Soldier F’s legal bill of £4.3m could yet be dwarfed by defence costs of four other Army accused
ALLISON MORRIS, Belfast Telegraph, October 31st, 2025
The £4.3m paid out on the defence of a former paratrooper cleared of murdering two men on Bloody Sunday could be dwarfed by the prosecution of four ex-members of an undercover military unit expected to start next year.
The legal cost of Soldier F's defence was made public this week following a parliamentary question.
Despite being entitled to it, Soldier F did not claim legal aid — his defence was privately funded, — albeit that those footing the bill, the Ministry of Defence, were using public funds.
So why did it cost so much?
Solider F had two highly respected legal firms working for him — one based in England and one here.
The legal fees take in a number of judicial reviews and include all legal hearings since 2019.
There were three judicial reviews (JRs) — one was a challenge to a district judge ordering an anonymity order.
The second was a challenge to the Public Prosecution Service decision not to prosecute other members of the Parachute Regiment present on Bloody Sunday.
The third, meanwhile, related to a decision by the PPS to initially withdraw the charges against Soldier F.
Soldier F was represented by a London legal team who acted for Army personnel during the Saville Inquiry. He then instructed an additional Northern Ireland firm to work alongside them.
Travel and accommodation would not fall under legal aid arrangements.
If a defendant in a murder case indicated that they were unable to make their way to court for each day of their trial from their court approved bail address, then it is the duty of the state to make sure they attend each day.
As one senior legal representative put it: “You would be transported to custody but your new bail address would be Maghaberry Prison.”
Soldier F’s expenses kept confidential
Soldier F's travel and accommodation were paid for and the arrangements kept confidential as part of his anonymity order.
But in other similar cases soldiers have been provided with secure accommodation at a local Army base during their trial.
Soldier F was found not guilty of murdering James Wray (22) and William McKinney (26).
He was also found not guilty of attempting to murder Michael Quinn, Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and an unknown person.
His defence included senior counsel from Northern Ireland, Mark Mulholland KC and Ian Turkington KC, along with Leila Gaafar BL from the London Bar. He also had two senior counsel for the judicial review proceedings. While legal aid ensures the accused has a properly funded defence, this would likely have been limited to one senior counsel, one junior and one solicitor, as all public spending by the Legal Aid Agency is subject to scrutiny and oversight.
There are differences in opinion as to what Solider F's defence might have cost had it been legal aid-funded, as there are no similar cases to compare it to, but a long-running multiple murder case is estimated at between £150,000 and £250,000.
Bloody Sunday families were prosecution witnesses
Despite information spread online, the Bloody Sunday families were not represented at trial — they attended as prosecution witnesses and not as party to the criminal proceedings.
They were represented during judicial review proceedings by Madden & Finucane solicitors.
Alistair 'Al' Carns, the Armed Forces Minister, defended the spending in response to a parliamentary question from SDLP MP Colum Eastwood.
He said: “The Ministry of Defence is committed to supporting veterans and their families. As part of this, Soldier F has received legal and welfare support throughout his legal proceedings at public expense.
“The legal fees associated with these proceedings (including associated judicial reviews) amount to £4.3m, which may marginally rise once the final bills are received.”
Mr Eastwood said had soldiers present on Bloody Sunday — when 13 people were shot dead following a civil rights march — been truthful in their evidence to the Saville Inquiry then they would have enjoyed the amnesty granted by the inquiry.
During the trial, which concluded last week, judge Patrick Lynch had two opportunities to end the prosecution, but deemed it right and proper to continue.
Two arms of state at odds
One unusual aspect is that while the state was trying to prosecute Soldier F, a different arm of the state was paying £4.3m to thwart that.
There are a handful of legacy cases still before the courts, mainly involving republican or loyalist paramilitaries.
However, there is one military case still pending, involving members of the undercover Military Reaction Force (MRF). The PPS refer to one of the defendants as Soldier F — though this is an entirely different individual.
The new Soldier F is being prosecuted for the murder of 44-year-old Patrick McVeigh, who was shot at the junction of Finaghy Road North and Riverdale Park South on May 13 1972, and the attempted murder of four others in this same incident.
Soldier F and three others - known as soldiers B, C and D — have also been prosecuted for the attempted murder of two victims during a shooting incident in Slievegallion Drive on May 12, 1972.
Inevitably these soldiers will be expecting the same multi-million pound defence offered to their former Army colleague.
Soldier F row over ‘victims’ sparks war of words
ANDY BALFOUR, Irish News, October 31st, 2025
DERRY’S DUP deputy mayor has come under fire, with a fellow councillor accusing her of calling Soldier F a “victim”.
Alderman Niree McMorris sparked anger in the chamber during a meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council.
Elected reps had been discussing DUP education minister Paul Givan’s recent visit to Israel, when the subject of Soldier F was raised by Alderman McMorris.
