‘No justification’ for special advocates for families in Omagh closed hearings
Rebecca Black, Irish News and Belfast Telegraph, July 23rd, 2025
THERE is “no justification” for special advocates for survivors and bereaved families in closed hearings during the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, it has been contended.
It is expected that some hearings during the inquiry, which is probing whether the 1998 dissident republican atrocity could have been prevented, will be closed due to sensitive evidence and national security.
Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed when the Real IRA exploded a car bomb in the Co Tyrone town.
Inquiry chairman Lord Turnbull heard arguments over the last two days around applications from some of the family groups for special advocates.
They said their interests should be represented in closed hearings, and raised a risk of damage to confidence in the inquiry if they are not.
No precedent
However, a lawyer for the government said no statutory public inquiry has had special advocates to date, and there was no justification to have them in this case.
Katherine Grange KC also contended no provision was made for such appointments in the 2005 Inquiries Act, and cautioned around avoiding unnecessary costs.
She described the Saville Inquiry into the Bloody Sunday atrocity, which lasted for 12 years and cost £195 million, as the background of that act.
“The language of the statutory scheme, the purpose and the context of the legislation and Parliament’s intention, as demonstrated in subsequent legislations all strongly suggest that no such power exists (to appoint a special advocate),” she said.
“Alternatively, we submit that even if such a power existed, it would not be necessary or appropriate for the chair to make any such appointment in this inquiry.
“No inquiry has taken that step to date, even inquiries with a very substantial closed national security element to them, and there is no justification from departing from that approach.”
She added: “Words that come to mind in the last two days are, it’s about reassurance, confidence, robustness.
“One can understand, on a human level, why those points are being made but ultimately, you have to have faith in your own appointment, your independence and the skill of your counsel to your inquiry.”
Credibility of State evidence
Earlier, Hugh Southey KC, representing a group of survivors and bereaved families, said the state parties would be felt to have an advantage.
“Everybody thinks that the inquiry is capable of doing a good job. Everybody thinks the counsel to the inquiry are experienced in this field. Everybody thinks they’re very well qualified. Everybody thinks they’re very diligent, but we need the second tier of representation,” he added.
“Everyone recognises that large key parts of this process are likely to be closed…. it’s frustrating for the individuals, because they want to know the truth. They want to know that whatever findings may be made are reliable.
“If they have someone who they have confidence in, who is present, who is, effectively, saying there is no problem here, that adds to confidence in the process, particularly in circumstances where, as I say, the state parties are present, the state parties will have that advantage.”
Alan Kane KC, representing another group of survivors and bereaved families, said they would like their own special advocate for closed hearings.
Legitimate interest
“Their wish would be to see all the relevant evidence after 26 years, however if there must be closed material, then we say that it should, where possible, be kept to a minimum, and if judgments are to be made then close calls must fall on the side of disclosure rather than being hidden from our families’ view,” he said.
“They view a special advocate not as some special bonus or as a challenge to the inquiry legal team but as something that should be granted as they see it, as an additional assistance to them in shining light on any material which is withheld as closed by the state authorities.
“They have that legitimate interest we say, and that certainly is a matter of not only public confidence but in particular the confidence of the families.”
Fintan McAleer, who represents another group of survivors and bereaved families, said they endorsed the submissions made so far.
Lord Turnbull asked Mr McAleer about a point made in written submissions that the “deep mistrust and suspicion of the state that exists in this country will never be fully allayed unless it’s confirmed that every single document and piece of information is placed into the open”.
Mr McAleer responded saying they respect the powers and the processes of the inquiry, but they wanted to reflect the effect of scepticism based on experience.
“The series of revelations over the years since the bomb have served to undermine their trust in the state,” he added.
“We’re simply trying to convey the aspiration of the core participants we represent in that this inquiry should be in public in everything that it does, we accept there is a limitation on that, and that paragraph is an attempt to address that.”
Why the ICRIR cannot deliver for many victims
Letters, Irish Times, July 23rd, 2025 - Northern Ireland reconciliation
Sir, – Thank you for your comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the controversy surrounding the Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy and Reconciliation Act.
You mention the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal’s decision in Dillon, et al and point out that the court found the ability of the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to grant amnesty to those who co-operate with it is “incompatible” with obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
It is also important to note that the court held the ICRIR process failed to comply with human rights requirements related to the participation of the next of kin in investigations and the power of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State to withhold sensitive information from them. That may be why just a small percentage of families whose loved ones were killed during the Troubles have engaged with the ICRIR. – Yours, etc.
EDWARD M NEAFSEY,
Avon,
New Jersey,
USA.
Boutcher’s apology at bedside of murder victim’s dying brother
Connla Young, Irish News, July 23rd, 2025
PSNI CHIEF CONSTABLE DELIVERS BEDSIDE APOLOGY TO TERMINALLY ILL BROTHER OF MAN KILLED BY LOYALIST PARAMILITARIES
Mr Boutcher visited Eugene Thompson, who has terminal cancer, at the Mater Hospital in Belfast yesterday to read the lengthy apology.
Mr Thompson’s only brother, Paul ‘Topper’ Thompson (25), was shot dead as he sat in a taxi in April 1994 after a UDA murder squad cut a hole in a Belfast peaceline fence to gain entry to a nationalist district close to a British army base.
Hours earlier, a neighbour reported a hole in the fence at Springfield Park in west Belfast to the RUC and Northern Ireland Office (NIO), but no action was taken.
