:00:16. > :00:22.Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline:
:00:22. > :00:27.Plans for big cuts to legal aid in divorce and child contact cases.
:00:27. > :00:33.Discrimination damages for this man who didn't get a top job.
:00:33. > :00:37.Defence cuts lead to lost jobs in Belfast and Crossgar.
:00:37. > :00:47.And not quite as wild tonight, but there'll still be some showers, and
:00:47. > :00:51.The Justice Minister has already faced down lawyers over their legal
:00:51. > :00:54.aid fees in criminal cases. Today David Ford fired the opening salvo
:00:54. > :01:00.to try to cut the amount of public money paid to barristers and
:01:00. > :01:03.solicitors in civil cases. His department outlined plans to save
:01:03. > :01:13.millions of pounds in a range of cases, like child custody battles
:01:13. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:21.and divorces. Vincent Kearney Barristers and solicitors went on
:01:21. > :01:25.strike in protest at David Fall's decision to reduce legal aid
:01:25. > :01:29.payments for criminal cases. They eventually accepted reduced fees
:01:29. > :01:34.and other changes the Department of Justice says will save �20 million
:01:34. > :01:40.a year. Now the minister is turning his attention to payments for civil
:01:40. > :01:46.cases. Again, the sums involved are huge. Figures due to be released
:01:46. > :01:50.will reveal that last year at least one barrister was paid around
:01:50. > :01:56.�900,000 for work on civil legal aid cases. In the last financial
:01:56. > :02:05.year, the civil legal aid bill was over �53 million. 12 years ago, it
:02:05. > :02:09.was just under �11.5 million. That is an increase of 368 %. Northern
:02:09. > :02:14.Ireland has the most expensive legal aid system in the world. The
:02:14. > :02:20.cost for civil cases works out at over �29 for every man, woman and
:02:20. > :02:27.child who lives here. In England and Wales, it is over �17, and in
:02:27. > :02:30.Scotland it works out even cheaper, at just over �11. David Ford today
:02:30. > :02:36.reveals details of the first stage of plans to drastically reduce the
:02:36. > :02:39.bill, by reducing the number of barristers involved. As it stands,
:02:39. > :02:43.virtually everyone involved in a civil case, like a divorce or a
:02:43. > :02:47.child custody dispute, has access to a barrister. The Justice
:02:47. > :02:51.Minister says that is not always needed, and in future solicitors
:02:51. > :02:57.will have to seek authorisation before employing a barrister on
:02:57. > :03:01.behalf of their client. Barristers reject the claim that they often
:03:01. > :03:05.employed unnecessarily, and say they are essential in many cases.
:03:05. > :03:08.In many of these cases we are dealing with the most vulnerable in
:03:09. > :03:12.society, and they are facing the might of the state. For example,
:03:13. > :03:18.the state might decide to take a child into care. It is important
:03:18. > :03:22.their rights are fully represented. Round two of David Ford's battle
:03:22. > :03:26.with the legal profession seems likely to be as fractious as round
:03:26. > :03:30.one. In addition to reducing the number of barristers involved in
:03:30. > :03:35.civil legal aid cases, he also plans to introduce new, lower fees,
:03:35. > :03:39.and other measures to cut the cost. The aim is to save around �20
:03:39. > :03:42.million a year. A Protestant man who was the victim
:03:42. > :03:46.of religious discrimination by Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy has accepted a
:03:46. > :03:49.settlement of �150,000 damages. Alan Lennon won a tribunal case in
:03:49. > :03:53.June taken against the department Mr Murphy was running at the time,
:03:53. > :04:02.Regional Development. Julian O'Neill has been following this
:04:02. > :04:06.story. Put this settlement figure in context? This is the biggest
:04:06. > :04:10.ever payout in a case involving the Equality Commission, who supported
:04:10. > :04:13.Alan Lennon's tribunal claim. He was overlooked for the job of
:04:13. > :04:18.chairman of Northern Ireland water by Conor Murphy, purely on the
:04:18. > :04:22.basis that he was a Protestant. This settlement probably reflects
:04:22. > :04:26.that the salary associated with the post was �45,000 a year and it
:04:26. > :04:31.would have been a job of three years in the first instance, so you
:04:31. > :04:37.can see how the figure was arrived at. Mr Lennon said the settlement
:04:37. > :04:42.came today without the Department, or Conor Murphy, saying sorry.