Soldier F was acquitted last week of murdering 22-yearold William McKinney and 26-yearold James Wray on Bloody Sunday in January 1972.
Thirteen people were shot dead on Bloody Sunday by British paratroopers who opened fire during a civil rights march in Derry, while a 14th victim died of their injuries four months later.
While discussing Mr Givan’s Israel trip, Alderman McMorris said she was “offended” by other members’ comments that her party was “on the wrong side of history” in regards to Israel and Palestine.
“That might be somebody’s opinion but everybody has a right to their own opinion,” she said.
“And when we talk about Soldier F and we talk about the Bloody Sunday victims, people have the right to support Soldier F no less than people have the right to support the Bloody Sunday victims.
“There should not be any hierarchy of victims here, do you know what I mean? They’re all victims.”
Soldier F ‘not a victim’
In response, SDLP councillor Brian Tierney put forward a point of order, asserting that Soldier F was not a victim.
“When you’re talking about hierarchy of victims, Soldier F is not a victim and he does not come under the same category as the innocent civilians that were murdered on Bloody Sunday,” he said.
“You cannot link Soldier F and innocent victims and you cannot label Soldier F as a victim.”
But Alderman McMorris replied: “I am not labelling Soldier F as a victim.
“We were talking initially about Israelis and terrorists and all sorts of murder… and everybody’s going to have their own opinion on it.
“We see time and time again where we’re lambasted in this chamber, as a political party or personally, and once we say anything (we’re) shouted across.
“But I’ve made my point, so I’ll leave it at that.”
Call for Givan to resign over trip to Israel
The council also backed a motion by People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin calling for the education minister to resign over his Israel visit.
Meanwhile, Derry and Strabane mayor Ruairí McHugh said he will liaise with victims’ families through the Bloody Sunday Trust in order to honour their campaigning for justice following the verdict in the Soldier F trial.
“I had the honour to walk with the family members and survivors to the first day of the High Court, and I think it would be appropriate for me as the first citizen to pay tribute and commend the resilience and…dignity of the Bloody Sunday families and survivors.”
Councillor Tierney said: “Many of the Bloody Sunday families have literally put their lives into proving that their loved ones were innocent on that day, and it is fitting that we recognise that.
“I was there when Soldier F was found not guilty, I spoke to some of the families outside, and could see how devastated they were by that verdict.”
He added he was “incredibly shocked and disappointed to see some of the responses from…so-called leaders of unionism, who were claiming the verdict as some sort of victory in the face of tragedy.”
Brother of Bloody Sunday victim says trial cost revelation ‘hurtful’
REBECCA BLACK, Irish News, October 31st, 2025
THE British Government paying millions to defend Soldier F “flies in the face” of former prime minister David Cameron’s apology to the Bloody Sunday victims, a family member has said.
Mickey McKinney, whose brother was one of those killed in the shootings in Derry in 1972, described as “hurtful” learning that the UK Government paid more than £4 million to defend Soldier F.
“That money flies in the face of David Cameron’s apology, it was really hurtful,” he told the PA news agency.
He was speaking after it emerged that the UK Government has spent £4.3 million so far on the defence of the former paratrooper.
Minister for Veterans and People Alistair Cairns revealed the figure following a parliamentary question (PQ) asked by SDLP MP for Foyle Colum Eastwood.
Mr McKinney told the PA news agency that he was very surprised to hear the total and was left feeling shocked.
He said family members, many of whom are now elderly, spent hours every day of the five-week trial travelling from Derry to Belfast each day it sat.
They had pressed for the trial to be held at Bishop Street court house in Derry.
Mr McKinney also hit back at those who had countered their reaction to the legal bill, by pointing out the £190 million cost of the Saville Inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday.
“The inquiry was something that should have happened immediately after Bloody Sunday,” he said.
Decision not to hold Birmingham pub bombings inquiry ‘deeply disappointing’
STEPHANIE WAREHAM, Belfast News Letter and Irish News, October 31st, 2025
A BRITISH Government decision not to hold a public inquiry into the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, despite years of campaigning by families of the victims, has been branded “deeply disappointing”.
Security minister Dan Jarvis confirmed in a statement yesterday that the government will not establish a public inquiry into the bombings, which killed 21 people on November 21, 1974.
Hodge Hill and Solihull North MP Liam Byrne said he has asked Mr Jarvis to meet with the victims’ families, who set up the Justice4The21 campaign, to explain the decision.
Around 200 were injured when bombs exploded minutes apart in the Mulberry Bush, at the foot of the Rotunda building, and the Tavern In The Town in New Street, in what remains the worst unsolved terrorist atrocity committed in Britain.
Julie Hambleton, whose 18-yearold sister Maxine Hambleton died in the twin blasts, told the PA news agency she received a two-and-a-half page letter explaining the decision yesterday morning and was “disappointed and outraged”.
