Investigations & Analysis - Northern Ireland http://www.thedetail.tv/ BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY TWO former US government peace envoys to Northern Ireland Richard Haass and Mitchell Reiss have been mooted as candidates to chair Stormont talks to secure agreement over flags, parades and dealing with the legacy of the Troubles, The Detail has learnt. The Detail understands their names are on a list, agreed by the leaders of the main Stormont political parties, which also includes a high-profile Northern Ireland figure in the field of reconciliation, plus a senior figure from South Africa. What isn’t clear is who – if any – have been approached at this stage. The plans have emerged following the speech given by President Barack Obama in Belfast which is seen to have injected fresh energy into the efforts to broker a deal on the key stumbling blocks that continue to threaten the political process. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:20:16 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/229/richard-haas/a-return-to-stormont-for-us-diplomats-haass-and-reiss http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/229/richard-haas/a-return-to-stormont-for-us-diplomats-haass-and-reiss Boston and Nashville: The perils of a policy of force Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:37:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/boston-and-nashville-the-perils-of-a-policy-of-force http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/boston-and-nashville-the-perils-of-a-policy-of-force BY BARRY McCAFFREY IT cost £50m to protect the leaders of the G8 but confidential security updates of the PSNI policing operation reveals how police monitored Twitter accounts, including those belonging to journalists, checking for negative comments. The PSNI’s guarding of the G8 leaders was the largest policing operation in Northern Ireland’s history. However the Detail has now obtained a series of daily PSNI communiqués briefing police officers and senior civil servants on ongoing events. The Operation Sponsor updates give a blow-by-blow account of the G8 events, and the PSNI’s reaction to them. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:16:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/229/revealed-the-preoccupations-of-police-during-g8/revealed-preoccupations-of-the-psni-during-policing-of-g8 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/229/revealed-the-preoccupations-of-police-during-g8/revealed-preoccupations-of-the-psni-during-policing-of-g8 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE chairman of the inquiry into child fluid deaths here has said the initial review into toddler Lucy Crawford’s death “significantly underplayed what was wrong” and as a result gave “false comfort”. Mr Justice O’Hara made the comments today as the former Chief Executive of the Sperrin Lakeland Trust was giving evidence to the Hyponatraemia Inquiry. The chairman told Mr Hugh Mills that he also believed that it was "no accident" that Lucy's parents received a shortened version of the report and that a "deliberate decision" was taken not to send certain information to them. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:22:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/228/hugh-mills-hypo-inquiry-17th-june/review-into-child-fluid-death-gave-%E2%80%9Cfalse-comfort%E2%80%9D http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/228/hugh-mills-hypo-inquiry-17th-june/review-into-child-fluid-death-gave-%E2%80%9Cfalse-comfort%E2%80%9D BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY A top US political adviser who played a key role in launching the peace process has said it could take a further generation for it to truly take root and heal divisions in Northern Ireland. Nancy Soderberg was President Bill Clinton's expert on Irish politics during his first term in the White House in the early 1990s when his intervention helped bring the decades of violence to an end. The former presidential adviser said international experience showed her that it takes two generations for a peace process to work fully - with Northern Ireland now halfway through the process, having delivered an "irreversible" end to violence but still striving to remove historic sectarian divisions. Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:01:46 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/227/soderberg/the-peace-process-is-irreversible-even-if-progress-is-painfully-slow http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/227/soderberg/the-peace-process-is-irreversible-even-if-progress-is-painfully-slow With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:14:18 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-140613 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-140613 BY ANDREW COFFMAN-SMITH Despite Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander announcing London would be picking up the “majority” of the tab for G8 policing – including most of that £4.2 million “ring of steel” circling the Lough Erne resort, many in Northern Ireland are still concerned about the exact cost of its share and whether the G8 will benefit the local economy in the long run. Others are still opposed to paying any share for an event that London chose to have here in Northern Ireland. According to Finance Minister Sammy Wilson who met with Alexander last week, the Northern Ireland Executive is now expected to pay around £6 million of the total expected policing cost of £60 million. Earlier this week, Minister of Justice David Ford of Alliance said that he “cannot give forecasts of what the overall costs will be because there are sufficiently many undetermined factors which will not be determined until significantly after the conference is over.” Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:39:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/g8-andrew/jury-still-out-on-g8-policing-costs-and-the-benefits-to-ni http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/g8-andrew/jury-still-out-on-g8-policing-costs-and-the-benefits-to-ni THE G8 summit hasn’t even started in Enniskillen and across the Irish Sea, London police have already clashed with and arrested 57 anti-G8 demonstrators after raiding a property in Soho on Tuesday. Here in Northern Ireland, human rights monitors will be keeping an eye on the local policing of the protests as world leaders gather to meet at Lough Erne golf resort Monday and Tuesday, June 17 and 18. Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:38:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/g8-andrew/protesting-policing-and-monitoring-the-g8 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/g8-andrew/protesting-policing-and-monitoring-the-g8 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE chairman of the inquiry into child fluid deaths has said that a hospital could have withheld crucial information from the parents of Lucy Crawford because it was “embarrassing" that it "hadn’t bothered fulfilling" recommendations in a report about their daughter’s death. The inquiry previously heard that the findings of the review into Lucy’s death were published in July 2000, but her parents did not become aware of its existence until they began their own complaints procedures in September 2000. Today the inquiry heard that Lucy’s parents did not receive a version of the review report until January 2001. The inquiry heard that the report was a short version of the original review report and did not contain the recommendations or appendices. Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:25:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/hypo-inquiry-fri-14th-june/withholding-information-from-grieving-parents-embarrassing-for-hospital-says-inquiry-chairman http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/hypo-inquiry-fri-14th-june/withholding-information-from-grieving-parents-embarrassing-for-hospital-says-inquiry-chairman Background on the G8 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:20:12 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/g8-andrew/background-on-the-g8 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/226/g8-andrew/background-on-the-g8 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE former medical director of the Sperrin Lakeland Trust has said that he was “annoyed and surprised” that fundamental changes in the Royal Victoria Hospital’s use of a fluid linked to the death of three children was not communicated at an earlier stage. Solution 18 is at the heart of criticisms made in relation to the fluid management of the children whose deaths are being investigated by the Hyponatraemia Inquiry. The inquiry previously heard that the number of bags of solution 18 ordered in the Children’s Hospital in Belfast dropped dramatically after the death of nine-year-old Raychel Ferguson in July 2001. However giving evidence at today’s hearing medical director Dr James Kelly said he was made aware in a conversation with another paediatrician in May 2001 that the Royal Victoria Hospital “no longer used solution 18. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:30:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/225/hypo-inquiry-thurs-13-june/medical-director-%E2%80%9Cannoyed-and-surprised%E2%80%9D-about-unknown-changes-in-fluid-use http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/225/hypo-inquiry-thurs-13-june/medical-director-%E2%80%9Cannoyed-and-surprised%E2%80%9D-about-unknown-changes-in-fluid-use BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY Experts from overseas will arrive in Northern Ireland this weekend with one question at the top of their agenda: how can we deal with the legacy of the Troubles? This is not a reference to the G8 summit – though the meeting of world leaders in Fermanagh does offer a dramatic backdrop for reviewing the current state of the peace process. The more detailed discussions on our past are to take place at a special conference being held as part of the `Derry-Londonderry City of Culture’ year. The two-day event entitled Poisonous Legacies 2013 runs from Friday (June 14) and will include speakers from trouble-spots around the globe who will detail their experience of conflict, and help identify the pitfalls, opportunities and hard choices that may face communities here. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:14:27 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/our-society-needs-post-traumatic-growth%E2%80%99 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/our-society-needs-post-traumatic-growth%E2%80%99 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE former medical director of the Sperrin Lakeland Trust has said that the legal advice given to the trust was not to reach out to the family of toddler Lucy Crawford after her death. At yesterday’s hearing Dr James Kelly told the Hyponatraemia Inquiry that it was a “glaring omission” that the parents of 17-month-old Lucy were not interviewed as part of the review into her death. Speaking at today’s hearing Dr Kelly said that when he suggested to representatives of the trust and the Directorate of Legal Services (DLS) - who provide legal services for the health and social care sector that they should reach out to the family through mediation the response "twice over was no.” Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:02:37 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/225/hypo-inquiry-thurs-13-june/medical-director-says-trust-was-legally-advised-not-to-contact-bereaved-family http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/225/hypo-inquiry-thurs-13-june/medical-director-says-trust-was-legally-advised-not-to-contact-bereaved-family The Detail named Media Website of the Year Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:27:10 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/223/the-detail-named-northern-irelands-top-media-website/the-detail-named-northern-irelands-top-media-website--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/223/the-detail-named-northern-irelands-top-media-website/the-detail-named-northern-irelands-top-media-website--2 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN A former medical director who ordered a review into the death of a 17-month-old girl has said it was a “glaring omission” that her parents were not interviewed as part of the investigation into the toddler’s death. The Hyponatraemia Inquiry heard today that the parents of Lucy Crawford did not become aware of the review until they initiated their own complaints procedure about their daughter’s case, two months after the review findings were published. Speaking at the Hyponatraemia Inquiry Dr James Kelly conceded that there was no “rule book” at the time on how a review should have been carried out. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:15:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/224/dr-james-kelly/inquiry-hears-of-%E2%80%9Cglaring-omission%E2%80%9D-in-child-death-review http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/224/dr-james-kelly/inquiry-hears-of-%E2%80%9Cglaring-omission%E2%80%9D-in-child-death-review BY BARRY McCAFFREY The future use of so-called ‘supergrasses’ was dealt a major blow today after it emerged that the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) will not take any action against two ‘assisting offenders’ despite evidence that they lied seven times in court. In 2010 UVF supergrasses David and Robert Stewart pleaded guilty to their involvement in a series of crimes, including the murder of Tommy English. The brothers benefitted from the Assisting Offender’s scheme, which saw their 22 year sentences reduced to just three years in prison, in exchange for them giving evidence against their former associates. However the Public Prosecution Service has today confirmed that the original sentences will not be imposed against the brothers despite them having lied seven times in court. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:23:34 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/223/stewart-brothers/supergrasses-escape-22-year-sentences-despite-lying-seven-times-in-court http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/223/stewart-brothers/supergrasses-escape-22-year-sentences-despite-lying-seven-times-in-court BY BARRY McCAFFREY It’s supposed to ensure equality of need in Northern Ireland, but a new report accuses the Equality Commission of allowing the promotion of good relations between the two main communities to undermine the rights of minorities. A report to be published tomorrow (Tuesday) by the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) suggests that the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) has come to place more emphasis on good relations – the policy of maintaining peace – at the expense of promoting equality, especially in the areas of the Irish language and public housing, such as the controversial handling of the former Girdwood army site in North Belfast. Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:24:10 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/222/caj-report-into-equality-commission/equality-for-whom-how-is-the-equality-commission-delivering http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/222/caj-report-into-equality-commission/equality-for-whom-how-is-the-equality-commission-delivering With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:56:19 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-070613 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-070613 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE chairman of the inquiry investigating the deaths of five children as a result of fluid overload has said that he “simply does not believe” how nobody from the Belfast trust can explain why stocks of the fluid central to criticisms dramatically declined. New information emerged today around the Belfast Trust's use of a low-sodium fluid central to an investigation into the death of five children as a result of fluid overload. Solution 18 is at the heart of criticisms made in relation to the fluid management of the children whose deaths are being investigated by the Hyponatraemia Inquiry. Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:26:21 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/221/dr-odonohoe-hyponatraemia-thursday/chairman-%E2%80%9Cdoes-not-believe%E2%80%9D-trust-lack-of-explanation-over-solution-stock http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/221/dr-odonohoe-hyponatraemia-thursday/chairman-%E2%80%9Cdoes-not-believe%E2%80%9D-trust-lack-of-explanation-over-solution-stock BY NIALL McCRACKEN A DOCTOR who cared for 17-month-old Lucy Crawford says he cannot remember a conversation with another consultant, indicating an early awareness about what could have caused the toddler's condition to deteriorate – and maintained that he had no idea what killed her. Dr Jarlath O’Donohoe was a consultant paediatrician at the Erne hospital in Enniskillen who travelled with Lucy when she was being transferred to the children’s hospital in Belfast. He contradicted the account of another doctor who gave evidence last week about a conversation they both had before her transfer that concluded fluid mismanagement could have caused her condition at the time. He was also questioned by inquiry chairman Mr Justice John O’Hara about why he did not pursue a coroner’s inquest. The chairman also raised issue with the fact that Dr O’Donohoe did not meet the parents following Lucy’s post mortem report despite previously assuring them that he would. Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:20:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/221/dr-odonohoe-hyponatraemia-thursday/consultant-claims-he-can%E2%80%99t-recall-conversation-around-cause-of-child%E2%80%99s-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/221/dr-odonohoe-hyponatraemia-thursday/consultant-claims-he-can%E2%80%99t-recall-conversation-around-cause-of-child%E2%80%99s-death BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE chairman of the inquiry investigating child fluid deaths has labelled a consultant paediatrician’s reporting on the cause of death of a 17-month-old child as “hopelessly incomplete”. Dr Donncha Hanrahan, one of the consultant paediatricians involved in the care of Lucy Crawford, admitted that he made “very important omissions” in conversations with the coroner and state pathologist’s office about the cause of her death. Lucy died at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick children (RBHSC) in April 2000. The aftermath of her death is being investigated by the Hyponatraemia Inquiry. Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:02:29 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/220/dr-hanrahan-hypo-inquiry/consultant%E2%80%99s-report-after-child-death-%E2%80%9Chopelessly-incomplete%E2%80%9D-says-inquiry-chairman http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/220/dr-hanrahan-hypo-inquiry/consultant%E2%80%99s-report-after-child-death-%E2%80%9Chopelessly-incomplete%E2%80%9D-says-inquiry-chairman BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE chairman of the inquiry into child fluid deaths here has questioned the conflicting accounts of doctors working at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in the aftermath of 17-month-old Lucy Crawford’s death. Last week a number of doctors give evidence about an awareness of problems around the fluid management of toddler Lucy Crawford at the Erne Hospital before she was transferred to the children’s hospital where she died in April 2000. At today’s hearing the chairman, Justice John O’ Hara, questioned Dr Peter Crean, consultant paediatric anaesthetist at the time of Lucy’s death, about his awareness of some of the key issues around and following Lucy’s death. Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:52:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/219/hypo-inquiry-conflicting-evidence/child-death-inquiry-chairman-questions-doctors%E2%80%99-conflicting-accounts http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/219/hypo-inquiry-conflicting-evidence/child-death-inquiry-chairman-questions-doctors%E2%80%99-conflicting-accounts Chairman of the Inquiry, Mr Justice O’Hara, and his team are investigating the deaths of five children who died in hospitals in Northern Ireland between 1995 and 2003. Each of the children’s intravenous fluid regime is implicated in the deaths; it is said to have caused low sodium – hyponatraemia – in four of the children, which in turn caused lethal severe brain swelling. Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:14:40 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/218/what-is-the-hyponatraemia-inquiry/background-to-the-hyponatraemia-inquiry http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/218/what-is-the-hyponatraemia-inquiry/background-to-the-hyponatraemia-inquiry BY NIALL MCCRACKEN SENIOR officers at Maghaberry Prison are being retrained in procedures to manage vulnerable prisoners. In response to a written Assembly question, Justice Minister David Ford said that the governor of Maghaberry had taken the decision following the publication of the Prisoner Ombudsman’s first near death in custody report in May this year. The staff are to receive “refresher training” in Supporting Prisoner at Risk (SPAR) procedures. The ombudsman’s report revealed that the senior officer directly involved in the supervision of a vulnerable and suicidal prisoner - referred to as Mr C - was not properly trained until after the prisoner’s suicide attempt. Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:49:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/218/spar-retraining/prison-officers-to-be-retrained-in-vulnerable-inmate-procedures http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/218/spar-retraining/prison-officers-to-be-retrained-in-vulnerable-inmate-procedures BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY AN anaesthetist who treated a seriously ill child has told a public inquiry he believed he knew what ultimately caused her death, but did not take sufficient steps to make certain it was reported and acted upon because he believed others would do so. Dr Thomas Auterson denied any reluctance to highlight potential failings by colleagues after realising 17 month old Lucy Crawford died as a result of the use of intravenous fluids in the former Erne hospital in Enniskillen, but believed the issue would be picked up by others because it was so obvious. The consultant anaesthetist told the Hyponatraemia Inquiry there was no defence for this, but said there was no deliberate intent to mislead. Fri, 31 May 2013 22:44:42 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/217/hypo-medic/medic-believed-he-knew-cause-of-childs-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/217/hypo-medic/medic-believed-he-knew-cause-of-childs-death With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 31 May 2013 19:36:03 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-310513 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-310513 BY BARRY McCAFFREY Northern Ireland’s most senior coroner has warned that continuous PSNI delays in fully disclosing material relating to the shooting dead of six unarmed men 30 years ago are seriously jeopardising his ability to deliver inquests into the killing, the Detail has learned. Senior Coroner John Leckey had hoped to open inquests into the deaths of six men shot dead in so-called ‘Shoot to Kill’ incidents early next year. However the PSNI's failure to adhere to a previous commitment to provide complete disclosure to the court now threatens to delay the process even longer. Fri, 31 May 2013 14:05:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/215/shoot-to-kill-leckey/coroner-warns-psni-delays-threatens-his-ability-to-hold-proper-inquiries http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/215/shoot-to-kill-leckey/coroner-warns-psni-delays-threatens-his-ability-to-hold-proper-inquiries By BARRY McCAFFREY THE Chairman of the public inquiry into the care and deaths of five children in hospitals here has said there is now clear evidence that the Belfast Health Trust deliberately withheld key information from him. At the opening of today’s hearing (Thursday) inquiry chairman, John O’Hara QC, took unusual step of publicly cautioning health trusts and their staff in relation to future evidence which they give to the inquiry. “It is worthwhile for the trusts and the individuals who are to give evidence to consider if they need to reassess their positions and, if they do so, then it would be helpful to me and to the inquiry generally if they said so at the start of their evidence,” he said. Thu, 30 May 2013 19:54:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/215/hyponatraemia-barry/hyponatraemia-chairman-warns-health-trusts-over-future-evidence-at-inquiry http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/215/hyponatraemia-barry/hyponatraemia-chairman-warns-health-trusts-over-future-evidence-at-inquiry BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY A former IRA bomber who risks losing his job as an adviser to deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness because of tough new legislation says the move will call the political process into question. Paul Kavanagh was sentenced to five life terms for his role in an IRA bombing campaign that included the killing of an army bomb disposal expert and a 1981 attack on Chelsea military barracks in London. He was released from jail following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and four years ago he was chosen by Sinn Féin to be a Special Adviser in the joint of Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. Thu, 30 May 2013 16:11:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/214/sinn-f%C3%A9ins-paul-kavanagh/%E2%80%9Chow-will-sacking-me-help-victims%E2%80%9D-asks-sinn-f%C3%A9in-special-adviser http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/214/sinn-f%C3%A9ins-paul-kavanagh/%E2%80%9Chow-will-sacking-me-help-victims%E2%80%9D-asks-sinn-f%C3%A9in-special-adviser BY NIALL MCCRACKEN A SENIOR clinician who worked at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) at the time of a toddler’s death from fluid mismanagement has admitted to the Hyponatraemia inquiry that the fact that her parents were not given an explanation in the aftermath was “not good enough”. Consultant paediatric anaesthetist Dr Anthony Chisakuta told the Hyponatraemia Inquiry in Banbridge yesterday (Wednesday, May 29) that he had concerns about the fluid management and standard of treatment 17-month-old Lucy Crawford had received at the Erne Hospital before being transferred to the RBHSC in April 2000. Wed, 29 May 2013 14:36:59 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/213/hypo-inquiry-lucy-crawford/lack-of-explanation-to-parents-not-good-enough http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/213/hypo-inquiry-lucy-crawford/lack-of-explanation-to-parents-not-good-enough BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THERE are unexplained changes in the ordering pattern and management of a fluid linked to the death of three Northern Ireland children, the Hyponatraemia Inquiry has heard. ‘Solution No. 18’ is at the heart of criticism made in relation to the fluid management of Adam Strain (4), Claire Roberts (9) and Raychel Feguson (9), whose deaths are being investigated by the inquiry. Speaking at the public hearing in Banbridge earlier today (Tuesday) counsel to the inquiry Monye Anyadike-Danes QC questioned changes in the quantity of fluid ordered by the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. The inquiry heard that in January 2000 there were 359 bags of Solution No. 18 ordered per month but that by July 2001 the quantity fell to just six. Tue, 28 May 2013 14:57:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/212/hypo-inquiry-solution-18/inquiry-hears-of-unexplained-changes-in-fluid-stock-at-childrens-hospital http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/212/hypo-inquiry-solution-18/inquiry-hears-of-unexplained-changes-in-fluid-stock-at-childrens-hospital BY NIALL MCCRACKEN NORTHERN Ireland's most Senior Coroner John Leckey has asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to investigate if a criminal offence was committed after an inmate died in Maghaberry Prison 17 years ago. James Carlisle McDonnell (36) from Antrim died in the jail in March 1996 shortly after an incident with officers in which he was grabbed by the neck. During an inquest hearing earlier this month a jury found that the neck injury suffered by Mr McDonnell during the altercation led to stress that contributed to his fatal heart attack later that day. Mon, 27 May 2013 11:40:50 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/212/mcdonnell-inquest-pps/coroner-refers-prison-death-to-public-prosecution-service http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/212/mcdonnell-inquest-pps/coroner-refers-prison-death-to-public-prosecution-service With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 24 May 2013 17:04:37 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-240513 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-240513 BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY STORMONT’S political leaders have finally released their long-awaited blueprint for building a shared future for Northern Ireland. The document will raise a lot of questions. Why are they effectively closing the existing anti-sectarianism watchdog, the Community Relations Council? Why go for shared education projects instead of the full integration of Protestant and Catholic children in the same schools? And can their Christmas deadline for a deal on flags, parades and dealing with the legacy of the Troubles really be met? But here's an alternative question about the strategy unveiled by Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, maybe even an unexpected one - what if it works? Thu, 23 May 2013 16:58:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/stormont%E2%80%99s-shared-future-strategy-what-if-it-works http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/stormont%E2%80%99s-shared-future-strategy-what-if-it-works BY KATHRYN TORNEY NORTHERN Ireland’s Attorney General John Larkin has served appeal papers against a High Court decision which found against his order to hold an inquest into the death of a stillborn baby. As The Detail reported earlier this month, Mr Justice Treacy dismissed a challenge by Mr Larkin against a decision by senior coroner John Leckey not to hold an inquest into the death of Axel Desmond in Altnagelvin Hospital in 2001. Axel was alive, moving and had a heart rate up to the moment his mother Siobhan lost consciousness under anaesthetic for the caesarean delivery. Wed, 22 May 2013 15:31:59 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/210/siobhan-appeal/attorney-general-to-appeal-stillbirth-inquest-decision http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/210/siobhan-appeal/attorney-general-to-appeal-stillbirth-inquest-decision BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY STORMONT'S latest debate on the past provided ample evidence as to why a truth and reconciliation process isn't going to happen any time soon. The divisive nature of the