:00:00. > :00:27.Welcome to BBC Newsline. Their headlines this Friday evening...
:00:27. > :00:32.ADP at polity is expected after one of their councillors turned
:00:32. > :00:36.whistle-blower. Northern Ireland footballer David
:00:36. > :00:40.Healy is accused of assaulting attack is cleared of assaulting a
:00:40. > :00:45.man in Belfast. When people falsely accused you of something you didn't
:00:45. > :00:49.do, it is difficult. A judge criticises a Belfast Housing
:00:49. > :00:52.Association, accusing it of nepotism.
:00:52. > :00:57.The UK city of culture looks fought to the climax of the All-Ireland
:00:57. > :00:59.Fleadh. We have some exciting news for a
:00:59. > :01:04.bike fans ahead of tomorrow's Ulster We have some exciting news for a
:01:04. > :01:09.Grand Prix at Dundrod. And there is so much going on this
:01:09. > :01:17.weekend, will the Wetherby on our side? I will have the forecast.
:01:17. > :01:21.The First Minister Peter Robinson is understood to have met one of his
:01:21. > :01:25.party's Liz Burn councillors who was at the centre of a BBC Spotlight
:01:25. > :01:30.investigation into events at the Housing investigation attack the
:01:30. > :01:36.Housing Executive. Jenny Palmer said she had been pressured the Housing
:01:36. > :01:41.Minister's special adviser to change your vote at a Housing Executive
:01:41. > :01:45.board meeting. It is understood an apology to Mrs Palmer would be
:01:45. > :01:48.released at a later date. Our political correspondent Martina
:01:48. > :01:53.Purdy reports. Jenny Palmer is ADP councillor in
:01:53. > :01:54.Lisburn and a Housing Executive board member who turned
:01:54. > :01:59.whistle-blower. She featured in a board member who turned
:01:59. > :02:03.BBC Spotlight special focusing on alleged political interference in
:02:03. > :02:07.the running of the Housing Executive. Among the allegations, a
:02:07. > :02:11.claim by the council that she felt pressurised over a Housing Executive
:02:11. > :02:22.decision. It hurts me deeply that they were prepared to use the
:02:22. > :02:28.smallest cog in government to manipulate a certain scenario. The
:02:28. > :02:31.counsellor said the Housing Minister's special adviser
:02:31. > :02:34.telephoned her ahead of a board meeting and that Stephen Brimstone
:02:34. > :02:41.asked her to vote against a decision to reject in request from Housing
:02:41. > :02:46.Minister Nelson McCausland to extent a contract for a maintenance company
:02:46. > :02:53.Red Sky. She said she didn't feel she could go to the party leader
:02:53. > :02:57.about the issue. You didn't think you could trust them? I didn't think
:02:57. > :03:03.I could speak to anyone who was at Stormont. In a statement to
:03:03. > :03:07.Spotlight, Stephen Brimstone said he did not accept the account of
:03:07. > :03:11.events. The party leader subsequently offered to meet the
:03:11. > :03:16.counsellor and adviser. I put this out quite openly to both Jenny and
:03:16. > :03:19.to Stephen, if either of them want to come and see me and speak about
:03:20. > :03:22.the issues, I would be happy to receive them and talk about the
:03:22. > :03:26.issue, but I cannot reach any receive them and talk about the
:03:26. > :03:29.conclusion without speaking to them both. The counsellor has not
:03:29. > :03:34.conclusion without speaking to them commented to the BBC that the
:03:34. > :03:38.meeting has now taken place. A source told the BBC that Councillor
:03:38. > :03:43.Pam had met the DUP leader and the special adviser Stephen Brimstone.
:03:43. > :03:47.The source said a statement involving an apology had been
:03:47. > :03:56.drafted but it was a matter for the DUP press office when it was issued.
:03:56. > :03:58.The DUP reds refusing to comment. The Northern Ireland international
:03:58. > :04:02.footballer David Healy has been cleared of assault after the man he
:04:02. > :04:07.was accused of attacking admitted lying in a bid to damage his name.
