Victims’ anger after attempts to alter wording on memorial
CONOR COYLE, Irish News, February 12th, 2026
THE first and deputy first ministers attempted to change the wording of a memorial plaque to victims of institutional abuse to exclude responsibility for “the state”.
The move sparked outrage among victims’ groups and ultimately a u-turn on the decision.
Victims groups had threatened to boycott an event unveiling the memorial plaque for victims and survivors of historical and institutional abuse at Stormont next week over the decision.
However, an assembly scrutiny committee heard yesterday that the Executive Office has now decided to reinstate the wording on the plaque after being lambasted by the groups.
An original version of the wording which was due to be included on the plaque stated: “Between 1922 and 1995, many children suffered abuse in residential institutions and were failed by the state, whose duty it was to protect them. Some were sent overseas through the Child Migrant Scheme. These children deserved care, safety, and dignity— but many suffered harm instead.”
However, an amended version of the wording removed mention of “the state”, with the first line reading as: “Between 1922 and 1995, many suffered childhood abuse in residential institutions and were failed by all those who had a duty to protect them.”
In correspondence seen by The Irish News from the Executive Office, officials state that the first and deputy first minister “made the final decision on the plaque wording”.
Approximately 100 institutions were identified by the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry as places where people suffered abuse, with thousands of victims having been identified to date.
A letter sent to Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly this week from Gerry McCann, chair of the Rosetta Trust, said the decision to amend the wording had caused “significant disappointment” among victims groups.
“The group leaders were not given access to the final draft before the decision to remove the word ‘State’,” the letter said.
“After receiving a copy, I contacted a TEO official on 13th October to inquire about this omission and was assured that the word “State” was included in the new draft.
Plaque wording sparks outrage
“However, after further discussions and correspondence with officials, I was informed that the ministers had ultimately decided to remove it.
“On November 10, 2025, the Deputy First Minister announced in the Assembly that a date had been set for the unveiling of the Memorial and that the wording had been agreed upon.
“This conclusion followed consultations with groups, victims, survivors, the Commissioner and other stakeholders, leading to a consensus, although not everyone was in agreement.”
The letter goes on to say that the Stormont Executive needed to “take ownership of its actions”.
“It is important to us as citizens of Northern Ireland to recognise that the government is ultimately responsible for all its citizens and should therefore take ownership of its actions, rather than deflecting from its responsibilities.
“The Rosetta Trust hopes that the First Minister & Deputy First Minister will reconsider their original decision and explore alternative wording.”
Correspondence sent to the Executive Office committee by another group, Survivors Together, said it did not agree with the wording on the plaque and “most certainly will not be at the unveiling of the plaque”.
‘Good news’
At a meeting of the committee yesterday, chair Paula Bradshaw said she had received an update that reference to “the state” would be reinstated following the outrage expressed by the victims’ groups, describing it as “good news”.
“I think the last thing that any of us would want would be any boycotting, I think this is going to be a solemn event and we want it to go well for everybody,” Ms Bradshaw said.
The Executive Office has been contacted for comment.
The unveiling of the memorial plaque will take place next Friday February 20 at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
“ I think the last thing that any of us would want would be any boycotting, I think this is going to be a solemn event and we want it to go well for everybody
Finucane family left ‘frustrated’ over delay to inquiry starting work
JOHN BRESLIN, Irish News, February 12th, 2026
A FAILURE to publish the terms of reference for the long awaited public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane is leading to growing frustration among his family.
The continuing delay is stopping the public inquiry from properly beginning its work, Mr Finucane’s widow, Geraldine, said on the 37th anniversary of the his assassination by loyalist gunmen.
Mr Finucane (39) was shot dead in front of a number of his children inside the family’s north Belfast home on February 12, 1989.
“As we mark the 37th anniversary of Pat Finucane’s murder, our family does so with growing frustration at the continuing delay in allowing the long-promised public inquiry to begin its work.” said Mrs Finucane.
“The British Government announced the inquiry in September 2024 and appointed a chair in June 2025. In November, our family provided our observations on the draft terms of reference in good faith. Three months on, those Terms of Reference have still not been published.”
Secretary of State Hilary Benn announced the appointment of former appeals court judge Sir Gary Hickinbottom as the chair of the inquiry, with Baroness Nuala O’Loan and Francesca Del Mese as assessors, or advisors, to the Inquiry.
“Until the terms of reference are set, the inquiry is not fully constituted and cannot begin its work fully or properly,” Mrs Finucane explained.
“This delay is preventing progress and engagement in a case where delay has already caused profound harm over almost four decades.
“We want to be clear: our family wants this inquiry to commence. We want to engage with it and work constructively with it.
“On this anniversary, we are simply asking that the terms of reference be published so that this long-overdue inquiry can finally begin.”
The public inquiry will have full powers to compel the production of documents and to summon witnesses to give evidence on oath, Mr Benn said in a statement announcing the appointment of its chair last June.
“The murder of Patrick Finucane was a barbarous crime and, given the exceptional circumstances of this case, a public inquiry is being established to provide answers long sought by his family,” a Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said.
