:00:00. > :00:16.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline.
:00:17. > :00:18.Under pressure, emergency departments struggle to cope
:00:19. > :00:23.as people are urged to go only if it's urgent.
:00:24. > :00:28.at this block of flats in North Belfast.
:00:29. > :00:38.how life goes on in the face of the floods.
:00:39. > :00:44.It is a big year for football. Northern Ireland and the Republic
:00:45. > :00:46.are preparing for the Euro finals but who will our politicians be
:00:47. > :00:49.supporting? There's no time for Ulster's rugby
:00:50. > :00:51.players to dwell on defeat to Munster as they
:00:52. > :00:53.refocus on Europe. And we start the new week
:00:54. > :00:56.with further warnings of rain, but not as bad as it
:00:57. > :00:58.has been recently. A New Year with the same
:00:59. > :01:06.old problems in local hospitals. The pressure is once again
:01:07. > :01:10.on emergency departments. Just two days into 2016 and health
:01:11. > :01:14.chiefs had to issue a plea to the public to use units
:01:15. > :01:20.only if their condition was urgent. The biggest difficulties
:01:21. > :01:23.were at the Ulster Hospital, where there was a 25% rise
:01:24. > :01:38.in emergency department patients. every year more people go through
:01:39. > :01:42.the doors of our emergency departments. It looks like 2016 will
:01:43. > :01:46.be no exception. At the weekend a surgeon -- surge in numbers prompted
:01:47. > :01:50.the health and social care board to issue a public plea. It said all
:01:51. > :01:55.emergency departments were under a high level of pressure. People
:01:56. > :01:58.should not attend unless the symptoms were urgent or
:01:59. > :02:03.life-threatening. Here at the Ulster Hospital the situation was described
:02:04. > :02:07.as extreme. 25% more attendances than an average Saturday. But those
:02:08. > :02:13.working on the front lines in the situation was exacerbated by a lack
:02:14. > :02:18.of beds. That puts pressure on us, particularly the nursing staff.
:02:19. > :02:22.Patients waiting for long periods of time without a bed, it detract from
:02:23. > :02:28.the nursing staff and medical staff from providing care and will
:02:29. > :02:33.ultimately eat up the number of cubicles available to see patients.
:02:34. > :02:35.This evening around 17 patients are waiting in the Ulster emergency
:02:36. > :02:39.department for a bed. The problem is, some of those beds cannot be
:02:40. > :02:45.freed up until nursing home places or care packages are arranged.
:02:46. > :02:47.Discharge delays right across Northern Ireland is an issue
:02:48. > :02:50.highlighted in figures obtained by an MLA which showed the numbers
:02:51. > :02:54.waiting over eight weeks for a care package. I knew there was a
:02:55. > :03:01.significant problem but I didn't know the scale, was that bad, right
:03:02. > :03:08.across the North, people waiting to get home with care packages. On
:03:09. > :03:11.occasion, the delay can be because there is something no nursing home
:03:12. > :03:16.or residential home bed available. On other occasions it can be because
:03:17. > :03:20.it is not possible to secure a domiciliary care package that is
:03:21. > :03:24.appropriate and in the circumstances, there can be
:03:25. > :03:27.blockages. Which will feed through eventually to delays at the front
:03:28. > :03:30.door of the hospital. The winter pressures experienced here and at
:03:31. > :03:35.other a handy departments are nothing new, but with no cold snap
:03:36. > :03:39.so far this winter, it is possible more pressure could come to bear in
:03:40. > :03:41.the days and weeks ahead. The challenge for those in charge is
:03:42. > :03:44.meeting that need. Later in the programme we'll focus
:03:45. > :03:47.again on the budget pressures facing health, as well as the pounds
:03:48. > :03:52.in your pocket in 2016. And we look ahead to
:03:53. > :03:54.the big political events A man's been in court charged with
:03:55. > :04:00.attempted murder in North Belfast. A 24-year-old man was attacked
:04:01. > :04:05.in a flat at Mount Vernon last week. The injured man's mother
:04:06. > :04:23.faces the same charge. Matthew Lawrence said fundamental
:04:24. > :04:27.are in Mount Vernon. One blow was so severe it is said to have caused his
:04:28. > :04:33.ear to explode. He remains critically ill at the Royal Victoria
:04:34. > :04:35.Hospital. The mother of the 24-year-old, Julie Larson, appeared
:04:36. > :04:42.in court on New Year's Eve charged with attempting to murder him. This
:04:43. > :04:45.morning, 29-year-old Ryan Taylor from Belfast was also charged with
:04:46. > :04:49.attentive murder. Remaining silent throughout the hearing he listened
:04:50. > :04:55.to the charges read out to him. He was also charged with one count of
:04:56. > :05:07.grievous bodily harm, two of threats to kill, he is due to appear again
:05:08. > :05:11.by video link next month. A 75-year-old woman has died following
:05:12. > :05:14.a crash between two cars on to between Bangor and Hollywood. A man
:05:15. > :05:20.driving a second car was also taken to hospital and his injuries are not
:05:21. > :05:22.life-threatening. The road is closed while the police investigate the
:05:23. > :05:26.crash, which happened at Coney Hill at around 2pm this afternoon. There
:05:27. > :05:27.are long tailbacks and traffic diversions.