:04:42. > :04:47.have never received an apology. I think the 20 months has been very
:04:47. > :04:51.difficult. It has not been made any easier by the length of time by
:04:51. > :04:57.which it has been dragged out. I would have been ready to discuss
:04:57. > :05:01.the settlement last June, when the tribunal found in my favour. And I
:05:01. > :05:06.regret that it has taken this length of time to complete it.
:05:06. > :05:12.public purse will pay for this, but it is not ending with the damages.
:05:12. > :05:16.No, there will be hefty legal bills as well. No figure yet, but already
:05:16. > :05:20.Jim Allister has said that he will be asking under an Assembly
:05:20. > :05:24.question. Danny Murphy, the current minister, said he bore the cost of
:05:24. > :05:28.the public purse in mind when he was agreeing a settlement. There
:05:28. > :05:32.had been discussions at the tribunal offices lately at which a
:05:32. > :05:37.figure perhaps as much as �300,000 was talked about, so it could have
:05:37. > :05:40.been worse. The legacy will not just be financial. It should be
:05:40. > :05:43.better run public appointment processes on the right side of the
:05:43. > :05:48.law. You're watching BBC Newsline. Still
:05:48. > :05:52.ahead: It's a sure sign Christmas is on
:05:52. > :06:00.the way, but is this market fair to local food producers? I'm live at
:06:00. > :06:04.at Belfast City Hall. 50 people are to lose their jobs at
:06:04. > :06:08.the defence engineering firm Thales. The cuts will fall on the company's
:06:08. > :06:11.operations in east Belfast and Crossgar in County Down. And staff
:06:11. > :06:21.at the Ballymena-based construction firm Patton are bracing themselves
:06:21. > :06:25.
:06:25. > :06:31.for further possible lay-offs. The Thales company in East Belfast
:06:31. > :06:35.makes these - missiles. This surface-to-air missile has been in
:06:35. > :06:39.service with British forces for 15 years. The company also exports
:06:39. > :06:44.around the world and recently won a multi-million pound order from the
:06:44. > :06:49.Thai army. But that is not enough to stave off lay-offs at operations
:06:49. > :06:53.in Northern Ireland. 10% of the workforce, 50 workers, are to lose
:06:53. > :06:57.their jobs over the next year, but here in east Belfast and at another
:06:57. > :07:00.facility near Crossgar in County Down. No one from the company was
:07:01. > :07:04.available for interview but in a statement confirming the lay-offs,
:07:04. > :07:07.it said the current business environment is unlike any it has
:07:07. > :07:12.experienced in recent years, leading to a significant reduction
:07:12. > :07:17.in demand for defence-related products. The jobs will be shed
:07:17. > :07:22.over the next 12 months. One MLAs as these are premium posts we
:07:22. > :07:30.cannot afford to lose. They are high end jobs, highly paid, highly
:07:30. > :07:35.skilled jobs. Precisely the sort of jobs we need to retain and attract.
:07:35. > :07:39.Formerly, the operation was bought over by Thales in 2000. It says it
:07:39. > :07:42.has briefed staff on the planned lay-offs. Meanwhile, there are
:07:42. > :07:45.fears among remaining staff at the Patton construction group in
:07:45. > :07:51.Ballymena that there could be a further round of the duck and --
:07:51. > :07:54.redundancies. Two weeks ago, the company paid off 190 workers after
:07:54. > :07:58.administrators were called in. The company is up for sale and there
:07:58. > :08:02.are concerns among the remaining 130 workers that more jobs could be
:08:02. > :08:05.lost, with a possible announcement be made tomorrow.
:08:06. > :08:09.The mother of the murdered toddler Millie Martin broke down in the
:08:09. > :08:13.witness box as she accused her former lover of wrecking her life.
:08:13. > :08:16.She said she had been robbed of seeing her daughter grow up or
:08:17. > :08:20.hearing her call "Mummy" ever again. Rachael Martin described Barry
:08:20. > :08:26.McCarney as a monster and said the only guilt she felt was in letting
:08:26. > :08:34.him into her home. He denies murdering the Fermanagh child.