She said: “We feel as though they are in, essence, spitting on the graves of our loved ones. It is a disgraceful way to treat anybody, let alone a group of families whose loved ones were slaughtered in cold blood nearly 51 years ago.”
ICRIR offered ‘best chance to provide answers’ says Minister
Mr Jarvis said it was the government’s “firm belief” that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery could effectively investigate the case, “offering the best chance to provide answers to Justice4The21’s questions”.
He said: “I would like to pay tribute to Justice4The21 for their continued campaigning, which has been both tireless and dignified.
“For over five decades, they have sought truth, justice, and accountability, while also grieving for their loved ones.
“Their unwavering efforts are testament to their remarkable strength, and their continued engagement with the Home Office has been central to our consideration of their request for an inquiry.
“I also recognise the many others that have campaigned on this issue including members of the public, community organisations, and fellow parliamentarians.
“The commitment displayed has been a powerful reflection of the devastating aftermath that these heinous attacks continue to have on the Birmingham community, and I extend my gratitude to all those who have provided contributions.”
Mr Jarvis said the commission, which was set up in May 2024 to investigate Troubles-related incidents, has “robust” powers, resources, and expertise to support the families and recommended they refer their case to it for investigation.
The aftermath of the fatal bomb attack on the Mulberry Bush pub
Families to continue campaign
Mr Byrne said the families’ fight for answers would continue despite the government’s decision.
He said in a statement posted on X: “This is a deeply, deeply disappointing decision. The families who lost loved ones on that terrible night have asked for nothing more than truth and justice.
“After so much time, so much pain, and so many let-downs, they deserve nothing less than a process they can trust.
“One that is independent, judge led, with full powers and fearless in the search for truth.
“These families have waited half a lifetime for answers. They have endured grief, neglect and delay – yet they have never given up. And neither must we.
“The fight for the families must go on.”
The Birmingham MP said he was in touch with Justice4The21 to “understand their next steps”.
Six Irishmen – Hugh Callaghan, Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, John Walker, Richard McIlkenny and Billy Power – were wrongly convicted over the attacks and jailed for life in 1975, but were freed in 1991 after the Court of Appeal ruled their convictions were unsafe.
Unionism can learn a lot from results of Irish presidential election
By David Campbell, News Letter, October 31st, 2023
THERE ARE CONCLUSIONS TO BE DRAWN BY UNIONISTS FROM THE IRISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Firstly, Catherine Connolly should be rightly congratulated on her victory, however the election resulted in a further retreat for Sinn Fein in the Republic.
The combined left coalition led by Sinn Fein that united around Connolly saw its percentage share of the poll drop by a third compared to the Dail election.
Whilst the focus has been on Fianna Fail mismanagement and the future of Taoiseach Micheal Martin, it is difficult to see how the McDonald-O’Neill leadership of Sinn Fein can be sustained much longer.
Secondly, the anti-Protestant tone of the election campaign and at times the outright nasty sectarianism that was witnessed will not be lost on the Protestant-unionist population of Northern Ireland.
The leopard has not changed its spots and the brutally cold sentiment against the former British population of what is now the Republic of Ireland is still all too evident.
The ‘shared island’ policy of the Irish government would appear to extend little further than Iveagh House.
One unintended consequence, however, is that the notion of holding a border poll now has little or no merit.
The question of leaving the United Kingdom for some form of united Ireland would be heavily defeated in Northern Ireland and I suspect it would have difficulty passing even in the Republic.
Unionism can never become complacent, however.
Threat to Belfast Good Friday Agreement?
Already the attempts to introduce voting in at least this election for Irish passport-holders in Northern Ireland continues apace.
But let us be clear on this point.
For the Irish Republic to grant such a franchise would be a clear and profound breach of the sovereignty provisions of the Belfast Agreement and would effectively be a re-establishment of the Republic’s territorial claim over Northern Ireland.
I have no issue with countries providing voting rights for their citizens and taxpayers who are transient residents of third countries when elections at home occur.
Indeed, as Honorary Consul for the Republic of Turkiye, I have regularly facilitated Turkish residents of Northern Ireland, where they are in Northern Ireland legally, of voting in important Turkish elections.
It is entirely different to offer a vote to citizens of the United Kingdom who happen to have an Irish passport but who have no domicile (and probably never have had) in the Republic of Ireland.
To change this, as nationalists are clamouring for, would distort democracy in both jurisdictions and would kill the Belfast Agreement.
The United Kingdom government and the Irish government, as co-guarantors of the agreement, must quickly and decisively rule out any such change.
In some ways this is a road we have travelled before. Early in the first Stormont Assembly, senior Sinn Fein MLAs attempted to also stand for Dail seats, no doubt in an attempt to create an illusion of political unity.
The United Kingdom government quickly legislated to prevent such a perversion of democracy.
The sovereignty provisions in the agreement are not just words.
