NI Executive – Page 25 – Slugger O'Toole

“A working democracy must have in place effective mechanisms for holding the Executive to account…”

Pete Baker on January 10, 2012, 4:47 pm

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As the BBC reports, the Northern Ireland Appeal Court has delivered, “with regret”, its judgement on the NI Department of Education’s appeal of the “abuse of power” ruling that followed a judicial review of the then-minister Sinn Féin’s Caitríona Ruane’s refusal to provide funding for Loreto Grammar School’s planned new-build on its existing site in Omagh. As the BBC report notes In ruling the court said: “The representations and actions by the Department of Education and the minister of education did not give rise to a …

“The only way to neutralise the U.K. prefix…”

Pete Baker on January 9, 2012, 2:06 pm

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Nevin pointed at a rare tree of relevance in the comment zone yesterday. It’s the full statement from the former Sinn Féin “Director of Unionist Engagement“, now “Sinn Féin Junior Minister”, Martina Anderson, on the reluctance of some within Comhaltas to host the all-Ireland Fleadh in Londonderry during the UK City of Culture year. [That would be the Northern Ireland Executive Junior Minister? – Ed] Quite. It’s now being covered, 4 days after being issued, by the Derry Journal. How …

“more to do with their reluctance to take the hard economic decisions…”

Pete Baker on December 23, 2011, 1:36 pm

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As Andy said in his post yesterday Many people were surprised when Sinn Féin did not take the influential Enterprise, Trade and Investment portfolio after last May’s election, even though it was theirs for the taking. I have heard it said that this absence of interest in the economy is partly due to a lack of confidence in economic matters: although the IRA prisoners who became Sinn Féin leaders were famous for their attention to their studies when they were …

“That would require approval by the justice committee, the executive and by the assembly as a whole”

Pete Baker on December 21, 2011, 11:18 pm

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According to the BBC report’s headline -“Justice minister may look into the rehiring of RUC officers”. Well, he may. At issue, apparently, are the unknown number of former RUC officers in the 399 staff currently supplied by a recruitment agency for temporary employment, as civilians, by the PSNI. Apparently, again, “Sinn Fein has asked the Northern Ireland Audit Office to investigate the issue.” [Because the NI Policing Board decided not to? – Ed] Possibly… But as the first linked BBC report notes of the …

PSNI & Security Service [MI5]: “a sound working partnership and one that is to be commended”

Pete Baker on December 21, 2011, 1:41 pm

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The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, has “received and welcomed a report from Lord Carlile of Berriew on the operation of arrangements for handling national security matters in Northern Ireland for the year to date.” But he’ll not be publishing it “given its sensitive nature”. From the NI Secretary of State’s statement The report points out that there have been serious incidents during 2011, including the murder of P.C Ronan Kerr in Omagh in April and states that the …

“Something, Something, Something, Dark Side…”

Pete Baker on December 14, 2011, 6:35 pm

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The last time Sinn Féin wheeled out little known placeman, and non-public representative, Declan Kearney, in November 2009, the party was trying desperately to raise the stakes over the devolution of policing and justice powers – while muttering about “the NIO spooks and PSNI’s political detectives“. What he’s doing out of his box again is anyone’s guess… ANYhoo, here’s the script this time Sinn Fein’s support for democratically accountable policing is unambiguous, but it is not unconditional. We have repeatedly said that our Party …

“be careful what you wish for…”

Pete Baker on December 11, 2011, 4:00 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph, Henry McDonald picks up on the recent reports of the Historical Enquiries Team’s findings, and how they undermine the “changing narrative [that] has become mainstream republican orthodoxy”. From the Belfast Telegraph article The HET’s conclusions over the Enniskillen massacre paints those responsible as, at the very least, guilty of callous disregard for civilian life and, at the worst, as viscerally sectarian. In relation to Loughgall, the HET line is quite stunning, because it actually aids the …

Local Political Reaction to EU Crisis Summit Outcome

Pete Baker on December 10, 2011, 4:09 pm

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How have our local political parties reacted to the outcome of the EU crisis summit? Well, neither the Green Party nor the Alliance Party appear to have noticed… The “Conservative and Unionist” MEP, Jim Nicholson, has, unsurprisingly, “welcomed the use of the British veto over a new EU-wide treaty by Prime Minister David Cameron”. “David Cameron was correct in effectively vetoing a new treaty and keeping the United Kingdom out of this new economic accord agreed at the EU emergency summit, …

“The Reviewer states that the residual terrorist threat has continued on broadly the same level as 2010…”

Pete Baker on December 8, 2011, 5:55 pm

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The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, MP, has published the Fourth Annual Report [pdf file] of Robert Whalley CB, Independent Reviewer of the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 . From Owen Paterson’s statement The report highlights the continuing security threat posed by residual terrorist groups, the activity of organised criminals and incidents of public disorder. The Reviewer comments on the importance of the powers under the 2007 Act in dealing with this broad range of security …

“The Committee views this matter with the utmost seriousness…”

Pete Baker on December 7, 2011, 2:57 pm

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The BBC reports the Northern Ireland Assembly Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) press release on their report in response to NI Audit Office report into the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme – the actual PAC report is here. In general there’s little new information on the NI Department of Agriculture’s mishandling of the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme – the largest capital grant scheme ever run by the Department of Agriculture, through which some 4000 farmers received grants worth £121million – an earlier draft PAC report was leaked to the …

