Government moving ahead with Troubles ‘history’ plan
John Breslin, Irish News, April 10th, 2025
Concern over ‘official history’ of British government policy during Troubles
PLANS for a UK-government driven “official history” of its actions during the Troubles are moving ahead despite continued criticism.
The project, first announced by the previous Conservative government just ahead of the legacy act provisions coming into force, will involve five historians appointed amid promises of full access to UK state records from near three decades of conflict.
However, Marie Coleman, a Queen’s University 20th century Irish history professor, said she is “highly dubious about the belief that the historians will have access to everything” among the still secret state papers.
“And even if they do, will this be privileged access just for them?
If so, how can others check the veracity of the research outputs?” she added.
“This is central to the ethical basis of the scheme and this remains unclear.”
Secretary of State Hilary Benn announced his government is pressing ahead with the “official history” at a visit to The National Archives at Kew in London.
He also said the digitisation of currently publicly available records is ongoing, with the first going online late this year.
‘Full access’ to state archives
On the other project, the historians will be appointed to research UK government policy towards Northern Ireland during the Troubles, the Northern Ireland Office said, adding “they will be given full access to UK state archives”.
The project, which was described as a public history when announced last year, is not directly linked to any legislation, including the legacy act.
Mr Benn said: “I am pleased to support work by The National Archives to digitise and publish key records relating to this complex period in our history.
“I am also grateful to members of the academic advisory panel for lending their expertise to the important archival research project, and I have every confidence that they will ensure it is conducted to the highest academic standards. Their first task will be to identify highly qualified and independently-minded historians.”
Daniel Holder, director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, described the “official history” as “a highly discredited initiative of the last Tory government linked to the legacy act”.
“Far from changing course [yesterday’s] NIO statement implies that the Labour government are going to just press ahead with it,” he said.
“When CAJ and academic colleagues met with [a then Conservative minister] we asked what the purpose of the official history was.
“His response was that the British government was entitled to put forward its version of history.”
He added: “Whilst the digitalisation of open UK government records can improve accessibility and to be welcomed, it does not address broader questions of disclosure of official records from files in legacy cases where government seems intent in maintaining some sort of ministerial national security veto.”
Copyright issues
Prof Coleman further noted any copyright on published work will be retained by the crown.
“This has implications for the intellectual property of any researchers engaged in the project,” she said.
“At the very least any researcher contemplating applying for the roles advertised would be well advised to request clarification on how the ethical process will operate and on the extent to which they will retain any intellectual property over their own research on this project.”
She welcomed the digitisation of the open records.
PSNI delays ‘cruel’ blow to 90-year-old widow of murdered RUC officer
Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, April 10th, 2025
Sergeant Joseph Campbell was killed as he locked up outside Cushendall RUC station in Co Antrim in February 1977
THE son of an RUC officer shot dead by loyalists has said a PSNI decision to halt disclosure in Troubles cases for six months is a “cruel” blow to his 90-year-old mother.
Sergeant Joseph Campbell was killed as he locked up outside Cushendall RUC station in Co Antrim in February 1977.
The gun attack has previously been linked to the Glenanne Gang, which included members of the RUC, UDR and UVF.
Mr Campbell’s inquest continued despite the introduction of the Legacy Act last year after a coroner “provisionally determined” it could continue as a “non-legacy inquest”.
Staff diverted to Omagh Inquiry
During a review hearing yesterday, coroner Patrick McGurgan, who is also a County Court judge, was told that the PSNI has stopped providing sensitive material to the inquest and other cases for at least six months as officials work on the Omagh Bombing Inquiry.
The Real IRA bomb attack claimed the lives of 29 people and two unborn babies when a car bomb exploded in the centre of Omagh in August 1998.
Mr McGurgan questioned why the Omagh Bomb inquiry has been given “priority” over an inquest into the murder of an RUC man almost 50 years ago.
A lawyer for the PSNI told the court the PSNI had been “required to make extremely difficult decisions about the allocation of available resources”.
