Operation Kenova: Taoiseach calls for SF apology over ‘harrowing’ PIRA actions
By PA Reporter, Belfast News Letter, February 11th, 2026
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has called for Sinn Fein to apologise for the Provisional IRA’s actions as detailed in the Operation Kenova report.
Irish Labour leader Ivana Bacik said she supported the Taoiseach’s call and asked for time to be set aside in the Dail for a “meaningful” apology to the victims of the Provisional IRA and of Stakeknife.
The Operation Kenova probe examined the activities of Stakeknife, a mole operating within the Provisional IRA’s Internal Security Unit in the 1980s, and found he was linked to at least 14 murders and 15 abductions, concluding that more lives were probably lost than saved through the operation of the agent.
It was unable to confirm Stakeknife’s identity in its final report in December after the British government refused its authorisation to do so.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the Kenova probe found that Stakeknife was implicated in “grotesque and serious crimes” as well as “harrowing” and “shocking” acts by the Provisional IRA
The British government has been repeatedly called on to formally name Stakeknife, widely believed to be west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci, who was 77 when he died in 2023.
In the Irish parliament on Wednesday, Mr Martin, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and other TDs gave statements in relation to the revelations from Operation Kenova.
Mr Martin said that while the details were “uncomfortable”, he said “the past must not be hidden”.
He said: “The identity of Stakeknife is clear to everybody here, and I’ve previously said that the agent should be officially named by the United Kingdom government, particularly because of his close relationship with those who like to refer to themselves as the republican movement.”
Naming Scappaticci in the Dail parliament, Mr Martin said the Kenova probe found the agent was implicated in “grotesque and serious crimes” as well as “harrowing” and “shocking” acts by the Provisional IRA.
He said: “Setting out the activities of Stakeknife, it sheds essential light on the harrowing pain and loss caused to individuals, to their families and through the systematic exercise of terror to communities at large by the Provisional IRA.
“We should have an apology from Sinn Fein in respect of the activities of the Provisional IRA, as documented in this report, it’s long past time for that apology and renunciation of what happened to occur.”
Mr O’Callaghan said that allegations had surrounded Stakeknife for years and said there was a “perverse form of collusion” from British intelligence in relation to Stakeknife.
He said: “Kenova has exposed the nature and extent of the collusion that took place in relation to Freddie Scappaticci.
“Kenova expressed caution about the careless use of the term collusion, but there can be no doubt that collusion took place in relation to Stakeknife.
“It was a perverse form of collusion in which the interests of British intelligence and their efforts to protect their informant at the heart of the Provisional IRA coalesced with the Provisional IRA’s own murderous and illegitimate actions to judge and savagely punish those it deemed a threat to its aims.”
Republican leadership has never apologised to Scappaticci victims
Ms Bacik said Operation Kenova made clear that neither the IRA nor the republican leadership have apologised to the victims of Scappaticci and the IRA’s interior Internal Security Unit.
She said: “Operation Kenova recommended that the republican leadership apologise for the Provisional IRA’s abduction, torture and murder of those accused or suspected of being agents, and that they acknowledge the harm and intimidation suffered by victims and bereaved families.
“The Taoiseach earlier called for Sinn Fein to make an apology in this vein, and I support that call.
“I’m asking, will the government make time in the Dail for such a statement to be made here? It should be a clear and meaningful apology specifically to the victims of the Provisional IRA’s campaign, specifically to the victims killed as a result of Freddie Scappaticci’s actions.”
However, other opposition parties criticised the Government’s attention on Sinn Fein.
People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett said: “I just find it interesting that the government’s entire focus in this debate seems to be to score political points against Sinn Fein, rather than to be concerned about the profound implications of the fact that the British state was running an agent like Scappaticci, who was involved in killing people, abducting people.”
A sentiment echoed by Aontu’s Peadar Tobin who told Mr O’Callaghan: “There is an instinct, especially amongst your party leader at times, to focus on IRA actions rather than British actions.
“And I think at times, there’s more political benefits in the coffins that have been created by the IRA then the coffins that have been created by the British government and I think that’s wrong”.
Glenanne Gang
The Taoiseach also called for the Denton report, which reviewed a series of attacks carried out by loyalists with involvement by some members of the security forces in the 1970s known as the Glenanne Gang, to be published in full.
“It is deeply regrettable that the full publication of the Denton report is not available and has been delayed,” he said.
“The summary remains important and offers critical official recognition that a network of loyalist paramilitaries and corrupt members of the security forces, primarily members of the UVF, working with members of both the RUC and UDR, murdered up to 120 people, among them those killed in Dublin and Monaghan in May of 1974.