:04:07. > :04:13.That Healy said he was delighted to be acquitted and will now get on
:04:13. > :04:20.with his life. Healy! Yes!
:04:20. > :04:24.David Healy is Northern Ireland's record international goal-scorer but
:04:24. > :04:26.has found himself facing a different challenge, clearing his name after
:04:26. > :04:31.an assault allegation. The case challenge, clearing his name after
:04:31. > :04:36.centred around an instant at Arthur Street in May last year. It was
:04:36. > :04:41.claimed he head-butted Conor Crossan in an unprovoked attack after a
:04:41. > :04:42.night out but the defence argued it was self-defence because Mr Crossan
:04:42. > :04:44.had verbally abused the footballer was self-defence because Mr Crossan
:04:44. > :04:50.and had been aggressive. Mr Crossan was self-defence because Mr Crossan
:04:50. > :04:53.admitted lying about what had happened in an e-mail he sent to the
:04:54. > :04:58.Irish football it is huge in a feud days later. They hoped they would
:04:58. > :05:02.remove Mr Healey from a squad due to take on the Netherlands. He also
:05:02. > :05:06.added that the drinking of 24 pints of beer, seven bottles and three
:05:06. > :05:09.cocktails, and those were reasons the defence said his credibility
:05:10. > :05:15.should be questioned. The judge agreed and acquitted David Healy. It
:05:15. > :05:20.has been hard. When people falsely accuse you of something you didn't
:05:20. > :05:26.do, it is difficult, as long as I live, people will try and tarnishing
:05:26. > :05:30.with that time I supposedly head-butted someone in a Belfast
:05:30. > :05:35.bar, but I have been acquitted. The judge said that when he took into
:05:35. > :05:40.account the amount of drink taken, the e-mail Mr Crossan had sent to
:05:40. > :05:44.the IFA, and an interview he had given to a newspaper, it shows the
:05:44. > :05:49.start of a campaign against Mr Healey. He said the key issue was
:05:49. > :05:56.the credibility of one person. Barra Best, BBC Newsline.
:05:56. > :05:58.The Department of social and is Best, BBC Newsline.
:05:58. > :06:03.studying a High Court judgement which could sized practices and East
:06:03. > :06:06.Belfast housing association. The allocation of houses by St Matthew's
:06:06. > :06:10.Housing Association was described as an fair. The judge also accused of
:06:10. > :06:14.former Sinn Fein councillor who sits an fair. The judge also accused of
:06:14. > :06:20.on the board of failing to declare a conflict of interest.
:06:20. > :06:22.Mount Pottinger Lee Station in Belfast Short Strand was recently
:06:22. > :06:28.knocked down and replaced with brand-new housing. This modern
:06:28. > :06:33.development was in demand but the allocation of some of the houses
:06:33. > :06:37.wasn't done properly Ulster a judge found yesterday that the local
:06:37. > :06:41.housing association, rather than use the waiting list, had prioritised
:06:41. > :06:44.transfer applicants, people needing a different home. Mr Justice Horner
:06:44. > :06:56.said... Legal action was taken by a homeless
:06:56. > :06:59.man, who applied for one of the houses without success. One of the
:06:59. > :07:02.people allocated a house was a houses without success. One of the
:07:02. > :07:08.member of the housing association's board. Another was a niece of a
:07:08. > :07:10.board member, the former Sinn Fein councillor Joe O'Donnell. The judge
:07:10. > :07:30.said, that... In summary, the judge said the
:07:30. > :07:35.allocation of these houses had been well-intentioned but flawed. No one
:07:35. > :07:38.from St Matthew's Housing Association was available for
:07:38. > :07:40.interview, but in a statement they said they were committed to the fair
:07:40. > :07:44.allocation of housing. They also said they were committed to the fair
:07:44. > :07:49.said they were studying yesterday 's court judgement and its
:07:49. > :07:53.imprecations. What is not yet clear is whether the homeless man who
:07:53. > :08:01.tried but failed to get one of the new houses will now be allocated
:08:01. > :08:05.one. Still to come, why schools have been
:08:05. > :08:13.asked to encourage more young people to follow a green fingered career
:08:13. > :08:17.path. You probably know by now that the
:08:17. > :08:21.All-Ireland Fleadh is taking place in Londonderry. Tens of thousands of
:08:21. > :08:26.people are either in the city now or making their way there for the
:08:26. > :08:31.closing weekend. It has been a week of colour and spectacle and the
:08:31. > :08:40.weekend promises to be the biggest in Derry's history.