:05:28. > :05:29.Two months ago, Maghaberry Jail was labelled
:05:30. > :05:33.Today, a team of inspectors has returned to the high security prison
:05:34. > :05:36.near Lisburn to assess what improvements have been made
:05:37. > :05:44.Our home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.
:05:45. > :05:52.Maghaberry Jail was built to hold Northern Ireland's most dangerous
:05:53. > :05:58.criminals, but two months ago the prison itself was described as a
:05:59. > :06:01.dangerous place. We inspect about 40 prisons a year and I have been doing
:06:02. > :06:05.it for five years. This is the most dangerous prison I have been into,
:06:06. > :06:12.throughout my time as Chief Inspector. This inspection of
:06:13. > :06:16.Maghaberry Prison carried out in May 2015 was undoubtedly the most
:06:17. > :06:27.concerning all the reports published to date of any local prison.
:06:28. > :06:31.It was said Maghaberry Prison a state of crisis. The inspectors say
:06:32. > :06:35.they have real concerns that failures to identify were not
:06:36. > :06:40.addressed as a shoot off issue there could be serious disorder or loss of
:06:41. > :06:47.life. In an unprecedented move, they went back to the prison the months
:06:48. > :06:52.to check on progress. The new Governor took over in
:06:53. > :06:56.August, three months after the last inspection was carried out. A week
:06:57. > :06:59.after the inspection report was published, he said he was confident
:07:00. > :07:05.the next one would be much more positive. I am confident that the
:07:06. > :07:10.inspection team will see a different Maghaberry Jail a safer Maghaberry
:07:11. > :07:18.Jail a cleaner Maghaberry Prison ain't Maghaberry Jail has better
:07:19. > :07:21.resources usefully employed,. That team that -- that his is now being
:07:22. > :07:24.put to the test. They have spent two weeks assessing what progress has
:07:25. > :07:29.been made and they hope to publish the findings before May. The report
:07:30. > :07:33.published two months ago was so bad, there is a real sense that things
:07:34. > :07:38.can only get better. The Department of Justice and the Prison Service
:07:39. > :07:40.both insist that is the case. They say they have been dramatic
:07:41. > :07:43.improvements at the jail since the last time inspectors paid a visit.
:07:44. > :07:45.They will be hoping inspectors agree.
:07:46. > :07:50.Christmas may be over but tourist chiefs still wants us to eat,
:07:51. > :07:58.drink and be merry - find out why later in the programme.
:07:59. > :08:02.We start a new week with yet more weather warnings for rain.
:08:03. > :08:05.Details from Barra Best on that later in the programme.
:08:06. > :08:07.There is still flooding in some rural areas,
:08:08. > :08:09.but nearly all travel services are back to normal
:08:10. > :08:15.That certainly isn't the case in parts of the Republic,
:08:16. > :08:18.where people are still trying to recover from the storm
:08:19. > :08:30.Taking the plunge after four weeks of flooding, this is in County
:08:31. > :08:33.Fermanagh, the woman driving the car has three children and says she has
:08:34. > :08:37.no choice but to risk leaving her house. In recent days she has been
:08:38. > :08:43.forced to buy a new car and a dinky, just to continue with daily life.
