:00:13. > :00:33.RHI inspectors suspend payments to over half of the boiler owners they
:00:34. > :00:34.have audited. An election now looks inevitable with no sign of a
:00:35. > :00:36.political breakthrough. Are we about to see an end
:00:37. > :00:44.to free school transport? And shocking and scandalous and I
:00:45. > :00:45.cannot believe the education system is bearing the brunt.
:00:46. > :00:48.a gun attack on a couple in their West Belfast home
:00:49. > :00:57.I've been to Kilkeel to find out what Brexit will mean for the future
:00:58. > :01:03.An injury scare for Rory McIlroy but he remains in contention
:01:04. > :01:07.And black ice could cause problems overnight.
:01:08. > :01:18.I'll have your weekend forecast shortly.
:01:19. > :01:21.First tonight, it's been a roller-coaster of week beginning
:01:22. > :01:22.with the resignation of the Deputy First Minister
:01:23. > :01:27.which has brought the political institutions here to the brink.
:01:28. > :01:32.Today, inspectors responsible for regulating the RHI scheme say
:01:33. > :01:34.they've suspended payments at more than half the boilers
:01:35. > :01:39.The Department for the Economy is also declining to disclose
:01:40. > :01:43.information about participants of the scheme despite telling boiler
:01:44. > :01:48.owners it would be "freely available" to the public.
:01:49. > :01:49.Our agriculture and environment correspondent Conor Macauley has
:01:50. > :02:03.From the start, extensive information on each RHI installation
:02:04. > :02:06.was meant to be available for anyone. It included the location,
:02:07. > :02:11.the time it was installed and how much heat it could produce.
:02:12. > :02:14.Crucially, the information would also include the date the business
:02:15. > :02:21.joined the scheme and how much subsidy had been paid. All of this,
:02:22. > :02:25.they said, would be available to the general public for free, except it
:02:26. > :02:29.isn't. We asked the Department for all that information a month ago and
:02:30. > :02:33.despite repeated requests, it has still not provided it nor has given
:02:34. > :02:36.a reason for not doing so. Boiler owners were told when they signed up
:02:37. > :02:43.to the scheme that they consented to the publication of this information.
:02:44. > :02:51.There's a huge amount of interest out there. Some boiler owners have
:02:52. > :02:54.said naming would start a witchhunt. If the information was to be
:02:55. > :02:58.published, it would lead to the identification of those who got into
:02:59. > :03:03.the scheme giving the spike in November 2015 before the subsidy
:03:04. > :03:07.changed. It was that spike that effectively burst the budget.
:03:08. > :03:11.Hundreds of those RHI recipients have now objected in writing to any
:03:12. > :03:15.plan to publish the names. It may create a plan for the authorities.
:03:16. > :03:19.Under the data protection act they might have to review any decision to
:03:20. > :03:23.wallow through on the economy minister's intention to put their
:03:24. > :03:27.names out there and right back within 21 days to see if they are
:03:28. > :03:32.going ahead with it. It pushes a list of names for pipe. But new
:03:33. > :03:38.figures from inspectors may create an unstoppable pressure to proceed.
:03:39. > :03:43.Ofgem said today out of 63 boilers they had expected they had suspended
:03:44. > :03:56.payments to 33 of them pending investigations. Reasons given by
:03:57. > :04:01.boiler owners for non-publication are fears of adverse publicity, loss
:04:02. > :04:03.of business and crime. Officials will have to decide if that trumps
:04:04. > :04:17.the public interest. Breaking news on the heating scheme
:04:18. > :04:24.from Stormont. The business committee has been meeting in the
:04:25. > :04:28.last hour about the debate on Monday and they have added this draft
:04:29. > :04:34.statutory rule, drawn up by Simon Hamilton in the economy Department.