“It is also the case that suspected unknown collusion by the individuals, which is now confirmed in this report, had a corrosive effect on confidence in wider State forces, to the detriment of all.
“What we see in Kenova is British state forces’ collusion with the Provisional IRA, and in the Denton summary British state forces’ collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.
“In both cases, this led to extensive loss of lives and enabled intimidation across communities and across this island.”
Taoiseach names Freddie Scappaticci in the Dáil as former British agent Stakeknife
Martin says identity of spy was ‘clear to everybody here’ and that he should be officially named by the UK government
The Taoiseach, speaking in the Dáil, has named Freddie Scappaticci as the former British agent known as Stakeknife. Video: Oireachtas TV
Sarah Burns, Irish Times, February 11th, 2026
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has named the former British agent Stakeknife as Freddie Scappaticci in the Dáil on Wednesday.
Martin said the identity of Stakeknife was “clear to everybody here” and that he should be officially named by the British government, particularly because of his close relationship “with those who like to refer to themselves as the republican movement”.
“It is widely known that Stakeknife was Freddie Scappaticci,” he told the chamber on Wednesday afternoon.
He added: “We should have an apology from Sinn Féin in respect of the activities of the Provisional IRA as documented in this report. It is long past time for that apology and renunciation of what happened to occur.”
Scappaticci was 77 when he died in 2023.
The Fianna Fáil leader was speaking during statements on the report of Operation Kenova, an investigation into potential criminal offences committed by the agent known as Stakeknife.
Martin outlined how Scappaticci was recruited by the British army and was a “prized informant” between the late 1970s and 1990s.
“During this period, the British army dedicated a 24-hour phone line within its intelligence section to his calls,” he said.
“Throughout this time, Stakeknife was implicated in what were by any measure, grotesque and serious crimes committed for and with the provisional IRA, and this included 14 murders and the abductions of 15 individuals.
“The details uncovered by the investigation are harrowing, pointing towards shocking acts by the Provisional IRA, including torture, inhumane and degrading treatment and murder, to quote from the Kenova report itself.”
At least 14 murders and 15 abductions
Operation Kenova, an investigation that examined the activities of Stakeknife, who has been linked to at least 14 murders and 15 abductions, concluded that more lives were probably lost than saved through the operation of the agent.
The brutal crimes of IRA double agent Freddie Scappaticci
However, it was unable to confirm Stakeknife’s identity in its final report in December after the UK government refused its authorisation to do so.
Martin said the Kenova investigation extensively documented the “fact that MI5 had sight of Stakeknife’s role within the Provisional IRA” and its internal security unit, and were “involved from the outset in briefing Stakeknife through the force research unit of the British army”.
“In setting out the activities of Stakeknife, it sheds essential light on the harrowing pain and loss caused to individuals, to their families, and through the systematic exercise of terror, to communities at large by the Provisional IRA,” he added.
“It shows the complicity of British state forces in allowing this to happen.”
The Taoiseach said many of the details of the Operation Kenova report were “uncomfortable” and relate to “a terrible period in the history of our island”.
“But my position, the position of my party and the position of the Government as a whole is that the past must not be hidden,” he said.
Fred Scappaticci pictured in Belfast in 2003
“It must not be allowed to be a forum where different groups present not just their own narrative on the past, but also their own set of facts.”
Speaking at the outset of her statement, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said: “I wish to say this clearly and directly: to all those that suffered such grievous loss, I am sorry for all the lives lost during the conflict and for the hurt and loss endured without exception.
“Those words reflect a genuine sense of sorrow and regret for everyone who was hurt and harmed during those years of violence.
“By that I mean civilians, combatants and families whose lives were forever changed.”
McDonald said the findings of the Kenova report were “stark and deeply disturbing” and that “a senior British agent was involved in killings”.
“The British state knew and it protected him, and it allowed violence to continue in order to preserve operational advantage.”
The Dublin Central TD said the report confirmed that “collusion was not an aberration but a defining feature of British state policy during the conflict”.
‘A serial killer protected and paid by the British state’
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said Scappatici was a “serial killer” who was protected to the same level as the British Royal Family in some instances.
Bacik said she welcomed the fact “that we’re naming him here in this House” and speaking openly about his activities. She said to this day, neither the “IRA nor the Republican leadership” have issued an apology to Scappaticci’s victims.
The Dublin Bay South TD said she backed a call by the Taoiseach for Sinn Féin to make an apology.
“We all know that he [Stakeknife] killed, abducted, tortured and maimed. He was, in effect, a serial killer,” she said.