:08:44. > :08:47.Although you cannot see it in the video, there is a big drain. The
:08:48. > :08:56.lane is only the width of the car. If you go off the road, what next?
:08:57. > :09:01.You can see the Jeep is nearly floating. It worries me, but at the
:09:02. > :09:05.end of the day the bills are still coming in and have to be paid. Over
:09:06. > :09:09.the weekend, dozens of roads were closed and some train services were
:09:10. > :09:14.affected. Today, almost everything was operating as normal. We are
:09:15. > :09:18.aware that a number of roads have been flooded, particularly around
:09:19. > :09:22.Fermanagh. We have staff on stand-by 24 hours a day to deal with flooding
:09:23. > :09:27.incidents and we have been doing that over the past few days. The
:09:28. > :09:32.situation off the roads is proving difficult for some. This was just
:09:33. > :09:37.outside Lisburn this afternoon. Vehicles are struggling in the
:09:38. > :09:41.soaking fields. While this cemetery in East Belfast was forced to close
:09:42. > :09:46.early because of flooding. The heavy rainfall is causing problems here.
:09:47. > :09:51.But it is nothing like in some parts of the Republic. In recent days,
:09:52. > :09:56.more than 260 homes have been flooded and more are at risk. Today,
:09:57. > :10:01.the Irish President visited some of the worst affected areas. More rain
:10:02. > :10:04.is forecast this week and services on both sides of the border will
:10:05. > :10:07.remain on stand-by over the coming days.
:10:08. > :10:09.We heard about pressures on the health budget earlier,
:10:10. > :10:12.but it won't be the only department having to make
:10:13. > :10:16.To look ahead to what 2016 may bring, with me is
:10:17. > :10:17.our economics and business editor John Campbell
:10:18. > :10:23.and our political editor Mark Devenport.
:10:24. > :10:30.John, health is the biggest part of the budget, Hotak is a? Just before
:10:31. > :10:35.Christmas the Executive agreed budget, or other Sinn Fein and the
:10:36. > :10:38.DUP ministers agreed, they are dealing with an environment in which
:10:39. > :10:41.the amount of money they are getting from Westminster is falling so that
:10:42. > :10:45.makes things difficult. But they have decided to again protect health
:10:46. > :10:49.and in the coming year the health budget will rise by 1% in real
:10:50. > :10:54.terms. So there is more money going into the Health Service. But we need
:10:55. > :10:56.to put that in context because a few years ago there was a report
:10:57. > :11:01.prepared for the health board which said that because we live in an
:11:02. > :11:04.ageing society, older people have more competent medical needs, the
:11:05. > :11:09.amount of money going to the Health Service needs to increase by 1.5%
:11:10. > :11:13.every year just to keep pace with that. So that gives us an idea of
:11:14. > :11:21.how even though spending is increasing, the Health Service will
:11:22. > :11:24.still find itself under pressure. Mark, politicians are also preparing
:11:25. > :11:29.for elections and we have a couple in the first half of 2016? Yes, we
:11:30. > :11:33.have an election on both sides of the border, we expect probably the
:11:34. > :11:37.southern election in February and we have our own election due in May.
:11:38. > :11:40.While the politicians will no doubt be wanting to show they are tackling
:11:41. > :11:44.big issues like health and the economy, they don't have a lot of
:11:45. > :11:47.time and minds will be on that election, which will be a big
:11:48. > :11:50.challenge for Arlene Foster, who takes over as First Minister next
:11:51. > :11:56.week, and also a big challenge for the new SDLP leader, in terms of how
:11:57. > :12:02.his party reforms. I expect the bigger parties will be selling hard
:12:03. > :12:05.there are documents saying they are heading in the right direction but
:12:06. > :12:09.the other parties will be saying this is not as good as it gets.