“The Government is working expeditiously to finalise the terms of reference with the independent inquiry chair so the inquiry is able to begin its work without undue delay.”
‘Playing of’ Troubles victims against veterans ‘not helpful’, says commissioner
REBECCA BLACK, Irish News, February 12th, 2026
THE “playing of” Troubles victims against veterans has been criticised as “not helpful” by Northern Ireland’s Victims Commissioner.
Joe McVey stressed that all sides need support, and expressed concern around the funding of services for victims and survivors during an appearance at the assembly’s Executive Office Committee yesterday.
Referring to the expected end of the PeacePlus funding programme at the end of 2027, he said he would appeal to the executive not to “let it get to a cliff edge” but start looking at a plan now.
Mr McVey took up the post of commissioner in October.
He said more than 3,720 people were killed during the Troubles, over 100,000 injured and 200,000 left with mental or psychological damage, adding that those impacts are “still as real today as they were many years ago for individuals, communities and ourselves as a society”.
He said some one in five people in Northern Ireland regard themselves as victims or survivors, adding that it is difficult to say peace and prosperity will be achieved without taking “due account” of the needs of victims and survivors.
Mr McVey told MLAs they were about to enter a difficult funding phase for victims and survivors, and the groups they work with.
It comes ahead of a decision over the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) funding programme in March, the end of the PeacePlus programme at the end of 2027 and the imminent closure of the Victims Payment Board for new applications.
“It creates an air of uncertainty around the key infrastructure organisations,” he said.
Lot more work needed on Bill
Mr McVey gave a cautious welcome to the Troubles Bill, but emphasised that a lot more work needs to be done.
The Bill, which is progressing at Westminster, will replace the controversial Legacy Act introduced by the previous government.
A key talking point has been concerns from some parties that there will be “preferential treatment for British state forces”.
Mr McVey said he is concerned that victims are being set against veterans.
“We represent the broad church of victims and survivors, and that includes veterans, and one of our concerns is the whole debate has almost set up veterans vs victims, and vice versa, and I don’t think that is helpful debate,” he said.
“I think all victims and survivors need support and protections, and I think the way it has been played out is almost playing one against the other, and I don’t think that’s helpful.”
Questioned by MLAs about inter-generational trauma, Mr McVey said more needs to be done to give young people a greater understanding of the past, and to prevent it happening again.
Asked for his view on the current definition of a victim, which includes people not involved in violence and those killed or injured while actively engaged in violence, Mr McVey said it is for politicians to agree that definition.
Taoiseach names Scappaticci as IRA spy
SENAN MOLONY, Belfast Telegraph and Irish Independent, February 12th, 2026
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has named Freddie Scappaticci as the former Army agent known as Stakeknife in the Dail.
The Irish premier said an apology from Sinn Fein for the activities of the Provisional IRA is “long past time” as he addressed the recent Operation Kenova report.
The probe examined the activities of Stakeknife, a mole operating within the Provisional IRA's Internal Security Unit in the 1980s, and found he was linked to at least 14 murders and 15 abductions, concluding that more lives were probably lost than saved through his operation as an agent.
It was unable to confirm Stakeknife's identity in its final report in December after the UK Government refused its authorisation to do so. He was widely believed to be west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci, who was 77 when he died in 2023.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said: “I wish to say this, clearly and directly. To all those that suffered such grievous loss, I am sorry for all the lives lost during the conflict, and for the hurt and loss endured, without exception.
“Those words reflect a genuine sense of sorrow and regret for everyone who was hurt and harmed during those years of violence.
“By that, I mean civilians, combatants and families whose lives were forever changed.”
Serial killer
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said in a hard-hitting contribution that Freddie Scappatici was a “serial killer” protected as tightly as the royal family.
Welcoming the Taoiseach's naming of Scappaticci as agent Stakeknife, which was not done by the Kenova report because of a UK intelligence policy of “neither confirm nor deny”, she also backed his call for a Sinn Fein apology.
“We all know that he (Stakeknife) killed, abducted, tortured and maimed. He was, in effect, a serial killer,” Ms Bacik said.
“He was a serial killer protected and even paid by the British state to terrorise and murder his own community - all done under the direction of the self-appointed, so-called Army Council of the Provisional IRA.”
She said she welcomed the fact “that we're naming him here in this House” as Scappaticci, and were speaking openly about his activities.
The Taoiseach said: “The identity of Stakeknife is clear to everybody here and I have previously stated that the agent should be officially named by the UK Government. It is widely known that Stakeknife was Freddie Scappaticci.
“He was recruited by the British Army with whom he worked between the late 1970s and 1990s. He was a prized informant and the British Army dedicated a 24-hour phone line within its Intelligence Section to his calls.
“Stakeknife was implicated in what were by any measure grotesque and serious crimes committed for and with the Provisional IRA. This included 14 murders and the abductions of 15 individuals.”
Eight times more prosecutions for republican terror displays than loyalist
LUKE BUTTERLY, THE DETAIL, Belfast Telegraph, February 12th, 2026
BETWEEN 2015 AND 2025 THERE WERE 94 CASES LINKED TO NI PARAMILITARIES
There were eight times more prosecutions of republican paramilitary displays than loyalist ones over the past decade, according to figures obtained by The Detail news site.
