in 2020 cricket of just 21 balls. --
:22:40. > :22:44.sterling achieved. Man-of-the-match went to Trent
:22:44. > :22:51.Johnson. His two wickets helped set up the victory as Irish border
:22:51. > :22:54.Wayne -- Irish cause a range in Dubai. It is pretty good to win. We
:22:54. > :22:58.put them on the back foot. We have done that the past six or seven
:22:58. > :23:05.games. What next for Ireland at the Netherlands in tomorrow's
:23:05. > :23:08.elimination semi-final. They could win. One of Ulster's
:23:08. > :23:14.South African international rugby players is leaving at the end of
:23:14. > :23:18.the season. Wannenburg is expected to join a club in France. Ulster
:23:18. > :23:23.had hoped to keep the 30-year-old Springbok, he sent back include --
:23:23. > :23:27.signed back in 2010 but it is believed that a new football rugby
:23:27. > :23:32.union policy on foreign players and means they were unable to extend
:23:32. > :23:40.his contract. He won 20 caps for South Africa and will miss the
:23:41. > :23:46.Saturday's trip to Treviso in the total fleet TT a this.
:23:46. > :23:52.-- Kennedy brought wealth league. The Ireland rugby captain is
:23:52. > :23:56.returning to action after injury. He will start in the pro 12 games
:23:56. > :24:00.this weekend. Driscoll has been out of action since the World Cup.
:24:00. > :24:03.I always know what the ladies in the programme are always keen will
:24:03. > :24:08.be mentioned Brian O'Driscoll. We do not have them in the studio
:24:08. > :24:13.though. You need to work on that! And now
:24:13. > :24:17.You need to work on that! And now the weather.
:24:17. > :24:22.We have a bit of a her cup, a bit of good luck coming along tonight
:24:22. > :24:26.and tomorrow morning. Once we get beyond the next 12 hours, the
:24:26. > :24:29.weather will settle down. Certainly a big improvement. Unlike the last
:24:29. > :24:34.two or three days when the cloud came in to spoil things a little
:24:34. > :24:39.bit, that was not the case today. Particularly towards the north and
:24:39. > :24:47.the west. This was the scene at Port Rush harbour. It has become
:24:47. > :24:51.more TC since then. Blue skies to. There is cloud up went, there are
:24:51. > :24:54.showers up went as well. The South of Ireland and part of the Irish
:24:54. > :25:00.Sea, through rails and the south- west of England, this area of cloud
:25:00. > :25:06.and rain is shifting northwards. We have already had elements living
:25:06. > :25:13.north three East course of the day. It will stay dry but the cloud will
:25:13. > :25:17.thicken up through the night. It will bring showery rain to central
:25:17. > :25:22.and eastern areas. It will be frost-free tonight, much better
:25:22. > :25:27.than last night's temperatures. That means it will be a cloudy and
:25:27. > :25:33.dull start to the day tomorrow, there will be dampness and light
:25:33. > :25:38.rain first thing. Also, parts of County Down. That rain will be
:25:38. > :25:42.moving away fairly quickly. Even as it moves away come up we could have
:25:42. > :25:46.shivers tucking in anywhere. The West is looking most prone at this
:25:46. > :25:50.point. As we head towards the middle part of the day, they not be
:25:50. > :25:55.surprised that some of those showers become heady with thunder
:25:55. > :26:00.met them. We will move along to the afternoon and it will become more
:26:00. > :26:05.try. Temperatures will get up to 12 or 13 degrees. We can see those
:26:06. > :26:09.clear spells that they will come and go through tomorrow. It will be
:26:09. > :26:13.more to will tomorrow with a touch of ground frost. Other than that we
:26:13. > :26:18.can enjoy those Spring Gardens into the weekend.
:26:18. > :26:22.They queue for that. Finally, a reminder of the headlines.
:26:22. > :26:27.Eddie Republic, the map and tribunal has found that Bertie
:26:27. > :26:31.Ahern lied about his finances. They stopped short of accusing him of
:26:31. > :26:35.corruption. Other public figures have been indicted for wrongly
:26:35. > :26:39.taking payments from developers. The police believe a Chinese