:08:35. > :08:39.Rachael Martin denies allowing her death. Julian Fowler reports.
:08:39. > :08:43.Rachael Martin spent a 4th day in the witness box, under cross-
:08:43. > :08:48.examination, prosecution barrister, Kieron Murphy QC. She denied she
:08:48. > :08:51.had missed all of the signs that her daughter was being abused.
:08:51. > :08:56.Rachael Martin sobbed as she said, I have to live with this for the
:08:56. > :09:00.rest of my life, without seeing my daughter growing up and never
:09:00. > :09:03.hearing the word "mummy" from her. She said Barry McCarney had
:09:03. > :09:08.portrayed himself as a loving father who appeared to love and
:09:08. > :09:14.care for Millie. She was asked, do you feel guilty? She replied, for
:09:14. > :09:17.letting him into my house. I have to live for the rest of my life
:09:17. > :09:22.without my baby. She was asked if she had wilfully neglected her
:09:22. > :09:27.daughter. She replied, I did not know I had a monster in my house.
:09:27. > :09:31.She said she did not know Millie was being abused, but the
:09:31. > :09:34.prosecutors suggested all the signs were staring her in the face.
:09:34. > :09:39.Rachael Martin also said that Millie had begun to cry whenever
:09:39. > :09:42.she said good night. Mr Murphy asked, do you accept now that she
:09:42. > :09:47.was obviously afraid of what was going to happen to her and you did
:09:47. > :09:53.not pick that up? I wish I did, she replied, hindsight is a great thing.
:09:53. > :09:57.I just wish I knew what was going The trial will continue on Monday.
:09:57. > :10:01.Now some of the day's other news: A 21-year-old man has died
:10:01. > :10:04.following a crash near Toome in County Antrim. A car and a lorry
:10:04. > :10:08.were involved in the collision on Moneynick Road at the junction with
:10:08. > :10:11.the M22 last night. The family of Michaela McAreavey,
:10:11. > :10:15.who was murdered on honeymoon in Mauritius, has begun a civil case
:10:15. > :10:18.against a newspaper which published pictures of her body. The family is
:10:18. > :10:23.suing the Mauritius Sunday Times and its editor for damages believed
:10:24. > :10:27.to be in the region of �300,000. Relatives of Gerard Lawlor, a
:10:27. > :10:31.Catholic teenager shot dead by loyalists in Belfast ten years ago,
:10:31. > :10:36.are calling for a new police investigation. No-one has been
:10:36. > :10:46.convicted of the murder. A new inquiry, commissioned by his family,
:10:46. > :10:47.
:10:47. > :10:52.claims the police did not do enough The Christmas market at Belfast
:10:52. > :11:00.City Hall is now a firm fixture in the festive calendar. But it's
:11:00. > :11:05.being criticised for not showcasing enough local food. Chris Page is
:11:05. > :11:11.there tonight. Yes, this Christmas market is
:11:11. > :11:13.almost as big a part of the festivities as Santa and stockings.