Between 2015 and 2025, there were 94 prosecutions under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act.
Of those, 83 were linked to republican groups and 11 to loyalist organisations.
The figures have emerged amid renewed debate over how laws on paramilitary symbols are enforced, as the PSNI said it cannot be seen to police “more for one side than the other”.
Section 13 makes it an offence to wear, carry or display an item in public in a way that arouses “reasonable suspicion” that a person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment.
Limited enforcement
The PSNI has repeatedly come in for criticism over its approach to dealing with displays that glorify paramilitary groups. Despite the widespread presence of paramilitary murals, flags and commemorative parades across Northern Ireland, enforcement of the law has been limited.
The PSNI has previously refused to provide information on how many people are arrested for such offences, citing the cost of collating the data.
Police submitted files on 215 individuals to prosecutors for suspected Section 13 offences during the same period.
The PPS said a decision to prosecute was taken in 50% of these cases.
A spokesman for the PPS said each case was carefully considered and decisions to prosecute are taken when there is sufficient evidence to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction of the reported individual and it is in the public interest to prosecute.
It is understood that the majority of cases sent to the PPS relate to the wearing of paramilitary clothing, and cases relating to the display of flags and emblems are less common. Each year there are many events where paramilitary clothing, flags, and emblems are displayed.
Last September, hundreds of people attended a parade in Belfast honouring UVF member Brian Robinson. A similar event was held in Portadown in August to commemorate Harris Boyle, a UVF member linked to the Miami Showband massacre. On both occasions, UVF-branded wreaths were carried in public.
Both were attended by hundreds of people, with UVF wreaths carried openly.
The UK's most senior terrorism-law expert previously told The Detail that the “overtly supportive” displays at these events involved clear potential Section 13 offences.
“A display with the letters UVF certainly arouses reasonable suspicion that those responsible are members or supporters of the UVF, a proscribed organisation,” said Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.
“Section 13 Terrorism Act therefore applies. There are no loopholes because the display is floral, or because of clever wordplay if, in the circumstances, reasonable suspicion is aroused.”
More proactive approach planned
The figures emerge as the PSNI prepares to adopt a more proactive approach to paramilitary displays.
At a Policing Board meeting last Thursday, Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton outlined a new policy aimed at tackling the public display of paramilitary flags and emblems.
A new “service instruction” to officers outlining the new policy, including the direction that “not making a decision, doing nothing or failing to act is not an option”.
Some have raised concerns about how the policy will be applied.
DUP MLA Trevor Clarke, a member of the Policing Board, told BBC's Nolan Show on Tuesday that the PSNI “would need to be consistent whenever they start their policy, because there have been criticisms in the past about how the police have policed areas”.
Last year Chief Constable Jon Boutcher announced that he was seeking additional powers to target paramilitary displays.
In response to the issues raised in this article, a spokeswoman for the PSNI said: “Decisions to prosecute are a matter for the Public Prosecution Service and subject to an evidential test first and then when there is sufficient evidence a public interest test.
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland is fully committed to ensuring the fair, effective and legitimate safeguarding of people and property while taking action against any offenders.”
She added: “We are acutely aware that public displays are a sensitive issue for our communities and we have processes in place to ensure that we act proportionately, in accordance with legal and human rights obligations.”
£12m redevelopment of dissident bonfire site under way
GARRETT HARGAN, Belfast Telegraph, February 12th, 2026
SCHEME TO INCLUDE HOMES, SHOPS AND A COMMUNITY HUB
Construction work at a controversial bonfire site in Londonderry has finally got under way.
The Meenan Square pyre has been linked to dissident republicans, with gunshots fired there in the past.
Now a long-anticipated £12m project is being delivered in partnership with the Urban Villages Initiative, supported by The Executive Office and Meenan Square Developments.
The scheme includes a residential element, commercial units, office spaces and a community hub.
Protracted delays to the project left the local community frustrated, with the redevelopment first suggested many years ago. In 2000, the Housing Executive sold properties at Meenan Square to a commercial organisation.
In 2016, then Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and First Minister Arlene Foster announced a £45m investment across five urban village areas.
Old commercial units at the site were demolished, but it was left vacant and became a magnet for anti-social behaviour.
It was bought by Westco Developments in 2018, but negotiations between the company, the Executive Office and other stakeholders dragged on until March 2023.
A dissident republican bonfire has been lit on the site for years.
Iona Enterprises
In the past, it has been festooned with signs bearing the names of murdered police officers, poppy wreaths and other items designed to cause offence.
Sinn Fein MLA Padraig Delargy said: “The transformation of Meenan Square will be a hugely positive development, bringing new, state-of-the-art facilities and amenities, more homes and a new community space in the heart of the Bogside.
“This work is another important milestone for the project, and local residents will be delighted to see it moving forward and Meenan Square being brought back into community use.”
Research and a data blunder by the Executive Office meant details of the negotiations were revealed by this newspaper.
They showed Westco bought the site for £320,000 in 2018.
Apex was later named on a Land Registry document as the owner, having purchased it for £1m.
