12/01/2017 BBC Newsline


12/01/2017

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The headlines this Thursday evening...

:00:14.:00:16.

A U-turn by the DUP restores money to an Irish language scheme -

:00:17.:00:20.

but campaigners say it doesn't go far enough.

:00:21.:00:28.

We are still at the whim of ministers who at different times

:00:29.:00:33.

have suppressed their hostility to the Irish language.

:00:34.:00:34.

The British and Irish governments meet local

:00:35.:00:36.

politicians for talks - but there's no sign

:00:37.:00:38.

Arguments go on about whether the Stormont crisis

:00:39.:00:42.

means tenants will be hit by the bedroom tax.

:00:43.:00:46.

When they are doing their squabbling and fighting, they are not thinking

:00:47.:00:52.

of the likes of us as people. a County Antrim man who sold

:00:53.:00:54.

it is sent to jail. Further disruption can be expected

:00:55.:01:00.

with warnings for snow and ice. I'll have the latest

:01:01.:01:03.

later in the programme. Funding to an Irish language scheme

:01:04.:01:10.

has been reinstated - The ?50,000 cut to the Liofa

:01:11.:01:14.

scheme caused anger - and supporters protested

:01:15.:01:22.

at the office of the Communities On social media Mr Givan said

:01:23.:01:24.

the original decision wasn't political and that the money had

:01:25.:01:29.

now been found. As our Education Correspondent,

:01:30.:01:32.

Robbie Meredith, reports this morning's protest went ahead

:01:33.:01:34.

despite the Minister's announcement. A protest which turned into a bit of

:01:35.:01:53.

a party. That is the thing about the Irish community. We come out and we

:01:54.:01:57.

are angry but we can make it positive. Due to an unexpected

:01:58.:02:01.

U-turn by the communities minister. In eight week he said he had found

:02:02.:02:05.

money for the Liofa scheme. Money he had originally stopped on the

:02:06.:02:09.

sporting day before Christmas. Although the crowd behind me are

:02:10.:02:13.

celebrating the return of the Liofa funding, this is the latest occasion

:02:14.:02:17.

when rows of the Irish language and the prominence it has on society

:02:18.:02:23.

have made the headlines. Querrey my UK. ... Some time ago but Gregory

:02:24.:02:32.

Campbell ease the language in the Assembly. Michelle McIlveen ordered

:02:33.:02:39.

that the Irish nameplate be removed and replaced with the name in

:02:40.:02:45.

English. Although it was still defying her decision today. An Irish

:02:46.:02:49.

language activist wanted much more than the Liofa scheme. They want

:02:50.:02:54.

Irish blood on a par with English as a language. We have sought and

:02:55.:03:00.

received support from a broad range of political parties and we welcome

:03:01.:03:03.

that. We would ask all who have stood with us loss far to continue

:03:04.:03:07.

to stand of us and not enter any agreement with the Executive with

:03:08.:03:12.

the current crisis without an Irish act and write anguish ayes Irish

:03:13.:03:19.

speakers being a red line issue. The Irish language act would guarantee a

:03:20.:03:22.

number of things including the option for Irish to be used in

:03:23.:03:27.

court. In debates in the Assembly and to be used by Allstate bodies

:03:28.:03:30.

including the police. There would also be an Irish line which

:03:31.:03:34.

Commissioner to ensure the language have been facilitated. To make it

:03:35.:03:38.

law would need Executive agreement and some activists say Sinn Fein

:03:39.:03:40.

should and called back into government without that. Calling on

:03:41.:03:45.

them to say there will be no return to government without a specific

:03:46.:03:48.

commitment and a timescale with the enactment of a rights -based strong

:03:49.:03:52.

and comprehensive Irish language act. So was today's U-turn itself

:03:53.:03:58.

part of a deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein? The answer is

:03:59.:04:04.

unambiguous. It isn't and it won't be either. The decision around

:04:05.:04:07.

removing Liofa was disgraceful and I'm glad it is reversed. What we

:04:08.:04:12.

need coming out of an election, that is the only way it is sorted, is an

:04:13.:04:18.

election and an Irish language act and a strategy. People are looking

:04:19.:04:22.

for a good governance and part of that today is the Irish language but

:04:23.:04:25.

