16/02/2016 BBC Newsline

Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline: The Arlene Arkinson

inquest hears the INLA took someone hostage and questioned them

Now the First Minister suggests the system should change to one

I'm live at Belfast city hall where councillors are preparing

to vote on whether or not to give planning permission for more

A pigeon fancier gets ?60,000 in damages after hounds from a hunt

veterans receive France's highest military honour.

A dramatic night of local football at both ends of the league table.

And as wind and rain clear tonight there is a risk of sleet and snow

for some as we head towards the morning rush hour.

First the Arlene Arkinson inquest, and police documents have revealed

that a member of the INLA held someone hostage and questioned them

at length about the teenager's disappearance 22 years ago.

At the coroner's court today, lawyers for the Arkinson family

objected to the fact that a lot of information in the police files

The police have a Public Interest Immunity Certificate which allows

Tell us more about their row between the family and the police.

This row is about a lever-arch file full of police documents and how

The Coroner has read it all but the legal team acting

for Arlene Arkinson's family have a copy with lots of blacked out

information which the police have asked to be kept secret.

This afternoon the Coroner heard the arguments of the PSNI in private

as he said there was a very serious risk to the administration

of justice if the family, the public or the media saw

But before we were all asked to leave the courtroom

the Arkinsons' lawyer asked for more information behind some

Arlene Arkinson disappeared from Castle Burke in 1994. Today the

court heard about police document saying that someone was abducted by

the INLA and questioned about her murder. The police have asked for

the name of that person to be withheld. Another new revelation was

that early in the investigation police thought there might be a link

between Arlene 's disappearance and the murder of the teenager Sylvia

Fleming for years later. She was 17 and pregnant when she was murdered

and her body dismembered. Her former boyfriend was found guilty and sent

to prison. The Arkansas family want to know why police eventually

decided there was no credible link between the cases. In 1996 police

and the media arrived at the same time to dig up the garden of her

sister Cathy. The family's lawyers want to know why the person who made

the call leading to the search isn't named anywhere in the documents.

That will all remain a mystery. If the public interest immunity

significant is upheld the judge will announce tomorrow how much if any of

that file he is happy to reveal. The First Minister Arlene Foster

says the Assembly should move to an expenses system

similar to Westminster's. She was reacting to concerns

from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority about the way

some MLAs have been overturning The body which runs Stormont,

the Assembly Commission, will meet Here's our political

correspondent Gareth Gordon. How should MLAs conduct themselves

and the difficult issue of expenses? The first and Deputy First Ministers

watch the Ulster Orchestra makes in harmony two is instalment today.

They know the issue of money is back in play because of claims made by

the independent panel that sets MLAs pay. I'm sure there's not one MLA in

the place you would object to having a fresh look at how we can remove

from the public mind any suggestion whatsoever that there are people up

here feathering their nests and that isn't happening. Certainly, where

public money is concerned, to allay the concerns that the public may

have let's look at how we can do things better. We have always said

there is a need to be as open as possible. Indeed, we had suggested

when this came up the last time that we should move to a model that they

have in Westminster and they are happy to operate in that model and

so are we. At that time, we didn't receive support in relation to that

suggestion and perhaps the other parties might look at that

suggestion again. It is so is the independent parliament to standards

authority which sets MPs pay and expenses at Westminster. The body

behind the report link to the BBC as new questions over how MLAs at

Stormont punches challenge the authorities when expenses claims are

refused. They said they were told of one or two cases in which MLAs

having had a claim refused were approached a senior member of

assembly staff. Often these approaches were successful. In one

case, a Stormont staff member requested justification for high

value bill incurred on the MLA was on holiday. The unnamed politician

escalated the issue to the senior management of the assembly. They

concluded this informal ad hoc approach is not a robust mechanism

for reviewing refusals of claims. The body has now said that Stormont

review system should be strengthened so it becomes entirely formal,

documented and consistent. The idea seems to have struck a chord with

the executive's leaders, will a change of tune now follow?

Plenty to come before seven, including a tour of some

of the new student flats for Belfast as city councillors decide

on whether to give planning permission for more.