The PSNI apology confirms Paul’s murder could have been prevented if the RUC had taken “dedicated action” after a hole was cut in a peace line and reveals that police failed “to investigate and arrest three potential suspects” and “disseminate information” from a separate investigation that could have identified a fourth.
Eugene Thompson has campaigned for more than three decades to establish the circumstances of his only brother’s sectarian murder.
The loving brother has continued his brave battle despite his terminal diagnosis.
PSNI chief constable makes hospital visit to offer apology
Information witheld for decades
Paul Thompson’s case has been the focus of a long-standing efforts by the British government and state agencies to withhold information from his family about the murder, which has resulted in three decades of inquest hearings and court cases.
After the killing strong concerns about the police murder investigation were raised by members of the community and Paul’s mother Margaret, who died in 2004.
It is understood Mr Boutcher spent some time talking to Mr Thompson at the Mater Hospita..
In the apology Mr Boutcher said it was clear “that the gunmen carefully planned the purely sectarian attack intending only that their victims would be Catholics”.
The PSNI chief said “Paul’s murder has not been the subject of a full and effective investigation in accordance with Article 2 of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights)” – which protects the right to life.
Victim’s mother never knew the truth
“This has meant that Margaret died without knowing the truth about how Paul came to be murdered and Eugene, as well as the wider family and community, still do not know all the available information now, over 30 years later,” Mr Boutcher said.
Significantly, Mr Boutcher said the PSNI accepts a conclusion by the now defunct Historical Enquiries Team that the RUC “could have taken steps to provide dedicated patrolling in the area when a local resident reported suspicious activity and a breach of the “peace line”.
“That dedicated action may have prevented Paul’s murder.”
Mr Boutcher said the PSNI “acknowledges and accepts that the RUC investigation did not identify or pursue all key lines of inquiry, or properly pursue other lines of inquiry to their fullest extent”.
“The issues included: not pursing potential telecom inquiries relating to identified suspects; failing to investigate and arrest three potential suspects; a failure to disseminate information from a separate investigation in the days prior to Paul’s murder that may have identified a fourth potential suspect; and a delay in arresting a suspect which may have impacted on forensic opportunities.
“More investigative inquires could have been made in relation to individuals who had worked at or visited the area where the peace line was breached.”
Significant disclosure delays
Mr Boutcher also said his force “acknowledges and accepts that significant disclosure delays were experienced in Paul’s inquest with potentially relevant police material being made available at a late stage”.
“This ultimately impacted on the ability of the coroner to discharge her duties in a timely fashion,” he added.
Mr Boutcher added that the PSNI “apologises unreservedly to Eugene for the above failings on the part of policing which impacted adversely both on the delivery of justice for Paul and on his family’s quest for the truth”.
Mr Thompson’s inquest was one of several involving the state use of Public Interest Immunity (PII) certificates that were halted last year.
PII applications are made when state agencies do not want information placed into the public domain.
Last year former Tory Secretary of State Chris Heaton Harris and Mr Boutcher took legal action to stop a coroner producing a ‘gist’, or summary of facts, at the inquest.
NCND policy awaits Supreme Court decision
Lawyers claimed any summary of information breached the British government’s secretive Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND) policy.
A similar gist issued by a coroner during the inquest of GAA official Sean Brown last year revealed that more than 25 people were linked by intelligence to the murder, including several state agents.
The PSNI later accepted a court ruling in the Thompson case after the legal challenge was dismissed.
Despite this, the NIO referred the case to the Court of Appeal, which was also thrown out.
The British government later lodged the case with the Supreme Court in London, which was heard last month but its findings have yet to be delivered despite Mr Thompson’s serious medical condition.
In his apology Mr Boutcher said the PSNI believes “that further information about Paul’s murder can safely be released to Eugene and hopes that the pending Supreme Court judgment will allow for this to happen”.
Mr Thompson welcomed the apology.
“I thanked Jon Boucher for coming himself and for acting quickly in delivering the apology from the PSNI after we had asked for it,” he said.
“That’s different to the British Supreme Court who also know my situation and I had hoped they would have made their judgment by now but there is no sign of it.
“The apology makes clear the RUC didn’t investigate and arrest suspects when they could have and that they could have done things that could have prevented Paul’s murder.”
Daniel Holder, Director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice said both Eugene and his mother Margaret “have long fought for justice and truth in relation to Paul’s murder”.
“The High Court and Court of Appeal ruled over a year ago that Euguene was entitled to see the information in the coroners ‘gist’,” he said.
“The Secretary of State appealed the Supreme Court hearing was back at the beginning of June and Eugene is still awaiting the ruling.”
Mark Thompson, of Relatives for Justice, said Mr Thompson has “taken on the British government and MI5 and security services who are doing their damnedest to prevent him and other families from finding the truth”.
“That never give up spirit has led the way,” he said.
“Hopefully this judgment will come soon from the Supreme Court.”
A spokeswoman for the PSNI said Mr Boutcher “held a private meeting” with Mr Thompson “during which he provided a statement of apology on behalf of the (PSNI) for failings identified on the part of the RUC and PSNI”.
South East Antrim UDA 'to wind down' — but loyalist gang won't disband
Allison Morris, Belfast Telegraph, July 23rd, 2025
LOYALIST GROUP NO LONGER CHARGING MEMBERS DUES AND IS NOT RECRUITING
The South East Antrim (SEA) UDA has stopped charging its members “dues” and put an end to recruitment in a push to “wind down” the organisation.