they want those issues are sorted once and for all. And tonight no

:04:26.:04:31.

soft words from Paul Givan. The Irish language has been doing very

:04:32.:04:35.

well through Stormont and the Ulster Scots have been playing catch-up for

:04:36.:04:38.

a long time in respect of that but Sinn Fein wanted to use that

:04:39.:04:41.

decision in order to try and extract the selection process damages they

:04:42.:04:45.

would see it upon the DUP and I wasn't prepared to allow them to do

:04:46.:04:50.

that. So even the dogs in the street don't know if today heralds any

:04:51.:04:51.

future agreement. So, can the Liofa decision

:04:52.:04:54.

help prevent a political After a day of meetings,

:04:55.:04:57.

everyone is agreed an election Here's our Political

:04:58.:05:02.

Correspondent Gareth Gordon. With the DUP seemingly in reverse,

:05:03.:05:07.

Sinn Fein signalled it was full steam ahead

:05:08.:05:11.

- destination election. Martin McGuinness led a delegation

:05:12.:05:22.

this morning and we met with both the British and Irish governments.

:05:23.:05:25.

We were reminded them of their responsibilities as co-guarantors of

:05:26.:05:28.

the Good Friday Agreement in relation to delivery of equality. We

:05:29.:05:34.

reminded them that the DUP cannot be allowed to continue to block

:05:35.:05:37.

equality and deliver for all of our citizens. Martin made his position

:05:38.:05:41.

very clear when he placed his resignation in the Assembly on

:05:42.:05:44.

Monday. We now need to move down election.

:05:45.:05:44.

They only allowed two questions and they were off.

:05:45.:05:46.

The man whose job it is to try and save the day appeared

:05:47.:05:51.

The reality remains, the high probability remains that we are

:05:52.:06:04.

heading towards an election. The Irish government meant the parties

:06:05.:06:10.

then also said it. I said on Monday in the aftermath of the publication

:06:11.:06:13.

of the letter, by the den Deputy First Minister, but I felt an

:06:14.:06:20.

election was likely and I say now as we move towards the end of the week

:06:21.:06:21.

scenario is even more likely. The DUP's critic-in-chief claimed

:06:22.:06:24.

Paul Givan's change of heart over They certainly found it at the

:06:25.:06:37.

demand of Sinn Fein. Such is the desperation of the DUP to avoid an

:06:38.:06:42.

election. When it comes to politics here you never quite rule anything

:06:43.:06:46.

in or out. Right now and election is as close to a certainty as you are

:06:47.:06:48.

going to get. Stormont's committees continued

:06:49.:06:49.

to meet, but probably I advise matters -- members that the

:06:50.:06:58.

next meeting of the committee scheduled to take place on Thursday

:06:59.:07:02.

the 19th of January 2025, only joking! The laughter a touch

:07:03.:07:08.

nervous, with good reason. Our Political Editor Mark Devenport

:07:09.:07:11.

joins us from Stormont. So, Mark, lots of talks today,

:07:12.:07:13.

but not much optimism? Absolutely. Last night there was a

:07:14.:07:24.

good bit of optimism raised by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny when he

:07:25.:07:28.

suggested the two main players the DUP and Sinn Fein might have a

:07:29.:07:32.

direct meeting. Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein chief negotiator and

:07:33.:07:36.

Deputy First Minister until his recent reclamation, was here at

:07:37.:07:38.

Stormont today but we understand there are no direct talks between

:07:39.:07:45.

him and the DUP. Instead we had this pretty downbeat assessment from both

:07:46.:07:48.

the British and Irish governments and that bit of gallows humour that

:07:49.:07:51.

we saw there in the Stormont committee room I think more or less

:07:52.:07:55.

summed it up and that people think we are inevitably sliding towards an

:07:56.:08:00.

election. So those moves by the DUP on the Irish language and on the

:08:01.:08:05.

bedroom tax, will that be enough to prevent a breakdown? No, I think the

:08:06.:08:08.

communities minister Paul Givan has been a very busy politician today.

:08:09.:08:12.

He made that announcement on the Irish language and on the bedroom

:08:13.:08:16.

tax which we will hear more about in a few minutes time from John

:08:17.:08:20.