The documents indicated Westco retained 10% of the land for a bar and off-licence, with a covenant requested to stop alcohol being sold anywhere else on the site.
The data breach also showed that Iona Enterprises, a company with links to Sinn Fein, was party to the negotiations, with an apparent side deal for the firm to run the commercial units on the developed site having been agreed.
Meenan Square Developments, which also has links to the party, will have responsibility for the community element, according to those documents.
The Executive Office was contacted for an update on the works.
Question marks over how much cash council will get for historic building and what it will become
By Adam Kula, Belkfast News Letter, February 12th, 2026
Money for one of Belfast’s derelict historic buildings has been warmly welcomed – but questions remain over what ultimately the council plans to do with the venue.
Whilst Belfast City Council has hailed the fact that it will get funding from the World Monuments Fund (WMF) for the preservation of the building, it is not yet known how much it will receive.
The WMF revealed this week that the Assembly Rooms on the northern side of the city centre is in line for funding from a $7m (£5.1m) pot.
But it will share this with another 20 sites across the world ranging from Chile to Turkey to India, and it is not clear exactly what the final sum coming to Belfast will be (£5.1m split among 21 projects averages out at £243,000 each).
The Assembly Rooms was bought by Belfast City Council last year - but its future remains uncertain
John Anderson of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS) said that it should also not detract from what he called the “catastrophic” neglect of Northern Ireland’s heritage generally.
Built in 1769, then reworked by visionary 19th-century architect Charles Lanyon, the Grade B1 building was latterly used by the Northern Bank, but has been vacant since 2000.
The council bought it last year, along with some surrounding properties.
Central to City’s cultural Life
The WMF described the Assembly Rooms as a “significant civic building that has long been central to the city’s cultural life,” but said that “years of vacancy and deterioration have left the structure at risk”.
Whatever money comes its way will be used for “supporting documentation, planning, and stabilization to prepare the building for restoration and renewed public use”, it said.
Belfast City Council sent a statement in the name of Sinn Fein councillor Natasha Brennan, chairwoman of its Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, in which she declared herself “delighted” that the WMF money will aid in “documentation, conservation planning, and preparation”.
"This will ensure the building is restored and protected, and can be enjoyed by future generations,” she said.
“We acquired the Assembly Rooms last autumn with a view to breathing new life and vibrancy into it – and in turn, our city centre.
"Our historic buildings are so important to Belfast’s character and sense of place, so it’s wonderful to have WMF’s expertise and backing for this important preservation initiative.
"We want to make The Assembly Rooms a central part of our city’s life once again, showcasing it as a vibrant cultural and historic hub for all.”
However, what form this will take is not clear.
"Any announcement of funding for Northern Ireland’s cash-starved heritage buildings is to be welcomed,” said Mr Anderson, chairman of the society’s planning sub-group.
"When the building in question is Belfast’s listed Assembly Rooms, which has been land-banked and neglected for many years, the announcement is naturally headline news.
"However welcome, funding for one building should not mask the catastrophic underfunding and political disregard for the thousands of heritage buildings in dire circumstances across NI."
He said it is “ironic” that the Assembly Rooms are seen to be getting “international recognition”, whilst heritage is overlooked by the authorities in Northern Ireland.
He also said: “We have not seen any evidence of the comprehensive, preservation-focused, structural survey by an accredited historic buildings surveyor, which should have been undertaken by Belfast City Council prior to valuation/purchase.
"Similarly, there is no evidence of the council having a specific purpose in mind for the building’s use prior to purchase.”
He fears “the building remaining in disuse” due to a lack of repair funds, sharing the fate as “the similarly important and listed Floral Hall, which has been in the ownership of the council for decades”.
North West faced decades of discrimination - now SF is blocking progress
STEVE BRADLEY, Belfast Telegraph, February 12th, 2026
COMMENT: THE INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTER CAN MAKE CHANGES WHICH WILL HAVE A BIG IMPACT
History has created distrust of unionist politicians for many people in Derry. The 1999 reboot of Stormont was supposed to herald a new era for Northern Ireland — and a quarter of a century on, Belfast and other areas are indeed prospering. Yet, there are only limited signs of a promised peace dividend within the west, and particularly the North West.
The 2022 Assembly election saw Sinn Fein become Stormont's largest party, securing the key portfolios of Finance, Economy and Infrastructure. This created an expectation that Derry might finally receive a fairer crack of the whip.
Four years on, however, there is palpable frustration there at how little has changed.
Sinn Fein are savvy political operators, and will have calculated what 'successes' they wish to trumpet from the departments they control in the 2027 Assembly election.
For Derry, their hopes appear to hang largely on university expansion and the A5 road. And they can indeed claim credit on the former.
A proper university has been the city's main economic ask for decades, and in the last few years, student numbers at Magee have grown from 4,500 to 6,500 — with an eventual target of 10,000.
The economy department is responsible for higher education, and it is notable that it took the appointment of its first nationalist minister for the Magee expansion to finally be taken seriously.
A5 is off track
It is difficult to be similarly positive about Sinn Fein's delivery on infrastructure, however. The party's hopes for a 'win' with voters in the west appear to hinge almost entirely upon dualling the A5 road.