The loyalist terror group, which broke away from the mainstream UDA in 2007, has been in talks about winding down for several years.
The SEA UDA is not a part of the Loyalist Communities Council and negotiates autonomously from the rest of the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando.
The group has ruled out disbandment, with a source saying, “if they stood down their leadership, they'd be replaced with a new one before teatime”, but recruitment has stopped.
Considered by police to be one of the largest crime gangs operating here, the SEA UDA is heavily involved in drug dealing and extortion.
The Paramilitary Crime Task Force and the National Crime Agency have targeted members with considerable success and a number of prosecutions.
Sources involved in the talks say the group has been more “realistic” in what it can deliver and has agreed to take considerable steps to “wind down”.
These include a major reimagining of paramilitary murals — one in Rathcoole and one in Monkstown — to be replaced with images of the Royal family.
The gang has also stopped collecting “dues” or “totes” as they are sometimes called.
Until the start of this year, all 2,000 members of the faction paid £5 per week to the leadership.
Largest paramilitary organisation
SEA UDA covers the largest geographical area of any paramilitary group, running from Shore Crescent in north Belfast, all of Newtownabbey including the stronghold of Rathcoole, to Carrickfergus, Ballymena, Whiteabbey and Larne.
It has also agreed to end paramilitary-style attacks as part of the wind down. Sources say while “far from ideal”, it is more than some of the other factions have been able to deliver “despite years of talks promising change”.
A respected mediator, who has undertaken work in conflict situations around the world, is involved in the talks between the government and SEA UDA.
Once considered the deadliest faction of the loyalist group, the SEA UDA under the leadership of John Gregg, who in 1984 shot and seriously wounded the then Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, murdered hundreds of people.
Many random sectarian killings, often carried out using the cover name of the UFF, came after the UDA ceasefire.
They include the murder of 20-year-old Daniel McColgan in January 2002 as he arrived for work at a postal sorting office in Rathcoole, and 18-year-old Gavin Brett — the brother of DUP MLA Phillip — shot dead on the Hightown Road in Glengormley as he stood chatting to a group of friends in July 2001.
From the 1990s until he was shot dead in 2003 by Johnny Adair's C Company, Gregg served as brigadier of the UDA's SEA brigade and would have ordered those murders.
The organisation has been under considerable police and intelligence agency scrutiny in recent years after an internal feud led to the death of two men.
In March 2017, Geordie Gilmore, formerly a UDA commander, was shot in the neck in Carrickfergus. He died the following day.
The leadership of the SEA UDA warned any brigade members attending Gilmore's funeral would be expelled.
In May 2017, Colin Horner, a friend of Gilmore and former UDA member, was fatally shot in front of his three-year-old son at a busy shopping centre in Bangor.
He had defied the order not to attend the funeral.
The 2020 murder of vulnerable man Glenn Quinn caused public outrage.
The 47-year-old had no connections to any crime or paramilitary gang, but he was threatened after he made a throwaway remark criticising an attack by the SEA UDA on a friend's business.
He was targeted by a group of men in his house in Carrickfergus in January 2020 and died of his injuries.
A source close to the mediation said: “The leadership is being up-front about what they can and can't deliver, an end to recruitment is crucial and is a type of wind down.
“It saves young men being dragged into the organisation, but it is a far way off complete disbandment”.
SEA UDA’s departure from the stage won't comfort its many victims
Allison Morris, Belfast Telegraph, July 23rd, 2025
For the victims of the SEA UDA — the majority of them innocent people caught in the sectarian war being waged by a well-armed gang of loyalists — a development on recruitment will come as cold comfort.
Most people will ask why, over 30 years after the Combined Loyalist Military Command called a ceasefire and 27 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, do such organisations still exist?
The story of post-peace process loyalism is one filled with splits, feuds and often ego-led internecine fighting that has only ever encouraged those groups to continue to recruit and keep their structures intact.
There was safety in numbers and the enemy was no longer republicans or the wider Catholic/nationalist people, but each other.
SEA UDA split from the main organisation in 2007, shortly after their political representative, Tommy Kirkham, launched the Beyond Conflict transformation initiative at a hotel in Carrickfergus.
Assembled journalists were told that Beyond Conflict would deal with drugs, paramilitary activity, race relations, interface violence and unemployment, adding that the UDA's most notorious unit wanted to “disband”.
But the cost of this disbandment? They wanted the Government to fund them to the tune of £8.5m to implement these plans.
Like the numerous other 'disbandment' initiatives proposed by loyalists, SEA UDA didn't get beyond the glossy flyer produced to go along with that announcement.
Expelled from UDA
The organisation further angered the rest of the UDA when it gave sanctuary to Andre Shoukri and his brother Ihab.
They were expelled from the north Belfast UDA amid allegations of millions of pounds of missing money.
During a 2006 court case, police said Andre Shoukri had gambled £863,000 in one Belfast bookmakers.
They set up home in Rathcoole and even attended brigade meetings.
Meanwhile, SEA UDA, with over 2,000 members, became more involved in drug dealing, extortion and money lending.
The group was once described as one of the biggest criminal gangs in Europe and were very much on the radar of the Paramilitary Crime Task Force and the National Crime Agency, who are responsible for seizing illegal assets.
They were the “bad UDA” against the veteran members of the “good UDA” often seen in the company of civil servants and senior unionist politicians.