Campbell but no sense of that was meant as a Norwich brands that are

:08:21.:08:23.

olive branch, but Sinn Fein think that is enough. They are still

:08:24.:08:26.

talking about the need to go to the public on this. What happens next?

:08:27.:08:32.

Parties will be selecting their candidates and it'll be interesting

:08:33.:08:36.

to see for instance the Martin McGuinness confirms whether he will

:08:37.:08:39.

or not but his name forward when Sinn Fein selects its candidates of

:08:40.:08:44.

the weekend. Then on Monday we could have a busy day here with Sinn Fein

:08:45.:08:49.

not nominating for the Deputy First Minister but potentially more action

:08:50.:08:52.

on things like the bedroom tax. We will leave it there, thank you.

:08:53.:08:54.

The BBC understands that a radical plan to tackle hospital waiting

:08:55.:08:57.

lists has had to be shelved due to the political uncertainty.

:08:58.:08:59.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has hit out,

:09:00.:09:02.

saying that politicians must get back up the hill to work things out.

:09:03.:09:05.

Meanwhile others fear delays will continue around

:09:06.:09:07.

important decisions such as fatal foetal abnormality.

:09:08.:09:11.

Our Health Correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly reports.

:09:12.:09:15.

It's a story that shows little sign of abating.

:09:16.:09:19.

Hospital waiting lists have dominated news headlines

:09:20.:09:21.

and by all accounts will continue to do so.

:09:22.:09:30.

Last November the Health Minister Michelle O'Neill said she planned to

:09:31.:09:35.

make a major announcement in January about a detailed strategy to tackle

:09:36.:09:39.

waiting lists. I understand that announcement was to include

:09:40.:09:42.

substantial funding which would allow health trusts to help those

:09:43.:09:46.

currently on waiting lists, but would also allow them to reform the

:09:47.:09:52.

system. But with no budget for Executive now in place, those plans

:09:53.:09:54.

to help the sick and most vulnerable have now been shelved.

:09:55.:09:56.

In a statement to the BBC, the Health Minister said the current

:09:57.:09:59.

situation is that there's no longer an Executive in place to agree

:10:00.:10:02.

Michelle O'Neill said she fully recognised the concern

:10:03.:10:06.

and frustration that long waits present for patients

:10:07.:10:08.

and is committed to addressing excessive waiting times.

:10:09.:10:13.

But for those working on the front line the feeling about what's

:10:14.:10:16.

happening at Stormont is one of disappointment

:10:17.:10:17.

Against a backdrop of too few beds and overstretched staff,

:10:18.:10:23.

There was high expectation among colleagues given the publication of

:10:24.:10:37.

the report, given the minister's vision of delivering together and is

:10:38.:10:41.

occurring against it background of presumed political distorted that

:10:42.:10:45.

they couldn't deliver meaningful change to the health service. Sadly

:10:46.:10:50.

recent events make it a doubt but the Royal College will be seeing and

:10:51.:10:54.

expecting them to get back up the hill and working to deliver for the

:10:55.:10:55.

people. While Stormont's institutions

:10:56.:10:56.

could unravel, health officials continue with their roadshows on how

:10:57.:10:58.

services could potentially change under the Minister's

:10:59.:11:00.

ten-year vision. But some members of

:11:01.:11:01.

the public aren't happy. We do need certainty. This is one of

:11:02.:11:13.

the biggest things that is putting health at risk, because we don't

:11:14.:11:17.

know what direction it is going in. We have to as a community act

:11:18.:11:21.

positively, work cooperatively and try to drive the agenda from within

:11:22.:11:23.

the community up to the politicians. Those recently appointed to help

:11:24.:11:25.

steer potential changes to how services are delivered say the mood

:11:26.:11:27.

music isn't good. It is a 10-year process. It is

:11:28.:11:37.

promising huge scale and radical change. It needs unity and support

:11:38.:11:41.

from across the Executive. If that can't be achieved don't think there

:11:42.:11:46.

will be a transformation project. Those involved in healthier further

:11:47.:11:50.

delay around critical decisions. The first thing to say is we have been

:11:51.:11:54.

expecting to hear soon the outcome of the FF a working report so we are

:11:55.:11:57.

not likely to hear that because of the likelihood of the upcoming

:11:58.:11:58.

elections. While 12 months ago there were calls

:11:59.:12:00.