“He was a serial killer protected and even paid by the British state to terrorise and murder his own community - all done under the direction of the self-appointed, so-called Army Council of the Provisional IRA.”
In response to the Dáil remarks, a UK government spokesman described the behaviour outlined in Operation Kenova’s final report as “deeply disturbing” and said it “should not have happened”.
“The Government is not yet in a position to formally respond to the request by Operation Kenova to name Stakeknife as there remains ongoing litigation, and consideration of the recent judgment in the Thompson Supreme Court case,” referring to a case in which the UK’s highest court upheld a UK government appeal against a decision to release sensitive security information.
“The Secretary of State has committed to updating Parliament on the matter as soon as he is able to,” the spokesman added.
Hanna: Stormont isn't a soft play area for politicians... it must work
NIAMH CAMPBELL, Belfast Telegraph, February 11th, 2026
SDLP LEADER CALLS ON ASSEMBLY TO USE ITS POWER TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES HERE
Claire Hanna has denied that the Assembly is a “soft play centre for politicians” and doesn't believe a united Ireland is “inevitable”.
On The BelTel podcast this week, the SDLP leader accused some parties of claiming “sunshine and rainbows” when it comes to getting motions passed in Stormont — when the reality is a lot more slow-paced and inconsequential, she said.
“We've had two years of non-binding motions and the parties sometimes treat them like they're a big win,” she added.
“You'll see a graphic on social media about 'we've passed our motion on, you know, sunshine and rainbows' and everyone will go, 'Brilliant, does that mean the Assembly's bringing in sunshine and rainbows?'
“No, it doesn't. It simply means that everybody talked about it for two hours and agreed something, but it's not actual legislation and it's not tracked through in policy.
“Similarly, around this time last year, we had a big fanfare about the programme for government and doing what matters.
“And it wasn't exactly how I'd have written it. The SDLP produced its own plan for change, but it was at least a bit of a strategy.
“Do you ever hear anything more about it? No, you don't.
“And even the pretend: 'This is the draft multi-year budget' — those two documents bear no relation.
“So yes, I think the non-binding motions are used by parties to sort of position, articulate and put out a message on social media, but they are not actually connecting to the things they are using their power to do.
“The Assembly isn't just a soft play centre for politicians. It's supposed to be about using the power and the substantial financial resource that the Assembly and the Executive have to change people's lives, and that's not happening.
Weeks go by with no legislation
“The non-binding motions, we've spent two years talking about them sometimes. Weeks go past in the Assembly with no actual legislation.
“But what you'll now find — because the election is next May, so the Assembly will wind up in about March — you're going to see tonnes of legislation in the next few months. It's going to have to be scrutinised kind of at speed and mistakes will be made.
“So, it's frustrating that the first two years were spent, as I say, positioning, articulating, essentially creating wee videos for social media to tell everybody how great you are and not actually using the power.”
The South Belfast MP also disagrees with the concept that a united Ireland is “inevitable”. It's a word that has been used in regard to the constitutional question by both the Irish President Catherine Connolly, and DUP founding member, Wallace Thompson.
“No, I don't think it's inevitable,” Ms Hanna added.
“I wouldn't use the word inevitable. I think it is A) desirable, B) possible, C) likely, and something that we're actively working for.
“But no, it's not inevitable change. It has to be built, and it has to be built properly.
“Anybody who tells you that demographics will get you there and you don't have to do any work, who just talks about the mobilisation part of it and not the persuasion and the preparation, I think is doing the issue a disservice.
“My starting point is the status quo is not working for us. Stormont needs to work in the here and now, because this isn't going to happen tomorrow.”
Unit set up to improve public services has met one minister
CONOR COYLE, Irish News, February 11th, 2026
‘Serious questions over whether Unit is doing job it was set up to do’
A STORMONT ‘Delivery Unit’ has been accused of a lack of delivery as it has met just Lone Executive minister in its seven-month existence.
The unit was set up last July as part of a commitment in the Programme for Government “to ensure the Executive’s priorities get the focus needed to bring about lasting change and improvement”.
While the First and Deputy First Ministers have defended the record – of the unit and claimed all ministers in the Executive have engaged with it, a Freedom of Information response provided to The Irish News has re-vealed just one meeting has been held between the body and a minister in seven months on December 2. The Executive Office (TEO) would not confirm which minister the unit met with, but it’s understood it was not health minister Mike Nesbitt, despite the first priority of the new body being publicised as tackling health waiting lists.
The Irish News requested minutes of meetings held between the unit and Executive ministers, however, TEO withheld them, saying it needed to “protect the policy-making process and preserve a safe space for ministers and officials to discuss live policy issues.”