That project has been delayed for decades by legal challenges and bureaucratic incompetence, and a public inquiry recently deemed it incompatible with Stormont's Climate Change commitments.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins expresses confidence that the project will still proceed, but that is far from guaranteed.
And even if it does, the section between Derry and Strabane is ruled out for being located on a floodplain. It is therefore unclear when — or even if — Northern Ireland's second city would be part of any future dualled A5.
All of which leaves what was presumably a planned Sinn Fein vote-winner for Derry and the west in a very uncertain position.
Given this, you would think the party would welcome alternative infrastructure 'wins' that could curry favour on Foyleside ahead of the next election. Particularly ones that could be delivered quickly, at low cost, and for which they could claim full credit.
When it comes to rail, one such opportunity is staring Sinn Fein and its Infrastructure Minister squarely in the face. Yet, inexplicably, they are refusing to grasp it.
Ghost trains
The last decade has seen a transformation in the public perception of rail across Northern Ireland. Particularly in Derry and the west more generally — where voters increasingly view Tyrone and Fermanagh's train absence as unacceptable.
An All-Island Rail Strategy has proposed expanding rail on both sides of the border. But the long timescales and hefty price tag involved with most of its recommendations will do little to meet growing public demand for faster change, particularly in the North West.
Fortunately for Sinn Fein, there is a set of high-impact rail improvements that their Infrastructure Minister could deliver very quickly and at relatively low cost.
For just £1m — a relative pittance in infrastructure terms — a significant regional disparity on the Derry-Belfast railway line could be brought to an end.
That disparity sees all the line's stations east of the Bann receive over 2,600 more trains a year than its three stations in the west. As a result, there are only six rail services to and from Derry, Castlerock and Bellarena on Sundays (one every two hours), whereas every station on the line east of the Bann has 13 (one every hour).
Similarly, only one morning train from the three western stations reaches Belfast before 9am — whilst every eastern station on the line has four. And in the evenings, the last train from Belfast to the west leaves at 9.10pm (7.10pm on Sundays), while for every stop as far as Coleraine, it's 10.40pm.
It's important to note that these differences are entirely due to timetable choices — nothing else is stopping them from being addressed.
Low cost vote winner
Nor does this service disparity reflect demand, as Derry's rail station has over a million passengers a year and is Northern Ireland's seventh busiest. There is simply no justification for passengers on the Derry-Belfast rail line to be treated as second-class citizens, just because they live on the wrong side of the River Bann.
Translink has therefore submitted a business case to Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins for the £1m needed to end this regional discrimination. The changes involved could be implemented well ahead of the 2027 election — allowing the minister and her party to claim credit for solving the problem.
And the funding required could be covered within her existing budgets, or by adding just 8p to the price of every rail ticket sold across Northern Ireland.
This issue is therefore entirely within her own gift to resolve — the political equivalent of a ball sat two yards in front of an empty net, waiting to be tapped in. Yet, inexplicably, she is refusing to even step onto the pitch.
It wasn't Liz Kimmins who introduced this egregious east-west service inequality on the Derry-Belfast railway line in the first place. But, as the current Minister for Infrastructure, she is now responsible for ending it.
It is surely poor political judgement to not grasp such an obvious, low-cost, vote-winning opportunity as this. And by refusing to do so, Kimmins and Sinn Fein are effectively endorsing a blatant case of regional discrimination.
On this issue, it feels like the Stormont clock has been wound back to the 1960s again for Derry and the west. Only this time, it's a nationalist politician who is holding the key.
Steve Bradley is chair of Into The West — the rail campaign for Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Donegal.
Extra £400m to support health and education
JONATHAN McCAMBRIDGE, Irish News, February 12th, 2026
AN additional £400 million is to be made available to Stormont to support public services in Northern Ireland.
Finance Minister John O’Dowd said the reserve claim from the treasury would be repaid over three years.
The UK Government has said the funding will be accompanied by an “open book exercise looking at the Executive budget”.
The money will be divided between two Stormont departments which were facing significant overspends.
The Department of Education will receive £214.6 million and the Department of Health will be given £185.4 million.
Mr O’Dowd said: “Following intense negotiations and recognition of the significant financial challenges faced by the executive, the treasury has agreed to provide a reserve claim of £400 million for 2025/26 which will be repaid over three years.
“The executive remains committed to safeguarding public services, and this approach will allow us to spread costs over a longer period, reducing pressure on those services.
“While this flexibility is welcome, it does not cover the full forecast overspend.
“We must therefore continue to reduce the overspend, and I remain committed to working with ministerial colleagues to manage the remaining pressures.”
Mr O’Dowd added: “The executive is committed to meaningful reform of how public services are designed and delivered.
“I am keen to ensure that the level of funding provided to the executive meets the growing demand for public services here.
“I will continue to engage with the treasury on the threeyear budget and a proper funding model for the executive.”
‘Exceptional’ funding
Northern Ireland minister Matthew Patrick told the Commons yesterday that it was “exceptional” funding being provided by the government.