to take politics out of health, it's ironic that it's the very lack

:12:01.:12:03.

of politics that could now Sinn Fein and DUP ministers remain

:12:04.:12:06.

at odds on whether new legislation is required to lessen the impact

:12:07.:12:12.

of the so-called bedroom tax. A tenant who could be affected says

:12:13.:12:15.

the political squabble doesn't help those who are worried

:12:16.:12:19.

about the extra cost. We'll hear more about the political

:12:20.:12:22.

wrangling in a moment, but first Michael Fitzpatrick has

:12:23.:12:24.

been speaking to someone Jennifer Hughes and her family have

:12:25.:12:26.

lived at their three-bedroom terrace in South Belfast

:12:27.:12:33.

for the past 15 years. Stormont was due to introduce a

:12:34.:12:45.

scheme to offset the cost of the so-called bedroom tax because one of

:12:46.:12:48.

her bedrooms is classed as a spare room. If it isn't implemented she

:12:49.:12:54.

faces losing around ?80 a month because -- from her housing benefit.

:12:55.:12:55.

She is critical of politicians. When they're doing their squabbling

:12:56.:12:58.

and fighting, they're not thinking about the likes of us as people

:12:59.:13:00.

having to pay that. We don't. We have a limited budget

:13:01.:13:15.

and they are not saying, we will of your brew because the bedroom tax is

:13:16.:13:19.

taken out of it. We live on it a sick outcome and now they are trying

:13:20.:13:23.

to take more money -- Basic income. They are trying to take more money

:13:24.:13:25.

out of that. How do they expect us to live

:13:26.:13:27.

if we have to pay bedroom tax More than 30,000 households

:13:28.:13:30.

could unexpectedly have to pay the so-called bedroom tax

:13:31.:13:34.

from next month. I know a lot of people who this

:13:35.:13:42.

would affect because you have to pay per room. I know people who are

:13:43.:13:48.

living in a three bedroom. There is a house that was allocated to them,

:13:49.:13:52.

so why should they have to pay for that? -- it is a house. It is not

:13:53.:14:02.

our fault. With differing advice as to whether the special measures to

:14:03.:14:04.

offset the tax will be introduced the uncertainty continues for

:14:05.:14:05.

thousands. I'm joined by our Business

:14:06.:14:08.

and Economics Editor, John Campbell. John, what's the

:14:09.:14:10.

background to the row? The bedroom tax is a Westminster

:14:11.:14:20.

policy. Stormont politicians do not like it's of the Executive decided

:14:21.:14:23.

they would set up a mitigation fund to make sure nobody would lose out.

:14:24.:14:29.

The issue has been how do we bring the mitigation fund into effect? All

:14:30.:14:32.

week the communities minister Paul Givan has been adamant it means a

:14:33.:14:36.

piece of legislation and it has to do the summary. This difficulty has

:14:37.:14:40.

been that normally that sort of legislation must first be signed off

:14:41.:14:44.

by the Executive before it goes to the MLAs. There is no Executive at

:14:45.:14:48.

the moment so he has been saying we are in a difficult position and the

:14:49.:14:51.

bedroom tax mitigation might not be able to be brought into effect.

:14:52.:14:55.

Mairtin O Muilleoir the Finance Minister says that is nonsense and

:14:56.:14:58.

that there is already legislation in place that means the mitigation fund

:14:59.:15:02.

can be up and running. We had an exchange of memos today between the

:15:03.:15:05.

two ministers both of them laying into positions and that they support

:15:06.:15:10.

their most senior advisers and that they were right. We heard from

:15:11.:15:14.

Jennifer Hughes, like many is she is worried. How worried should people

:15:15.:15:18.

be? Tonight people can be a lot less worried. Paul Givan has said forget

:15:19.:15:24.

that stuff about me having to take the policy to the Executive. I will

:15:25.:15:27.

bring this directly to the Assembly and directly in front of the MLAs

:15:28.:15:31.

and he intends to do that as early as Monday. He says it will be up to

:15:32.:15:36.

the MLAs to vote on his regulations. It seems tonight that a solution has

:15:37.:15:40.

been found and it'll be down to the MLAs sometime next week and maybe as

:15:41.:15:43.

early as Monday to bring this scheme into effect. Thank you.

:15:44.:15:47.

