:00:00. > :00:07.The Finance Minister Mairtin O Muilleoir has said
:00:08. > :00:13.unless Arlene Foster steps aside temporarily as First Minister.
:00:14. > :00:16.He was speaking after what were meant to be clear the air talks
:00:17. > :00:21.the DUP Economy Minister Simon Hamilton,
:00:22. > :00:24.on the failed heat incentive scheme.
:00:25. > :00:27.Mr O Muilleoir also described a DUP plan to deal with the crisis
:00:28. > :00:37.Our business correspondent Julian O'Neill has the details.
:00:38. > :00:46.The DUP had talked of a plan involving emergency legislation
:00:47. > :00:50.which would totally wipe out a projected ?490 million RHI
:00:51. > :00:55.overspend. The Finance Minister was initially sceptical about the plan,
:00:56. > :01:00.and help clear the air talks today with the economy minister. But
:01:01. > :01:07.afterwards, the Finance Minister was totally dismissive of what the DUP
:01:08. > :01:10.plan was. He said it was a sticking plaster, nothing but hype designed
:01:11. > :01:16.to save the political skin of the First Minister. We met at a frank
:01:17. > :01:21.meeting, but also bitterly disappointing. I left the meeting
:01:22. > :01:25.without a plan in my hand and I am told that when this plan arrives,
:01:26. > :01:29.despite all the hate in the media, it will not be a comprehensive plan
:01:30. > :01:33.to close down RHI. It will be an interim solution, a sticking
:01:34. > :01:41.plaster. In my view, this is not the time for sticking plasters. This RHI
:01:42. > :01:44.crisis shows no signs of easing. It is turning into something of a poker
:01:45. > :01:48.game of who will blink first. Today, the Finance Minister told me that as
:01:49. > :01:53.far as he is concerned, there is no alternative but for the First
:01:54. > :01:58.Minister to temporarily step aside. Be clear on this, if Arlene Foster
:01:59. > :02:03.does not step aside, they will not be an Executive, there will not be
:02:04. > :02:06.institutions for all of two work to build... And all the work, and from
:02:07. > :02:10.others have been working very hard to build bees and these
:02:11. > :02:14.institutions, but they cannot exist if Arlene Foster continues to play
:02:15. > :02:16.fast and loose with the rules and the DUP continue to disrespect the
:02:17. > :02:21.institutions and its corruption remains at the heart of government.
:02:22. > :02:27.The public deserve more and I think the DUP, for all of the hype,
:02:28. > :02:31.understand that. Can there be a fudge, a negotiated way out of this
:02:32. > :02:38.which sees Arlene Foster remain First Minister? No.
:02:39. > :02:42.The Department was meant to be delivering the budget for the next I
:02:43. > :02:45.mention here but this scandal is totally overshadowed everything
:02:46. > :02:51.here. The DUP's plan may arise in full detail next week, but even then
:02:52. > :02:54.the Finance Minister says it will take time to assess.
:02:55. > :02:56.Senior DUP figures have criticised one of their former MLAs
:02:57. > :02:59.for describing Arlene Foster's handling of the RHI scheme
:03:00. > :03:06.David McIlveen, who was once a DUP MLA, also says Mrs Foster
:03:07. > :03:08.is unlikely to lead the party into the next election.
:03:09. > :03:10.Senior DUP figures say Mr McIlveen does not represent
:03:11. > :03:20.Our Political Correspondent Stephen Walker reports.
:03:21. > :03:23.Once, they were political team-mates, but now David McIlveen
:03:24. > :03:25.has split ranks and told the Newsletter Arlene Foster
:03:26. > :03:27.has misjudged the public mood over the RHI scheme.
:03:28. > :03:29.He said the scandal has become an omnishambles and claims
:03:30. > :03:36.she will not lead the party into the next election.
:03:37. > :03:40.There is a deep misunderstanding at the minute, within the party,
:03:41. > :03:46.around the definition of humiliation and humility.
:03:47. > :03:49.And I think those two words are being mixed up,
:03:50. > :03:54.in that there seems to be some feeling that to show any
:03:55. > :03:58.form of contriteness around this issue
:03:59. > :04:07.People want humility, not humiliation.
:04:08. > :04:12.But David McIlveen's analysis is not shared by senior party figures.
:04:13. > :04:16.The groundswell of support within the DUP is for Arlene Foster
:04:17. > :04:19.and indeed that she is not an electoral liability,
:04:20. > :04:21.that she has been an electoral advantage to us,
:04:22. > :04:24.and the DUP strongly support Arlene Foster in her role
:04:25. > :04:30.and will give absolute support in continuing to do so.