They were not part of the Loyalist Communities Council, yet another group launched with the aim of disbanding the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando.
Renegades
And so the renegade group of loyalists responsible for numerous post-ceasefire murders seemed — publicly at least — to have shunned all attempts at disbandment.
However, it now seems there have been three years of intensive negotiations, some as a result of the success of the Paramilitary Crime Task Force in forcing the group's hand, and others because of a new leadership that wants to fade off into obscurity.
It has halted recruitment, stopped charging members the £5 a week they had traditionally handed over, and begun the process of reimagining paramilitary murals.
With the UVF disbandment process stalled following the imprisonment of their main negotiator, Winston Irvine, on gun-running charges, there are those, including the former chair of the Independent Monitoring Commission, Lord Alderdice, who have said it is time to call it a day.
“There comes a point when you have to say no, this hasn't been delivered,” he told the BBC.
There are a small number of loyalists who have successfully disbanded and left the stage.
Of those still in existence, the SEA UDA were the unlikeliest front-runners in the process, but it seems moves are being made behind the scenes and the gang has jumped ahead.
Calls for loyalist flags outside Catholic church to be removed
Connla Young, Irish News, Irish News, July 23rd, 2025
THERE have been calls for loyalist flags put up directly outside a small Catholic church in Co Tyrone to be removed.
Union and other loyalist flags have been hoisted from lamp posts just feet from the grounds of Our Lady Queen of Hope Church in the village of Coagh.
More unionist flags, including one referencing the 36th Ulster Division, have now been flown from lampposts flanking the gateway into the village’s only Catholic church.
Flags paying tribute to the UVF’s ‘Mid Ulster Brigade’ and the organisation’s youth wing, Young Citizen Volunteers, have also been put up in the area.
The notorious UVF unit was responsible for dozens of sectarian murders during the Troubles.
SDLP assembly member Patsy McGlone said they should be removed.
“In the past flags have been put up outside the chapel and when representations were made, they were removed by locals to show some respect,” he said.
“This year four different flags were maintained outside the chapel – something which should not be done as it is disrespectful to people of different faith and political beliefs who want to live in peace, respectfully with their neighbours.”
Although the flags are clearly visible, a PSNI spokeswoman said “no reports of this nature have been found” when asked if their appearance is being treated as a hate incident or a hate crime.
Concerns were recently raised about the appearance of unionist flags outside a Catholic church in Antrim.
The flags, which have been put up outside St Comgall’s Chapel and primary school, and are within sight of the town’s PSNI station.
The village of Coagh has been at the centre of a flag controversy in the recent past.
Last month a flag that included the words ‘SAS 3 – IRA 0’ and the British army unit’s distinctive ‘winged dagger’ crest were put up in the village.
In June 1991, three IRA members, Pete Ryan, Lawrence McNally and Tony Doris, were killed during an SAS ambush when the car they were travelling in was raked with gunfire.
A Parachute Regiment flag has also been placed close to where the three republicans died.
The controversial regiment was responsible for killing 14 Catholic men during a civil rights parade in Derry on Bloody Sunday 1971.
Meanwhile, TUV representative Glenn Moore has claimed that there has been a “series of coordinated thefts of Union flags from private property across” several villages in Co Derry and Tyrone, including Coagh.
“These disgraceful acts are not isolated or random — they represent a deliberate attempt to intimidate, trespass on private property and attack the peaceful expression of cultural identity,” he said.
The PSNI was contacted about the theft of flags.
Battle of the Boyne tour guides face ban on green and orange clothing
Darragh McDonagh, Belfast Telegraph, July 23rd, 2025
Tour guides have been banned from wearing green or orange clothing at the site in Co Meath where the Protestant King William III defeated the Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne.
The location is of particular significance to unionists, because William's victory in 1690 established Protestant dominance in Ireland and is commemorated by the Orange Order with a series of marches on July 12 each year.
The rule prohibiting guides from wearing green or orange at the Battle of the Boyne visitor centre is not contained in the official Office of Public Works (OPW) Guide Handbook, which is supplied to guides and information officers at heritage sites.
Instead, the directive is being communicated directly to new guides by a supervisor at the visitor centre after they have been hired, according to emails released under Freedom of Information laws.
The instruction, which is believed to be aimed at respecting both unionist and nationalist visitors, is not the only unusual dress code directive issued by the OPW to its guides.
Nudity prohibited
A section of the handbook dealing with clothing and uniform requirements specifies that “nudity is prohibited at all sites”.
Asked why it was considered necessary to include, the OPW declined to comment.
The Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre was developed following the allocation of €15m of Irish Government funding in 2005. Last year, a further €10m was provided for the centre under the Shared Island initiative.
The site was famously chosen as the venue for Ian Paisley's first official meeting as Stormont's first minister with Bertie Ahern in 2007.
The then-taoiseach presented the DUP leader with a musket used in the Battle of the Boyne. An email titled “Welcome aboard” sent by a supervisor to a newly-hired guide last year contained details of the dress code for staff at the visitor centre.
It prohibits items including Army jackets and clothes that feature “slogans, badges or emblems”.
The email stated that “green and orange are not permitted on site”.
The OPW provides an annual allowance for guides where colour-coded clothing is mandated by local management. This is payable at a rate of €210 for permanent guides, and €100 for seasonal workers.
The OPW declined to comment when asked about the prohibition of green and orange clothing at the site.
