24/11/2015 BBC Newsline

Seven care homes privately owned by the Four Seasons group are to be

The group, which is the largest provider of residential

and nursing care homes in Northern Ireland, says they're not viable.

It was an anxious meeting in East Belfast between residents --

relatives of residents and management of the Four Seasons

group. The homes which will close by the

end of February next year are in Belfast, Antrim.

It is no surprise the news about these closures. The care home

providers have been expressing serious concern about the viability

of the businesses they are running for quite some time, and I have been

raising those issues with the health and social care board as far back as

probably February this year. A spokesman said the closures were

unavoidable, as all seven homes are operating at a loss. At least 250

elderly residents looking for a new place to live and almost 400

employees transferring to other homes looking for new jobs.

I feel more for the residents' families, having to get me home. It

is not nice at any time of year, but especially Christmas.

The Health Minister stepped in and froze all decisions surrounding the

closure of state owned residential homes because of this emerging

uncertainty in the private sector. I think it is only appropriate we

pause and reflect and give careful consideration to what has been

proposed in respect of some residential care homes, to ensure

that, because some of these proposals to close some homes were

predicated on spare capacity within the independent sector, when some

capacity -- I think it is only right and proper we pause to reflect on

the implications. It is understood some staff here

were in tears when they heard the news. Any have worked here for over

20 years. The concern for relatives of residents is how their loved ones

will cope when many of them are already in frail health. -- many

have worked here. Detectives from outside Northern

Ireland are expected to be brought in by the police to investigate

more than 50 IRA murders. The killings are linked to

a man alleged to have been The director of public prosecutions

last month ordered an investigation into the activities

of the agent, codenamed Stakeknife. Our Home Affairs Correspondent

Vincent Kearney has this exclusive Hundreds of Republicans and

loyalists led secret double life as informers and agents during the

Troubles. Stakeknife was regarded as one of the most valuable, the

Army's most senior agent within the IRA. He was a member of its internal

security unit, which killed members it identified as informers. An agent

of the state who killed other agents of the state. This former welfare --

west Belfast man has denied claims he was the agent.

The investigation could be the largest ever in the UK into

allegations against a senior individual. The BBC understands it

will examine at least 53 killings by the IRA's internal security unit

between 1978 and 1985. Detectives will also look for

evidence of possible criminal behaviour within the Ministry of

Defence, the army and MI5 to work with Stakeknife.

Sources have told the BBC the case could take a team of up to 50

detectives five years to complete. Relatives of some of Stakeknife's

victims launched action to stop -- to try and stop the PSNI to

investigate. The police haven't commented, but I

understand the Chief Constable George Hamilton is likely to bring

in officers from other UK police forces. The PSNI is expected to

advertise for experienced this type is to apply to join a major

investigation team on secondment. In an interview to be broadcast

tonight, the Director of Public Prosecutions said the investigation

should have taken place much sooner. The police have known about

Stakeknife's alleged at editors for at least 12 years.

This should have been taken forward thoroughly and expeditiously as soon

as the information became known to those whose statutory responsibility

Ed Balls to carry out investigations.

Bringing in detectives from other UK police forces may be easier said

than done. Even if they are available, the money may not be. The

question of who will pay has yet to be answered.

And that Spotlight programme is here on BBC One after this bulletin.

Just weeks after the success of the international soccer

on both sides of the border there's another political

While Causeway Coast and Glens councillors argued over big screen

coverage of sport, a proposal for a joint civic

reception in Belfast is now causing friction as Mervyn Jess reports.

reception in Belfast is now causing friction, as Mervyn Jess reports.

It was all cheers and smiles when Northern Ireland and the Republic of

Ireland recently qualified for the finals of the European

Championships. But now a proposal to mark the first ever joint

qualification for the competition has led to a political squabble. An

SDLP councillor's proposing that both teams are honoured in a joint

Civic reception. At a -- and Ulster Unionist councillor accuses him of

playing politics with sporting achievement.

No, this is a simple recognition of two teams and the uniqueness of the

situation that they -- both managers at our's try from each other sends

out the message that we want to reunify sport as being the winner.

-- won our's drive. I will be supporting the four teams

that have qualified, I firmly believe like many of my colleagues

that the SDLP are politicking. We don't want to bring politics into

sport, sport brings people together, it unites us, and it is good for

people, so therefore I would ask the proposer of this motion to

reconsider it and to add on England and Wales as well as the Republic of

Ireland and Northern Ireland. This issue is due to be brought

before a council next Tuesday. That in itself could be, in footballing

parlance, a game of two halves. New portraits of the writers

Seamus Heaney and CS Lewis have been put on display in

Parliament Buildings at Stormont. They're the first pictures

of non-parliamentarians to be The paintings were unveiled

by Seamus Heaney's wife Marie and by the Reverend Roy Taylor,

who was a student of CS Lewis. The artwork was commissioned

by the Assembly and features quotes On tomorrow evening's BBC Newsline,

to mark the tenth anniversary of the death of George Best,

we'll have rare film footage of him in action at

Manchester United in 1970 when eight We'll talk to a composer who's

putting the film to music. That's tomorrow evening at 6:30

here on BBC One. And now the weather forecast

with Angie Phillips. We are now in a Cherie airstream,

which meant we got something a little bit brighter times today --

showery. Later in the night the cloud starts to gather and we find

those showers merging into drizzly spells of rain, so quite a damp end

to the night for many of us, but a frost free one. Into tomorrow, still

quite a gusty wind particularly around coastal stretches, and we

still have that showery rain. So quite damp and drizzly through the

morning rush hour, although not that much before that rain clears away.

It moves into the West of Scotland, across Wales and of the South West

of England. To the east of that, largely dry but quite chilly on

those North Sea coasts. Behind that batch of rain it does dry up for

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the afternoon. For

Northern Ireland probably a fair amount of cloud, but it is mild.

Temperature is 11 or 12, but in that breeze it will feel cooler. Thursday

still a bit breezy, also misty and murky and we could get heavy rain at

some stage. Very mild, 11 or 12 degrees. That changes on Friday, a

weather front moves through and we get a band of heavy rain. Strong to

gale force twins followed by Calder, blustery winds, with wintry showers

especially on hills. -- colder. We are back at -- we are back at

6:25am.