:11:13. > :11:19.There is the smell of burgers and the feeling of Christmas is very
:11:19. > :11:25.much here. It is very busy. Some local food producers, though, are
:11:25. > :11:29.concerned that the onus is too much on foreign food. Am joined by
:11:29. > :11:34.Michelle and Alan, who is in charge of the company which runs the
:11:34. > :11:38.market. Michelle, what are your concerns? A Northern Ireland has
:11:38. > :11:41.moved on in the last nine years, since the market started. We think
:11:41. > :11:46.the continental market is great and we love the atmosphere, but we are
:11:46. > :11:50.saying that nowadays we have to tell our own story. We would love a
:11:50. > :11:55.food market that tells our story, Northern Ireland's story, that is
:11:55. > :11:58.interesting to tourists, and celebrates the fantastic success of
:11:58. > :12:03.local producers. For example, for the last two years Northern Ireland
:12:03. > :12:07.has been the supreme champion in the great taste Awards, with 190
:12:07. > :12:12.gold stars are awarded to Northern Irish food companies. If you go to
:12:12. > :12:17.places like Portsmouth, they have the dickens market. Maybe we could
:12:17. > :12:24.have a CS Lewis market, or Belfast story, something to do with
:12:24. > :12:28.Titanic? A bit more of a taste of Ulster? There is fantastic food
:12:28. > :12:32.throughout Northern Ireland. This is a Christmas market, a
:12:32. > :12:37.traditional, German-style Christmas market. That is what attracts the
:12:37. > :12:41.people, the fact that it is diverse, with this cultural activity. It is
:12:41. > :12:45.a great place to showcase things, but we already do. This market,
:12:45. > :12:50.more than any other, has been positive in showcasing not just
:12:50. > :12:54.food. It is important to showcase all local business. There are a lot
:12:54. > :12:59.of success stories here that started on this market and now have
:12:59. > :13:03.thriving businesses. Are you reassured by that? In a way. I
:13:03. > :13:08.think we need to work together for some change. I would love to see
:13:08. > :13:11.the council putting out tenders for local food markets. Last year we
:13:11. > :13:16.were involved in over-thirties local food markets. I think the
:13:16. > :13:20.remit needs to be broadened to. We have a lot to shout about, so let's
:13:20. > :13:23.get on with it. Christmas is the time to celebrate them. Thank you
:13:24. > :13:33.very much for that. From the Christmas market outside Belfast
:13:34. > :13:36.
:13:36. > :13:42.The driver of as street cleaning glory is in hospital following an
:13:42. > :13:47.incident in Belfast this afternoon. It is understood a telegraph pole
:13:47. > :13:54.came down and a telephone box was destroyed when a lorry hit it. It
:13:54. > :13:57.is not yet clear what happened but the police are on the scene. It's
:13:57. > :14:00.difficult to understand what it must be like to urgently need a
:14:00. > :14:09.transplant to save your life. At eight years of age, that was the
:14:09. > :14:17.dilemma facing a Ballycastle girl. A rare condition meant her red
:14:17. > :14:24.blood cells were attacking her liver. She is a talented 13-year-
:14:24. > :14:30.old with a passion for swimming. Four years ago oh she depended on a
:14:30. > :14:39.liver transplant. The whites of my eyes went yellow and my mother took
:14:39. > :14:44.me to the GP. I was sent to Belfast and they sent me to Birmingham
:14:44. > :14:49.children's hospital. Within one week I was on the waiting list for
:14:49. > :14:57.a transplant. It was just the morning after I was on the list
:14:57. > :15:02.that a liver became available for me. I had the first transplant.
:15:02. > :15:06.Unfortunately it did not work and a year later she was back on the
:15:06. > :15:12.waiting list. It was chronic rejection, delivered did not settle
:15:12. > :15:17.in my body. It was a really difficult experience. I came back
:15:17. > :15:23.home and had to wait for it. For three months I was not in school
:15:23. > :15:30.and not going out that much. It was weird but I never really remember
:15:30. > :15:36.being frightened as such. This time it has been a success and she has
:15:36. > :15:41.gone on to when sporting medals at the transplant Games and earlier
:15:41. > :15:47.this year carried the Olympic Torch. We would have lost her if she had
:15:47. > :15:54.not had the organ donation. She is still here, with us, she is fit and
:15:54. > :16:01.healthy. They it is really special that somebody would actually give
:16:01. > :16:08.up an audience so that you could live. I am lucky, very, very lucky.
:16:08. > :16:14.I had a second chance. A teenager looking to the future thanks to the
:16:14. > :16:17.gift of life from a stranger. If you want more details about organ
:16:17. > :16:21.donation have a look at our Facebook page. And on tomorrow's
:16:21. > :16:26.programme we talk about an opt-out system. Should all of us be on the
:16:26. > :16:32.organ donation register as a matter of course? Social media is a part
:16:32. > :16:37.of life for many of us. But how would you feel if the messages you
:16:37. > :16:44.receive online were totally anonymous? As Kelly Bonner reports,
:16:44. > :16:50.that's exactly what happens on the latest breed of websites. All of
:16:50. > :16:55.these sites have changed the way we communicate with each other. Social
:16:55. > :17:01.networking sites are hugely popular with around 50% of the UK
:17:01. > :17:09.population using sites like Facebook and Twitter. What are
:17:09. > :17:15.becoming even more and -- even more poplar are sites like these. Cyber
:17:15. > :17:21.bullying cases have trebled in the last five years with one in six
:17:21. > :17:26.young people now experiencing some form of cyber bullying. This is the
:17:26. > :17:33.latest breed of website where messages can be posted totally
:17:33. > :17:41.anonymously. For the delays, that is the attraction. It did not take
:17:41. > :17:46.long to find some disturbing comments. Billy's ask about other
:17:46. > :17:52.people's ethnicity, sexuality and in some cases encourage suicide.