Assembly members faced the anger of teachers today over a Department

of Education scheme to replace 500 older staff

Our Education Correspondent Robbie Meredith was listening as some

experienced teachers voiced their concern

After seven years of teaching on temporary contracts, Katrina wants a

full-time teaching job but she has a fight on our hands. At half term,

she's brought her plea to Stormont. Every year around this time I start

to worry. Will I be working in September? Will I have a job next

year? Can I pay my mortgage? From September, I don't get paid. I have

do save throughout the year to create myself a wage over those

months. The problem is that she has too much experience to apply for the

new jobs. The department said they will only be open to those who have

graduated within the past three years. Today she and some of the

teachers who also affected are in the room behind me telling their

stories to members of Stormont education committee. Give us more

funding to support smaller class sizes, better education for children

and abetted future for Northern Ireland. Many of the stories they

heard were the same. I'm not entitled to sick pay. Not anything,

my principal... I would love a full-time teaching job. It's my

dream. At the end of the day, not asking anybody to give me a job but

we just want the chance to be able to go for jobs. In the next two

years there will be huge decisions for my family based on what goes

ahead will stop what kind of decisions? To actually move to

somewhere like Australia. That's how big it is. The final decision rests

with the education minister. He says he is listening. What I'm doing is

creating new jobs, new employment opportunities. One look at the

employment statistics, it shows those teachers who are over five

most recently within the last three years find it most difficult to

obtain permanent employment. All options are being explored. Katrina

went be alone in hoping John O'Dowd has room for manoeuvre.

A man has been airlifted to hospital after falling from his fishing boat

after a large wave hit it when it was just over 20 miles off

An Irish coastguard rescue helicopter was called and the man

was airlifted to Daisyhill Hospital where he is being treated

Northern Ireland is heading for some of the lowest home ownership rates

New research shows the region is embracing what has become

Here's our business correspondent Julian O'Neill.

The housing market is gradually coming back to life. It's not just

prices which have taken a tumble. I'm ownership is down and more and

more people are renting. The reasons are many and partly confidence in

the market has yet to return fully and is not enough new homes are

being built. Supply equals demand equal splice. At the minute the

demand is not feeding the supply. The alternative is to rent but it's

not a bad alternative and there are good quality properties out there.

New research by business organisations has tracked ownership

in Northern Ireland. In 2000, 70 2% people here were classed as

homeowners. Either outright with a mortgage. Two years ago, that had

fallen to 65%. By 2025, it could have decreased to 59%. That would be

one of the lowest rates of any of the UK's regions. In fact only

really Scotland and London would have a smaller proportion of home

owners. The drift towards the so-called generation rent appears to

have taken hold. The private rental sector is forecast to keep growing.

With the next generation of earners less inclined and less able to

aspire to home ownership. These new graduates and they have this huge

amount of debt and then they have to think about affording a mortgage,

putting a deposit on a house which could be eight grand or ten grand or

whatever you want to say. By 2025, one in five people here could be

renting the roof over their heads. On the London will be

proportionately higher. -- only in London.

Another 1,000 student apartments have been given planning permission

There are now around 2,500 student flats which either have planning

permission or are under construction in the city.

Our Economics and Business Editor John Campbell is at the City Hall

where the planning committee has been meeting.

Take us through the details of these latest 1,000 apartments.

There's been a flurry of planning applications for student

accommodation in recent months. The biggest reason for that is Ulster

university's expansion. They are moving the campus into the centre of

town and that has provoked developers to find places for seems

to live. The first of the applications up tonight is very

close to the campus, York street where there is an office block that

they are going to pull down and put up more than 470 flats. That area of

town actually campus will be a real harbour. Closer to the centre of

Belfast around the back of the crown bar, we have a plan for 400 flats,

they will be solely for Queens university students. Work has begun

there and tearing down a building. The third development has been quite

controversial. The smallest, hundred and 50 bedrooms on the Dublin road.

Some people in that area are unhappy about this plan will stop they say

it will overshadow their homes, noise anti-social behaviour, there

has been a lengthy discussion about that scheme at the council tonight

with some raising the issue of car parking, noise, how would you like

150 students living on your doorstep? After this discussion, the

decision was taken to defer the application so the councillors will

come back and look at it again next month. You've taken a tour around a

student accommodation scheme which has almost completed, where is it?