Later in the programme we'll hear what the Labour leader,

:15:48.:15:49.

Jeremy Corbyn, has to say about the current

:15:50.:15:51.

How a fraudster who sold fake fire safety glass to schools

:15:52.:15:56.

The Police Ombudsman is to investigate why the PSNI

:15:57.:16:04.

failed to monitor the movements of a man charged in connection

:16:05.:16:07.

with the murder of prison officer David Black in 2012.

:16:08.:16:12.

County Tyrone man Damien McLaughlin is due to stand trial next month,

:16:13.:16:15.

but has not been seen by police since November, despite a bail

:16:16.:16:19.

condition that he should report to them five days out of seven.

:16:20.:16:23.

The police have apologised to Mr Black's family.

:16:24.:16:30.

Police are going to reflect on this. We are going to look at our systems.

:16:31.:16:36.

We have already commenced a review. We will look at or processes. We

:16:37.:16:41.

will look at how the processes are implanted and if they can be

:16:42.:16:44.

fermented better. That is a view doing as the police and I would urge

:16:45.:16:48.

that sections of the criminal justice system take opportunity to

:16:49.:16:52.

reflect. A woman and her eight-year-old daughter have been

:16:53.:16:57.

tied up during a burglary at a house near Omagh. Two masked men with a

:16:58.:17:02.

hammer entered the house just before 7pm that site. The woman was struck

:17:03.:17:06.

in the face and the men made off with Julie. -- with jury.

:17:07.:17:11.

A 58-year-old man has been jailed for a year for selling

:17:12.:17:14.

fake fire safety glass to the construction industry.

:17:15.:17:16.

It was installed at schools, shops and hospitals here

:17:17.:17:18.

Seamus James Laverty, of Deer Park Road in Toomebridge,

:17:19.:17:22.

pleaded guilty to 16 counts of fraud by false representation.

:17:23.:17:24.

Our North East Reporter Sara Girvin was at Antrim Crown Court.

:17:25.:17:29.

This is what happens when fake safety glass meets fire.

:17:30.:17:39.

The actions of Seamus Laverty saw it fitted in 68 buildings

:17:40.:17:42.

Those included the maternity ward of the Ulster Hospital,

:17:43.:17:50.

schools such as Strathearn in East Belfast, as well as

:17:51.:17:52.

churches, care homes, universities and shops.

:17:53.:17:54.

The PSNI say the lives of many vulnerable people were put at risk.

:17:55.:18:01.

He has put the risks of children and elderly patients in hospital and not

:18:02.:18:10.

forgetting or colleagues in the Fire and Rescue Service. Let's be clear

:18:11.:18:17.

about this. If a fire had started at any of these locations, we would be

:18:18.:18:19.

looking at fatalities or serious injury.

:18:20.:18:22.

It was uncovered when a whistle-blower,

:18:23.:18:25.

who was a competitor of Laverty, became suspicious of his

:18:26.:18:27.

He acquired a safety glass sample from Randalstown-based Glassworks

:18:28.:18:31.

Ireland and discovered it was, in fact, much cheaper

:18:32.:18:34.

He alerted police and an investigation began -

:18:35.:18:39.

the first of its kind in Great Britain and Ireland.

:18:40.:18:48.

The judge said Laverty had experienced extreme financial

:18:49.:18:53.

difficulties as well as mental health problems. He said because of

:18:54.:18:56.

this he was prepared to temper justice with mercy. He handed him a

:18:57.:19:01.

two-year sentence. One year to be served in jail and the other on

:19:02.:19:10.

licence. The police have moved to reassure parents at a County Down

:19:11.:19:14.

primary school after a former cleaner was convicted of

:19:15.:19:15.

superimposing pictures of children onto those of others being sexually

:19:16.:19:17.

abused. Gary Carruthers was sentenced

:19:18.:19:18.

to three years in prison. The case has raised important issues

:19:19.:19:20.

about child protection, not least for parents of children

:19:21.:19:22.

at the school. When 35-year-old Gary Carruthers

:19:23.:19:25.

from Belfast was arrested, he had 30,000 indecent

:19:26.:19:33.

images of children. In a safe at his home,

:19:34.:19:36.

detectives also found computer discs and storage devices,

:19:37.:19:38.