:08:40. > :08:46.It's the biggest festival of Irish traditional music, language and
:08:46. > :08:50.dance, and this week the streets of Derry have jigged and reeled in a
:08:50. > :08:57.relaxed atmosphere. The weather was changeable but the mood was upbeat.
:08:57. > :09:03.It is absolutely brilliant, the bars, the tours, the history. It's
:09:03. > :09:09.our first time in Derry. We were anxious about coming but we will be
:09:09. > :09:15.telling everyone at home to come and visit.
:09:15. > :09:23.Some have travelled several thousand miles to be here. John Pierre left
:09:23. > :09:29.the union Island of Mauritius on an 11 hour flight to Paris. He then got
:09:29. > :09:38.a plane to Dublin and finally a coach to the flower. I love it,
:09:38. > :09:49.because you hear music, you play music, and it is something you must
:09:49. > :09:50.feel. The city has been buzzing with musicians playing all sorts of
:09:50. > :10:09.instruments. At this page, it is estimated that
:10:09. > :10:14.when it finally ends on Sunday, around 300,000 people will have
:10:14. > :10:18.visited the banks of the Foyle. As well at the huge economic impact the
:10:18. > :10:21.flower brings, it is alleged the city to showcase itself to the wider
:10:21. > :10:24.world is a place of entertainment city to showcase itself to the wider
:10:24. > :10:30.and enjoyment people can celebrate all cultures. With that a huge them
:10:30. > :10:34.of people, you have to make sure it you have enough spuds peeled and
:10:34. > :10:42.delivered. For chefs, the pressure is on. Normally, you would be in
:10:42. > :10:49.there with maybe 300 spuds or 400 but that now there are about a
:10:49. > :10:55.thousand. We do about 500 covers normally, so now we are moving into
:10:55. > :10:56.three or 4000. There are checks and balances from a hygiene point of
:10:56. > :11:01.view. Getting a place for everyone to
:11:01. > :11:09.sleep has proved a little tickle Getting a place for everyone to
:11:09. > :11:18.challenge, but it seems it is all sweet music at the moment.
:11:18. > :11:26.The Dean of Derry says the cathedral has played host to a number of
:11:26. > :11:32.successful events, including a recital earlier this week.
:11:32. > :11:39.Last night, the oldest marching band in Ireland, which was formed in
:11:39. > :11:46.1835, played a set in the centre of the city. The majority of people
:11:46. > :11:50.appreciate that there are at least two cultures within Ireland, and we
:11:50. > :11:53.felt our culture was tolerated last week with the parading in town and
:11:54. > :11:59.it is great to come along and partake in the flower. Above all, it
:11:59. > :12:04.is about the performance and for the hundreds of youngsters being taught
:12:04. > :12:09.at special courses, it is been a hugely important week. The police
:12:09. > :12:13.say that so far there have been no major problems. There have been a
:12:13. > :12:16.small number of arrests for disorderly behaviour and assault,
:12:16. > :12:19.but they stressed there will be unprecedented numbers of people here
:12:19. > :12:30.this weekend and they want everyone to be mindful of that.
:12:30. > :12:42.It's been a huge success so far. It has indeed. The crowds here already
:12:42. > :12:46.are staggering. We think it will work -- it will be one of the
:12:46. > :12:54.biggest. What's the best thing people can see? We have street
:12:54. > :13:00.sessions, a lot of children are starting to arrive in the streets.