It's not just schemes in planning, some have been built. There is a

small scheme in the centre of Belfast which has been running for a

few months. Today I was looking at a much bigger scheme, the old Belfast

Tech and when it's completed it will be home to more than 400 students.

Construction crews have been working on this historic building for more

than a year. The wraps will soon be coming. Inside the old tech, the

result of a ?16 million conversion are already clear. The first

residents are due to moving in September. Like all the big student

schemes, it's described as managed accommodation but what is that

actually mean? When we take on students, they have designed a

tenancy agreements, they are detailed about standards of

behaviour, and we are talking to this tune is about their

responsibility and being a good neighbour and about how they treat

each other so not only within the building but also outside the

building. These rooms are certainly a step up from traditional digs.

They start at ?120 a month right up to one had an ?80 a month for the

bigger sweets. The developments are confident they can fill it and is

other pop projects follow the centre of Belfast will be reshaped.

I should say having listened to my piece is talking about the flats

costing 120 a month, that'll be very cheap. It's actually 120 a week.

Let's get that clear. There are lots more applications in the system.

Queens has one scheme and College Avenue opposite that one which I was

looking at which will provide accommodation for up to 900

students. A couple more around York street, plans for the old athletic

building in the centre of Belfast to be accommodation. By my reckoning

that are half a dozen more schemes in the system but not all of them

will get planning permission and even some of those that do get

permission won't be built. How many schemes can the city actually take?

There is a document the council have produced which the ladies out there

policy around student of housing but they don't give a magic number. No

number there which says this is the optimum amount. Really, what were

looking at is somewhere between five and 6000 is the most that the market

can bear. It's going to be down to a choice for developers. They were to

look around and think how many students are they going to be here,

how much do they want to pay, will it be viable for me to build this

building? Make no mistake, there will be an awful lot of student

flats built in the centre Belfast and that is going to change the

complexion of the city quite radically. We heard earlier about

falling home ownership. What impact could that have one student

accommodation? I don't think there's any direct link but what we are

saying is that being a student is much more expensive than it was a

generation ago. Aside from those housing costs, we know we have

tuition fees, whenever students are leaving university they already have

a big bunch of debt, they had to pay back some of those debts and that

makes it harder to save for a deposit so it is not the only factor

at the cost of getting an education is one of the factors which means

that fewer young people can afford to buy their own home.

Still to come on BBC Newsline this evening: France's highest military

honour is given to local veterans who took part in the D-Day landings.

Thieves have tried to steal an ATM at Portadown railway station.

Around 3:50 this morning, police received a report of a window

It was then discovered that there were straps around

the cash machine and a vehicle had been used to try and drag it away.

More than 20 D-Day veterans from Northern Ireland were honoured

At a special ceremony at Thiepval army barracks in Lisburn,

the former servicemen came together to be awarded France's

highest distinction, the Legion d'Honneur.

Our reporter Mervyn Jess has this report and we must warn

They may not be just as able as they once were but there is no denying

the strength of bond that still unites these D-Day veterans. More

than 20 former servicemen from Northern Ireland gathered at the

barracks in Lisburn this morning. They receive the highest distinction

France can the stove. -- the stove. The honorary Consul from France

pinned the award and regimental blazers already straining with World

War II medals. The decision to give the highest distinction the country

can offer to all those involved in D-Day and the liberation of France

was announced in 2014 and the 70th anniversary of the landings. It took

along time. Eventually we got it. Sky-high. They got a list of medals

below that! Up there. Highways wondered, it must been terrible to

arrive that they and never thought I would have spoken and met some of

the soldiers who came there. It's incredible. Former commando George

landed in France before the main assault began. I landed before the

assault group and guided them in. There was 100 odd of ours and only

four of us came back. There were only for the came back. Their

numbers may be dwindling but today the people of France officially

recognised what they did more than 70 years ago.

Now sport, and one of Ulster rugby's young stars has signed a new deal.

At just 23 years old, Stuart Olding is one

of the brightest prospects in Irish rugby.

Ulster today announced a contract extension that will keep him

at Kingspan Stadium until the summer of 2019.

Olding, who can operate in several positions across the backline,

has already overcome two serious knee injuries in his career.

He announced his return after a year out by clinching a bonus point

with a late try in the win over Treviso last month.