:17:52. > :17:58.This group of girls use the website and have been affected by online
:17:58. > :18:03.bullies. Instead of questions it was more like abuse. You were just
:18:03. > :18:08.getting, you are ugly, you are fat, you should lose weight. In the
:18:08. > :18:14.beginning I was thinking it does not matter but then I was thinking
:18:14. > :18:20.about it because I did stop eating things and I have lost weight. At
:18:20. > :18:27.the same time, I was happy with myself. When someone told me I was
:18:27. > :18:34.not the right way then it did affect me. Schools say they have
:18:34. > :18:38.seen an increase in cyber bullying. We have noticed a big difference in
:18:38. > :18:44.girls being affected by this and having a long-term effect on how
:18:44. > :18:48.they are getting on. It can affect attendance and were levels, they
:18:48. > :18:53.might be struggling with work that beforehand they would be able to do.
:18:53. > :19:00.We tried to get a comment from the website and after five attempts we
:19:00. > :19:05.have not had any response but the debt report this message on Twitter
:19:05. > :19:11.recently. With no source of advice for young users and no privacy
:19:12. > :19:19.controls, something dead PSNI Sea is totally irresponsible. Some of
:19:19. > :19:29.these websites do not care, they are totally irresponsible. -- say.
:19:29. > :19:36.You can access these sites to report something. Messages posted
:19:36. > :19:43.on the website mentioned have had long lasting effect. It is just
:19:43. > :19:46.that you have to look a certain way. If you would like some advice on
:19:46. > :19:50.how to keep yourself safe online check out this story on our
:19:50. > :20:00.Facebook page. Coming up before seven: Sarah Travers is on a
:20:00. > :20:05.
:20:05. > :20:11.mission. The do not know about a special thing that is happening but
:20:11. > :20:15.I am here to spring the surprise. A key match for the Irish rugby team
:20:15. > :20:18.is coming up this weekend and a first international cap for one of
:20:18. > :20:21.Ulster's flying wingers. Here's Austin O'Callaghan. Craig Gilroy
:20:21. > :20:27.will play in his first full international for Ireland against
:20:27. > :20:29.Argentina in Dublin on Saturday. I don't think there'll be too many
:20:30. > :20:37.arguments about the decision to select the Ulster winger. He scored
:20:37. > :20:40.three tries for the Ireland select IV against Fiji last weekend.
:20:40. > :20:49.That's the main reason he's been picked ahead of fellow Ulsterman
:20:49. > :20:55.Andrew Trimble. Argentina will be a different kettle of fish than Fiji.
:20:55. > :20:58.I just want to go and do well, take my opportunity. Northern Ireland's
:20:58. > :21:01.conveyor belt of golfing talent shows no signs of slowing down.
:21:01. > :21:04.Lurgan's Gareth Shaw is the latest Ulsterman to try and qualify for
:21:04. > :21:06.the professional European Tour. He'll compete in the final round of
:21:06. > :21:16.qualifying this weekend. And as Thomas Niblock reports, he's hoping
:21:16. > :21:28.
