Browse content similar to 12/01/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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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. |