:12:10. > :12:13.Obviously, with money tight, it will be harder for the big parties to
:12:14. > :12:17.throw a lot of money around to try to buy any favours with the
:12:18. > :12:23.electorate. Looking back at last year and the economy, falling oil
:12:24. > :12:27.prices, that played quite a bit on our economy, what was the local
:12:28. > :12:31.impact? It was massive. Thinking about what has been happening to oil
:12:32. > :12:37.prices, really collapsing for the past 18 months, in the last year,
:12:38. > :12:41.they fell more than 30%. More than anything, that was the thing would
:12:42. > :12:44.make a difference to most household budgets. If you're spending less on
:12:45. > :12:47.filling your car heating your home, you have more money to spend on
:12:48. > :12:51.other things. Consumers were probably in a bit of a sweet spot at
:12:52. > :15:22.the end of last year because as well as falling oil
:15:23. > :15:24.Belfast City Council votes tomorrow night on whether to invite
:15:25. > :15:27.the Republic of Ireland football team to a reception
:15:28. > :15:28.marking qualification to the Euro finals this summer.
:15:29. > :15:31.It would be a joint event with the Northern Ireland team.
:15:32. > :15:33.With some politicians against the Republic's inclusion,
:15:34. > :15:40.BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson has been looking at the planned event.
:15:41. > :15:44.Should Northern Ireland and the Republic both be invited to Belfast
:15:45. > :15:49.City Hall for a fond farewell before going to the Euro finals? Sinn Fein
:15:50. > :15:53.say yes. The reality of this city is that people have an allegiance to
:15:54. > :16:02.Ireland in its entirety, other people do not and that is fair
:16:03. > :16:07.enough. The double reception was proposed at the Council by the SDLP
:16:08. > :16:11.at the end of last year. Belfast is supposed to be open for everybody.
:16:12. > :16:19.That is what we are trying to achieve. The final vote on the
:16:20. > :16:23.double invite will take place at a council meeting tomorrow night.
:16:24. > :16:28.Unionists say they will be voting no. Belfast City Council has already
:16:29. > :16:30.held a very successful reception for the Northern Ireland team in
:16:31. > :16:36.November, this was well attended by the entire squad. And the coaches
:16:37. > :16:41.and management. The no holds and other civic reception just takes
:16:42. > :16:45.away from that original event, makes us look disorganised. But what about
:16:46. > :16:48.the football? Regardless of what happens over the civic reception
:16:49. > :16:54.tomorrow night, will cancel those be cheering for both teams? Unless they
:16:55. > :16:58.play Northern Ireland I will support all teams from the British Isles and
:16:59. > :17:03.wish them well. Including the Republic? I will support them in
:17:04. > :17:06.matches and hubby do well, yes. Will you be supporting Northern Ireland
:17:07. > :17:11.at Euro? I do wish them every success. Northern Ireland is my team
:17:12. > :17:23.but that is there enough! I will support both of them. In football
:17:24. > :17:24.terms, at times like a score draw. -- that sounds like.
:17:25. > :17:26.This January marks the start of Northern Ireland's
:17:27. > :17:30.A combination of agencies and officials are behind the initiative.
:17:31. > :17:32.They accept while it may not increase the number of visitors
:17:33. > :17:36.coming here, those who do will spend more.
:17:37. > :17:43.Our business correspondent Julian O'Neill reports.
:17:44. > :17:50.Saint George putt in Belfast is the premises for many Artisan food
:17:51. > :17:55.businesses providing a showcase for local produce on a grand scale. It
:17:56. > :18:01.is now part of the tourism trail, a food and a tour begins here and
:18:02. > :18:05.visitor interest is growing. A lot of tourists coming in, really, they
:18:06. > :18:08.are just intrigued by what Belfast and Northern Ireland has to offer.