:21:28. > :21:31.the appliance of science will help him make the cut. He is using
:21:31. > :21:37.bioscience to improve his game and he believes it is making a
:21:37. > :21:44.difference. I have to do these things, chews every avenue I can to
:21:44. > :21:52.improve. It is a great help. This is what it is all about. A thing
:21:52. > :21:57.for a coach it is important to use the latest ideas available. With
:21:57. > :22:02.his help, because I have known him for so long, he can come down and
:22:02. > :22:09.feedback the data from the testing. That helps me make the best
:22:09. > :22:16.decisions. Biomechanics in sport remains the exception rather than
:22:16. > :22:22.the norm. It has not really been used as a lot. In any event where
:22:22. > :22:28.there is highly technical requirements such as Rugby, it is
:22:28. > :22:32.important to get the technique as correct as you can. We have a good
:22:32. > :22:37.understanding of by a mechanic principles and it is a case of us
:22:37. > :22:42.transferring it back to the players themselves. It is as strange
:22:42. > :22:50.concept and its benefits are small, but even the smallest improvement
:22:50. > :22:56.can make all the difference. We are pretty good at swimming as well.
:22:56. > :23:01.This woman has just won a bronze medal for Ireland at the short
:23:01. > :23:04.course championships in France. Congratulations to her. Sport
:23:04. > :23:06.groups and community groups work day in day out trying to improve
:23:06. > :23:15.people's lives. For its endeavours, a group in Londonderry has been
:23:15. > :23:20.nominated for an award. If you are sensitive to flash photography
:23:20. > :23:30.there is some in this next report. Sarah Travers went there earlier
:23:30. > :23:32.
:23:32. > :23:39.armed with a surprise. The project here does great work in bettering
:23:39. > :23:49.people's health. They do not know that they have actually won. Hello,
:23:49. > :23:50.
:23:50. > :23:54.Tony? Yes? BBC Newsline, can I have a quick word? I believe you have
:23:54. > :24:00.been nominated for the National Lottery awards this year. Do you
:24:00. > :24:06.know why? Probably because we are good at what we are doing and our
:24:06. > :24:11.endeavours are about promoting exercise as an way of life for
:24:11. > :24:16.older people. It will have a considerable impact on the National
:24:16. > :24:22.Lottery itself. We are very pleased to be nominated and I hope we have
:24:22. > :24:26.won. I have been telling a white lie. I have been asked to come here
:24:27. > :24:36.by the National Lottery awards and tell you that you have been dead
:24:36. > :24:46.won. We have this award to present to you today. -- you have indeed
:24:46. > :24:46.
:24:46. > :24:53.won. I am absolutely over the moon and delighted. I cannot take all
:24:53. > :24:57.the credit. This man is a stalwart of the Health Forum. He has put
:24:57. > :25:04.these men through hell in the last couple of years. He deserves as
:25:04. > :25:12.much credit as anybody else. I am absolutely speechless. Stuck for
:25:12. > :25:21.words for 1 -- once in his life! Over here we have Paul from the big
:25:21. > :25:29.lottery fund. Clear winners? They have always delivered high-quality
:25:29. > :25:34.projects. What an exciting day for you guys. You can see Tony and the
:25:34. > :25:44.boys pick up their award in London live on the television on Saturday
:25:44. > :25:45.
:25:45. > :25:54.8th December. Champagne corks popping I think. Now the weather
:25:54. > :26:01.with Angie. Not as wet and windy as it was last night. Having said that,
:26:01. > :26:07.there will be showers around and it will be a colder night as well.
:26:07. > :26:11.Showers will be following the dry gap we have had today. You will see
:26:11. > :26:18.the lime green which is heavy showers. These will edged eastwards
:26:18. > :26:24.this evening, some heavy with the rest of thunder. The bees will pick
:26:24. > :26:34.up which should help push those prolonged showers out of the way. -
:26:34. > :26:39.
:26:39. > :26:46.- bees. With clear spells inland it will turn quite cold. -- breeze. We
:26:46. > :26:50.are expecting some frost and giving the odd icy patch and shower.
:26:50. > :26:56.Tomorrow there will be showers around again. The best sunshine for
:26:56. > :27:02.some parts will be during the morning. Towards the west there
:27:02. > :27:08.will be a few showers piling in from early in the morning, these
:27:08. > :27:14.will gather as we go through the day, more frequent with cloud
:27:14. > :27:20.throughout the afternoon. They could beat thundery showers edging
:27:20. > :27:27.towards the east later in the afternoon. There will be some
:27:27. > :27:34.brighter spells but still feeling cold. The showers will ease away on
:27:34. > :27:42.Friday night. There will be the rest of a few icy patches. There is