And he also started in the recent triumphs over Dragons and Glasgow.

Glenavon had the opportunity to close the gap on the three teams

above them in local football's Irish Premiership.

But their eight-match unbeaten run came to an end at the hands

of Glentoran, as they were beaten 3-1 at home.

Curtis Allen opened the scoring for the visitors with a neat finish. The

equaliser for the home side came in the second half when Kevin Bell

hooked the ball in from close range from a jolt to the corner. Alan was

on target midway through the second half when he cut inside and has shot

on the bottom corner. Glentoran sealed the 3-pointer with a third

goal as Jonathan Smith beat the offside trap and the goalkeeper to

make it 31. There was still time for Glentoran to have a penalty when

Andy fouled Smith. Allen missed the opportunity of a hat-trick as

Eclipse the crossbar. I want to score goals, doesn't matter how

many. I want to scorch every chance I have disappointed. Be thinking

about it tonight and tomorrow but that's football and over the moon we

have three points. We're disappointed. Was an opportunity to

gain three points and come within three points of Linfield and we

haven't done it. Warren points good run came to an end against Dungannon

swifts. They claimed three vital points. Colin Allard also moved four

points clear of Warrenpoint at the bottom with a one nil home win over

Portadown. James McKenna with a second-half strike as he slotted in

the rebound. Belfast has won the right

to host the World 24-Hour It will be held in Victoria Park

in the east of the city The event is a test of endurance

with the winner being the athlete who runs the furthest distance

within a 24-hour time-span. One of the key things was to get a

venue for it. The development here at Victoria Park helped enormously

because we had a mile long circuit that we could use so once we had the

venue then the last six years we had a track, sorry to have to move from

there because we enjoyed being there so we been building up the

organisation and the support for it and we decided to go for it last

November and were lucky enough to get it. I think there's something

that's captures the imagination about the 24 hour event. They gives

an opportunity to push yourself, see how far you can go. What you're made

of, really. The other thing that draws me to earn it 24-hour event is

the people who support it, the camaraderie with the competitors and

you get the opportunity to spend 24 hours with the best of human nature.

There is something very exciting about that.

The Belfast Giants are back in Elite League action at home

tonight against the Dundee Stars and are looking to end a four-game

losing streak that has severely dented their championship chances.

But they still have two other trophies to chase.

For Dundee, it's a game where both teams have had trouble winning and

over the next ten games we have, when we hit the challenge cup and

play-offs, we are filing on all cylinders on the lead gets back in

the picture and we will go for it but at the moment are looking for

play-offs and a challenge cup to find a game and make sure we are one

of the percent nailed down and everything. Finally, Joe Swale is

out after losing four frames the three in the second round to doing

jungle we in the snooker. The forecast is next

with Angie Phillips. What a horrible day! After a

promising start. It was downhill once again today. That is because we

had a weather front moving in the Atlantic, not only has it brought

persistence spells of rain, we've had quite a gusty wind through the

day. Those isobars are opening out a little bit. Nevertheless, still

breezy for this evening. Still pretty wet. Assistant and heavy

burst of rain are around. Unpleasant. That is this end of the

night and on the other end we have another problem because as that's

rain clears we have colder air tucking in behind. It could be as

temperatures dipped to freezing, the back edge of the rain and showers

could be sleet and snow. Especially but not exclusively over high ground

in Antrim. That's no warning will linger into rush-hour. Could be

slushy but Italy and higher roads and some icy patches. Bear that in

mind. It's a great start. We have wintry showers around tomorrow

morning and still I see through the rush hour. Things will improve, it

will cheer up through the day. Sunshine will return and we will see

dry weather. Could take until late morning before the clouds clear away

from eastern areas but it will brighten up here and we'll see

plenty of sunshine. By the winds tomorrow and with the sunshine lower

temperatures of five or 6 degrees shouldn't feel too bad. We may get

wintry showers in the North and West later in the day. They could come

inland as we head to tomorrow night and as a temperatures fall away to

freezing or below we are looking at widespread frost and some icy

patches. On Thursday, they could be if you wintry showers around in the

hills in the north and west but still dry and bright weather, still

on the chilly side but towards the weekend the temperatures are coming

up again but it is also turning more and settle.

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