Martin: Shared Island Initiative a step change in cross-border co-operation
John Manley, Political Correspondent, Irish News, July 23rd, 2025
THE Dublin government’s Shared Island Initiative has “enabled a step change in beneficial island-wide cooperation”, the taoiseach has said.
Micheál Martin was speaking at the Navan Centre and Fort in Armagh yesterday as he delivered the annual Seamus Mallon ‘Shared Homeplace’ Lecture, which was organised by the John and Pat Hume Foundation.
The taoiseach revealed that he has introduced targets for every government department in the Republic, with the aim of fostering new initiatives and cooperation projects.
Mr Martin said he had drawn on the words of the former deputy first minister when he established the Shared Island Initiative in 2021.
The Taoiseach said the crossborder initiative was “focused on harnessing the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement – in politics and in wider society”.
“It is inspired by the vision of leaders like Seamus Mallon and John Hume who recognised that we can work to strengthen the bonds between people – in Northern Ireland and across this island – without in any way diminishing our different, equally-legitimate, political and community traditions, identities and aspirations,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil leader said the Shared Island projects would lay the foundation on which “we can drive forward that central and essential work of reconciliation”.
The fruits of the initiative include €25 million to introduce an hourly -frequency rail service to Dublin and to Belfast from Portadown in Co Armagh, the Narrow Water Bridge connecting counties Down and Louth, and the €23m Shared Destinations tourism programme.
The taoiseach also highlighted the North South Research Programme, which has so far provided €50m to resource new cross-border collaborative research projects, hubs and institutional connections in the university sector.
“This is what building a shared future means in real terms,” he said, pointing to the “renewal” in relations between Dublin and London.
He said alongside British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer there had been “sustained engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive”, including through the North South Ministerial Council,.
Mr Martin said the new phase of the Shared Island Initiative announced in April had saw a “doubling” of Dublin’s financial commitment, with €2 billion pledged up to 2035, to “foster reconciliation, mutual respect and growth”.
The Taoiseach said the fund was “inspired not just by Seamus’s words, but by his life-long commitment and work to deepen a shared connection to place and to community”.
“Seamus was always one to push boundaries in political life – whether that was in Westminster, in the Seanad or in the assembly,” he said.
“I do not think Seamus would want anyone resting on their laurels as we try to continue to implement the agreement he fought so hard to make a reality.”
200% increase in pupils receiving special education
Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, July 23rd, 2025
BUT COMMISSIONER SAYS THE NEEDS OF TOO MANY CHILDREN ARE NOT BEING MET
The Children's Commissioner has said too many children in need of special education provision are being placed in settings not appropriate for their needs.
The comments from Chris Quinn come after his report 'Every Child's Right to Inclusive Education' highlights a 200% increase in the number of pupils enrolled in specialist provision over a five-year period since 2018.
The report shows that the number is expected to rise over the next 10 years, and has urged that the system be expanded to meet the growing need.
The report projected that an additional 958 specialist provision places, comprising 678 primary school places and 280 post-primary school places, equivalent to at least 80 additional classes, will be required in the period 2024 to 2026.
It is also expected that this trend will continue in the longer term, with an estimated additional 3,584 places over the period 2023/24 to 2031/32, from 3,830 to 7,414.
Earlier this year, the Education Minister wrote to 58 schools asking them to help provide places in mainstream schools to meet that growing demand, but though some schools did step forward to assist with extra places being made available, the uptake was low and the minister issued a warning that schools may be compelled to make places available should more not step forward.
Commissioner Chris Quinn said: “Children with special educational needs have the right to an education that helps them thrive.
“The system must do better, and it must do so urgently.
“This report shows that while there is good practice in some schools, too many children are still being placed in settings that are not equipped to meet their needs.
“That is not inclusion, and it is not acceptable. We need urgent action to ensure that every child's rights are respected in every classroom.”
The report is calling for urgent reform and investment in Specialist Provisions in Mainstream Schools (SPiMS), highlighting opportunities to strengthen planning, placement, and support.
“When children are appropriately placed, and support is available, specialist provisions can work well,” Mr Quinn added.
The report, which draws on direct visits to schools and engagement with educators, parents, and advocacy organisations, identified key areas of major concern, including unmet needs due to poor access to educational psychology, health therapies, and behaviour support.
Lack of adequately trained staff
It also highlighted gaps in provision, including in early years, Irish Medium Education (IME) and post-primary education, with further issues over training and workforce pressures, including for classroom assistants working with children with complex needs.
It also said there was a need for major improvement in communications from the Education Authority, which could help provide clearer guidance and greater reassurance for families.
Despite challenges, the report did highlight examples of good practice and the potential of SPiMS to offer high-quality, flexible education close to home — if placements are appropriate and fully supported.
It's now over a year since Education Minister Paul Givan announced his intention to build up to eight new special schools as part of a new school investment programme, which would require about half a billion pounds of capital investment over the next decade.
But the long-term strategy is having little impact on the immediate needs of parents and pupils.
At the start of July, the EA said it hoped to reduce the number of pupils waiting on placement to under 50 a week, and though that figure is down, concerns have been raised about whether the extra places being made available in mainstream schools are suited to their needs.
An Education Authority spokesperson said: “Ensuring that all children and young people are placed in an appropriate school setting that meets their needs continues to be a priority for the Education Authority (EA).