He said: “It will be repayable over three years, and will be accompanied by an open book exercise looking at the executive budget.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “While the executive is funded above Northern Ireland’s independently assessed level of need, the UK Government has granted a reserve claim on an exceptional basis to protect public services, in light of its forecast overspend this year.
“It is repayable in future years.
“The government has agreed to work with the executive to conduct an openbook exercise with a view to determining the best way forward for the Northern Ireland budget.
“This process will strictly adhere to the principles of devolution.
“We welcome the executive’s commitment to continue working together to balance the Northern Ireland budget from 2026-27, and deliver the changes that public services need to ensure that they work for the people of Northern Ireland, and are sustainable longterm.”
Working together
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said it was a “clear example of Westminster and Stormont working together”.
“I am pleased that the government recognised the strength of the arguments we put forward and we have been able to bring these discussions to a position which delivers for our schools and our hospitals.
“ The government has agreed to work with the executive to conduct an open-book exercise with a view to determining the best way forward for the Northern Ireland budget. This process will strictly adhere to the principles of devolution UK Government spokesperson
“This was a clear example of Westminster and Stormont working together.
“It is equally important to recognise that this is exceptional funding.
“The commitment to an open book, line-by-line assessment of executive budgets is therefore both reasonable and necessary.
“Accountability must sit at the heart of public spending.
“Last year’s end point should not automatically become this year’s starting point.”
A reserve claim is a call on a treasury fund that exists to cover unforeseen, unavoidable and unaffordable spending pressures.
SDLP Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole warned the reserve claim “risks simply pushing problems into future financial years”.
He said: “It feels like the executive is engaged in one
Northern Ireland minister Matthew Patrick said it was ‘exceptional’ funding never-ending credit card balance transfer without ever gripping the situation.
“It also appears there is no progress on delivering a multi-year budget, which was promised by the executive.
“A multi-year budget is key to putting Northern Ireland on a sound financial footing and addressing long-term challenges in areas like health, housing and other public services.”
Mr O’Toole added: “This situation typifies this executive’s sticking plaster approach that has left our public services in ruin, with so little progress since the return of Stormont.
“It’s all too likely that this money will be swallowed into Stormont’s black hole, with the Finance Minister going back to London in a year’s time looking for more cash – while simultaneously blaming London for the situation in the first place.”
George Mitchell deserves better than Queen's University's rush to erase him
ALF McCREARY, Belfast Telegraph, February 12th, 2026
In the fast-moving situation following the revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein files, any comment about this should express sympathy for the many young female victims of the sex offender. The details are sickening.
Many people have been “Epsteinised” by their association with that monster, to a great or lesser extent. They include the former Queen's University chancellor George Mitchell, who also made a major contribution to peace here through his strong commitment to the Good Friday Agreement.
Mitchell has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and has said he regrets having any contact with Epstein.
Sadly, however, in a remarkably short time after a large section of the files was released, Queen's severed its ties with the former US senator because of his links with Epstein. No details were given, but if Queen's knows more than we do, then they should tell us. Is there another hidden “scandal” which would explain why Queen's acted the way it did?
However, based on what we have already been told, it seems that with unseemly haste, Mitchell's bust was removed from outside Whitla Hall. His name was also removed from the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, and his picture was taken down. He was summarily bundled out of the university, without apparently any consultation with the wider Queen's family.
The university declared that “while no findings of wrongdoing by Senator Mitchell have been made, the university has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name”.
The statement added: “As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace reconciliation and justice, Queen's University Belfast must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.”
This preemptory action by Queen's was described by a banner headline in the Sunday Independent as, “Rush to Judge Peacemaker over Epstein Emails has echoes of a Soviet show trial”. The newspaper's respected columnist, Eilis O'Hanlon, described the Queen's statement as “genuinely outrageous and scurrilous”.
Queen's admitted that “No findings of wrongdoings by Senator Mitchell have been made”, so why has he been treated in this way? As with Mitchell, no findings of wrongdoings have been made against Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary — the current Queen's chancellor — who will soon be assisting a Washington congressional committee on the Epstein affair, but will Queen's withdraw its honorary degree from Bill Clinton? Not likely.
Queen's has acted quickly to keep its image squeaky clean at a time when every university in the UK seems too keen to avoid offending anybody, but in this case not its former chancellor.
As a Queen's graduate, I am grateful that it gave me a first-class education with world-class tutors in the honours school of modern history, as well as confidence and friendships for a lifetime. I am keen, therefore, that the university not only does the right thing, but is also seen to have done so in the right way.
No winner situation
As a former information director of Queen's during the huge controversies over equal opportunities and playing the national anthem at graduation ceremonies, I felt that in those dark times, there was no way in which Queen's could win the public relations battle. To be fair, the university is also in a no-win situation over Mitchell. It will be criticised if it does nothing and also if it decides to sever its ties with him.
People tell me that the university's reaction was knee-jerk and therefore not properly thought out. They also tell me they are horrified that Queen's attitude will unfairly reflect on the senator's admirable legacy of service to the institution and to his enormous contribution to peacebuilding in Northern Ireland.