The Delivery Unit was set up after a commitment was laid out in the Programme for Government in February last year, which said the body would be “at the heart of gov ernment” and “will take decisions to ensure a relentless focus on innovation and efficiency in service delivery and build a culture where reform and transformation can thrive”.
Appearing in front of TEO’s scrutiny committee last week, the deputy first minister defended the record of the Delivery Unit since it was estab-lished. Ms Little-Pengelly said the de-partment receives “regular engage ment and updates” on its progress.
“I think it’s best to understand what the delivery unit is. It is a unit within the Executive Office structure, it’s not a standalone outside of that.
“This is a unit which we have put in place to work directly to us. When you say what engagement do we have, we have very regular engage-ment and updates.
“It’s designed to be small and de-signed to be agile, it’s not going to do everything.
“But this is a unit that is designed to come in and support people, to take a look at a bit of an issue, to take a look at a problem and see can we find solutions.”
The DFM described the unit as one of the “small little tugboats” needed to improve public services in the north.
“It’s often said ‘how do you eat an elephant’ – you do it in small chunks. As Michelle and I have often said, to mix a metaphor, we have a huge ship in the harbour here that we need to turn around. How do we do that? Using the small little tugboats for things and issues that we can identify.”
Responding previously to an Assembly Question on the issue by SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin in November, the First and Deputy First Ministers said that “all ministers have engaged with the work of the Delivery Unit”.
Lack of engagement
Ms McLaughlin, who sits on the TEO committee, says the lack of direct engagement with ministers “raises serious questions about whether it is doing the job it was set up to do”.
The scrutiny committee heard last week that the Delivery Unit is not chaired by the First and Deputy First Ministers.
“The whole point of the Executive Delivery Unit was to drive progress across government. If it has only meaningfully engaged with one minister in seven months, that raises serious questions about whether it is doing the job it was set up to do,” the Foyle MLA said.
“We would not expect the First and Deputy First Minister to chair every meeting of the Delivery Unit, but it is standard practice for heads of government to engage with and chair these structures on a regular basis. That oversight matters.
“If the First and Deputy First Minister are not sufficiently involved in the work of the Delivery Unit, it risks becoming detached from the very priorities it is meant to drive forward.
“Perhaps the most damning verdict on this Unit is the continued failure of the Executive to deliver meaningfully on the priorities of people across Northern Ireland.”
Inability to stick to a decision adds to Stormont’s paralysis
JOHN MANLEY, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, Irish News, February 11th, 2026
ANALYSIS: Second ministerial climbdown in as many weeks doesn’t augur well for Executive’s ability to take tough decisions
FEW people will be familiar with Littorina littorea, the common periwinkle, or what’s colloquially known as a ‘wellic’. Yet this marine gastropod mollusc is behind the latest climbdown by a Stormont minister in the face of sectoral pressure.
It didn’t grab the headlines in the manner John O’Dowd’s pausing of the non-domestic rates revaluation did, but there are clear parallels in how it played out – minister makes decision before vested interests cry foul and force an immediate volte face.
It really doesn’t augur well if a government isn’t willing to take tough strategic decisions for fear of being criticised.
Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir on Monday revoked regulations limiting the gathering of periwinkles between January and April, just four days after adopting the regulations via a statutory rule.
The minister’s U-turn on a measure designed to safeguard stocks in the long-term was announced to the Assembly by a rather bewildered Carál Ní Chuilín, the principal deputy speaker, who after confirming the revocation of the Shellfish Gathering (Conservation) Regulations 2026, said: “I hope that that makes sense to somebody, because I have not got a clue.”
The implications made sense to the Northern Ireland Marine Taskforce, which is concerned about the sustainability of the periwinkle population given that some 400 tonnes are shipped to France every year.
Mr Muir’s decision followed a vote a week earlier by the agriculture and environment committee to rescind its previous support for a closed season on periwinkle picking, a sector that is said to worth around £3m annually, yet is entirely unregulated and relies to a large extent on cash-in-hand payments to gatherers.
There had been a consultation about the proposal to introduce a closed season on periwinkle picking in 2022. Engagement from the ‘industry’ was limited and 86% of respondents to the consultation supported the four-month ban.
400 tonnes
400 tonnes of periwinkles are exported from Northern Ireland to France every year
However, there has been a flurry of activity in recent weeks, culminating with the appearance in front of the Stormont committee of Paul Leeman of Bangor-based seafood wholesaler and retailer Seafresh, who argued the case for the status quo.