“We remain committed to working with the Department of Education to explore how we can move towards a more balanced and inclusive system where all schools offer specialist provision, ensuring equity and inclusion for all.
“The profile of our children is changing, and our schools must, with support and training, also change.
“EA wants to reassure families that ensuring every child has appropriate educational support to reach their full potential remains our highest priority.”
Wildfires in Mournes having a devastating impact on local insect population, study finds
Kate Harkin, Belfast Telegraph, July 23rd, 2025
SOME SPECIES DECLINING BY UP TO 90% AS EXPERT ISSUES CALL FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT
A new study has revealed massive declines in insect populations following devastating wildfires in the Mournes.
The survey, led by RSK Ireland ecologists in collaboration with the National Trust, focused on Thomas' Mountain which is within the Mourne Mountains area of special scientific interest and special area of conservation.
The findings showed the long-term damage caused by the 2021 blaze to local ecosystems after researchers compared the fire-damaged section with an unaffected area to assess the impact on insect populations.
They outlined a drastic reduction in invertebrate numbers, with some species declining by up to 90%.
Insects play a pivotal role in the local food chain, supporting a wide variety of wildlife.
Adam Mantell, senior ecologist at RSK Ireland, explained the significance of the study in light of the growing wildfire risk.
“Our research indicates that the 2021 fire caused severe damage to the heathland and the invertebrate population it supports,” he said.
“What we've seen is a significant reduction in invertebrate numbers in burned areas.
“That matters because invertebrates sit low on the food chain, supporting birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. If you wipe out 90% of the invertebrates, you're also impacting everything that feeds on them.”
Mr Mantell also emphasised the importance of understanding the full impact of wildfires, insisting that “the more we understand now about the impact on species, the better prepared we are to prevent further devastation”.
Recovery could take decades
While damage to vegetation often dominates discussions about wildfires, the decline in insect populations offers a clearer picture of the broader ecological consequences.
The Mournes are home to thousands of insect species, and their loss can lead to cascading effects throughout the food chain.
The findings also revealed the slow pace of ecological recovery after a wildfire.
Although vegetation may begin to regrow in the years following a blaze, Mr Mantell pointed out that full recovery, especially for invertebrate populations, could take decades.
“Even when vegetation recovers, the invertebrate populations may take far longer to bounce back, if they recover at all,” he added.
“This delay is particularly concerning in areas where wildfires are recurring or affecting large stretches of land, like the Mournes.
The study was conducted over three months in the summer of 2024 and is one of the first investigations into the ecological impact of wildfires in Ireland.
“That made this study both important and timely,” Mr Mantell said.
“You only had to glance at the news in April or May to see how common wildfires have become. Despite that, there's been a gap in understanding just how long-lasting the damage can be.”
The expert said the findings underscore the urgent need for better wildlife management and raise concerns about the risks posed by climate change to vulnerable habitats.
Melina Quinn, the National Trust's nature conservation adviser, said the invertebrate data “is invaluable in understanding the long-term effects fire has on our landscapes”.
'On the way to the Oscars, my mum says: Terry, this is great, but are you ever going to get a real job?'
AS BELFAST DIRECTOR TERRY GEORGE PREPARES TO STAGE THE TUNNEL AT THE LYRIC THEATRE FOR FÉILE AN PHOBAIL, HE TELLS ALLISON MORRIS HOW HE NEEDS TO WRITE STORIES BASED IN TRUTH
Oscar-winning director Terry George has a contacts book that reads like a who's who of the Hollywood elite.
His impressive back catalogue includes Some Mother's Son, In the Name of the Father, The Boxer and Hotel Rwanda.
But the Belfast writer and director says it was his no-nonsense mum, from the Markets area, who kept him grounded amid his success.
“It's a funny thing. I've told people this story and they find it hard to believe, but I swear this is true,” he said.
“So we're leaving the Chateau Marmont to go to the Academy Awards, for In the Name of the Father.
“I'm in the car with my wife, my daughter and my mum. We're all dressed up, and we're driving along, and the crowds are cheering.
“And my mum turns to me and she says: 'Terry, this is great, but are you ever going to get a real job?' And she was totally serious.”
Explaining that Daniel Day-Lewis once stayed in the box room of his mother's house in Twinbrook for two weeks (“She was making him a fry every morning”), he laughs.
Terry, who now lives between America and the Co Down coastal village of Killough, is back in west Belfast rehearsing his play The Tunnel, to be shown in the Lyric Theatre as part of Feile an Phobail.
The play is being produced by Tony Devlin's Brassneck Theatre Company, and among the cast is Blue Lights star Martin McCann.
Going back to the start
For the acclaimed director it is a case of going back to the start.
The Tunnel, based on the escape plot by republican prisoners in the 1970s, was his first ever script, written after moving to the US with his then young family in 1981.
It was a chance meeting with director Jim Sheridan in the toilets of the Irish Arts Center in New York that would change the direction of his life forever.
“I'd fled Belfast in 1981 with Rita, my wife, who died three years ago.
“I had various jobs. I bartended, loaded trucks — you know the usual work the undocumented Irish do when they get over there.
“It was the heyday of the Irish in New York. We were living in the Bronx on Bridge Avenue, which became known as the Golden Mile for the Irish.
“I had made really good friends with some American journalists, particularly Pete Hamill, who, in my mind, is one of the greatest American journalists of the 20th century.
“He got me a job at New York Magazine as a fact-checker, so I sort of elbowed my way in and I was doing freelance journalism at the same time.