discussion could arguably have illustrated precisely why one is necessary. But the fault lines that continue to run through politics also support the rival claim that the only option is to draw a line under the events of the Troubles and move on. There is complete division over what caused the decades of conflict, over exactly what happened in many of the thousands of deaths, and over how we might lay the past to rest. Now Sinn Féin appears to be trying to shift the debate on to new ground - but what does it mean? Tue, 21 May 2013 13:15:31 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/northern-irelands-truth-reconciliation-process http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/northern-irelands-truth-reconciliation-process BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY SINN Féin has said a process of reconciliation in Northern Ireland could be moved forward by separating it from the search for the truth about what happened during the Troubles. The party’s Mitchel Mclaughlin said republicans would prefer a South African style `truth and reconciliation’ commission, but now accepted that splitting the two elements into a twin-track process could help deliver swifter progress on reconciliation, given the deadlock on the past. A prominent victims’ group however said that putting reconciliation before establishing the facts of what happened during the conflict allowed the guilty to escape scrutiny, amounting to impunity. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:43:26 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/209/reconciliation/should-truth-be-separated-from-reconciliation http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/209/reconciliation/should-truth-be-separated-from-reconciliation With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 17 May 2013 14:21:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-170513 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-170513 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE family of a man who died of a heart attack after being restrained by prison wardens over 17 years ago has spoken for the first time about their long struggle for justice. James Carlisle McDonnell (36) from Antrim died in Maghaberry Prison in March 1996 shortly after an incident with officers in which he was grabbed by the neck. During an inquest hearing on Thursday (May 17) a jury found that the neck injury suffered by Mr McDonnell during the altercation led to stress that contributed to his fatal heart attack later that day. Fri, 17 May 2013 14:17:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/208/james-mcdonnell-update/prison-death-family-the-truth-has-finally-come-out http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/208/james-mcdonnell-update/prison-death-family-the-truth-has-finally-come-out _THE Detail's *Steven McCaffery* attended two debates on Northern Ireland's future this week - one involving politicians at Stormont, the other featuring loyalists at a resource centre for the unemployed._ You probably already know how one of these meetings went. When the First Minister Peter Robinson addressed the Assembly on his plans for a shared future, it soon deteriorated into a bitter row replete with biblical-sounding insults. The second event was held behind closed doors but saw a discussion on loyalism that was not afraid to be warts and all. Whatever about Stormont, there were no “whited sepulchres” in the function room of the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre. The problem with the two debates, however, was that while the Assembly quarrel ended with the publication of a blueprint on the way forward, the arguably more constructive discussion on loyalism ended with uncertainty about where to go from here. Thu, 16 May 2013 17:30:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/loyalists-trying-to-avoid-history%E2%80%99s-traditional-route http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/loyalists-trying-to-avoid-history%E2%80%99s-traditional-route BY NIALL MCCRACKEN AN inmate who died of a heart attack after being restrained by wardens was failed by the prison system, an inquest jury has today ruled. James Carlisle McDonnell, 36, from Antrim died in Maghaberry Prison in March 1996 shortly after an incident with officers in which he was grabbed by the neck. During the inquest the legal team for the McDonnell family argued that the neck injury suffered by Mr McDonnell during the altercation led to stress that contributed to his fatal heart attack later that day. Thu, 16 May 2013 16:43:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/207/coroners-inquest-james-mcdonnell/jury-finds-prisoner-died-after-officers-used-excessive-force http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/207/coroners-inquest-james-mcdonnell/jury-finds-prisoner-died-after-officers-used-excessive-force BY BARRY McCAFFREY Senior PSNI officers who authorised the secret bugging of a key witness in a murder appeal case will now be questioned in court over their role in the operation. John Paul Wooton (22) and Brendan McConville (41) are appealing their convictions for the murder of PSNI officer Stephen Carroll in Craigavon in March 2009. The appeal had been due to get underway last month but was halted after the men’s legal team alleged that police had arrested and tried to coerce a crucial witness to change his statement. Wed, 15 May 2013 16:00:47 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/206/mcconville-wooton/police-called-to-give-evidence-in-witness-bugging-case http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/206/mcconville-wooton/police-called-to-give-evidence-in-witness-bugging-case BY KATHRYN TORNEY A Co Armagh grammar school has rejected a highly critical inspection report which has resulted in the school being placed in formal intervention by the Department of Education, The Detail can reveal. St Michael’s Grammar School in Lurgan is only the second grammar in Northern Ireland to have formal intervention measures imposed on it by the department after the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) rated the school as “inadequate”. In a hard-hitting statement, St Michael’s principal Gerard Adams has rejected the inspectors' highly critical conclusions. Tue, 14 May 2013 13:25:30 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/205/st-michaels-lurgan--2/grammar-school-principal-rejects-inspectors-inadequate-rating http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/205/st-michaels-lurgan--2/grammar-school-principal-rejects-inspectors-inadequate-rating BY STEVEN McCAFFERY FRESH from its success in England, the UK Independence Party says it is planning to field up to 30 candidates in Northern Ireland’s local government elections next year. But regardless of how it performs in the already crowded marketplace for unionist votes, the pressure it is exerting on David Cameron’s Conservative Party over EU membership already has implications for Northern Ireland. Stormont’s latest political catchphrase may well be `So what?’ - following TV clashes between local politicians - but both sides of the European debate say the tension UKIP has stirred in Tory ranks should not be ignored. Mon, 13 May 2013 17:44:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/maybe-stormont-shouldn%E2%80%99t-say-so-what-to-ukip-rise http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/maybe-stormont-shouldn%E2%80%99t-say-so-what-to-ukip-rise With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 11 May 2013 01:29:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-100513 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-100513 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE number of people convicted annually of crimes involving social media and other forms of public electronic communications in Northern Ireland has trebled since 2009, The Detail can reveal today. We can also confirm that the Public Prosecution Service is currently drafting interim guidelines for dealing with cases involving social media. It is understood that these will be issued for consultation “in the not too distant future”. Figures have been released to us by the NI Court Service in response to a Freedom of Information request. These show that in 2009 29 people in Northern Ireland were found guilty of at least one offence under section 127 of the 2003 Communications Act. In 2012 there were 110 convictions. The 2012 figures are provisional. Thu, 09 May 2013 18:00:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/204/social-media-criminal-justice-system/policing-social-media-versus-free-speech http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/204/social-media-criminal-justice-system/policing-social-media-versus-free-speech BY STEVEN McCAFFERY STORMONT'S political leaders have often been accused of turning the clock back - but this time it is at least in a good cause. After a year dominated by street violence over parades and flags, First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have sought to reboot the political process with a suite of policies aimed at tackling sectarian divisions. Critics claim it is the same plan that has been on the Stormont shelf since before the outbreak of the bitter disputes over cultural identity, and point out that it delays the toughest decisions by announcing an all-party working group on flags, parades and dealing with the legacy of the Troubles. That all reinforces the impression that the deal represents a bid to rewind the political year and reclaim the potential lost during a chaotic period of mob violence. But Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness claim the deal offers much more. Thu, 09 May 2013 13:15:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/weve-had-the-flags-crisis-now-its-back-to-the-future http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/weve-had-the-flags-crisis-now-its-back-to-the-future BY BARRY McCAFFREY The PSNI needs to take urgent steps to ensure that the make-up of its workforce is fit to meet the future needs of community policing, a new report has concluded. The report, published today by the Criminal Justice Inspectorate (CJI), found that the PSNI’s current approach to planning for the future make-up of its workforce is based on historical perceptions and is not meeting the need for an increased civilian role within the force. The report found that the number of civilian staff employed by the PSNI has actually dropped in the last five years with an over reliance on re-employing former police officers into roles which should be filled by civilians. Wed, 08 May 2013 21:44:11 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/203/cji-inspection-of-psni/cji-raises-concerns-over-police-still-filling-civilian-roles-in-psni http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/203/cji-inspection-of-psni/cji-raises-concerns-over-police-still-filling-civilian-roles-in-psni BY KATHRYN TORNEY A CO Derry woman has vowed to continue with her legal battle to secure an inquest into the death of her stillborn son despite a setback in Belfast’s High Court today. Mr Justice Treacy has dismissed a challenge by Attorney General John Larkin against a decision by senior coroner John Leckey not to hold an inquest into the death of Axel Desmond in 2001. In his judgement today, the judge said that the ramifications of allowing inquests to take place into stillbirths would reverberate widely and would have implications in other areas like abortion, stem cell research, IVF and cloning. Wed, 08 May 2013 12:42:19 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/201/siobhan-court/judge-asks-is-it-possible-to-die-before-one-has-been-born http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/201/siobhan-court/judge-asks-is-it-possible-to-die-before-one-has-been-born BY KATHRYN TORNEY What the Public Health Agency says we can’t be told about Northern Ireland's cases of self-harm. Mon, 06 May 2013 13:30:38 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/201/self-harm/self-harm-what-the-public-health-agency-says-we-can%E2%80%99t-be-told http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/201/self-harm/self-harm-what-the-public-health-agency-says-we-can%E2%80%99t-be-told With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 03 May 2013 17:15:29 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-030513 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-030513 BY BARRY McCAFFREY A man previously convicted of murdering two soldiers has been acquitted after a judge refused to accept a series of crucial forensic errors in the prosecution case. Brian Shivers (47) was previously convicted in January 2012 of the murder of sappers Patrick Azimkar (21) and Mark Quinsey (23), who were shot dead during a Real IRA gun attack on Massereene army barracks in March 2009. In January 2013 Shivers was acquitted of the murders but was ordered to face a retrial. However the DNA evidence which the prosecution had relied on to secure a murder conviction against Shivers at the original trial two years ago was brought into serious question at his retrial in March this year. Rejecting the prosecution assertion that the presence of Shivers’ DNA on the matches and mobile phone proved that he was involved in helping the killers, Mr Justice Deeny said: “He may have done so (touched the items). But even if he did so it does not necessarily mean that he was assisting the person who carried out this murder. Fri, 03 May 2013 14:13:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/200/shivers-verdict/shivers-acquitted-of-massereene-murders-after-dna-evidence-called-into-question http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/200/shivers-verdict/shivers-acquitted-of-massereene-murders-after-dna-evidence-called-into-question BY BARRY McCAFFREY A Criminal Justice Inspection (CJI) review of PPS’ corporate governance procedures has found concerns that the organisation’s management structure, staff levels, information flows and performance regime are all in need of "significant change". The report finds that Director of Public Prosecutions, Barra McGrory QC, faces a “significant challenge” to progress the organisation with “barriers arising from the culture within the PPS, the legacy of their operating environment and a need for more management expertise.” Records of decisions taken in cases were "often poorly recorded" and failed to set out the rationale for PPS actions. In a quarter of cases inspected by CJI the correct charges had not been directed by prosecutors. Concerns were raised over the quality of case files forwarded by the PSNI to the PPS with progress in improving file quality described as "slow". Fri, 03 May 2013 10:12:27 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/200/shivers-verdict/cji-inspection-of-corporate-governance-of-public-prosecution-service http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/200/shivers-verdict/cji-inspection-of-corporate-governance-of-public-prosecution-service STEVEN MCCAFFERY THE final legal steps are being taken to set Belfast's new political boundaries - but it will also draw a line under the campaign to permanently restore the city hall's Union flag. For while it remains a major controversy which may yet see further twists and turns, the obvious political routes to permanently restoring the flag are closing down. The release of the District Electoral Areas for Northern Ireland has provided the clearest picture yet of the future balance of power in the City Council. Thu, 02 May 2013 16:33:22 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/is-the-flag-row-running-out-of-political-steam