:18:09. > :18:15.It is unique and different, where else will you get the Bramley apple
:18:16. > :18:20.and block nee Il? Established brands are also been incorporated into a
:18:21. > :18:24.theme year of marketing and events. Tourism officials accept while a
:18:25. > :18:31.food and drink campaign may not have a huge impact on visitor numbers, it
:18:32. > :18:33.can dry up spending. I do not think it is the sole purpose to come to
:18:34. > :18:37.any destination with the exception of perhaps San Sebastian or
:18:38. > :18:41.somewhere like that in Spain, but it is a critical element of the
:18:42. > :18:45.experience and about one third of people's spending is on food and
:18:46. > :18:51.drink. Previously Northern Ireland's tourism has had big events to help
:18:52. > :18:58.attract visitors. But not so in 2016. Titanic Belfast was the
:18:59. > :19:02.centrepiece of the 2012 tourism year, with a multi-million pound
:19:03. > :19:08.promotional budget. Four years on and with austerity pegging public
:19:09. > :19:10.spending, tourism Northern Ireland has just ?300,000 to assist events
:19:11. > :19:19.connected with 2016. Stephen Watson is here
:19:20. > :19:21.with the sports news, and Ulster's rugby players had
:19:22. > :19:24.a disappointing start After winning four games in a row,
:19:25. > :19:30.including victory over Connacht on Boxing Day, Ulster stumbled
:19:31. > :19:34.in their second They lost 9-7 to Munster,
:19:35. > :19:40.but the coach says he knows how to fix the problems ahead
:19:41. > :19:44.of their next big game. Ulster travel to Oyonnax
:19:45. > :19:46.in France this weekend in the European Champions Cup,
:19:47. > :20:00.trying to bounce back A New Year derby, the same old
:20:01. > :20:05.rivalry but a new record for one star player. Andrew Trimble mark his
:20:06. > :20:14.200th appearance with a crunching try saving tackle. Oster battered
:20:15. > :20:18.the Munster defence. Here, there was no way through for Luke Marshall.
:20:19. > :20:27.But Ulster eventually got their noses in front with a try. To
:20:28. > :20:31.deservedly be 7-3 at half-time. The home side probably should have been
:20:32. > :20:39.further in front and Munster made them pay. The two excellent kicks
:20:40. > :20:47.propelled the visitors for a first win in six matches. Ulster did have
:20:48. > :20:54.a couple of penalties to snatch victory... But it was not to be.
:20:55. > :20:59.Today was not a performance that was up to the level we expect of
:21:00. > :21:03.ourselves. I think it is obvious that game that the solutions are
:21:04. > :21:08.clear to us in the dressing room. We know what to work on and they have
:21:09. > :21:15.three European games in our favour. Hopefully, we can write those wrong
:21:16. > :21:22.is. You cannot let the game disrupt our whole season. We believe in the
:21:23. > :21:26.way we have been playing and I think we are conscious of that and we have
:21:27. > :21:27.to move on and step it up for the rest of the season.
:21:28. > :21:29.The Gaelic football year got under way yesterday
:21:30. > :21:31.with the Bank Of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup.
:21:32. > :21:33.In the opening round there were wins for Tyrone,
:21:34. > :21:35.Donegal, Cavan and UUJ, while Derry ran out comfortable
:21:36. > :21:38.victors in front of their new manager at home to Antrim.
:21:39. > :21:49.The new manager knows he will be judged on success in the
:21:50. > :21:52.championship rather than wins in January. But there were still plenty
:21:53. > :22:00.of positives for him to take from this victory. The opening goal just
:22:01. > :22:07.five minutes into the contest. Then the home side took control. McCann
:22:08. > :22:11.made an impressive return, making his mark with goals either side of
:22:12. > :22:19.half-time. But Antrim were well beaten by a ten point margin. It was
:22:20. > :22:24.very strong, we knew it was good to be tough. Hopefully we will improve.
:22:25. > :22:35.It doesn't matter what time of year it is, it is a competitive fixture.