“I actually wrote the first review of the Pogues for Rolling Stone, as a freelancer.
Turning Back
“But I really wanted to write about the experience back in Belfast, particularly what went on in '76/'77.
“Because when I look back, that for me was the turning point.
“You had these two monumental decisions going on: the IRA opting for the long war, and the British opting for the criminalisation strategy (of treating republican and loyalist inmates as criminals, rather than political prisoners). And both those changed the nature of everything for us.”
The play comes from a lived experience. Terry was jailed in the Long Kesh camp, later known as the Maze Prison, in 1971 when he was 18 years old.
“All the drama I've written has been about the effect monumental events have on ordinary people, whether that's Gerry Conlon, or the mothers of the hunger strikers, or Paul Rusesabagina [Hotel Rwanda]. That's what's always really stimulated me.
“And so I sat down to just write about the prisoners — not just the criminalisation policy, but what was going on with their wives and mothers and how that all impacted on this bigger decision about trying to escape.”
Back in New York, and it was during an interval of the play A Couple of Blackguards, by Frank and Malachy McCourt, that Terry had a chance meeting with Jim Sheridan in the men's bathroom.
“He [Sheridan] asked me what did I think of it. I replied that it was very interesting and I went to watch the rest of the play. Afterwards, on the way out, he asked did I want to go for a drink. We got talking and I told him I'd written a play.
“I thought: 'I'm sure he hears this all the time.' But he said: 'Why don't you bring it to me — I run the Irish Art Center over on 11th Avenue.'”
The Tunnel ran for six months and was a success with audiences and critics.
“Sheridan told me he was off to write the Christy Brown biography. So he's off doing My Left Foot and The Field and I took over the Irish Arts Centre. Meanwhile, Gerry Conlon gets released and comes to New York.
“He was at a book party and I went along. Gerry had a phenomenal memory and he spotted me and came over and said: 'You're the guy that dragged me out of the Jack of Hearts Club, aren't you?'
“This was an incident that happened 17 years before, in Southampton, where I had been working in construction, and I was at this nightclub with a guy from the New Lodge, and we heard this really thick Belfast accent, drunk and shouting.
“So we look at each other and say: 'Not only is this guy going to get himself killed, but he's going to get us killed as well.'
“We drag Gerry Conlon out, tell him to go on his way.
“And that was my encounter with him — and he remembered it.
Bullshit
“The minute Gerry Conlon was arrested, when the Guildford Four got rounded up, I knew instantly that it was bulls**t, based on the encounter at the Jack of Hearts.
“Like, I knew the IRA were bad for recruits, but they ain't that bad.”
Irish actor Gabriel Byrne secured the rights to Conlon's book and asked Terry to write “the bible” — a story arc used to pitch the movie.
“I tried to sit Gerry down in New York, but he was on a major binge. So the only solution was to put him in a car with a tape recorder and I drove him to Key West, which is a two-day trip — one of the craziest trips of my life.
“And that drive and those tapes became the basis for the script for In The Name of the Father.”
The 1993 film, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson, would go on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards.
“I can't write science fiction. I need reality, and a true story to hold on to. I can't reinvent a whole world”, Terry said.
His youth in Troubles-strewn Belfast has shaped much of his work, particularly when researching the script for Hotel Rwanda, which was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Rwanda
“As soon as I got to Rwanda, I immediately thought: 'I know this place perfectly.' You had the two extremes using the manipulation of propaganda. It was like a mirror.
“And despite how unique and alien to me the culture was, I knew the dynamic right away.
“I believe that the greatest films are ones that translate empathy, and anger, and sorrow, and excitement, and pain, and laughter, and not just the eye candy of the big explosion.”
The screenwriter and director said he's delighted that his play is to be shown as part of Feile, saying: “It is a real people's festival, you know... Because I've been to Cannes and Toronto.
“The Havana Film Festival is a people's festival. Sarajevo is a people's festival, Feile is a people's festival.
“But those big film festivals are not for ordinary people at all.”
Despite all of the big-budget productions he's worked on, it is The Shore, the short film Terry made with his daughter, Oorlagh, that he is most proud of.
“We did that in six days and then it wins the Oscar,” he said.
“That was — and still is — my proudest achievement.”
The Tunnel will run at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast from July 31 to August 16. Tickets are available via lyrictheatre.co.uk. An after-show discussion will follow the matinee on Saturday, August 2nd.
Average rent in NI edging closer to £1,000p/m
Ryan McAleer, Irish News, July 23rd, 2025
THE average rental listing in Northern Ireland is edging closer to £1,000 per month, new analysis from PropertyPal suggests.
The latest quarterly report from the online listing site found the average residential property for rent in the north increased 1.7% in the second quarter of 2025 to £976 per month (p/m).
That was 7.3% higher than the second quarter (Q2 )of 2024.
The average rent in Belfast increased 1.4% last quarter to £1,143p/m (+7.6% year-on-year), while the average listing in Lisburn & Castlereagh shot up by another 1.7% to £994p/m
Rental prices in Ards & North Down increased by the same rate in Q2 2025 to £965p/m.
PropertyPal’s rental tracker showed prices rising in all 11 districts last quarter.
Prices west of the Bann remained the lowest at £707p/m in Fermanagh & Omagh and £739p/m in Mid Ulster.