“The Committee, of course, will lend itself to that farce…”

Pete Baker on December 1, 2011, 8:43 pm

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Having been tasked by the Northern Ireland Assembly to review the initial ministerial provision for the Department of Justice and to “make recommendations relating to the provision that should exist from 1 May 2012”, the Assembly and Executive Review Committee failed to complete their task. From the AER Committee’s report 8. Following Committee discussion, a proposal was made, on the basis that there was no broad consensus on any of the options, that the Committee draft a Report that outlines …

Justice Minister: “grandstanding and chest beating seen in the Chamber” on mandatory sentences call

Pete Baker on November 30, 2011, 5:25 pm

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As the BBC reports, yesterday in the Northern Ireland Assembly, by 44 votes to 41, MLAs called on the NI Justice Minister, Alliance Party leader David Ford, to “introduce legislation to impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for people who are found guilty of violent crimes against older or vulnerable people”. The motion was agreed despite opposition from the NI Justice Minister and a number of MLAs with legal backgrounds. The NI Justice Minister also pointed out that, “officials from my Department are in …

Memo to BBC: The NI Executive voted these measures through

Pete Baker on November 30, 2011, 11:50 am

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Why are the BBC busying themselves counting the number of MLAs turning up for work today? Don’t they know the Northern Ireland Executive voted in favour of the blanket increase of 3.2 per cent in public-sector pension contributions? Admittedly they did so behind closed doors, and didn’t tell anyone at the time. [Some parties don’t seem to remember either – Ed] Some parties have still to tell the public how their ministers voted at the time… Pete Baker

Ministerial U-turn on NI Water Chief Executive’s terms

Pete Baker on November 23, 2011, 2:23 pm

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After his very well publicised threat to resign, the acting Chief Executive at Northern Ireland Water, Trevor Haslett, appears to have got what he wanted – a £20,000 pay rise [and a two year contract? – Ed]. From the BBC report A spokeswoman for the Department for Regional Development confirmed the deal. “Northern Ireland Water needs leadership and stability,” she said. “Trevor Haslett has demonstrated that he is the best person to lead NI Water through the winter that is almost …

Ulster Wildlife Trust: “we are now totally cynical as to whether government ever intended to meet its obligations”

Pete Baker on November 19, 2011, 4:38 pm

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The BBC NI environment correspondent, Mike McKimm, has an update on his August 2010 report on the Northern Ireland Executive’s failure to protect and restore a special habitat, of [protected species] horse mussel beds, in Strangford Lough – a designated Special Area of Conservation, an Area of Special Scientific Interest and a Ramsar (protected wetland) site. And it’s not good news. Eight years after first drawing attention to the problem, and six years after a formal written warning was issued from the European Commission, the …

McGuinness: “It’s fair to say [A5 upgrade is] back on track again”

Pete Baker on November 11, 2011, 10:43 pm

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No, really!! Following the Irish Government’s decision to postpone their £400million contribution to the £850million cost of the proposed A5 upgrade, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers announced they would be seeking “maximum clarity on this issue” in talks with Taoiseach Enda Kenny, while they were in Dublin today. After the meeting, the NI deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, was accentuating the positive to UTV’s Ken Reid. “It’s far from dead,” Mr McGuinness told UTV. “I think, …

OFMDFM: “It is becoming increasingly obvious this trust is in danger of being eroded…”

Pete Baker on November 11, 2011, 5:34 pm

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Yesterday’s Irish News carried an interesting report of the most recent proceedings of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. It seems that the NI First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, and the then-acting deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, are/were not happy. And they’ve written to the Assembly Speaker, William Hay, to tell him so. First, some background. Back in July 2010, OFMDFM published their “motherhood and apple pie” proposals for the long-awaited Programme for …

“The real horse trading [over Justice Ministry] is likely to happen between party leaders…”

Pete Baker on November 8, 2011, 9:03 pm

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And only two parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin have the necessary votes to trade… ANYhoo, as I mentioned during the Sinn Féin ard fheis when the deputy chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Justice Committee, and noted plagiarist, Raymond McCartney complained that “David Ford’s department [of Justice] is like Jurassic Park.” …if Sinn Féin aren’t happy with David Ford as Northern Ireland Justice Minister then they, and the DUP, can always find someone else to agree on… They, both parties, have to agree on someone …

NI Water: Another Chief Executive resignation?

Pete Baker on November 2, 2011, 3:41 pm

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The BBC’s Jim Fitzpatrick reports that NI Water Chief Executive, Trevor Haslett, has “signalled that he wants to leave and return to private consultancy”. Haslett has been in the post for almost 10 months, after stepping into the vacancy caused by the defenestration of former Chief Executive Lawrence MacKenzie. From the BBC report NI Water was created as a state-owned company in 2004 with Ms Bryan at the helm and its structure suggested that it would ultimately be privatised. But the devolved government …

NI Auditor General: “This pattern has continued in 2010-11.”

Pete Baker on October 25, 2011, 4:24 pm

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Last year the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland, Kieran Donnelly, qualified “a larger number of [NI Executive department’s] accounts than usual” and highlighted his concern “that there [were] significant problems within the registered housing association sector in Northern Ireland.” As the NIAO press release notes, “This pattern has continued in 2010-11”. Six out of the nineteen NI Executive departmental resource accounts have received qualified audit opinions. The full report is available here. BBC NI business correspondent, Kevin Magee, notes what the report has …