Mr Leeman told MLAs that gatherers had been given just 12 days’ notice of the closed season and that a ban would result in serious economic consequences. The Irish News has seen half-a-dozen standardised emails sent to committee chair Robbie Butler on the same day at the end last month with each one warning it would “severally (sic) impact me financially”.
The committee and the minister’s response may seem reasonable but like Mr O’Dowd’s climbdown it is not without its critics.
Since the finance minister made his hasty retreat on the non-domestic rates revaluation in the face of very public pressure from the hospitality sector, other representative organisations have raised concerns about the precedent it sets.
For instance, the regional head of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors said the U-turn “invites further political intervention into what is a rules-based and evidence-led process”.
Whether justified or not, Mr O’Dowd faced a barrage of criticism from his political rivals, many of whose representatives sit with him at the Executive table. Caution rather than courage is becoming the watchword for ministers and their advisers.
The complete absence of any collective responsibility and a tendency to politick and talk up the negative impact of each ministerial decision is one of the many reasons Stormont is failing – and failing the people it’s meant to represent.
Bands with loyalist paramilitary flags face PSNI scrutiny this summer
PSNI have received criticism over approach to controversial displays in the past
CONNLA YOUNG CRIME AND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, Irish News, February 11th, 2026
MARCHING bands that display loyalist paramilitary flags could be targeted by the PSNI after a senior officer said “failing to act” over controversial public displays is no longer an option for police.
Details of the policy shift were revealed by Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton during a meeting of the Policing Board last week.
The PSNI has previously come in for criticism over its approach to dealing with displays that glorify paramilitary groups.
Every year, thousands of flags are put up in loyalist and mixed districts, paying tribute to loyalist paramilitary groups, including the UVF and UDA.
Loyalist bands, many of which often take part in loyal order parades, often carry paramilitary-style displays, while some are openly supportive of proscribed organisations.
The day after Mr Singleton revealed details of the new policy, the PSNI issued an image of a man appearing to carry a UDA banner during an Apprentice Boys of Derry parade in the city last August.
It is understood he was part of a band that had travelled from east Belfast to take part in the Derry parade.
Police yesterday said the suspect has not been identified.
In recent weeks, the PSNI issued a ‘service instruction’ to officers outlining the new policy, which includes the order “not making a decision, doing nothing or failing to act is not an option”.
Elsewhere, the document has a section relating to the “carrying/ displaying of articles – proscribed organisation”.
It goes on to state that Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 “provides that it is a criminal offence for a person in a public place to carry or display an article ‘in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation’.”
“The offence is summary only and carries a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment,” the service instruction states.
The document also refers to Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which says it is an offence to invite or express support for a proscribed organisation.
The PSNI document also points out that where landowners are known, police should advise them about the presence of material.
The new instruction stipulates that any contact and requests for removal to an owner should be formally documented and “followed up in writing”.
It is also suggested that police should offer “to support removal by owner(s) or their agents/contractors” although the force will “retain operational discretion” around the level of support provided.
Under a section headed ‘operational response’, officers are told “it is our duty to conduct an investigation in respect of the circumstances where an offence is committed”.
Officers are reminded it is their “responsibility to conduct all reasonable lines of enquiry such as photography, CCTV checks, houseto-house enquiries and forensic opportunities.
Witness statements and “statement recording from anyone impacted by the display” are also emphasised.
Reference is also made to “body worn video utilisation” for “instances when it is ongoing”.
Police officers have also been told that “all decisions (including decisions not to act) should be fully recorded, along with their rationale”.
SDLP Policing Board spokesman Colin McGrath welcomed the PSNI policy change.
“The PSNI’s shift in approach is welcome, but it must be matched by a clear commitment from the department for Infrastructure and other statutory bodies,” he said.
“Doing nothing is no longer acceptable.
“Those responsible for erecting these displays must understand that there will finally be consequences for their actions.”
Police Federation chair Ray Hayden said: “Paramilitary and sectarian flags specifically cause offence and have no place in this community.
“Obviously, officers will comply with service instructions and full account must be taken of the need to avoid or minimise exposure to any associated disorder.”
Terrorism Act amendment plan will sort flag removal loophole claims Singleton
CONNLA YOUNG, Irish News, February 11th, 2026
PSNI deputy chief constable insists new legislation clears the way for tougher action on displays
“The other key thing in this document is where we talk about circumstances where there is a clear offence, where the continued display of the material is causing harm and actually as a police officer you can remove it safely without any risk to you or anybody else.”
DEPUTY Chief Constable Bobby Singleton has confirmed plans to amend the Terrorism Act will remove a loophole linked to the removal of controversial displays, including paramilitary flags and emblems.