They represent the core protection for unionists now and in the future and in many ways were the main achievement of David Trimble and the Ulster Unionist Party.
Givan made ‘on the hoof’ decision to pay visit to school in East Jerusalem
JOHN MANLEY, Irish News, October 31st, 2025
THE Department of Education has confirmed that Paul Givan made the decision to visit a school in an illegally occupied part of Jerusalem while visiting Israel in a private capacity.
The DUP minister was expected to return from his trip from the Middle East yesterday amid the deepening row about the use of his department’s resources to promote aspects of the six-day “fact-finding mission”, paid for by the Israeli government.
A protest organised by Palestinian solidarity groups and billed as ‘Paul Givan Must Go’ is expected to place in Belfast tomorrow afternoon.
The simmering controversy centres not on Mr Givan and other unionist politicians’ decision to visit a country tarnished by allegations of genocide but his department’s decision to issue a press release and post on social media about his visit to the Ofek School in East Jerusalem.
The Irish News reported yesterday how the school is located in an area annexed during the 1967 Six-Day War, which is not recognised as part of Israel by either the UK or Ireland.
In September, the British government joined Canada and Australia in recognising the Palestinian state, which includes East Jerusalem as its capital.
It has been speculated that the minster may have breached British government diplomatic guidelines during the visit.
In Mr Givan’s absence, his department has declined to address questions about the blurring of lines between promoting ministerial business and a purely political venture.
The minister was accompanied on the trip by DUP colleagues Sammy Wilson, David Brooks and Ben Mallon, alongside Ulster Unionist MLA Steve Aiken and TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell.
In a brief response to questions from The Irish News, a Department of Education spokesperson said: “While in Israel, the education minister decided to take an opportunity to visit Ofek School to learn about the approach they take to support diverse learners within a high-achieving environment.
“Following his tour of Ofek School, the education minister requested the educational visit was highlighted on the department’s social media channels.”
‘Inexcusable use of resources’
Stormont education committee chair Nick Mathison described the department’s promotion of the visit as “an inexcusable use of resources”.
“There is no way to dress up the outrage felt by many in the aftermath of this visit and any defence by his department only goes to show how out of touch the minister is on this issue,” he said.
“The minister needs to understand and accept that his visit to this school, so close to the unimaginable horror the children of Gaza have and continue to face, is unacceptable. The optics are distressing and he has made a grave error in judgement.”
Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole said the department’s response “throws up more questions than answers”.
“Civil servants serve ministers but they are also bound by a civil service code of ethics to act with integrity and impartiality – it is extraordinary that no senior official sought to question whether publicising a visit to a school on land which is deemed in international law to be illegally occupied was appropriate,” he said.
“If the meeting was organised on the hoof and not by the department or as part of the minister’s official responsibilities, then it is inexplicable that the department would simply publicise without asking questions.”
Mr O’Toole said Mr Givan’s position was “indefensible” and accused him of compromising the reputation of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Beattie: I declined an invitation to visit Israel as it needs time and space to heal
ANDREW MADDEN, Belfast Telegraph, October 31st, 2025
UUP MAN REVEALS HIS DECISION AMID CRITICISM OF TRIP BY EDUCATION MINISTER
Former UUP leader Doug Beattie has revealed he also turned down an invitation to visit Israel.
The ex-Army Major, who is the party's justice spokesperson, said the region needs “time and space to foster peace” and he believes in a two-state solution.
It comes after his colleague Robbie Butler, the UUP deputy leader, said he declined an invite to join a delegation of Northern Ireland politicians on an official visit to Israel.
DUP Education Minister Paul Givan, DUP MP Sammy Wilson, Ron McDowell of the TUV and UUP MLA Steve Aiken all recently returned from their trip to the country, which was paid for by the Israeli government.
Critics have argued it was inappropriate to visit Israel at a time when the country is facing international condemnation for its military actions in Gaza.
Mr Givan has come under particularly intense criticism for asking his department to publicise a visit he undertook to a school in the occupied territories of east Jerusalem.
The Department of Education said Mr Givan visited Ofek School to learn about the approach it takes to support diverse pupils in a high-achieving environment. “Following his tour of Ofek School, the Education Minister requested the educational visit was highlighted on the department's social media channels,” it added.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson defended the visit, saying it was the “right thing to do”.
Speaking to the Stormont Sources podcast, it subsequently emerged that Mr Butler received an invitation to take part in the visit, but declined.
Mr Butler cited two reasons for his decision, including family and not having the time to go.
“Secondly, whilst I would be a supporter of Israel and the two-state solution, I just think that what has happened in Israel and then in Palestine is horrendous,” he said.
‘The region needs time and space to foster peace’
Mr Beattie has now confirmed he received an invitation, which he declined.
“I believe that the region needs time and space to foster peace,” he told the Belfast Telegraph. “This includes moving towards a two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace.