He added that Chief Constable Jon Boutcher had directed as of March 10 this year “all available researchers with the necessary skills and credentials to undertake sensitive research of the kind required to respond” to the inquiry’s request “would be directed to that line of work”.
He added it was the “PSNIs experience that they do not have enough resources to deal with the demands placed upon it in relation to legacy related work”.
Inadequate resources
Mr Campbell’s 90-year-old widow Rosemary was watching proceedings remotely with her daughter.
After the hearing her son, also Joe Campbell, spoke about the latest obstacle faced by his family.
“We are disappointed that ten years after an inquest was recommended we are again at an impasse, not of our making, the result of which is that there is a further, unknown, delay,” she said.
“My mother is in her 91st year and it is cruel beyond belief that 48 years after her husband’s murder, she is no nearer to the truth.”
Addressing a PSNI barrister, Mr McGurgan asked what will happen after the six month period is up.
“What I want to know is that now that the chief constable is creating a bottleneck after six months, what’s the plan moving forward then?
The coroner also raised questions over why the Omagh inquiry was being given priority.
“I also don’t know why the inquiry is getting priority over the inquests, but that’s maybe not my debate,” he said.
Aidan McGowan, barrister for the Campbell family, said “they are anxious and distressed at the length of time that the process is taking, particularly in light of what is now being proposed”.
“Whenever the Legacy Act and other legacy cases and inquests fell away, it had been hoped that would necessarily speed things up in relation to this inquest.
“It now appears to be the case that the opposite is happening, and things are now going backwards.”
The lawyer suggested that the PSNI position was being presented to the coroner as a “fait accompli and as a decision that has already been made unilaterally by the chief constable”.
“In our submission it is not a fait accompli, it is a decision for you to make,” he added.
Terms of £2.5 million deal to fix Stormont’s leaky roof Confidential
Andrew Madden, Belfast Telegraph, April 10th, 2025
Stormont has reached a “full and final” confidential financial settlement with two firms over repairs to the roof of Parliament Buildings, it has emerged.
Preparatory remedial work on the roof of Parliament Buildings is still taking place, with the final bill expected to reach almost £2.5m.
The leaking roof at Stormont has been an issue plaguing staff and MLAs for years. It has got so bad buckets have had to be placed in some parts of the building on occasion to catch falling water and prevent accidents.
Back in 2014, work lasting a year in a bid to fix the problem once and for all began, but it wasn't completely successful. This work cost an estimated £5.4m, and a further £1.4m was spent up until August 2021.
It emerged in September 2022 that legal proceedings were issued by the Assembly Commission against Hamilton Architects LLP and Tracey Brothers Ltd, who worked on the repair job, for negligence, breach of statutory duty and breach of contract.
At the centre of the dispute was who was ultimately responsible for the leaks.
Now the commission has confirmed the case has been settled, with the terms confidential. The settlement happened in January, but only came to light recently.
A commission spokesperson said: “The costs of remedial work to address issues in the roof arising from work carried out by the previous contractor should be considered in the context that the Assembly Commission was pleased with the outcome of a full and final confidential financial settlement which was reached in January 2025.
“Scaffolding was erected to make both the inner courtyards and rear parapet safe and to carry out investigatory works to enable full scoping of the roof repairs. The scaffolding will also be required for upcoming roof repairs which will take place in two phases.”
Costs soaring
The spokesperson said not all invoices relating to the remedial work have been received and the costs to date for the roof repairs have been estimated to be £141,248 for scaffolding and £59,030 in professional fees.
“The estimated total repair costs for the roof are £2.453m,” they added.
“Routine maintenance tasks are taking place, such as replacing boiler room pumps, fixing faulty taps, repairing broken radiator valves, and replacing damaged tiles. This financial year, a total of £141,755 has been spent on repairs and maintenance.”
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said: “The problem with Stormont's roof is a saga which predates my arrival in the Assembly and something Jim Allister was probing with Assembly authorities over a number of years.
“As I understand it, there were serious issues with water ingress with buckets littering the fourth floor of the building in order to collect it. There was a long-running legal dispute about who was liable for the damage.”