Last week, Mr Singleton had told members of the Policing Board that “failing to act” over controversial displays, including paramilitary flags and emblems, is no longer an option for the force.
The senior officer has now revealed that a planned amendment to the existing Terrorism Act 2000 legislation will clear the way for tougher police action.
The PSNI has previously faced criticism over its approach to dealing with displays that glorify paramilitary groups.
Every year, thousands of flags are put up in loyalist and mixed districts, paying tribute to loyalist paramilitary groups, including the UVF and UDA.
There was controversy in 2023 when UDA, UFF and union flags were put up outside the PSNI’s training college at Garnerville in east Belfast, while last year flags glorifying the UDA were hung from lampposts near Knocknagoney PSNI station, also in east Belfast.
Loyalist paramilitary flags
Last year, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher told the Policing Board he had developed “operational guidance” which has resulted in a “significant number” of anti-immigration displays being removed.
He also revealed plans to remove paramilitary “displays” and confirmed he had been in contact with the British government’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, about the move.
Speaking to The Irish News yesterday, Mr Singleton said an amendment to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act is working its way into law.
The senior officer said if passed the amendment is to “close a particular lacuna in the legislation” adding that “If you weren’t seizing for the purposes of a forensic examination, you wouldn’t necessarily attract the power to seize something”.
Pressed on what the loophole was, Mr Singleton added: “As much as it may seem incredible that somebody would come forward and want to make such a case.
“You are aware that there are some of these flags are purported to have a historical relevance for legitimacy as well.
“How likely it is, is debatable, but nonetheless, it was identified as a potential gap… and one which we felt there would be some benefit from the independent reviewer closing.”
Asked if the amendment gives the PSNI extra powers, Mr Singleton said: “If it comes through, would I consider it to have given us extra powers, what I think it will have done is close a potential loophole and a point of challenge from anybody in circumstances where we or another statutory body remove the item.”
Although the service instruction sets out a new policy approach by police, Mr Singleton also sounded a cautious note around the removal of paramilitary displays.
“A lot of people are misunderstanding, or thinking this means the PSNI are going to go around taking down paramilitary flags, well, it’s possible, but not likely,” he said.
Racist posters
“The primary responsibility rests with the landowners, those who have the infrastructure.
“The other key thing in this document is where we talk about circumstances where there is a clear offence, where the continued display of the material is causing harm and actually as a police officer you can remove it safely without any risk to you or anybody else.”
Mr Singleton said an example of that was with “some of the racist hate posters” taken down by police, pointing out there was “no ambiguity for freedom of speech in that”.
“They were obviously grossly offensive,” he added.
Mr Singleton said the new service instruction is a “good piece of work”.
“I think it’s a welcome development and I think communities should be reassured at the fact that we as a service are not sitting on our laurels with this and in fact are challenging ourselves and trying to be as effective as we can and demonstrating that we are a service that will uphold everybody’s fundamental human rights and do it in a balanced an proportionate way,” he said.
Arson attack on home had ‘clear intention to cause harm’
PAUL AINSWORTH, Irish News, February 11th, 2026
AN arson attack on a home in south Belfast could have had a “much more serious outcome”, it has been warned.
Police are treating the attack, in which a gas box was set alight at a house in the Market area of the city, as intent to endanger life.
The incident happened in the Eliza Street Close area, and was reported to police at around 4.55am.
A PSNI spokesperson said two males were reported as being seen running from the scene, in the direction of Friendly Street.
“Officers attended the scene, along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, who extinguished the fire,” the spokesperson said.
“Thankfully, no injuries were reported. However, the fire is being treated as deliberate ignition and as arson with intent to endanger life.
“Our enquiries are ongoing and we would appeal to anyone who saw what happened, or who might have any information, including CCTV, dash-cam or other footage, to contact police on the 101 number, quoting reference 136 of 10/02/26.
South Belfast MLA Deirdre Hargey told the Irish News: “This was a disgraceful act with a clear intention to cause harm.
“Thankfully no injuries were reported, but had this fire spread we could have been looking at a much more serious incident.
The Sinn Féin Assembly member added: “Anyone with information should contact the police.”
The incident follows an arson attack earlier this month in the nearby Vernon Court area of south Belfast.
Three people escaped injury when a bin was placed against the front door and set alight in the early hours of Sunday, February 1.
Police are not linking the two attacks, and are continuing to appeal for information on the Vernon Court arson.
MLAs back no-confidence motion in Lyons after critical report
REBECCA BLACK, Belfast Telegraph, February 11th, 2026
The Northern Ireland Assembly has backed a no-confidence motion in Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.