“For me, personally, this wasn't the right time to visit as the region moves away from conflict, albeit slowly.”
Mr Butler told the Stormont Sources podcast that, if he had been on the visit, he would have wanted to “ask certain questions and see certain changes”.
“So going somewhere like that isn't necessarily the issue,” he said.
“What could be [an issue] for you is when you were there, what did you ask, and what did you want to happen off the back of it? And I think that's really important because of all the countries in the world, we need to learn from what we did.”
He added: “Because I'm a person of faith - I'd love to go [to Israel] at some stage, but not just now at this time.
“And I think given what has happened in Israel and Palestine, difficult questions needed to be asked.
“And I hope that some of the people asked them. And we want to see peace be maintained in that area.”
Mr Givan's visit has led to questions being raised in Parliament as to whether the Education Minister breached UK foreign policy.
Stormont Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole has also written to the head of the Civil Service and the Department of Education's Permanent Secretary to establish what role the Civil Service played in the trip.
A teachers' union, the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council, also expressed concerns, claiming that the department's promotion of the school visit is an “overtly political and divisive act” and calling for the social media post it shared to be deleted.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show on Thursday, Gavin Robinson said Mr Givan had “every entitlement” to go to Israel. The DUP leader added: “And he's there with colleagues. He received an invitation, like many others did, and he chose to go. I'm pleased we have a party delegation there. There have been a number of visits that they have found incredibly interesting, educational. They are benefiting from it.”
Asked about Israel's actions in Gaza, Mr Robinson replied: “Israel, as a country, for decades has been under the cosh of terrorists who want to see its extinction.
“Some 1,200 people were slaughtered on October 7 two years ago and Israel has responded.
“Now we have peace in the Middle East and my colleagues travelled whenever peace was agreed and hostages were returned, but we will engage internationally, and our colleagues are there, and I think it is the right thing for them to do.”
The October 7 atrocity was the deadliest attack by Palestinian militants in Israel's 75-year history. Some 251 people were abducted. In response, Israel launched ground and air strikes on Gaza that led to almost 70,000 deaths, including thousands of children.
A ceasefire agreement which came into effect on October 10 has appeared increasing fragile in recent days, with Israel ordering air strikes on Gaza after accusing Hamas of breaching the terms of the deal.
Romanian teen allegedly took part in ‘opportunistic’ sex assault on schoolgirl
ALAN ERWIN, Irish News, October 31, 2025
A ROMANIAN teenager who allegedly took part in an “indiscriminate and opportunistic” sexual assault on a schoolgirl in Ballymena must remain in custody, a High Court judge ruled yesterday.
The 15-year-old boy was refused bail on a charge of attempting to rape the girl after she was dragged into a garage in the Co Antrim town.
Racially-motivated rioting erupted in Ballymena following the alleged attack. Mr Justice Scoffield denied the defendant’s bid to be released based on risks he could either re-offend or flee.
“The fact that his parents have severed ties (with the jurisdiction) and moved away underscores the motivation to escape Northern Ireland which arises in this case,” he held.
The defendant and a 14-year-old co-accused are jointly charged with the attempted rape on June 7 this year.
A third teenage suspect facing a charge of rape is believed to have fled to Romania the following day.
None of the accused can be identified because of their ages.
The girl was allegedly snatched off the street and taken down an alleyway into a garage in the Clonavon Terrace area of the town.
She managed to escape when the attack stopped because the three teenagers were disturbed by a noise outside and ran off, according to the police case.
Opposing the 15-year-old boy’s application for bail, prosecutors argued that there is now forensic evidence linking him to the alleged sexual assault.
Flight risk
The court also heard that his mother and father returned to Romania shortly after the incident for their own safety.
Although his parents came back to support his application, they no longer have any permanent address in the jurisdiction.
The teenager sought release to live at accommodation provided by the relevant health trust. But Mr Justice Scoffield held he has no real ties to the jurisdiction and could flee.
“That is partly due, no doubt, to the serious violence and disorder which followed reports of the alleged offending,” he said.
A risk that the defendant could re-offending was also cited.
“The seriousness of the offence, taken with the strength of the prima facie case against him, coupled with the determined, indiscriminate and opportunistic nature of the alleged offending, all give rise to concerns about the potential for further offences,” the judge said.
“Particularly if the applicant is accommodated with or has contact with girls of around his age.”
Refusing bail, he confirmed: “I consider that to protect the public it is necessary to remand the applicant in custody.”
Northern Ireland has lowest spend per person on mental health in UK
CONOR SHEILS, Irish News, October 31st, 2025
NORTHERN Ireland has the lowest spend per person on mental health in the UK, latest figures show.
And the level of investment ranks bottom despite a 30% funding increase over the past five years.
According to the Department of Health, Northern Ireland spends just £212 per person on mental health.
This compares with £264 in England, £234 in Scotland and £256 in Wales, putting Northern Ireland at the bottom of the UK’s mental health spending table.