:04:31. > :04:32.David McIlveen is not the first DUP member to criticise
:04:33. > :04:39.Last month, Johnathan Bell gave a dramatic interview
:04:40. > :04:41.to Stephen Nolan, and today, a former DUP councillor appealed
:04:42. > :04:46.to disgruntled party members to go public.
:04:47. > :04:50.They need now to come out and if they feel that this is not
:04:51. > :04:53.going the way it should for unionism, and it is not good
:04:54. > :04:55.for unionism, please come out and speak out against it.
:04:56. > :05:00.Even internally, in their own party, say something.
:05:01. > :05:03.Because to say nothing is going to get us nowhere.
:05:04. > :05:06.So, is the writing on the wall for the DUP leader?
:05:07. > :05:08.There is much political pressure on Arlene Foster,
:05:09. > :05:12.and today the Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, wrote in
:05:13. > :05:27.Arlene Foster says she will not step aside, but her political party has
:05:28. > :05:37.no consensus on what a fresh inquiry into RHI would look like.
:05:38. > :05:46.Her political opponents say that has to happen and there is no consensus.
:05:47. > :05:48.So, the New Year has begun the way the old one ended,
:05:49. > :05:51.with a story that every day brings fresh developments
:05:52. > :05:53.and a political stalemate that shows little sign of ending.
:05:54. > :05:55.A Portadown GP surgery that was facing closure
:05:56. > :05:58.after its last remaining doctor resigned has been given a lifeline
:05:59. > :06:01.after a new contractor was found to take over the practice.
:06:02. > :06:03.However the doctors union, the BMA, says surgeries
:06:04. > :06:05.across Northern Ireland are struggling to
:06:06. > :06:15.With three children and elderly relatives to help care for,
:06:16. > :06:18.Claire McConville-Walker is a fairly regular visitor
:06:19. > :06:22.to her doctors surgery in Portadown.
:06:23. > :06:24.This morning, she told me her fears that
:06:25. > :06:29.the medical practice could close after it lost its last doctor.
:06:30. > :06:31.Pretty much my whole family use the surgery and
:06:32. > :06:35.some are dependent on medication, and they need a regular GP in order
:06:36. > :06:38.to be given that medication to make sure that it is right.
:06:39. > :06:42.But I think a lot of it's for peace of mind, to know
:06:43. > :06:44.that there is a GP there who is knowledgeable
:06:45. > :06:46.of their conditions, who knows them,
:06:47. > :06:50.But this evening, some good news for Claire and her family,
:06:51. > :06:55.A new GP contract provider has been found
:06:56. > :06:59.to take over Bannview from early March.
:07:00. > :07:02.But recruiting GPs, particularly in rural areas,
:07:03. > :07:06.is a growing problem, and a Northern-Ireland-wide one.
:07:07. > :07:09.In County Antrim, the lone GP at this medical practice
:07:10. > :07:15.The Health and Social Care board says negotiations are still
:07:16. > :07:20.GP practices are busier than ever and
:07:21. > :07:28.it becomes harder to attract younger doctors to train as GPs.
:07:29. > :07:30.We have a situation where particularly in the
:07:31. > :07:33.west and in the south, we do not have enough doctors.
:07:34. > :07:38.So we are going to see an awful lot of practices close in
:07:39. > :07:41.the West, particularly in Fermanagh and Armagh.
:07:42. > :07:45.This will probably move forward to affect other counties
:07:46. > :07:51.It will be rural areas and small towns will lose
:07:52. > :07:54.their GP practice and we will be consolidating down
:07:55. > :07:59.Last autumn, the Health Minister promised more funding for
:08:00. > :08:04.GP services, including more training places for GPs.
:08:05. > :08:07.But it will be years before those doctors are ready to go
:08:08. > :08:12.That still leaves some practices in
:08:13. > :08:19.the short-term facing an uncertain time ahead.
:08:20. > :08:21.A Strabane mother who lost her teenage son and brother
:08:22. > :08:26.says those who're destroying life saving equipment
:08:27. > :08:30.Local search and rescue organisations are also concerned
:08:31. > :08:33.at the ongoing vandalism, and have called for it to stop.
:08:34. > :08:34.Here's our North-West reporter, Keiron Tourish.
:08:35. > :08:36.Over recent months, there has been concern here
:08:37. > :08:38.about the level of vandalism to life-saving equipment
:08:39. > :08:42.Local search and rescue organisations say
:08:43. > :08:45.there were around a dozen life belts installed,
:08:46. > :08:52.but now some of them have either been burned or removed.