But prices in Mid Ulster and Derry City & Strabane recorded the sharpest quarterly increase at 2.1%, with the latter now averaging £824p/m, which was 8.6% up over the year.
PropertyPal’s chief executive, Jordan Buchanan, said were some modest signs of improvement in the rental market in terms of supply, with levels up 16% year-on-year.
“While this is a positive step for the long-term sustainability of the sector, the market still remains imbalanced, with demand well above historic norms,” he said.
“On average, there are now 57 enquiries per advertised rental property, more than double the longterm average, though notably down from the peak of over 100 enquiries a couple of years ago.
“It currently takes around 37 days to find a tenant, slightly longer than this time last year.”
In the sales market, PropertyPal’s latest analysis showed 7,100 home sales between April and June 2025, 12% higher than Q2 2024.
Houses were also reaching ‘sale agreed’ status four days faster than 12 months earlier.
The price of the average home increased by 2% in the second quarter to £230,580, which was 8.9% up over the year.
Prices in Derry City & Strabane have soared by 14.5% over the year to £209,945, with Fermanagh & Omagh (£199,630) and Mid Ulster (195,908) the last remaining areas were the average home sold for less than £200,000.
According to PropertyPal, there are now four districts in the north where the average home costs more than a quarter of a million pounds: Ards & North Down (£283,292); Lisburn & Castlereagh (£271,337); Newry, Mourne & Down (£256,948); and Causeway Coast & Glens (£250,059).
The average rent in Belfast increased 1.4% in the second quarter of 2025 to £1,143p/m, which was 7.6% up year-on-year
PropertyPal recorded a 12% increase in search volumes up 12% year-on-year, with enquiries also rising.
“This sustained demand has contributed to continued growth in house prices,” said Mr Buchanan.
“Price growth in Northern Ireland is the highest across all UK regions, with recent Nationwide figures showing a similar trend, in contrast to the more modest 2.9% growth across the wider UK market.”
‘Price of a coffee’ tourist tax could help fund Northern Ireland’s public services
Conor Sheils, Irish News, July 23rd, 2025
THERE is support for the introduction of a tourist tax in Northern Ireland, mirroring efforts in UK and European cities to raise revenue for public services.
The comments come amid reports that councils in England could soon join Wales and Scotland by introducing a small ‘tourist tax’.
Belfast city councillor Séamas de Faoite (SDLP) said the move would be positive.
“I think it’s worth examining something that is small and reasonable that helps,” he said.
“I think if it was done in the correct way – whether it was a modest charge that allowed us to build up resources for something like street cleansing and that kind of work – then I think it could be positive.
“And I think when you look at other cities that have made it work, they’ve done it by introducing modest, small charges. It hasn’t been anything massive.
“Obviously, the target would be on people who are coming into the city to visit, who have an income.
“When you look at the type of accommodation that we have in the city that’s available, it’s fairly targeted towards people with an appropriate income who could afford what could effectively amount to a cup of coffee extra onto their trip.
“I think something that for the price of a cup of coffee helps to contribute to cleaning up the city and paying for services that citizens need – then that’s a positive.
“And it takes the burden away from residents in the city, which too often we see happen with rates increases and things like that.”
Influx from Irish Open
A record 43 million tourists are travelling to the UK, including Northern Ireland, this year with re-cent days showing a massive influx of foreign visitors for The Open at Portrush.
Tourist tax schemes are already popular in cities across Europe where a small fee, usually only a couple of euros, is charged to those booking accommodation and is later passed on to the local authority.
At present, cities in Wales and Scotland have their own tax-raising powers and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff are planning to introduce such schemes.
There are also potential moves afoot for councils in England to be given similar powers to introduce the fees, leaving just Northern Ireland without the ability to do so under current legislation.
John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism Northern Ireland told the Irish News: “Tourism NI has not considered the introduction of a tourism tax in Northern Ireland however the introduction of such a tax would require careful consideration and extensive consultation with the tourism and hospitality industry.
“We need to be cognisant of the fact that tourism and hospitality businesses here are already disadvantaged from a cost competitive perspective when compared to their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland where VAT rates are substantially lower that they are here.”
A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “As part of council’s tourism strategy, officers research good practice in sustainable tourism in other cities and regions on an ongoing basis for consideration by elected members.”
Unionists opposed homes for Catholics in Poleglass: Those behind racist graffiti need a history lesson
Conor McParland, Belfast Media, July 23rd, 2025
A WEST Belfast MLA says those behind racist graffiti in Poleglass need a history lesson.
'White Irish Only' has been daubed on a wall in the Glenwood area. Danny Baker said it would be removed on Wednesday. It follows a number of similar incidents of racist graffiti in the Poleglass and Twinbrook areas.
"When Poleglass was being built, Unionists and Loyalists marched in protest. They didn't want Catholics having homes," he said. "Those behind this graffiti in Poleglass and Twinbrook need a history lesson.
"Our community suffered intimidation and discrimination. This is clearly a tiny minority and I won't let them intimidate families making this place their home.
"I can be no clearer. We aren’t going to stand for a coward with a paintbrush spreading hate. This will be removed today. If anyone has any concerns please contact me."
Sinn Féin councillor Caoimhín McCann added: "This is clearly a tiny minority. Condemnations can and will be repeated – but this needs to change.
"The PSNI need to get on top of this immediately. This vitriol is being used to try intimidate families in our community. I can be no clearer – we aren’t going to stand for a coward with a paintbrush spreading hate."