Northern Ireland is the only UK nation spending less than £220 per capita on mental health services, according to the figures.
Despite ranking last, Northern Ireland has significantly increased mental health spending over the past five years, with investment rising 30% from £310 million in 2020/21 to £403 million in 2024/25.
This compares with £12.1 billion last year in England, £1.3 billion in Scotland, and £820million in Wales.
80% of mental health strategy shelved
The latest figures come just weeks after Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he was “personally disappointed” that 80% of Stormont’s mental health strategy has now had to be shelved indefinitely due to a lack of funding.
The minister’s comments came after the Department of Health published a review into the 2021 Mental Health Strategy four years into the project.
It found that just 16% of the almost £77 million in funding which was supposed to be invested in mental health services across the north by this point has actually been allocated.
A total of £12.3 million has been invested in mental health services so far as part of the £1.2 billion 10-year plan, which was supposed to transform Northern Ireland’s mental health services.
Diane Dodds, Upper Bann MLA and DUP Health Spokesperson said: “These figures are deeply concerning and paint a stark picture of how mental health services in Northern Ireland are being left behind. Despite repeated promises of prioritising mental health, we are spending less per head than every other part of the United Kingdom, and people are feeling the impact of that neglect every day.
“Across every Health Trust, mental health bed occupancy rates are beyond breaking point with figures exceeding 100 per cent and in some cases reaching 123 per cent. The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends an occupancy rate of around 85 per cent to ensure space for those in crisis or emergency need. That clearly isn’t happening here.
“When the Minister chooses to shelve 80 per cent of the Mental Health Strategy, it sends the message that tackling this crisis is not a priority. Northern Ireland cannot continue to lag behind the rest of the UK on such a critical issue. The Minister must urgently revisit the strategy, restore funding, and ensure services are properly resourced so that people in mental distress can get the help they need, when they need it.”
SDLP Opposition Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA told The Irish News that the figures are “deeply concerning”.
“Following reports that the majority of the Mental Health Strategy is to be scrapped, it is deeply concerning to see just how far the North continues to lag behind Britain when it comes to mental health spending. While funding has increased in recent years, it remains to be seen what difference it has made given the huge challenges people still face accessing support,” he said.
“Given our unique mental health challenges, shaped by the legacy of conflict and social deprivation, it could be argued that this region needs more investment than others, not less. It’s impossible to see how the situation will improve without a properly resourced strategy. The Executive and Health Minister have once again failed to deliver for those who need help most.”
Suicide charity with 150 clients per week to close at Christmas
DONAL McMAHON, Irish News, October 31st, 2025
A COUNCIL is to lobby Health Minister Mike Nesbitt after a mental health charity providing “essential” counselling announced they are to close days before Christmas.
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) agreed this week to raise concerns over the closure of Emerge Counselling Services.
The Lisburn-based group failed to get funds from the council when they applied last year, due to being “ineligible”, but then became the chosen charity of LCCC mayor Kurtis Dickson when the Alliance councillor took office later in 2024.
In an online plea, Emerge CEO Samantha Evans said: “This is a video I wished I never had to make, but unfortunately we have to call it a day.
“We will be closing our doors on Monday December 22 and unfortunately we won’t be reopening in 2026.
“There are a few reasons for this. My team is absolutely fantastic in what they do, with over 70 volunteers now and on average 150 clients per week. We cannot financially sustain it any further.
‘Nobody wants to take the financial responsibility for mental health in this country.”
“We have been open for almost seven years and throughout this time… I have been battling with this triangle system where we have the PHA, the government and the health trust, and you are just passed about from one to the other; nobody wants to take the financial responsibility for mental health in this country.”
Ms Evans added that the registered charity’s staff “have given our souls for the clients that we see on a daily and weekly basis”.
“But, to be kept at this level financially with the amount of footfall we have, and no management positions being able to be funded, we just cannot continue to carry on.”
According to its website, Emerge has helped people aged from five to 95 all across the north, with the organisation created “due to a surge of suicides and the loss of a much-loved family member”.
It is now listed as “dissolved” from April 2025.
Councillors on LCCC have now unanimously agreed to make a plea for funding to Mr Nesbitt, the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, and the Public Health Agency.
Bringing forward a proposal to the Lagan Valley chamber this week, DUP Alderman Paul Porter said the planned closure was “shocking”.
‘Life changing support’
“Emerge has provided life-changing support to countless people across our community,” he said.
“Its closure will leave a huge gap in mental health provision, a gap our health system simply cannot afford.
“Even at this late stage, I truly hope that urgent funding can be found to sustain this essential service for those who need it most.
“I also asked the council to write to Emerge Counselling Service to thank its dedicated volunteers and staff for all the care and support they have given to people and families across our city.”