:13:00. > :13:09.We have a spectacular closing ceremony planned. There really is a
:13:09. > :13:16.number of highlights. It's all about people coming to Londonderry and
:13:16. > :13:22.enjoying the atmosphere. As we saw, the Protestant community also
:13:22. > :13:31.getting involved. That's right. This is a city of many cultures. All
:13:31. > :13:41.those different communities have made their contribution to it.
:13:41. > :13:44.Yesterday's A-level results brought made their contribution to it.
:13:44. > :13:47.joy for many young people with great results, but one of the top-scoring
:13:48. > :13:51.subjects, German, is in danger of dying out in Northern Ireland. There
:13:51. > :13:54.was a 20% fall in the number of pupils sitting the A-level exam, and
:13:54. > :14:03.teachers are worried about its future as a school subject.
:14:03. > :14:07.German was the second-highest scoring subject in Northern Ireland,
:14:07. > :14:20.with more than half of pupils getting an a or above, but only 99
:14:20. > :14:24.pupils entered for the exam. This classroom is one of a dying breed as
:14:24. > :14:30.the German language becomes less popular. Even here, where a modern
:14:30. > :14:39.language is compulsory at GCSE, only to students at -- sat the A-level
:14:39. > :14:42.this year. Germany is our biggest trading partner and it is important
:14:42. > :14:48.we have a supply of graduates who can speak German or can trade with
:14:48. > :14:55.Germany. From an educational point of view, it would be a shame to lose
:14:55. > :15:00.German is a subject. Germany is taught at 40 schools, but with small
:15:00. > :15:04.A-level classes, many teachers are predicting it will be dropped
:15:04. > :15:11.completely within ten years. There has been a reduction in interest for
:15:11. > :15:26.a number of reasons. Pupils have a much larger selection of subjects. A
:15:26. > :15:35.quirky plus the German is that boys take to it because they found they
:15:35. > :15:39.pronunciation comic. Black Forest got to -- gateaux.
:15:39. > :15:47.You're watching BBC Newsline. Coming up before seven: Can you recognise
:15:47. > :15:49.the iconic commentator as we head down memory lane ahead of tomorrow's
:15:49. > :16:00.Ulster Grand Prix? We often report on a skills shortage
:16:00. > :16:05.but it seems in one career, there's We often report on a skills shortage
:16:05. > :16:08.something of a windfall when it comes to jobs. According to
:16:08. > :16:11.research, there are more posts in horticulture than there are people
:16:11. > :16:14.to fill them. The Royal Horticultural Society is calling on
:16:14. > :16:25.schools to consider encouraging more young people to follow a
:16:25. > :16:31.green-fingered career path. This colourful college campus is it
:16:31. > :16:36.elects. It's here that students learn or there is to know about
:16:36. > :16:41.plants but while it looks beautiful, this is an industry suffering an
:16:41. > :16:47.image problem. According to a recent report, 70% of young people view
:16:47. > :16:51.horticulture as a career for those who failed academically and that's
:16:51. > :16:58.leading to a skills shortage in the industry. The industry employs 8000
:16:58. > :17:00.people locally and is worth £150 million but the lack of qualified
:17:00. > :17:05.students means some businesses are million but the lack of qualified
:17:05. > :17:12.having to recruit from abroad. It underestimated very much and very
:17:12. > :17:19.misunderstood. You need business skills, computer skills, technical
:17:19. > :17:23.skills. Knowing what horticulture means is a problem for some young
:17:23. > :17:33.people but for those who take it up, the prospects of getting work
:17:33. > :17:39.are good. Horticulture is a wonderful thing. The Royal
:17:39. > :17:42.horticultural Society has asked the Government to do more to promote the
:17:42. > :17:48.sector, especially at a time when many are having to retrain because
:17:48. > :17:51.of redundancy. We have a lot of career changers, people who didn't
:17:51. > :17:59.realise that horticulture could be studied as a career. They have had
:17:59. > :18:05.another career and an opportunity, through redundancy or they want to
:18:05. > :18:06.change. Green minds can't guarantee a fruitful career but the job
:18:06. > :18:11.prospects are good nationally and a fruitful career but the job
:18:11. > :18:13.few industries can say that. Cecilia will be here with the
:18:13. > :18:16.weather forecast shortly, and Stephen, that's something bike fans
:18:16. > :18:20.will be watching very closely ahead of tomorrow's Ulster Grand Prix.