Mr Gaston said he was “perturbed” earlier this month when he asked how much of the cost of the remedial work was being paid by the original contractors hired and how much was being covered by the public purse and was told the settlement is “confidential” and “subject to legal privilege”.
“There is potentially a substantial sum of taxpayer money involved here and should that be the case I want to get to the bottom of it. That is why I have tabled a number of follow-up questions to the Commission. Last year the [Belfast] Telegraph reported that the project was costing several million,” he said.
The Commission was asked by this newspaper if the financial settlement by the contractors will cover the total repair cost, or if the public purse will have to cover any shortfall.
No answers
A spokesperson for the Assembly confirmed that while a settlement had been reached with Hamilton Architects LLP and Tracey Brothers Ltd “in respect of defects in work carried out to the roof of Parliament Buildings”, it had been “settled on confidential terms following a judge-led mediation in January 2025”.
“An agreement on costs formed part of the settlement agreement which has been filed with the High Court,” they added.
“As the terms of that settlement agreement are full, final and confidential, they do not allow for any further detail to be provided.”
“The Assembly Commission is pleased to conclude this matter and is now focussed on repairing the roof of Parliament Buildings.”
Given that Parliament Buildings has Grade A listed status, the Commission has the responsibility of maintaining it to a high standard.
The DUP's Keith Buchanan previously said the building, at times, looked like “Steptoe's house” — a reference to the dilapidated home in the 1960s/70s British sitcom Steptoe and Son.
Both Hamilton Architects LLP and Tracey Brothers Ltd were contacted for comment.
Speaking to MLAs last week, Assembly Commission member Andy Allen said it had “initially hoped to reach a settlement with the original contractors to repair the roof while avoiding legal proceedings”.
He said: “Unfortunately, the commencement of legal proceedings was unavoidable, and the Assembly Commission is pleased to have reached a full and final settlement in that regard.”
Deprivation levels of 25% in NI much higher than rest of UK, study reveals
Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph, April 10th, 2024
RESEARCH COULD HELP CASE FOR MORE CASH FROM TREASURY
Deprivation is much higher in Northern Ireland than in any other part of the UK, according to new research by Queen's University.
Two local authorities here — Derry and Strabane, and Belfast — have more deprived areas than any of the other 374 local authorities in Britain.
The study strengthens the argument that a legitimate case can continue to be made to the Government to increase public spending in Northern Ireland, although the Treasury has so far shown no sign of being prepared to shift from its current position.
Researchers compared census data on deprivation by employment, education and health across the UK.
Northern Ireland has the highest level of the most deprived areas in the UK at 25%. It was followed by the North East of England at 21%, and the West Midlands in third place on 16.5%.
The researchers also examined health deprivation with the data self-reported by those responding to the census.
Health deprivation was particularly high in Northern Ireland, with 28% of areas ranked among the most deprived by poor health across the UK. Scotland was next at 23% followed by North East England at 16%.
Levels of health deprivation were lowest in London which had only 1.5% of areas ranked most deprived by poor health. The level was also low in the East of England at 3%.
Education deprivation — people with no qualifications as a percentage of all those over 16 — was highest in Northern Ireland at 27%, with Yorkshire and the Humber ranked second at 19%.
First detailed look at regional variations
The study was led by Professor Christopher Lloyd from the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen's. “Our research shows, for the first time, how deprivation by employment, education and health vary within and between the four nations of the UK,” he said.
“This type of analysis is important for everyone in our society as it allows us to see how our local authority areas are affected by deprivation and how this compares to other areas in the UK.”
“The insights are critical for informing public policy. Our study will allow policymakers to make a case for funding or to better direct resources given knowledge of how their areas compare to other areas within their region, within their nation, or the UK as a whole.”
The Queen's researchers used 2021 census data from England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 census data from Scotland. The project was funded by the Nuffield Foundation with the University of Leeds and deprivation.org involved as key partners.
Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick of Ulster University said the research showed the depressing reality of life for many in Northern Ireland.
“Unfortunately, nothing in this research is surprising,” she said. “Deprivation is high here because of the lack of investment in public services.