This is something many people gloss over too quickly. Those of us who reported for the media on those difficult times and talked to Mitchell were aware that he was not just another American politician anxious to grab a quick headline by visiting Northern Ireland.
He genuinely cared about us, he spent long, lonely periods away from his wife and family in America. He helped to drag the Good Friday Agreement over the line, and he gave us hope.
Unfortunately, he subsequently made a major personal mistake by allowing himself to become linked with Epstein. A number of files refer to Mitchell's communications with Epstein after he was convicted and jailed in 2008 for sexually soliciting a minor.
Having read some accounts of those files, it is difficult to know what they add up to, but it appears that Epstein was keener to stay in touch with Mitchell who seemed far more keen to keep away from him. It is reported that even the former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, is unclear as to what Mitchell has been accused of.
Mitchell has strongly denied any wrongdoing, including any alleged sexual involvement with the tragic figure Virginia Giuffre. Either you believe him or you don't, but in my opinion, Queen's has already acted too hastily as judge and jury, while conceding that he is not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Significantly, Belfast City Council has wisely postponed any knee-jerk reaction about stripping him of the freedom of the city, and I hope they won't. The politicians at Stormont have kept noticeably silent so far.
The whole sorry episode is reminiscent of Mark Antony's words from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, which I paraphrase, “The wrong that men do lives after them. The good is often interred with their bones.”
'Jon is my leader'... Butler finally voices support for new UUP chief
SUZANNE BREEN, Belfast Telegraph, February 12th, 2026
Ten days after Jon Burrows took up the UUP reins, Robbie Butler finally offered his support.
But the new party leader won't be breaking open the champagne just yet, because it was hardly a heartfelt, ringing endorsement.
Rather, Butler repeated statements of fact, stressed his own length of service in Stormont and kept emphasising the importance of his other party colleagues on those blue benches.
The Lagan Valley Assembly member chose not to stand against Burrows who was crowned UUP leader unopposed with Diana Armstrong as his deputy. There was a question mark over whether all the MLAs would attend. They did, but only Steve Aiken sat in the front row and there was no team photo with the new leader.
“Not new. Not sudden. Just consistent,” Butler tweeted last month in a veiled reference comparing himself and Burrows.
Going into the meeting, at which Burrows was ratified as leader, he'd declined to speak to the media. In what appears to be a calculated move, Butler has broken his silence in an interview with Cool FM.
“Jon is my leader,” he said. “He is the sixth leader since I became an MLA 10 years ago.”
More of such answers ensued in which Butler stated facts that nobody was disputing, and offered no real enthusiasm for Burrows.
Asked if he supported Burrows, he said: “Well every MLA was at the conference. It was a special EGM (emergency general meeting) — that speaks volumes for those MLAs and the service we give.
“It isn't about egos, it isn't about personalities, because this was about putting country first and party second. Jon is absolutely the leader and will lead this party on. We've got an election next year.”
Butler went on to again stress his own length of time in politics, and his party colleagues in Stormont, “most of them have given fantastic service”.
This was about putting the team back on the map. There has been speculation that Butler might consider leaving politics rather than stand for re-election in 2027.
He unsuccessfully applied for the Children's Commissioner job before. However, friends believe he plans to remain in politics.
‘Well plugged into the grassroots’
Butler acknowledged the support Burrows enjoyed among UUP grassroots had influenced his decision not to run against him.
“We're a very democratic party, and I'm well plugged into the grassroots and the membership. It became evident to me that there was a lot of support for the Jon Burrows and Diana dynamic,” he said.
“In reality, that's the support they had, and I was able to gauge that and make a calculated judgement,” he said.
Butler said that he had spoken to Burrows on Tuesday, “in regards to some of the ideas that he has as leader”. He said Burrows “certainly seems to be listening. I will ensure those communication avenues stay open”.
Not all MLAs are sceptical of the man now at the helm of their party. Steve Aiken thinks it's an improvement on some past days.
“Under our new leader, we have opposed both the sanctions on Gordon (Lyons) and Timothy (Gaston),” he wrote on Facebook.
“This is a marked contrast to how the party previously dealt with these issues, and I, for one, am pleased by our new confident and forthright leadership shown by Jon and Diana Armstrong MLA on these issues.”
Officials trawling records in Mandelson's time as NI Secretary over Epstein
ANDREW MADDEN, Belfast Telegraph, February 12th, 2026
Civil servants are examining records going back to Peter Mandelson's time as Northern Ireland Secretary for evidence of inappropriate contact with Jeffrey Epstein.
The now former Labour Party grandee, who resigned from the House of Lords last week and is facing a police investigation, served as Secretary of State from October 1999 to January 2001.
It is unknown when he first came into contact with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, but he brokered a meeting between the paedophile and then Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street in 2002.
The Met Police is investigating Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office, after the latest release of Epstein files appeared to show he shared market-sensitive information with the predator around the time of the 2008 financial crash.
The former Northern Ireland Secretary has denied any wrongdoing, but according to The Times, Whitehall officials are digging into records going back to the Blair era for evidence of Epstein links.
‘Going through everything’
“They are going through absolutely everything, right back to when Mandelson was in Northern Ireland,” a source told the paper.
“They want to make certain that there isn't anything else out there.”