A Department of Health (DoH) spokesperson said they were aware Emerge was to close “due to funding challenges”, and that it carried out work “of vital importance to those in the community who need it most”.
“Emerge Counselling is not directly funded by the department, however Emerge had previously received funding from the National Lottery,” they said.
“Due to the significant financial challenges facing DoH, the department is not in a position to offer any emergency funding to Emerge Counselling.”
The spokesperson said Mr Nesbitt encourages groups to apply for the department’s 2026/2027 £1.8m Core Grant Scheme, which has “been restructured to ensure that at least 64 organisations working across four key priority policy areas can be supported in 2026/27, and a majority of those supported will have an annual income of less than £1m”.
Belated appointments must mark fresh start for languages
Pro Fide et Patria, Irish News, Ocrober 31st, 2025
THE belated confirmation of the appointment of our first Irish language and Ulster Scots commissioners in many ways sums up the considerable opportunities and deep frustrations surrounding the Stormont structures.
Pól Deeds and Lee Reynolds have the chance to make a real difference in the course of their terms of office over the next five years, and play strongly constructive roles in a range of key areas.
Unfortunately, it has taken nearly six years to reach this stage since the posts were created as part of the New Decade New Approach which restored devolution in January 2020, and, up until the start of this week, speculation was rising that the process was caught up in yet another serious dispute between the two main parties, Sinn Féin and the DUP.
“It is essential that both Mr Deeds and Mr Reynolds are treated with respect as they take up their duties, and they are also entitled to expect that their efforts will be encouraged by all our Stormont ministers
It emerged more than two months ago that Mr Deeds and Mr Reynolds had been offered the jobs, and there has been no official explanation for the delay in making an announcement about their selection.
Both individuals have firm credentials in their own fields, with Mr Deeds a former deputy chief executive of the cross-border body Foras na Gaeilge and a respected Irish language campaigner, and Mr Reynolds a long-serving DUP representative who was previously an advisor to Arlene Foster during her time as first minister. They have the official task of setting standards for public bodies on the use of Irish and the delivery of services in Ulster Scots, but the symbolism which is linked to their duties is at least equally important.
Attempts have regularly been made by some unionist figures to marginalise and even demonise the Irish language, even though its striking growth over recent decades goes well beyond the nationalist tradition.
It is essential that both Mr Deeds and Mr Reynolds are treated with respect as they take up their duties, and they are also entitled to expect that their efforts will be encouraged by all our Stormont ministers.
There can only be disappointment that what should have been a relatively straightforward process leading to their recruitment took such a remarkably long time, and there would be deep concern if further obstacles are placed in their paths in the coming months.
It must be hoped that the commissioners are allowed to fully develop their strategies and deliver progress on a number of fronts, without being cynically targeted for political reasons.
Not all of the recent signs have been positive, and sniping from the sidelines is already underway, but there will still be relief that Mr Deeds and Mr Reynolds are finally in a position to begin assuming their significant responsibilities.
40 years on, has Irish unity really moved any closer?
ALEX KANE, Irish News, October 31st, 2025
FORTY years ago yesterday – October 30 1985 – Jim Molyneaux and Ian Paisley, leaders of the UUP and DUP, warned Margaret Thatcher that a consultative role for the Irish government in NI affairs, rumours of which were appearing in the UK national press, would be greeted with a ‘significant and angry’ loyalist backlash.
In terms of electoral support it wasn’t an empty threat; in the local council elections five months earlier, unionists won almost 60% of the vote and 350 of the 566 seats.
The warning from the two leaders followed a meeting with Thatcher in Downing Street on August 30, when they expressed their concerns about continuing Anglo-Irish talks.
Even though it was believed that the Brighton bomb in October 1984 and Thatcher’s dismissal of three options from the New Ireland Forum report a few weeks later – the ‘out, out, out’ response – had tempered her support for expanding the ‘Irish dimension’, there were still concerns about how far she might go.
On November 15, with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, unionism found itself dismayed by how far she had gone.
Thatcher’s advisors and negotiators had learned lessons from the collapse of Sunningdale in May 1974: there was nothing in the AIA which could be brought down by a rebooting of loyalist/unionist tactics and strike action.
And when, on November 25, the High Court in London refused leave to unionists to challenge the legality of the AIA; followed by a massive House of Commons victory for Thatcher (473 votes to 47) on November 27, it was, to all intents and purposes, over for unionism.
I wrote an article in January 1986 – on the back of the pending by-elections to fill the seats of the UUP/DUP/UPUP MPs who had resigned in protest – arguing that by-elections weren’t going to be enough in and of themselves.
Molyneaux and Paisley should have resigned
There should have been a change of leadership and both Molyneaux and Paisley should have resigned.
They were entirely wrong-footed by Thatcher; Enoch Powell, supposedly an influential figure in Thatcher’s worldview, was clearly misled by her; there was no game plan in place to respond to this disaster; and worse, no game plan as to what should follow the by-elections.