“We see that every day, particularly in health. It is so hard for people to even access their GP. Health inequalities are widening. People in the most deprived areas have shorter lifespans than those elsewhere.
“Now we are seeing cuts to disability benefits imposed on top of all this. We know they will hurt deprived areas the most.”
Disconnect between Stormont and communities
Dr Fitzpatrick said that residents of these areas had become forgotten communities. “They are voiceless. They have no bargaining power or ability to turn things around.
“There is a huge disconnect between these communities and our politicians in Stormont,” she added.
Dr Fitzpatrick said she was concerned there was a “sense of resignation” among Northern Ireland's political leaders to the cuts and the current financial situation.
“I'm worried that they aren't doing enough to get a better deal for us from the Treasury,” she said. “It seems as if we're trying to just potter along as always, and there's no sense of urgency.
“It's the same old story. Since devolution, they've experienced disappointment after disappointment, and cut after cut. It's time we stopped talking about the problem and actually did something significant for these communities.”
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said: “Years of political instability, inaction and ineptitude have led to obscene levels of poverty and deprivation across the north.
“Private rents are spiralling faster here than in Britain, while wages stagnate or fall in real terms. Those who can't afford to pay for private healthcare deteriorate or die while languishing on waiting lists.
“To add insult to injury, the Labour Government is waging war on the sick and disabled with a fresh round of austerity.
“Inexplicably, the Communities Minister has decided to focus his efforts on naming and shaming people convicted of benefit fraud, rather than making plans to mitigate Labour's cuts to PIP and Universal Credit.”
Mr Carroll called on the Executive to urgently publish a funded, evidence-based anti-poverty strategy based on objective need. “This is the bare minimum that working-class communities deserve,” he added.
Language street policy could make Belfast the most confusing city in the world
Paul Ainsworth, Irish News, April 10th, 2025
BELFAST’S “ludicrous” street sign policy that has seen applications for signage in Japanese, Mandarin and Hebrew could lead to the city being “the most confusing in the world”, it has been warned.
A DUP councillor has hit out further at Belfast City Council’s bilingual signs process after it emerged seven applications have been made for signs to feature a language other than Irish and Ulster Scots.
The controversial policy was adopted in 2022, making it much easier for residents of streets to trigger a consultation process among their neighbours on whether they support having bilingual signage.
Hundreds of streets have already seen signs featuring Irish alongside English installed, while 161 applications have now been made for Ulster Scots, but the process has been criticised by unionists due to the low thresholds required for both the process to begin, and for the final decision on signs.
One resident can trigger renaming
Just one resident or councillor can trigger a consultation, compared to the 33.3% of residents needed under the previous policy.
Before 2022, 66.6% of a street’s residents were required to back the new sign before it was installed, but now just 15% need to agree before the council agrees. All applications are subject to an equality assessment.
Through the policy, consultations could now take place asking residents if they want Japanese to feature on signs in two streets – Kings Road in east Belfast, and Chichester Gardens in the north of the city – following applications.
Consultations on ‘Chinese Mandarin’ and ‘Chinese’ could take place in Kilbroney Bend in south Belfast and east Belfast’s Severn Street.
An application for ‘Chinese’ has already been rejected for North Parade, where a bilingual sign with Irish had already been installed.
In south Belfast, two applications have been made for Hebrew at Tates Avenue, and Ebor Street in the loyalist Village area – a street where an application for an Irish/English bilingual sign has been deferred.
The council has said all dual language signage applications “are dealt with in the order they are received and may be subject to a survey of the occupiers of premises in the street if they progress through to this stage”.
‘Ridiculous’
A local DUP councillor said the applications highlight how “ridiculous” the policy is.
Botanic councillor Tracy Kelly, who represents the Village area, said: “What are we going to be like? We could be the most confusing city in the world with street signs if some applications met the threshold.
“This policy is a ridiculous waste of money, and my belief is that we shouldn’t be changing any street signs from English at all.