manuals on how to abuse children, But this case and the circumstances

:19:39.:19:42.

surrounding it raise important Some parents feel they simply

:19:43.:19:49.

weren't given enough information about the arrest and trial

:19:50.:19:55.

of a part-time cleaner at their child's school for such

:19:56.:19:58.

serious crimes against children. I've spoken to a parent

:19:59.:20:02.

of a child at the school, concerned that his requests

:20:03.:20:04.

for information over the past few At the time of Carruthers' arrest,

:20:05.:20:07.

parents were sent a note explaining that there was a child safeguarding

:20:08.:20:14.

issue at the school. But parents want to know this -

:20:15.:20:20.

"Was my child involved? "And were the images Carruthers

:20:21.:20:22.

created were ever shared As the father I spoke to put it

:20:23.:20:26.

to me, "Is my wee girl's face on computer screens

:20:27.:20:32.

in other countries?" Now, the PSNI say parents who've

:20:33.:20:34.

heard nothing from them He is one of those images to

:20:35.:20:50.

manufacture these images of abuse. He manufactured an image of the

:20:51.:20:54.

child at the school. He also had a number of other images of children

:20:55.:20:58.

at the school. Any child in that group, we have identified and spoken

:20:59.:21:01.

to the child and their parents and none of them have disclose contact

:21:02.:21:07.

if any. It should be a reassurance that parents who has prevented that

:21:08.:21:11.

they are not in the category. There is also no suggestion that he was

:21:12.:21:16.

involved in distribution of these images.

:21:17.:21:18.

For the authorities, much of this case was new -

:21:19.:21:21.

this was the first conviction here under new legislation

:21:22.:21:23.

on possessing guides on abusing and grooming children.

:21:24.:21:25.

It's also presented new and disturbing

:21:26.:21:26.

Some news Justin and a child have been knocked down by a vehicle in

:21:27.:21:38.

County Down. The road has been closed and the child has been taken

:21:39.:21:41.

to hospital. There are no further details.

:21:42.:21:42.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has said he does not want to see

:21:43.:21:46.

the return of direct rule to Northern Ireland.

:21:47.:21:47.

In an interview with our correspondent Stephen Walker,

:21:48.:21:53.

He asked him if he thought the first Mr Arlene Foster should have stepped

:21:54.:22:01.

aside while an investigation into the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme

:22:02.:22:05.

took place. It would have avoided the crisis but she didn't. It is not

:22:06.:22:10.

up to us to decide what happens with internal political parties in

:22:11.:22:12.

Northern Ireland. We are now faced with a situation that unless Sinn

:22:13.:22:17.

Fein appoint a replacement, which they have categorically said they

:22:18.:22:20.

will not, elections have to take place. Was Martin McGuinness right

:22:21.:22:26.

to resign? He obviously felt he had no alternative otherwise he wouldn't

:22:27.:22:29.

have done so but he did hang on for quite a long time despite his

:22:30.:22:34.

obviously very large differences with Arlene Foster over her

:22:35.:22:38.

behaviour. I say this, there has to be a process of talks but I guess it

:22:39.:22:42.

is probably going to be followed by elections. We actually need an

:22:43.:22:45.

effective government in Northern Ireland very quickly, to deal with

:22:46.:22:51.

the question of EU negotiations, to do with the Republic. There has to

:22:52.:22:58.

be an effective government, a new election with a smaller store month

:22:59.:23:01.

which will be there for less diverse in its political representation is

:23:02.:23:06.

not necessarily the best thing. If there is no Executive, does that

:23:07.:23:10.

mean the views of the people in Northern Ireland would be heard?

:23:11.:23:13.

They will have to be heard by the individual parties, but it is

:23:14.:23:17.

obviously much less effective. The whole point of setting up the

:23:18.:23:20.

Northern Ireland Assembly was to give a voice to the people of

:23:21.:23:24.

Northern Ireland. We looking at direct rule? I hope not, I don't

:23:25.:23:28.

want to see a return to direct rule. I don't forget that as a good option

:23:29.:23:33.

at all. We need representative government in Northern Ireland.

:23:34.:23:35.

Unionists think we could have direct rule for some time. I don't know

:23:36.:23:40.

quite that it say that unless they actually want it which I hope is

:23:41.:23:43.

that what they want full stop I want to see elected government in

:23:44.:23:46.