A freshening of the leadership teams, accompanied by the drawing in of new voices and candidates for the future, was desperately required.
Whatever new framework for future negotiations emerged after November 15 was going to be set against an entirely new political/constitutional background.
Unionism had taken a massive political and psychological hit and there was no point in allowing Molyneaux and Paisley to carry on as if a massive heap of responsibility for the mess didn’t rest upon their shoulders. It did.
That would have been the perfect time to replace Molyneaux with Harold McCusker (the only unionist who truly represented the hurt felt by unionism at that point) and Paisley with Peter Robinson, who was always better than Paisley anyway when it came to dealing with uncomfortable political realities.
But it wasn’t to be – even though McCusker and Robinson (along with Frank Millar, the UUP’s general secretary) co-authored a task force report, An End to Drift, which contained very valuable advice for the way forward, yet was shelved by the leaders.
‘The window ledge of the Union’
From November 15 onwards, unionism was to spend a long time on what Peter Robinson described as ‘the window-ledge of the union’, its future potentially determined by those outside the UK.
That ledge was also referenced by David Trimble when he succeeded Molyneaux, who, remarkably, had held onto the leadership until 1995. Paisley held on until 2008.
Forty years on from the AIA and it would be difficult to make the case that NI’s position within the union is stronger now than it was then.
But from the unionist perspective, it is important to remember that even after all the setbacks it has suffered since the mid-1960s, Northern Ireland is still anchored within the United Kingdom. And firmly enough, too, that the hard evidence required for a border poll is still not available 104 years after partition.
When mainstream republicanism decided to contest elections to the 1982 Assembly, it was an initial recognition that the ballot box might be a better route to Irish unity.
To be honest, I’m not sure how much closer it is now than it was then. There’s certainly a lot of noise and talk of ‘inevitability’, but not much more than that, when you drill down. Which means that everything is still in play.
Unionism needs to focus on that: because everything still being in play can often be more helpful to the status quo than to those seeking huge change.
That’s one of the key lessons learned from the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and from referenda elsewhere.
Burrows v Butler - Ulster Unionist leadership race taking shape post Nesbitt
By David Thompson, Belfast News Letter, October 31st, 2025
A battle to become next UUP leader is effectively underway, with Robbie Butler suggesting he will throw his hat in the ring to take over from Mike Nesbitt – should he stand down in January.
The comments come amid uncertainty over the current leader’s future, prompted by comments he made during a recent interview that he would make a decision on whether to run again early next year – before branding ensuing speculation as a “media invention”.
Jon Burrows has yet to comment on any leadership ambitions, but he is widely seen as a potential successor.
Now, Robbie Butler says he could put his name forward if the party can “match” his ambition.
Meanwhile, Mr Burrows has been touring Northern Ireland speaking to local UUP associations – with many grassroots members enthused by his approach at Stormont.
Perceived indecision by the party leadership on issues such as climate change goals have caused internal tensions in recent months.
With Mike Nesbitt having delegated much of the party leadership role to his deputy Mr Butler, the Lagan Valley MLA has faced the brunt of internal frustrations about a belief that key policy positions are not clear.
Mr Burrows may struggle to get the support of the party’s Stormont team, given he has only been an MLA for a few months. However, it will be party members who have the final say, should Mr Nesbitt step down.
An Ulster Unionist Party spokesperson said that as there is no vacancy for party leader position, it would not be adding commentary on the matter.
‘I wouldn’t discount myself at all’
In an episode of the Stormont Sources podcast, Robbie Butler said if the leadership came up, “I wouldn't be discounting myself at all” – but said Mike Nesbitt would have his full support if he decided to stay on in the role.
Host David McCann pushed Mr Butler on what had changed that prompted him to declare his intentions.
He said he wouldn’t take on the role if he didn’t feel he could make a difference – and said he had considered it when Doug Beattie ran for leader.
Pushed for clarity on whether he would stand if Mike Nesbitt stands down in January, Mr Butler said “If the party can match my ambition, which I believe it could, match my ambition.
“There is a formula for it, if they can do that and I believe it’s in the right place, I can put my name forward. But listen, there could be a better face”.
In July, Mike Nesbitt said that he would make a decision on whether to run again by January 2026 at the latest .
This prompted much discussion within party ranks about when he would stand down and who his eventual successor would be.
In an interview with the News Letter ahead of the party’s annual conference earlier this month, Mr Nesbitt said there is “no certainty” that he is leaving politics.
When it was put to him that much of the speculation ahead of the conference would be about his leadership, he said “There's no speculation. There's no chat within the party. It's all journalists”.
The UUP boss said he had made clear that he would “think about staying on” and “make that decision in January”.
Asked why he wouldn’t make an announcement before then, Mike Nesbitt said: “Is there a part of ‘I'll tell you in January’ that's giving you a problem?”