It comes after the DUP minister was criticised in a report by former independent Assembly commissioner for standards Melissa McCullough.
The report found Mr Lyons had breached the ministerial code of conduct through social media comments made during rioting in Ballymena.
He was investigated over a Facebook post he published in June after immigrant families were forced to flee their homes during racially-motivated riots.
Mr Lyons has said he had been responding to a police request to let it be known that the fleeing families who had been sheltering at Larne Leisure Centre were no longer doing so, as the facility came under attack.
But Ms McCullough's report found Mr Lyons' actions had the potential of “heightening tensions and exacerbating an already contentious situation”.
Mr Lyons has claimed that the report contains contradictions, while DUP leader Gavin Robinson described the findings as “totally irrational”.
In the Assembly yesterday, Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole said this had been the second occasion that Mr Lyons had been found to be in breach of the ministerial code.
This referred to a finding in 2024 that Mr Lyons had breached the code over not attending north-south ministerial council meetings. That came as part of a wider DUP boycott in protest at post-Brexit arrangements.
Mr O'Toole said as a result of “this repeated failure to uphold the standards expected of public office holders”, the minister “no longer commands the confidence of this Assembly”. “Not only has the minister not resigned, the minister has not seen fit to apologise or even offer one word of reflection or learning,” he told MLAs.
Lack of real accountability
The motion also said Mr Lyons' “refusal to accept responsibility for his actions represents a wider crisis of accountability in the Executive and a deeper cultural problem in our politics”, and that current accountability standards are “inadequate”. The Assembly saw some stormy exchanges, accusations of lack of empathy with those impacted by the riots in Ballymena as well as political posturing.
Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew described a “poorly judged Facebook post”, which he claimed “at no point in his post did the minister show any compassion for the victims of this hate-filled violence”.
Alliance deputy leader Eoin Tennyson described the rioting last June as a “festival of violence” and a “race-based pogrom on our streets”, adding he “took great exception to those claiming this is a trivial matter”.
However DUP MLA Pam Cameron said the motion is “not about addressing racism, it's about political opportunism at a time when people across Northern Ireland are struggling to access healthcare”. UUP leader Jon Burrows queried the usage of resources on the matter of a “Facebook post sent at the request of police”. Responding, Mr Lyons described a “charade, dressed up as a debate on standards in public life”, adding he rejected Ms McCullough's report. He also said he had, and has, “deep compassion” for the families affected by the rioting.
MLAs voted for the motion by 51 to 29.
However the motion is not binding and carries no direct consequences.
Long’s remarks about SDLP exclusion from justice ministry ‘offensive’
JOHN MANLEY, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, Irish News, February 11th, 2026
Remarks by Naomi Long in which she said the SDLP would’ve been more likely to secure the justice minister’s role had the party “engaged more constructively with unionists” has been described as “offensive”.
The Alliance leader’s lively exchange with Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole came as the justice minister faced questions in the assembly yesterday.
When Mrs Long was asked by the SDLP representative why she had not sought “explicit in-writing guarantees” about what was deliverable during this mandate, the minister accused the South Belfast MLA of double standards.
“What I find a bit rich is that the member whose party sat in the executive for many years and never had any written guarantees about anything is now holding others to a different standard of accountability,” she said.
Mrs Long said she was “under no illusion” that her appointment as justice minister was because “nobody else could get the required cross-community support to do the job”.
Since the devolution of justice and policing in 2010, nominations for the justice portfolio have lay outside the d’Hondt process of ministerial appointments, meaning nationalist-designated MLAs have effectively been barred from the role, which has only been held by an Alliance or independent unionist representative.
“So no-one is blocked from doing the job – you need to get cross-community support – and perhaps if you engage more constructively with your unionist colleagues, you might get it,” the minister said.
Mrs Long’s remarks drew praise from DUP MLA Johnny Buckley, who noted it was a rare instance in which he agreed with the Alliance leader.
However, in a statement issued after the exchange, Mr O’Toole said Mrs Long’s comments were “offensive”.
“The SDLP is a proudly cross-community party yet the justice minister sought to dismiss our concerns about the exclusion of this post from the d’Hondt process,” he said.
“In the 25th year of the PSNI to believe it is acceptable that the position of justice minister is at the mercy of the DUP demonstrates an inability to restore and reinvigorate the rule of law in Northern Ireland.”
NI Water recommends refusing plans for 15,000 homes over wastewater capacity
ANDREW MADDEN, Belfast Telegraph, February 11th, 2026
SDLP MLA SAYS THE SITUATION IS 'UNACCEPTABLE'
NI Water has recommended that plans for almost 15,000 much-needed homes be refused due to a lack of infrastructure, according to new figures.