:04:35. > :04:42.It is the plan from VDU PE to try and cut the costs of that heating
:04:43. > :04:46.scheme -- the DUP. This has been added even though it hasn't been
:04:47. > :04:49.passed by the Finance minister who has set his officials would go
:04:50. > :04:55.through it with a fine tooth comb. Instead they are going directly to
:04:56. > :04:59.the Assembly. Sinn Fein didn't object and apparently it is because
:05:00. > :05:03.their representatives were not there which may be a sign of them not
:05:04. > :05:07.taking part any longer in Assembly committee business but it looks like
:05:08. > :05:15.one way or another it will be debated on Monday by MLAs. We
:05:16. > :05:19.understand regulations drawn up in line with the fresh start agreement
:05:20. > :05:22.to mitigate the effects of the bed in tax will also be added to the
:05:23. > :05:25.order paper on Monday, probably less of a row about that because Sinn
:05:26. > :05:29.Fein have said they will back that. It makes for an extremely busy day
:05:30. > :05:35.because we will have the nomination or renomination of the first and
:05:36. > :05:40.Deputy First Minister. We expect Arlene Foster's to go forward and
:05:41. > :05:42.Martin McGuinness's not to go forward.
:05:43. > :05:44.The Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt says a call by his SDLP
:05:45. > :05:47.counterpart for joint authority if the Stormont institutions
:05:48. > :05:54.He and Colum Eastwood have pledged to work together as the official
:05:55. > :05:58.But this week Mr Eastwood said direct rule would be unacceptable
:05:59. > :06:06.Here's our political correspondent Gareth Gordon.
:06:07. > :06:19.We have called time on the DUP's bullying and arrogance. We are back
:06:20. > :06:26.to the issues of equality and the Good Friday Agreement. Steering
:06:27. > :06:32.direct role in the face? We're going to go to an election. People will
:06:33. > :06:38.have an opinion on the DUP's behaviour and I'm confident how they
:06:39. > :06:42.will respond. Gerry Adams has made clear, equality is the Trojan horse
:06:43. > :06:45.to great unionism and he once compliant unionist to roll over to
:06:46. > :06:49.Republicans and time and time again, we will not do that. That's what
:06:50. > :06:50.Sinn Fein is about because they are frustrated that we will not concede
:06:51. > :06:54.to key Republican demands. So short of an eleventh-hour change
:06:55. > :06:57.of heart Sinn Fein will refuse to nominate a deputy first minister
:06:58. > :07:00.on Monday and an election Ulster Unionists gathered
:07:01. > :07:06.at Stormont Today. They want the election
:07:07. > :07:08.to be a referendum But what about their relationship
:07:09. > :07:15.with the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood following his call for joint
:07:16. > :07:25.authority if the institutions I wasn't aware he was going to say
:07:26. > :07:31.it but I'm not surprised because after all he is a national spot the
:07:32. > :07:34.line is, is not going to happen. Sinn Fein activists met in Derry
:07:35. > :07:39.last night with an uncompromising message for the DUP. There are days
:07:40. > :07:42.of demand and telling us what to do are over. We are making a stand.
:07:43. > :07:54.Health is one of the biggest areas which is going to be affected
:07:55. > :08:33.Gynaecology, which includes a hysterectomy operation, over 5000
:08:34. > :08:38.people are on a less waiting to be admitted. More than 1100 have been
:08:39. > :08:39.waiting between six months and a year.
:08:40. > :08:43.The Health Minister Michelle O'Neill had planned to launch a strategy
:08:44. > :08:46.to tackle waiting lists this month but without an Executive
:08:47. > :08:49.A short time ago I asked the minister what she had
:08:50. > :09:03.Because of the current crisis, confidence in the institutions
:09:04. > :09:09.because of the RHI scandal, I said we're going to be in a difficult
:09:10. > :09:14.position to overarching budgets for all other Government departments. I
:09:15. > :09:18.never once said otherwise. I'm still waiting to publish the plan. As far
:09:19. > :09:21.as health is concerned, you're good to go with this plan and you believe
:09:22. > :09:27.you have the money and agreement from the finance minister to back
:09:28. > :09:30.it? I absolutely can assure the public that I am doing absolutely
:09:31. > :09:34.everything I can and I will publish an elective care plan but I'm not
:09:35. > :09:45.waiting to publish the plan to take action. Our health correspondent is
:09:46. > :09:52.here. Yesterday we were reporting this elective care plan had been
:09:53. > :09:55.shelved so what has happened in 24 hours? This evening there is a
:09:56. > :10:00.completely different to an emerging from the Department of Health, a
:10:01. > :10:03.much more positive tone. Perhaps it has been influenced by the angry
:10:04. > :10:07.reaction from the public when we reported yesterday that the elective
:10:08. > :10:11.care plan for hospital waiting lists was going to be shelved. It's one
:10:12. > :10:17.thing being able to publish a report on a plan, but something completely
:10:18. > :10:22.different when you don't have the budget or an executive in place to
:10:23. > :10:25.sign that plan off, that's exactly what the department told us
:10:26. > :10:28.yesterday and that statement said that the current situation is, there
:10:29. > :10:32.is no longer an executive in place to agree a budget for an elective
:10:33. > :10:37.care plan, hence we said that the plan would be shelved. I think this
:10:38. > :10:41.week what has been happening at Stormont has focused minds within
:10:42. > :10:45.the health service between those who work in health and social care.