:08:53. > :08:56.Lorraine lost two members of her family in drowning tragedies -
:08:57. > :08:59.her five-year-old brother Eddie in 1972,
:09:00. > :09:04.and on May 28th 2012, her 17-year-old son died in an accident
:09:05. > :09:10.She cannot understand why anybody would tamper
:09:11. > :09:16.These people that are doing this are mindless and are not thinking.
:09:17. > :09:19.Now it is the start of the new year and in
:09:20. > :09:21.the next five months, it will be even warmer weather.
:09:22. > :09:26.God forbid somebody, you know, in the warm weather,
:09:27. > :09:30.what happened to my son, the water is very appealing
:09:31. > :09:33.and God forbid somebody get into trouble
:09:34. > :09:38.and, you know, they might need these and they will not be there.
:09:39. > :09:43.This man's brother drowned in the river nine months ago.
:09:44. > :09:47.He now gives up his time to help one of the local search and
:09:48. > :09:52.It was very upsetting for everybody, the family, every family
:09:53. > :09:58.You do not know how it hurts unless you go through what we have
:09:59. > :10:03.went through and to see things like this happening,
:10:04. > :10:11.Those who have lost loved ones to the river,
:10:12. > :10:16.have stressed that this equipment is vital,
:10:17. > :10:21.especially when people are in a vulnerable position.
:10:22. > :10:24.They have urged those behind the vandalism to stop
:10:25. > :10:34.Now, he's a man more at home in a packed football stadium
:10:35. > :10:38.but this week the former World-Cup-winning Brazil manager
:10:39. > :10:43.onboard the 212 service from Londonderry to Belfast.
:10:44. > :10:45.Big Phil, as he's affectionately known,
:10:46. > :10:49.has been seen strolling around the two cities in recent days.
:10:50. > :10:55.Posing for a picture with the man who drove him
:10:56. > :10:59.Luiz Felipe Scolari caused a bit of a stir when those
:11:00. > :11:04.Goldline service realised a World-Cup-winning coach
:11:05. > :11:07.One of the passengers asked the former Brazil
:11:08. > :11:15.It is understood he was in Northern Ireland to visit his son,
:11:16. > :11:18.who is studying at a local university.
:11:19. > :11:21.The former Portugal and Chelsea boss led his home nation to glory
:11:22. > :11:26.He is currently in charge at the most valuable
:11:27. > :11:29.football team in China, Guangzhou Evergrande.
:11:30. > :11:31.As well as the bus station, he was also spotted
:11:32. > :11:40.Whilst it is not clear if Big Phil has plans to return
:11:41. > :11:44.the users of the 212 service will be keeping a keen eye out
:11:45. > :11:56.Now, with the weather forecast, here's Barra Best.
:11:57. > :12:02.It is certainly not as chilly tonight thanks to a lot of cloud.
:12:03. > :12:06.That is giving us some patchy light rain and drizzle at the minute.
:12:07. > :12:09.Through the early hours of Friday, heavier and persistent rain will
:12:10. > :12:13.come in from the Atlantic. Temperatures will stay at about 6
:12:14. > :12:18.degrees, for Norfrost to worry about tomorrow morning. It will be windy
:12:19. > :12:22.start, and will stay cloudy and damp but we hold the milder air. Cloud
:12:23. > :12:27.breezy start to the day to begin, outbreaks of rain, some of which
:12:28. > :12:31.will be heavy first. Lasting through much of the morning before it clears
:12:32. > :12:34.the way of the East Coast. A similar picture for much of Ireland if you
:12:35. > :12:37.are travelling. That weather will eventually push its way across the
:12:38. > :12:41.Irish Sea, affecting many areas of Britain through the day, with the
:12:42. > :12:45.exception of some central and south eastern areas, where we should stay
:12:46. > :12:50.dry with sunshine. But it will be cloudier and milder the further
:12:51. > :13:00.north and west. For us, by the middle of the afternoon,
:13:01. > :13:03.temperatures should reach 12 degrees, well above average for a
:13:04. > :13:05.time of year. It will stay grey, misty and murky, with some patchy
:13:06. > :13:08.light rain and drizzle continuing to come and go. It will stay much the
:13:09. > :13:10.same through tomorrow evening and overnight into Saturday, with the
:13:11. > :13:12.exception of the wet weather. It should clear away. Temperatures
:13:13. > :13:16.staying at seven or 8 degrees, what we would normally see budget. A lot
:13:17. > :13:22.of cloud on Saturday, the odd spot of wet weather but a good deal of
:13:23. > :13:25.dry weather. We hold onto the milder conditions on Sunday and Monday, but
:13:26. > :13:27.are at times with further patches of rain.