:22:36. > :22:40.It is a positive, it gives us something to reflect on during the
:22:41. > :22:41.week. Derry will now focus on a sterner test against Tyrone on
:22:42. > :22:42.Sunday. The Belfast Giants are back up
:22:43. > :22:45.to second place in the Elite League table after winning seven
:22:46. > :22:48.of their eight games in a busy programme over the Christmas
:22:49. > :22:51.and New Year period. They finished off an encouraging
:22:52. > :22:54.series of results with back-to-back wins against the Coventry Blaze,
:22:55. > :22:57.including an impressive 6-3 victory The consistent run means the Giants
:22:58. > :23:06.have made big ground on all their title rivals,
:23:07. > :23:12.who all dropped points. Paralympic gold medal swimmer
:23:13. > :23:13.Bethany Firth will compete for Great Britain for
:23:14. > :23:17.the first time in April. She has been selected
:23:18. > :23:20.for the team going to the IPC European Open Championships
:23:21. > :23:22.in Madeira. She won a gold in London 2012
:23:23. > :23:25.representing Team Ireland but has now switched to GB and,
:23:26. > :23:41.after battling back from injury, I spent all of 2015 training, to
:23:42. > :23:45.compete for my first in the GB and I was really up for it and very
:23:46. > :23:48.determined. Not being able to compete made me upset but it has
:23:49. > :23:52.been a more determined to come back fighting and show I am here that I
:23:53. > :23:55.want to do them proud. I just want to get better and better because I
:23:56. > :23:58.know my competitors will be doing the same. I want to be the best in
:23:59. > :23:59.the world. It only took a few days
:24:00. > :24:02.of the New Year for Northern Ireland to produce some more
:24:03. > :24:03.golfing success. 12-year-old Tom McKibbin won
:24:04. > :24:06.the Junior Honda Classic in Florida. Last year Tom won the World Kids
:24:07. > :24:09.Championship at Pinehurst, and proudly brought the trophy
:24:10. > :24:11.straight here to BBC Broadcasting House to show
:24:12. > :24:15.us on BBC Newsline. And among the first to send his
:24:16. > :24:23.congratulations was Rory McIlroy, who of course won the main
:24:24. > :24:37.Honda Classic a few years ago. A star of the future! In fact, a
:24:38. > :24:38.star right now. Our congratulations to Tom.
:24:39. > :24:42.The latest weather forecast is next, with Barra Best.
:24:43. > :24:50.I will not congratulate you, but it has been so depressing!
:24:51. > :24:55.We have had low pressure systems lined up and there is more of that
:24:56. > :24:58.to come. This evening, a weather warning for rain remains in force it
:24:59. > :25:01.through until midnight for every county with the exception of
:25:02. > :25:07.Fermanagh but even there they will be the odd shower. Largely focused
:25:08. > :25:09.across the East Coast, so we could see some further destruction over
:25:10. > :25:16.night. Temperatures tonight five to six. Not especially Chile and no
:25:17. > :25:21.frost tomorrow, but it will stay quite unsettled. We will see more
:25:22. > :25:26.scattered showers coming in from the Irish Sea, again most likely across
:25:27. > :25:32.Antrim, down and think to -- into part Armagh. There are no warnings
:25:33. > :25:35.in force but there may be some further destruction, especially for
:25:36. > :25:40.drivers with surface spray and maybe flooding. Further West, a drier
:25:41. > :25:44.picture with sunshine, perhaps coming across Fermanagh and Tyrone.
:25:45. > :25:49.Even here, the odd scattered showers possible. Temperatures of 67.
:25:50. > :25:53.Tomorrow, the low-pressure system affecting much of Britain and
:25:54. > :25:57.Ireland. -- averages of six to seven. Across Ireland by the middle
:25:58. > :26:03.of the afternoon, plenty of dry weather, even sunshine. The West
:26:04. > :26:07.Coast will continue to seek showers coming in, along with a gusty
:26:08. > :26:11.easterly wind. Some blustery conditions for parts of Antrim and
:26:12. > :26:15.County Down. Some good news for the evening, the tap will be turned off
:26:16. > :26:19.and it will turn much drier, it will also be quite chilly. Some rural
:26:20. > :26:24.areas could see temperatures falling to as low as -2 or even minus three.
:26:25. > :26:29.Some frost or possibly icy stretches and also some fog on Wednesday. Not
:26:30. > :26:34.a great start but at least it will be dry and we expect some sunshine.
:26:35. > :26:38.Largely dry for most of the day, but then the rain will push up again
:26:39. > :26:42.from the South. Some will be heavy and persistent, and already we have
:26:43. > :26:47.a weather warning in force for that. Further destruction is likely. That
:26:48. > :26:48.will clear eventually, Thursday and Friday, better days, colder and
:26:49. > :26:51.pressure but also brighter. You can also keep in contact with us
:26:52. > :27:01.via Facebook and Twitter.