:18:20. > :18:23.Yesterday's Dundrod 150 road races, part of the Ulster Grand Prix bike
:18:23. > :18:25.week, were abandoned because of heavy rain. Organisers are hoping
:18:25. > :18:29.the same doesn't happen tomorrow and heavy rain. Organisers are hoping
:18:29. > :18:35.told me today they are confident of getting racing underway. Some big
:18:36. > :18:39.bike news on the eve of the event. Guy Martin, one of the biggest names
:18:39. > :18:42.in the sport, has re-signed with the Northern Ireland Tyco Suzuki team
:18:42. > :18:47.for next season. Martin has won eight times at the UGP and is one of
:18:47. > :18:50.the favourites for tomorrow. He says his love of Northern Ireland racing
:18:50. > :18:57.is why he is staying with a local team. That's what got me into
:18:57. > :19:16.racing, the whole Northern Ireland thing. The people. And genuinely
:19:16. > :19:24.into the racing. Nice fork. I enjoy going and racing my bike. What about
:19:24. > :19:31.celebrating this new contract? It would be nice if the weather stays
:19:31. > :19:34.nice. You can never be too confident.
:19:34. > :19:37.The Ulster Grand Prix is, of course, officially the fastest road race in
:19:37. > :19:41.the world. Tomorrow, riders from 14 different countries will compete at
:19:41. > :19:45.speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The event has been running since
:19:45. > :19:46.1922 and a trawl of our archives shows that the event has always
:19:46. > :19:50.attracted some of the most famous shows that the event has always
:19:50. > :19:59.riders and commentators. See if you recognise this voice from over 50
:19:59. > :20:04.years ago. 27 starters, all ready to go,
:20:04. > :20:14.perfect weather conditions. And off they go! Racing legends rubbed
:20:14. > :20:19.shoulders on the roads and it was a venue for local riders to make their
:20:19. > :20:35.names. The Grand Prix is the best race there is. We live beside each
:20:35. > :20:40.other. He started racing a year before me and we went on from
:20:40. > :20:44.there. Ray was the standout performer in the 70s, taking on the
:20:44. > :20:56.rest of the world and often beating them. The world championship race
:20:56. > :21:11.was a real race. What do you make of it now? Unbelievable! Those
:21:11. > :21:17.motorcycles are doing so fast now. I for 50 miles an hour is quick
:21:17. > :21:22.enough! And was the legacy that created the next generation of races
:21:22. > :21:28.from this part of the world. In the 1960s, I remember watching racers
:21:28. > :21:34.from this part of the world. In the and that was all I ever wanted to
:21:34. > :21:40.do. To come in 1985 and win the world championship was beyond my
:21:40. > :21:50.wildest dreams. For the record, the commentator in 1968 was the
:21:50. > :21:53.legendary Murray Walker. It's the second week of the local
:21:53. > :21:56.football season. Tomorrow's big game in the newly-named Northern Ireland
:21:56. > :22:01.League sees the champions of the last two years go head-to-head,
:22:01. > :22:04.Cliftonville against Linfield. Joining me is last season's
:22:04. > :22:16.footballer of the year and top goal-scorer, Liam Boyce. No better
:22:16. > :22:19.time than to test your credentials. There's been a lot of talk about new
:22:19. > :22:29.players and staff. How much pressure There's been a lot of talk about new
:22:29. > :22:39.are Cliftonville feeling as champions this year? Me, personally,
:22:39. > :22:46.I'm going to try and get the 20 goals before Christmas if I can!