Northern Ireland. Would you consider joint authority in the meantime? It

:23:47.:23:51.

would operate only in an interim period that I am not sure that is

:23:52.:23:55.

necessary. Surely we get through the election period as quickly as we can

:23:56.:23:58.

if we go through the election period to ensure there is administrative

:23:59.:24:02.

dormant in Northern Ireland but it is not a good situation, I'm not

:24:03.:24:06.

presenting it as anything but difficult.

:24:07.:24:08.

Rory McIlroy made a good start to his season in South Africa.

:24:09.:24:11.

He is one shot off the lead after an opening round 67.

:24:12.:24:14.

The world number two carded seven birdies in a five-under-par round.

:24:15.:24:16.

This outstanding iron shot set up one of them

:24:17.:24:18.

Darren Clarke is a further three shots back following a 70

:24:19.:24:22.

Let's get the weather with Barra Best. The snow has caused some

:24:23.:24:37.

disruption but others are making the most of it. We have a lot of such a

:24:38.:24:42.

disruption in the north and west. Some treacherous driving conditions

:24:43.:24:44.

but some had been enjoying the snow. This is not the Alps but these

:24:45.:24:52.

parents. We had Lawrence McBride out there taking advantage of the wintry

:24:53.:24:56.

scenario to get this geezer. -- the Sperrins. There will be more of that

:24:57.:25:02.

to come this evening. Some others will get to enjoy some of the snow.

:25:03.:25:07.

This was County Fermanagh today. We had a snowball fight with the family

:25:08.:25:11.

and also the celebs out an County Antrim. But as we go through the

:25:12.:25:18.

night with ice warnings in first with the snow, there could be some

:25:19.:25:21.

treacherous driving conditions through the night and tomorrow

:25:22.:25:24.

morning. That could cause some problems for rush-hour. Bear that in

:25:25.:25:29.

mind first thing. We hold the chilly winds continuing to bring a flow of

:25:30.:25:34.

scattered showers. As temperatures across the board fault to freezing

:25:35.:25:38.

and below. Some treacherous driving conditions first thing tomorrow. If

:25:39.:25:42.

rusty start for assault. Some of us have to clear the snow of the cars.

:25:43.:25:46.

It stays bitterly cold tomorrow with the Arctic winds. They will be hit

:25:47.:25:53.

and miss showers and not for everyone but some of us could see

:25:54.:25:56.

one or two centimetres in some low-level areas. Two or three

:25:57.:26:02.

Celsius beehives. Plenty of sunshine as well during the day. Showers

:26:03.:26:11.

likely for parts of Ulster and, as well. Feeling bitter and raw from

:26:12.:26:18.

any of us. Especially towards the north coast. You will probably want

:26:19.:26:24.

the scarf, hat and gloves. Tomorrow evening we hold on to a few of the

:26:25.:26:27.

showers continuing to come in with the Arctic winds. As temperatures

:26:28.:26:33.

fall to freezing and below tomorrow night into Saturday we are likely to

:26:34.:26:37.

seek further scattering of showers and some icy conditions forming as

:26:38.:26:41.

well giving us some headaches on a Saturday morning. During the day on

:26:42.:26:46.

Saturday it is an increase in temperatures. Seven or eight for

:26:47.:26:51.

many of us. It will turn to rain although it will feel quite chilly.

:26:52.:26:54.

Westerly winds right through the day. By Sunday a big difference.

:26:55.:27:04.

Back up to ten or 11 Celsius. Wrap up warm tomorrow. Through the

:27:05.:27:07.

weekend the warnings go away and it is back to rain. Thank you. The

:27:08.:27:14.

treacherous driving conditions there. We got these pictures from

:27:15.:27:20.

the clinching pass, often one of the most difficult routes for motorist.

:27:21.:27:26.

The main story this evening, campaigners have welcomed a DUP

:27:27.:27:29.

U-turn on funding for an Irish language scheme but say it doesn't

:27:30.:27:34.

go far enough. Join me for the late news at 10:30pm. Keep in touch with

:27:35.:27:38.

us on Facebook and Twitter. From everyone on the BBC Newsline team,

:27:39.:27:40.

goodbye.

:27:41.:27:43.

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