:10:46. > :10:49.People are asking, if after an election a different health minister
:10:50. > :10:52.is in place, which is highly likely, that person might be singing off a
:10:53. > :10:57.completely different hymn sheet than Michelle O'Neill does at the moment
:10:58. > :11:00.and what they intend to do with the health service could further
:11:01. > :11:04.slowdown reform of the health institutions here in Northern
:11:05. > :11:11.Ireland and that is something we can't afford to happen. Thank you.
:11:12. > :11:12.We wait to see if this plan has published and implemented.
:11:13. > :11:14.BBC Newsline has learned that charging families for school
:11:15. > :11:18.transport which is currently free is part of a package of money-saving
:11:19. > :11:20.measures being considered by the Education Authority.
:11:21. > :11:24.The authority needs to make substantial cuts to its budget.
:11:25. > :11:26.Our education correspondent Robbie Meredith has
:11:27. > :11:32.Around 90,000 pupils - like these at Devenish
:11:33. > :11:34.College in Enniskillen - get free bus passes to get
:11:35. > :11:40.If they live more than three miles away from their post-primary school
:11:41. > :11:42.or two miles from their primary school, the Education Authority
:11:43. > :11:52.But meeting that bill costs the EA ?72 million a year.
:11:53. > :11:59.And they've got to find around ?100 million in savings by next year.
:12:00. > :12:01.The BBC understands that a yearly fee for school transport
:12:02. > :12:04.of between ?50 and ?200 per pupil is one of the measures
:12:05. > :12:09.A similar scheme operates in the Republic of Ireland.
:12:10. > :12:13.There, families pay 100 euro for each primary child and 350 Euro
:12:14. > :12:16.for each post-primary child, with a maximum yearly
:12:17. > :12:24.Two thirds of Devenish College's 480 pupils currently
:12:25. > :12:35.There will be clear evidence that many families are already struggling
:12:36. > :12:41.so to add an additional burden on to those families, especially at the
:12:42. > :12:43.charge was implied at the start of September, I think parents would
:12:44. > :12:46.struggle to pay that additional fee. Meanwhile, at St Patrick's High
:12:47. > :12:48.in Keady, 400 pupils get free school transport,
:12:49. > :13:00.including the head I live about seven miles away and I
:13:01. > :13:04.made use of the bus for the past few years and I know that at my parents
:13:05. > :13:08.had to pay for me to get the bus to school, it would seriously impact
:13:09. > :13:19.the family. As living in rural areas, it isn't easy to get in and
:13:20. > :13:20.out of school -- us, because this is the closest school to us.
:13:21. > :13:24.Their head isn't blaming the EA for the proposal.