It is understood the “mammoth operation” is being overseen by Cabinet Office permanent secretary Cat Little and deputy national security adviser Matt Collins.
While no evidence has been made public, DUP MP Carla Lockhart claimed in the Commons last week that Epstein had visited Hillsborough Castle “on at least one occasion”.
The estate is the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Office said last week: “We are aware of recent claims which suggest Jeffrey Epstein stayed at Hillsborough Castle. We are currently looking into this and reviewing our records.”
While the dates of Epstein's first interactions with Lord Mandelson are unclear, the former Labour MP's association with Ghislaine Maxwell goes back to the late 1980s.
Maxwell entered into a relationship with Epstein in the 1990s and was close to him until his death.
On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said Matthew Doyle, his former communications chief, had not given a full account of his ties to a paedophile councillor before entering the Lords.
Downing Street declined to commit to stripping him of his peerage, arguing this could prejudice a Labour investigation into the appointment.
Lord Doyle apologised after having the Labour whip removed for campaigning for Sean Morton in 2017, following his charging over indecent images of children, saying he believed the councillor's protestations of innocence. Doyle later pleaded guilty.
The row comes after a torrid week for Starmer's premiership, which has been rocked by two departures from Downing Street, a call from the Scottish Labour leader for him to resign and the scandal surrounding Mandelson.
During Prime Minister's Questions, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accused the Labour leader of following the same playbook as he had with his former top diplomat in Washington.
“He's essentially rolled the same pitch in relation to Matthew Doyle as he did with Peter Mandelson — that they weren't clear with him.
“He appears to be the most gullible former Director of Public Prosecutions in history.”
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey told the Commons: “To appoint one paedophile supporter cannot be excused as misfortune. To appoint two shows a catastrophic lack of judgment.”
Starmer is also facing pressure to release documents relating to his ex-communications chief's appointment to the Lords, with the Conservatives saying the possibility of using a parliamentary vote to compel their publication was “not off the table”.
No 10 again pointed to the ongoing party investigation when asked whether it could release the files.
Doyle apologised “unreservedly” for supporting Morton before the case against him had concluded.
The peer also said he had “extremely limited” contact with the paedophile after his conviction.
Labour suspended Morton after he appeared in court in connection with indecent child images in 2016.
Doyle campaigned for Morton when he ran as an independent in May 2017.
Separately, at a meeting of the women's Parliamentary Labour Party, Stamer reiterated his apology for appointing Mandelson.
He told Labour MPs that apology “must come with action” and said he looked forward to working with them to tackle violence against women and girls.
He added that more needed to be done to eradicate structural misogyny and achieve real cultural change, closing his statement by saying he looked forward to meeting the group again soon.
Police Ombudsman review recommends bar on ‘vexatious and ill-founded’ complaints
JOHN BRESLIN, Irish News, February 12th, 2026
LEGISLATION should be introduced to bar complaints against police officers that are clearly “vexatious, ill-founded and oppressive”, according to a consultation paper published by the Police Ombudsman on the current laws and regulations around the running of the office.
Under the current legislation, the ombudsman has an obligation to investigate almost all complaints received and also has little room to mediate and resolve any matter at an early stage.
The current situation stretches resources of the agency but is also raised repeatedly by officers in surveys and by the Police Federation of Northern Ireland, it is argued.
“It is difficult to prove that a matter is vexatious or oppressive in practice, and so a definition of a vexatious complaint would be necessary for investigators to decide when a complaint can be categorised in this way,” the review led by former Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson states.
“The discretion to decide whether it is appropriate to begin or continue an investigation, recognising that there are occasions when an investigation isn’t practical, proportionate or in the public interest, is also a focus of the review.”
The office is asking for feedback on 23 recommendations for legislative change, many bringing it “into line with contemporary police oversight legislation in Scotland, England and Wales, and the Republic of Ireland”.
Under the legislation setting up the ombudsman’s office, it has to carry out a legislative review every five years but the latest notes none of the recommendations of the last review were implemented.
Former Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson led review
“This has been equally true of previous review exercises and there has been a lack of consensus on progressing reform of the legislation governing the Office since its inception in 2000,” the office stated.
Another recommendation is that the ombudsman is currently not allowed to use a “fast-track procedure” where there is overwhelming evidence of criminality or gross misconduct at an early stage of an investigation. The ombudsman should be able to submit an early written report and avoid delay in the most serious investigations, it is argued.
A further proposal seeks an expansion of the Police Ombudsman’s remit to include whistleblowing, allowing allegations from serving police officers and civilian police staff about serious criminal wrongdoing or gross misconduct to be investigated independently.
Legislation should also provide for disqualifications from holding the position of ombudsman for persons who are, or have been, serving police officers, as is the case in Britain and the Republic, the review states.
Alice McKelvey, director of legal and information services, said: “The overall objective of this review is to create a series of recommendations which align with international best practice and support our vision to be an effective, contemporary oversight body.
“The views of those in the public, community and voluntary sectors, as well as the perspectives of police officers, those who use our services and our staff are critical to informing any proposals for legislative change and I look forward to receiving feedback through this consultation process.”