“As a council we need to go back to basics and focus on what ratepayers need, and not waste money like this. It costs money for council officers behind the scenes to carry out surveys, and it costs time when bringing the applications before committees and ratifying them at full council.”
Ms Kelly added that under the current policy, “you can’t blame people” for possibly highlighting its flaws through applications that are unlikely to receive the support of neighbours.
“If this is the policy we are faced with, then under it people have the right to do that,” she said.
“This is divisive – no-one has a problem with people using a language, Irish, or anything else, but we are implementing a policy that is clearly ludicrous and will be detrimental to ratepayers.”
Arlene Foster concerned at 'sectarianised' road names. What country has she been living in?
John Laverty, Belfast Telegraph, April 10th, 2025
It wasn't a good time to be a sensitive, dyed in the wool unionist. Firstly, that Irish language malarkey at Belfast's Grand Central Station and then — horror of horrors — GAA president Jarlath Burns supposedly attempting to claim one of Northern Ireland's main roads as his own.
Or, to quote Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee — aka Arlene — on X, the former Armagh Gaelic football captain “sectarianised” the A5 when he said: “It is a GAA road, if you want to call it that, because Tyrone's main GAA centre is on it.”
Eh? I'm not sure what Jarlath Francis Francis Burns (yes, really) meant by that, and I'm not convinced anyone else did either. He may “want to call it that”, but he might be the only one.
Funnily enough, the absurdity reminded me of a comedy sketch which had the late Robbie Coltrane's 'Mason Boyne' Orangeman character explaining that “the Pope is evil because 'pope' spelt backwards is 'epop' which, like 'evil', is a four-letter word beginning with 'e'”. Indeed.
Predictably, Burns' peculiar claim (uttered outside the Belfast Court of Appeal where Tyrone landowners were challenging the A5's £2bn upgrade) caused “outrage” on a par with world leaders' condemnation of another president, Donald (Truss) Trump, after he'd attempted to emulate former PM Liz's disastrously unhinged economic strategy.
Ulster Unionist MLA Diana Armstrong described Burns' remark as “inflammatory” and “unhelpful” while railing against those “marking out territories with flags and emblems” (something the GAA chief clearly wasn't doing).
She also described the comment as being “deeply insensitive to those of the 57 people who lost their lives {on the A5 since 2006} who are from other traditions” (pretty sure that wasn't Jarlath's intention either, although his words were, at best, clumsy).
Driving Rights
With the snowball now well and truly rolling, the DUP's Deborah Erskine delivered another rhetorical zinger: “Is the head of the GAA suggesting only GAA members will be allowed to drive on the new A5?”
Yes, Deborah, a leading sports administrator was obviously suggesting we invoke a new apartheid state in which only Gaels like him get to cruise along a 53-mile stretch of asphalt.
But it was Ms Erskine's predecessor as the DUP's Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA who brought the 's' word into proceedings.
Where have you been living, Arlene?
There aren't many places in the world that have their roads more “sectarianised” already than Northern Ireland, as the former First Minister and DUP leader is no doubt well aware.
There's an obvious reason why the Shankill and Falls Roads are world famous, and it's got nothing to do with their legendary 19th century linen mills.
Belfast peace walls older than Berlin’s
Without these bastions of religious bigotry and sectarianism, there'd be no need for peace walls that have now existed even longer than the one that used to partition Berlin.
Ironically, there are even more of these in the post-Good Friday Agreement era than during the conflict, and they were still being erected up until 2018; whatever happened OFMDFM's big plan to get rid of them all by 2023?
Of course, they'd have been levelled already had residents living nearby wanted that, but not enough of them said they could do without their concrete safety blankets, much to the delight of countless 'Troubles tourists'. You can add the Springfield, Crumlin, Antrim, Lower Shore, Limestone, Cavehill, Woodvale, Whitewell, Lower Ormeau, Donegall, Stewartstown, Albertbridge and Lower Newtownards to the list of Belfast roads that were, to various degrees, 'sectarianised' in our blood-soaked past.
And while you're at it, throw in the Dungiven Road in Derry, Lurgan's Tandragee Road and Portadown's Corcrain and Garvaghy.