:13:25. > :13:30.If we can afford ?490 million in the Government, they need to look
:13:31. > :13:32.somewhere else instead of education. There is a road to travel before
:13:33. > :13:35.charges are introduced. The EA will have to consult
:13:36. > :13:38.and even if it goes ahead they'll still pay the bulk of
:13:39. > :13:40.a pupil's yearly bus fare. But it's another sign of just how
:13:41. > :13:47.squeezed the education budget is. The police have described
:13:48. > :13:51.a gun attack on a couple in their West Belfast home
:13:52. > :13:54.as "brutal and callous." The father and mother were shot
:13:55. > :13:57.in the legs as they tried The couple were attacked
:13:58. > :14:03.in the living room of their home on Norglen Parade just
:14:04. > :14:09.after 6:15 yesterday evening. Three masked and armed men
:14:10. > :14:11.forced their way into the property It's believed they were shot
:14:12. > :14:15.while attempting to protect their son who was also in the house
:14:16. > :14:18.at the time. The couple were taken
:14:19. > :14:19.to hospital for treatment The police say a criminal gang
:14:20. > :14:23.were behind the attack but wouldn't be drawn
:14:24. > :14:33.on whether paramilitaries The ordeal and trauma the couple
:14:34. > :14:38.went through must have been horrific. This is a brittle and
:14:39. > :14:43.callous and horrific attack on a defenceless couple in their house at
:14:44. > :14:49.tea-time on a Thursday evening and I condemn it in the strongest possible
:14:50. > :14:51.terms -- brutal attack. The people who did this have no moral compass
:14:52. > :14:52.whatsoever. The family have lived in the area
:14:53. > :14:55.for more than 15 years and are said to be well known and respected
:14:56. > :15:04.in the community. I don't know who was involved and I
:15:05. > :15:08.don't really care, they should not be bringing guns onto the street.
:15:09. > :15:15.There is no place for guns in our society. Whatever the motivation for
:15:16. > :15:17.the shooting, there is absolutely no justification and the people
:15:18. > :15:22.responsible should pack up and go away. the shooting took place on a
:15:23. > :15:25.busy street with a number of families live. A couple nearby
:15:26. > :15:29.didn't want to appeared on camera but said they were disgusted at the
:15:30. > :15:30.attack on their neighbours. The police are continuing to appeal for
:15:31. > :15:35.information. Snow has caused travel problems
:15:36. > :15:38.overnight and throughout today. And as Louise Cullen reports some
:15:39. > :15:49.schools had to close. We were warned it was coming and
:15:50. > :15:55.whether delivered on its promise. The snow was pretty to look at, but
:15:56. > :16:00.the card scenes caused problems for some. This morning at seven o'clock,
:16:01. > :16:07.there was only one lane of traffic, so parents couldn't park. Saint Joe
:16:08. > :16:13.Sims wasn't the only school to shut for the day. In all, hundreds of
:16:14. > :16:18.teenagers and children had the day off but they went too bothered. For
:16:19. > :16:21.some, the snow has brought an unexpected day off. For others, it's
:16:22. > :16:28.just me the day you get more challenging but for all of us, it's
:16:29. > :16:31.been a chilly one. -- it's been a bit more challenging.
:16:32. > :16:34.The Prime Minister is due to deliver a major speech on Tuesday
:16:35. > :16:36.which will lay out how she sees the UK's future after it
:16:37. > :16:40.Fishing regions voted heavily in favour of Brexit saying EU rules
:16:41. > :16:45.Yesterday, I went to Kilkeel the home to many
:16:46. > :16:57.For the fishing fleet here, what the cat and how much they can catch is
:16:58. > :17:02.negotiated and agreed by EU states in Brussels. Many in this fishing
:17:03. > :17:07.town believe that Brexit offers the opportunity to regain control of the
:17:08. > :17:11.local waters they currently have to share. In a moment, I'll speak to a
:17:12. > :17:20.fisherman's representative, but first, here is our South East
:17:21. > :17:25.reporter. The Kilkeel fleet has flown the flight for Brexit. They
:17:26. > :17:33.believe it as an opportunity to put right a wrong placed on it for
:17:34. > :17:35.decades ago -- four decades. The subsequent quarters, regulations and
:17:36. > :17:44.restrictions have been heated in these parts. All those things will
:17:45. > :17:49.all go, post-Brexit, and we should be back to a position of plenty. but
:17:50. > :17:52.turning around 40 years of the claim not be a simple matter and Brexit
:17:53. > :17:59.also brings concerns to an industry hugely dependent on skilled migrant
:18:00. > :18:05.workers. We lost a generation of skills within the fishing industry,
:18:06. > :18:10.now a major problem, a looming crisis, is a shortage of crew and if