Northern Ireland's wastewater infrastructure is creaking under the pressure of historic underinvestment and continued lack of funding.
This means that upgrades to many networks, which are at capacity, can't go ahead and plans to develop homes have stalled as they cannot be connected to the network.
There are about 100 areas across NI where the wastewater system is at or above capacity, with dozens more areas to reach this level over the next two years.
It comes as the housing crisis continues to worsen, with demand for new homes far outstripping supply and almost 50,000 households on the social housing waiting list.
While NI Water can recommend plans for new homes be refused due to wastewater capacity constraints, it is up to local councils whether they accept the recommendation.
NI Water has said “developer-led solutions” can be found in some cases to overcome the problem.
According to new figures, plans for 1,138 housing units cannot get a connection to the public sewer network as the wastewater catchment is closed.
NI Water has recommended refusal for a further 14,248 housing units, but said it should be possible to achieve a connection to the network “subject to some measure of developer-led solution to mitigate the impact of the development on existing NI Water infrastructure”.
Insufficient engagement by developers
“As the developers have not engaged sufficiently with NI Water before applying for planning, we recommend refusal pending the developer engaging directly to find a solution,” a spokesperson said.
They added: “NI Water has been highlighting significant wastewater infrastructure capacity issues throughout Northern Ireland for some time due to historic and continued funding constraints. These constraints mean that NI Water has had to prioritise base maintenance (to maintain existing assets) and the provision of safe drinking water over wastewater capacity upgrades.
“Due to this legacy of underinvestment, approximately one third of connection enquiries to the public wastewater system cannot currently connect as capital upgrade works are required to increase capacity.
“To tackle the issue, sustained investment to the levels set out within NI Water's PC21 business plan are required over multiple price control periods.”
The PC21 business plan is a £2.2bn capital investment strategy to upgrade NI's Water infrastructure.
The Department for Infrastructure said it works closely with the Department for Communities to tackle the wastewater connection issues.
The spokesperson said that Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has provided as much available funding as possible to NI Water — more than £500m — “which is 90% of what the company required to operate this year”.
“The minister has been clear that funding is not the only answer, and she continues to progress and deliver her three-pronged approach.
“This includes securing more investment for wastewater infrastructure from Executive colleagues; considering the approach to developer contributions; and bringing in legislation to provide for sustainable drainage systems.”
SDLP MLA Justin McNulty said it is “simply unacceptable” that thousands of new homes are being held up by “the Executive's failure to address wastewater infrastructure capacity”.
He added: “The longer the minister and the Executive fail to act, waiting lists will grow, projects will become more expensive, and families will continue to pay the price while simply trying to secure a roof over their heads.”
Stardust survivors offered €20,000 payment
CILLIAN SHERLOCK, Irish News, February 11th, 2026
SURVIVORS of the Stardust fire are eligible for payments of €20,000, under a €16.4 million recognition scheme announced by the government.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan announced the scheme yesterday, ahead of the 45th anniversary of the tragedy on Saturday.
Forty-eight people were killed when the blaze ripped through the Dublin nightclub in 1981.
A €24m redress scheme for the families of those victims was completed in August.
The government had committed to a two-phased approach to redress which would apply to “survivor beneficiaries” of the original Stardust Victims Compensation Tribunal.
A total of 823 people received compensation from the tribunal which was established in 1985 and, therefore, the potential maximum cost of the scheme is €16.4m.
The 1985 tribunal paid out almost 10.5 million Irish pounds in compensation.
The majority of applicants received payments of less than 20,000 punts, but a number were awarded up to 200,000 punts.
Payments due to delays ‘in providing truth and justice’
Mr O’Callaghan said: “It is not intended to constitute ‘compensation’ for the injuries and trauma sustained by those who survived the fire, as that was the scope of the original tribunal, but instead, what is proposed is a payment which recognises the delays in providing truth and justice.”
After a more than 40-year campaign for justice, an inquest in 2024 found that the 48 victims had been unlawfully killed.
A previous finding in 1982 said that the fire had been started deliberately, a theory the families never accepted.
That ruling was dismissed in 2009, leading to a further inquest into the deaths of the victims, who were aged from 16 to 27 and mostly came from the surrounding north Dublin area.
A majority decision from the jury found the blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 1981, was caused by an electrical fault in the hot press of the bar.
Days after the decision, then-taoiseach Simon Harris apologised to the victims, survivors and families, saying the State had failed them.
The applications process for the next phase of payments will be open for six months, and the Department of Justice said “eligible applicants will be paid as soon as possible”.