:22:46. > :22:52.There is not that much pressure on Cliftonville this year because all
:22:52. > :22:59.the talk has been about Linfield. We are going to try what we did last
:23:00. > :23:06.year. You certainly got off to a fantastic start. Let's look at your
:23:06. > :23:11.two goals from last week. The first one, I got a bit of space on the
:23:11. > :23:23.back. The second one, I took the pass. May end up as one of the goals
:23:23. > :23:27.of the season. The last time these two teams met, you scored twice as
:23:28. > :23:42.well and won the league. It's a big day I will never forget. McMullen
:23:42. > :23:46.scored a penalty on that day, too. He went in for an exploratory
:23:46. > :23:51.investigation into what could be an injury. He was having a scan this
:23:51. > :23:56.investigation into what could be an morning and get his results on
:23:56. > :24:02.Tuesday. He really wanted to play, even with the injury. But the
:24:02. > :24:06.physios were against it. You are one of the biggest names in the local
:24:06. > :24:13.game. You have played away from home before. Can we see you move away
:24:13. > :24:21.from local football before the transfer window closes? I don't know
:24:22. > :24:28.about before the transfer window. But my targets will be to play
:24:28. > :24:31.full-time football in the future. Tyrone Gaelic footballer Conor
:24:31. > :24:35.Gormley will now be available to play in Sunday week's All-Ireland
:24:35. > :24:37.semifinal against Mayo. His proposed one-match suspension, following this
:24:37. > :24:42.altercation in their quarterfinal win over Monaghan, has been
:24:42. > :24:45.overturned on appeal. Gormley's team-mate, Martin Penrose, who was
:24:45. > :25:00.sent off during the match, remains suspended for the sem-final.
:25:00. > :25:05.I was at the Ulster Grand Prix all morning and everybody stopped me and
:25:05. > :25:15.told me to tell Cecilia to get the weather forecast fair for tomorrow.
:25:15. > :25:24.A lot of people putting a lot of pressure on me! I'm sure a lot of
:25:24. > :25:29.people are wishing we could have today's weather tomorrow. I'm afraid
:25:30. > :25:36.the rain is back later tonight but I'm not expecting a repeat of the
:25:36. > :25:40.Northwest 200. Low pressure sitting out in the Atlantic. It will start
:25:40. > :25:52.to come towards us, bringing weather fronts. Could even be gales for a
:25:52. > :25:56.time. An unusually deep area of low pressure, but fortunately, things
:25:56. > :26:05.will improve tomorrow afternoon. For music lovers, the rain in Belfast
:26:05. > :26:11.isn't set to arrive until midnight. The rain coming in from the west,
:26:11. > :26:17.some of it quite heavy. The wind is picking up, too. Increasingly strong
:26:17. > :26:22.from a southerly direction. Maybe a slight hint of Waterman the weather
:26:22. > :26:24.forecast tomorrow morning. Fortunately, though, improving from
:26:24. > :26:27.the west. To begin with, lots of Fortunately, though, improving from
:26:27. > :26:32.surface water. That means it will be Fortunately, though, improving from
:26:32. > :26:42.raining for a while tomorrow morning. But as the morning goes on,
:26:42. > :26:44.things should gradually improve. Gradually, drier weather edges and
:26:44. > :26:50.from the West. The strongest winds Gradually, drier weather edges and
:26:50. > :26:57.will be during the morning as well. But during the afternoon, showers
:26:57. > :27:03.around, but enough of a breeze to keep things going. It will give us
:27:03. > :27:07.gaps and sunshine in between and temperatures up to 19 or 20 degrees.
:27:07. > :27:14.And improving day tomorrow and dry tomorrow evening and night. On
:27:14. > :27:20.Sunday, if you showers around. A lot of places will get away with a dry
:27:20. > :27:28.day. On Monday, things are looking pretty dry, too. The rain is likely
:27:28. > :27:32.to be back on Tuesday. ADB apology is expected fraught one
:27:32. > :27:37.of their councillors who turned whistle-blower after she claimed she
:27:38. > :27:42.was pressured into changing her vote. The Northern Ireland
:27:42. > :27:43.footballer David Healy is cleared of assaulting a man in Belfast city
:27:43. > :27:45.centre.