:18:11. > :18:15.that's not addressed very soon, a lot of the boys there will be tied
:18:16. > :18:18.up. Ironically, some of those who were pro-Brexit now feel the fishing
:18:19. > :18:25.industry needs an exemption when it comes to skilled migrant workers. I
:18:26. > :18:31.think we do, especially in the short to medium term, until we could
:18:32. > :18:37.rebuild our own capabilities, to clear our own boats. Ultimately, an
:18:38. > :18:40.industry like this one sinks or thoughts on the quality of its
:18:41. > :18:46.product and the prawns being landed here are right up there with the
:18:47. > :18:51.world's best. We had massive demand worldwide the day before the vote
:18:52. > :18:55.for Brexit and an extent was the same, a world-class product will
:18:56. > :19:03.always have demand. Take it will class product, create more and it
:19:04. > :19:10.will pay better wages and get people into the industry. If it is managed
:19:11. > :19:18.properly it will be successful worldwide. the hope and expectation
:19:19. > :19:23.is that post-Brexit, the fishing industry in Kilkeel in particular
:19:24. > :19:28.have a bright future. Fishing is a small contributor to the UK's
:19:29. > :19:32.economy as a whole and to be a low priority to the Government in Brexit
:19:33. > :19:39.negotiations. I asked a local fisherman how he could ensure the
:19:40. > :19:42.fishing fleet here could not be marginalised. Last time we got lost
:19:43. > :19:47.in the negotiation and we have to make sure it doesn't happen this
:19:48. > :19:53.time. We had to put pressure on the politicians are people who count to
:19:54. > :19:56.make sure our voices are heard and our needs are met. The EU is the
:19:57. > :20:01.local fishing fleet's biggest customer so you need to maintain
:20:02. > :20:05.access but that may come at a cost in regard to tariffs. Will that not
:20:06. > :20:09.put more pressure on the local fleet? 40 years ago I would have
:20:10. > :20:15.said that would have been an issue. The demand for fish that far exceeds
:20:16. > :20:19.the supply and the people who eat it needed more than we need to sell it.
:20:20. > :20:24.We've heard over the years plans to develop this harbour so that bigger
:20:25. > :20:29.ships including herring ships can come in here but surely if we leave
:20:30. > :20:33.the EU, that project, with no structural funds, is dead in the
:20:34. > :20:38.water. You like as far as structural funds go, the UK is a net
:20:39. > :20:41.contributor to the EU is what we are not putting funds in, we're having
:20:42. > :20:47.to spend them on what we need to spend them on. As far as plans for
:20:48. > :20:48.Kilkeel harbour ago, I'm more concerned about local politics than
:20:49. > :20:52.Brexit and the state of the EU. The view of a local fisherman's
:20:53. > :20:54.representative, speaking to me yesterday in Kilkeel on what might
:20:55. > :21:16.happen with Brexit. night and day, the Stormont crisis
:21:17. > :21:22.is being played out on social media. I want to hold an immediate inquiry.
:21:23. > :21:26.Arlene Foster posted this video on Facebook after Martin McGuinness
:21:27. > :21:31.resign. It's clear Sinn Fein's actions are not principled, they are
:21:32. > :21:35.political. Martin McGuinness has also been posting online this week,
:21:36. > :21:44.using Twitter to thank all those who said to him, get well soon. Sinn
:21:45. > :21:48.Fein minister Martin had it were to over the bed and tax with DUP
:21:49. > :21:54.Minister Paul Gibbon and when he changed his mind on the bursary
:21:55. > :21:58.scheme, the announcement was made on Twitter. More and more often,
:21:59. > :22:01.politicians are bypassing news outlets and utilising the power of
:22:02. > :22:06.social media. It's happening all over the world. This politics
:22:07. > :22:13.professor says we shouldn't be surprised. The key is that social
:22:14. > :22:22.media is in their own hands and they can use it closely, so they enjoy
:22:23. > :22:27.autonomy and would have to be bothered interacting with pesky
:22:28. > :22:35.journalists. the downside is the online abuse they often get. Arlene
:22:36. > :22:37.Foster gave her own response on Facebook. Every Stormont crisis
:22:38. > :22:54.leads to online political satire. There's no shortage of material
:22:55. > :22:58.online for those who can bear to watch it.
:22:59. > :23:07.Gavin Andrews is here, and an injury scare for Rory McIlroy.
:23:08. > :23:09.The world number two hurt his back before
:23:10. > :23:11.starting his second round at the South Africa
:23:12. > :23:15.Feeling the effects, he got off to a slow start before
:23:16. > :23:18.Two late dropped shots saw him finish on nine under par,
:23:19. > :23:21.three shots off the lead at the halfway stage.