The latter, notoriously-contested thoroughfare in Co Armagh is not to be confused with the Garvaghey Centre of Excellence between Omagh and Ballygawley, the place Mr Burns was alluding to when bringing up what we can now cheekily describe as the 'GAA5' linking Donegal to Monaghan via Tyrone.
This is no laughing matter, however, for the Gaelic Athletic Association itself which, as I discovered during my days as a sports editor, is ultra-sensitive to any level of criticism.
And last week's jungle drum-stirring remark by its president, inadvertent and patently non-sectarian as it was, led to predictable jibes that this is further proof the GAA is merely the nationalist equivalent of the Orange Order.
It's a stick often used to beat them with, but also a classic example of the crass, lazy and erroneous equivalence residing in some people's minds.
If you're thinking of going down that particular road (so to speak) why not check out the Ancient Order of Hibernians website instead?
It states that Ancient Order of Hibernians membership “is confined to men 16 years and older who are practising Roman Catholics of Irish birth or descent”.
But one thing that's never discriminatory is the soulless, compassionless A5.
As Angela O'Neill (who lost her beloved 72-year-old mother Kathleen McGarvey to that death-trap highway) said that day at the Court of Appeal: “You've got people from all ages and backgrounds who are just making their way to work, living their regular life like my mum.
“And they go out the door one minute — and then they're gone...”
Ratepayers see limited benefits from Super Councils reforms after 10 years
John Manley, Political Correspondent, Irish News, April 10th, 2025
THE former minister in charge of reorganising the north’s councils a decade ago has said it is “yet another example of Stormont’s failure to deliver on potential”.
Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan was environment minister in 2015 overseeing what was billed as “the biggest shake-up in local government for a generation”.
But 10 years on he told The Irish News that it was “hard for ratepayers to see and feel the benefits of local government reform when they are being asked to pay increased rates”.
A report at the time from consultants PWC forecast savings of £438 million over 25 years by merging the region’s 26 local authorities into 11 and reducing the number of councillors from 582 to 420.
However, analysis last year from the Department of Communities (DfC) concluded that councils’ overall costs have risen by 7.8% in the past decade.
Yet according to the body that represents the region’s 11 councils, local government has “experienced a decade of significant transformation, leading to an era of enhanced efficiency, transparency, and accountability” and “redefined governance across the region”.
Nilga – the Northern Ireland Local Government Association – declined to put forward a representative for interview, instead issuing a statement in which it said “reorganisation streamlined governance and created cost efficiencies”.
Mr Durkan said the failure to realise the benefits of local government reform “isn’t solely down to the councils themselves” but that the Stormont executive needed to burden some of the blame for “failure to deliver on this promise by properly supporting them”.
“Sadly the reform of local government is yet another example of Stormont’s failure to deliver on potential,” he said.
“Reform should have resulted in more efficiency, better services and financial savings, but this opportunity has been squandered.”
The SDLP MLA said councils had “left picking up the tab and covering for Stormont’s short changing and shortsightedness”.
“It’s hard for ratepayers to see and feel the benefits of local government reform when they are being asked to pay increased rates, while problems with key services like planning grow and local facilities are left to rot,” he said.
Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen said the Department for Communities’ ‘Impact of local government reform on service delivery and cost effectiveness’ offered useful insights into the experiences of councils since the reforms but also highlighted “notable limitations”.
“As the report itself acknowledges, the lack of standardised reporting metrics and baseline data makes it difficult to accurately measure cost-effectiveness or draw firm conclusions,” he said.
“It is important to recognise the work and commitment of councillors and local government staff, but we must also be honest about the gaps in the evidence base.”
Mr Allen said ratepayers deserved “clarity and accountability”.
“If we are to truly build on the foundations of reform, we must ensure that councils are delivering value for money, meeting the needs of our communities, and continually improving public services in a way that is both measurable and transparent,” he said.
Sadly the reform of local government is yet another example of Stormont’s failure to deliver on potential. Reform should have resulted in more efficiency, better services and financial savings, but this opportunity has been squandered