:23:22. > :23:33.I'm surprised I'm standing here. I've tweaked my back and the first
:23:34. > :23:38.few shots of today were not very comfortable and still aren't. I
:23:39. > :23:42.can't really take a deep breath because I'd done something to my
:23:43. > :23:48.upper back so I'm going to go and get treatment today. Considering
:23:49. > :23:54.that, I played well and stuck at it and hopefully I can feel better
:23:55. > :23:59.tomorrow. Make the injury means you're going to withdraw? I don't
:24:00. > :24:05.want to do that, that's why I kept going today. I'm going to see the
:24:06. > :24:05.physio now and hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.
:24:06. > :24:08.Ulster Rugby face a must-win game at the Exeter Chiefs on Sunday
:24:09. > :24:11.if they're to keep alive their slim hopes of making the knockout stages
:24:12. > :24:15.Scrum-half Dave Shanahan will make his first start for the province
:24:16. > :24:18.while Charles Piutau and Pete Browne also come into the starting line-up.
:24:19. > :24:28.A lot of steps about how we need to win have been pointed out to us. We
:24:29. > :24:34.need more opportunities than the opposition. Getting the killer
:24:35. > :24:38.instinct is important for us. The boys are not far away, we just have
:24:39. > :24:52.to stay strong and they are working hard every day. They had at home and
:24:53. > :24:54.we keep on the momentum. We have to be prepared for that.
:24:55. > :24:57.The Belfast Giants have a crunch game tomorrow night as they travel
:24:58. > :24:59.to the Elite League leaders, the Cardiff Devils.
:25:00. > :25:02.The Giants are second in the table and looking to cut the gap
:25:03. > :25:25.Not invincible, they can be beaten. You've got to played a A-game.
:25:26. > :25:28.In the Danskebank Premiership, Crusaders are away to Glentoran
:25:29. > :25:30.tomorrow and will be looking to maintain their seven-point lead
:25:31. > :25:34.We'll have the best action on Final Score at five o'clock.
:25:35. > :25:49.Some of us got more snow than others. We begin to lose the cold
:25:50. > :25:58.air over the weekend but it is still chilly tonight. We've had some nice
:25:59. > :26:01.photographs. Tonight it is quite chilly, especially the first-half
:26:02. > :26:07.and The Met Office has issued the weather warning. Black case could be
:26:08. > :26:10.hazardous and places by the morning. Temperatures will dip to freezing
:26:11. > :26:15.but as we make our way through the night, milder air is going to come
:26:16. > :26:20.in and that will lift temperatures by breakfast time, still chilly
:26:21. > :26:26.nonetheless but not as cold as this morning. The mildly continues to
:26:27. > :26:28.move in so it will not be quite as cold but there will be scattered
:26:29. > :26:32.showers. The scattered showers coming from the beginning of the
:26:33. > :26:35.day, especially for northern and western areas. The will be sunny
:26:36. > :26:42.gaps in between and those showers are hit and miss. With the
:26:43. > :26:45.temperatures compared to today, seven or eight Celsius, so well up,
:26:46. > :26:50.and if you're travelling around the ailing tomorrow, the odd scattered
:26:51. > :26:59.showers here and there, some sunny gaps with temperatures of seven or
:27:00. > :27:01.eight Celsius. Tomorrow evening, the northwesterly winds might make you
:27:02. > :27:06.feel quite chilly towards the north coast with a shower here and there
:27:07. > :27:12.but a largely dry end to the day. Tomorrow night, more rain coming in
:27:13. > :27:16.and also milder air. By breakfast time on Sunday, we're looking at
:27:17. > :27:19.temperatures of eight or nine Celsius, well above average for the
:27:20. > :27:24.time of year and we're looking at highs of 11 or 12 Celsius by the
:27:25. > :27:27.middle of the day, but a cloudy day, rain on Sunday for northern and
:27:28. > :27:32.western areas especially but that is good news, we keep cold early for
:27:33. > :27:33.Monday and Tuesday and temperatures are staying in the double digits.
:27:34. > :27:54.Be careful on the roads and have a great
:27:55. > :27:58.Parents are facing an explosion in the number of children saying