http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/is-the-flag-row-running-out-of-political-steam BY NIALL MCCRACKEN SERIOUS concerns have been raised about the human rights record of Northern Ireland’s main holding centre for immigrant detainees. Larne House in Co Antrim can accommodate 21 immigrants for a period of up to seven days prior to their transfer, deportation or being granted temporary admission into Northern Ireland. However a new report by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission states that detainees in short term facilities like Larne House are not afforded the same rights as those in long term facilities. The commission's report is due to be submitted to the United Nations ‘Committee Against Torture’ in Geneva next week. Thu, 02 May 2013 14:28:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/199/immigrant-detainees/concerns-about-ni%E2%80%99s-treatment-of-immigrant-detainees-to-be-raised-with-un http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/199/immigrant-detainees/concerns-about-ni%E2%80%99s-treatment-of-immigrant-detainees-to-be-raised-with-un BY BARRY McCAFFREY Flaws in forensic evidence are again at the centre of another major criminal trial. But the handling of the Massereene murder hunt and subsequent trials appear to raise serious concerns about the performance of police, prosecution service and forensic science to deliver justice for both the victims and the accused. A leading DNA expert has expressed concerns over the apparent close working relationships between police and forensic experts in general. However a former leading police officer says that witnesses' reluctance to give evidence means that prosecutors are forced to rely on minute forensic evidence in complex murder cases. Thu, 02 May 2013 09:59:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/200/shivers-verdict/forensic-flaws-question-whether-criminal-justice-agencies-are-fit-for-purpose http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/200/shivers-verdict/forensic-flaws-question-whether-criminal-justice-agencies-are-fit-for-purpose BY STEVEN McCAFFERY EVERYONE is familiar with the children’s rhyme “There’s a hole in my bucket". It features two characters going round in circles trying to figure out how to plug the hole in their water pail – eventually concluding that to get the job done they need a bucket that works. First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness are currently negotiating a deal on policies to tackle sectarianism – with mixed reports on whether they can agree on enough measures to fill this yawning hole in their administration. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:47:18 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/stormont-with-what-shall-we-mend-it http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/stormont-with-what-shall-we-mend-it BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE mother of a man who was severely brain damaged after hanging himself in Maghaberry Prison has claimed the Northern Ireland Prison Service is not doing enough to ensure the safety of its inmates. She has spoken to The Detail as the first near death in custody report by the Prisoner Ombudsman is published in Northern Ireland today. The 31-year-old prisoner is not identified in the report and his mother has asked that we also withhold her name. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:01:29 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/198/near-death-in-custody-report/mother-claims-brain-damaged-son-failed-by-prison-service http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/198/near-death-in-custody-report/mother-claims-brain-damaged-son-failed-by-prison-service BY BARRY MCCAFFREY Two men’s appeal against convictions for the murder of PSNI constable Stephen Carroll has been adjourned until October after prosecutors claimed that new evidence has emerged in the case. However lawyers for Brendan McConville and Sean Paul Wootton claim that police have tried to intimidate a crucial new witness in retracting the evidence he is due to give at the appeal. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:30:47 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/197/brendan-mcconville-john-paul-wooton/psni-accused-of-attempting-to-intimidate-new-witness-in-murder-appeal http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/197/brendan-mcconville-john-paul-wooton/psni-accused-of-attempting-to-intimidate-new-witness-in-murder-appeal With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:02:23 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-260413 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-260413 Tens of thousands of miles away from her home in Belfast, Lynda Sullivan tells The Detail of her work to help Peruvian villagers in their fight against multi-national gold mining which threatens the future of their community. Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:51:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/one-womans-fight-for-water-against-gold-in-peru http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/one-womans-fight-for-water-against-gold-in-peru BY NIALL MCCRACKEN DESPITE a major drive by the Belfast Health Trust to reduce huge waiting lists for allergy and immunology treatment at the Royal Victoria Hospital, new figures obtained by The Detail show there are still 66 people - including 19 children - waiting to be seen urgently who fall well outside the trust’s one month target for an “urgent appointment”. The data released in response to a Freedom of Information request shows that as recently as February 2013, one child had been waiting for an appointment classified as “urgent” for almost a year. Other long waiting times include an urgent adult immunology appointment on the waiting list for over 500 days by the end of January this year. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:01:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/196/immunology-paediatric-waiting-list/long-wait-for-urgent-paediatric-allergy-appointments http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/196/immunology-paediatric-waiting-list/long-wait-for-urgent-paediatric-allergy-appointments BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY UNIONISTS opposed to building an international peace centre at the former Maze prison fear it will be used to remember ten republicans who starved themselves to death in a demand to be treated as political prisoners. But given that other stories from the conflict will also be told at the site, why does the dramatic prison protest from decades ago still raise unionist hackles? Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:20:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/unionists-the-maze-prison-and-bobby-sands http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/unionists-the-maze-prison-and-bobby-sands BY BARRY McCAFFREY THE British government has been ordered to hand over minutes of cabinet meetings at which the decision was made to refuse a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane. Judge Ben Stephens today (Tuesday) ordered that minutes of cabinet meetings in July 2011 and correspondence between MI5 and the Northern Ireland Office must be disclosed to the court. The order comes as part of a legal challenge by the solicitor’s widow Geraldine Finucane against Prime Minister David Cameron’s refusal to hold a public inquiry into the 1989 murder. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:55:38 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/195/finucane-case/judge-orders-downing-street-to-hand-over-finucane-documents http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/195/finucane-case/judge-orders-downing-street-to-hand-over-finucane-documents With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:46:07 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-190413 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-190413 BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE mental anguish facing thousands of people across Northern Ireland can be seen in new figures obtained by The Detail which show that our hospital emergency departments dealt with 2,830 episodes of self-harm and/or people struggling with suicidal thoughts over one three month period. Forty-one of the cases recorded between April 1 2012 and the end of June 2012 involved children aged under 15 – including 22 drugs overdoses and 11 children who had self-harmed with a sharp object. The Detail has been given rare access to information contained in the Northern Ireland Registry of Deliberate Self-Harm in response to a Freedom of Information request. Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:07:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/201/self-harm/northern-irelands-shocking-hospital-records-of-self-harm http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/201/self-harm/northern-irelands-shocking-hospital-records-of-self-harm BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY LEGISLATION aimed at effectively banning ex-prisoners from becoming special advisers to Stormont ministers is facing fresh political difficulties. It was withdrawn from the Assembly agenda today (Tuesday), with its author Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister revealing the role of the Civil Service Commissioners as an appeal mechanism under the new rules will require the consent of the Secretary of State. The bill remains on course to become law, though in addition the SDLP is continuing to seek amendments to the legislation, with an element in the party arguing for it to be blocked if controversial aspects cannot be altered. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:38:41 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/193/special-advisers-bill--2/stormont-special-advisers-bill-faces-fresh-hurdles http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/193/special-advisers-bill--2/stormont-special-advisers-bill-faces-fresh-hurdles With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:17:03 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-120413 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-120413 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN A FIFTH of all complaints to the Information Commissioner regarding government departments in Northern Ireland over the last two years related to the Office of First and Deputy First Minister. New data released to The Detail under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation reveals that over 160 complaints were lodged with the Information Commissioner about government departments in Northern Ireland since April 2011. Over half of the complaints about OFMDFM related to the time taken to respond to requests. Under FOI legislation a response should be issued a maximum of 20 working days after a request is received. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:32:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/194/ico/ofmdfm-heads-information-commissioners-complaints-list http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/194/ico/ofmdfm-heads-information-commissioners-complaints-list BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY REACTION to the death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been dominated by her battles with the left, and with Irish republicanism - but unionist outrage at her signing of the Anglo Irish Agreement has been largely played down. In 1985 Harold McCusker condemned the Anglo-Irish Agreement that gave Dublin a say in Northern Ireland affairs and it was his dying wish that the words of a blistering attack he levelled at the Iron Lady in Westminster be etched on his tombstone. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:07:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/191/thatcher-aia/some-in-ulster-still-say-no-to-margaret-thatcher http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/191/thatcher-aia/some-in-ulster-still-say-no-to-margaret-thatcher BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE parents of a Co Down teenager who died just days after receiving a combined Measles and Rubella vaccination as part of a government campaign have vowed to continue their fight to prove that the injection caused his death. Anne and Harry Coulter, from Hillsborough, have spoken to The Detail after learning that an appeal they lodged with the government’s Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme has been refused. They were first turned down for compensation in 1997 and say the system is massively weighted against those who challenge the UK's vaccination regime. Their 15-year-old son Christopher was found dead in his bed a week before Christmas in 1994, 10 days after receiving the vaccine at school. Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:37:03 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/190/christophers-story/another-rejection-but-parents-maintain-vaccine-is-linked-to-their-sons-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/190/christophers-story/another-rejection-but-parents-maintain-vaccine-is-linked-to-their-sons-death THE Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, marking the effective end of the Northern Ireland Troubles and delivering peace between nationalists and unionists. But beyond the traditional Orange and Green blocs, how did smaller ethnic minority communities experience the new era? The Detail’s Steven McCaffery reports. Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:47:33 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/189/racism-and-the-good-friday-agreement/racism-the-good-friday-agreement-and-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98new-minority%E2%80%99 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/189/racism-and-the-good-friday-agreement/racism-the-good-friday-agreement-and-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98new-minority%E2%80%99 By Barry McCaffrey The Director of Public Prosecutions could be asked to reopen hundreds of Troubles-related cases involving killings from the 1970s following the discovery of statements in newly declassified papers which suggest soldiers were allowed to escape prosecution. The declassified Ministry of Defence papers from the 1970s have revealed an agreement which allowed army officers to privately lobby successive Attorney Generals not to prosecute soldiers for serious offences, including murder. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:20:44 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/192/joe-mccann-story/declassified-documents-reveal-army-lobbied-attorney-general-not-to-prosecute-soldiers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/192/joe-mccann-story/declassified-documents-reveal-army-lobbied-attorney-general-not-to-prosecute-soldiers BY NIALL MCCRACKEN AS part of its investigation The Detail can reveal that there has been £22,342,243 spent on prison healthcare here over the last three years. However, it has taken the South Eastern Trust over two months and two separate FOI requests, to release a full breakdown of the costings. The figures show that over £16m has been spent on salaries and wages for healthcare staff and almost £6m on what is described as "goods and services". But we have been given little information beyond these headline figures about what the spend really means. The budget for Prison Healthcare comes directly from the Department of Health and is managed by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), which commissions the services to the South Eastern Trust through a block contract. Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:40:16 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/188/prison-healthcare/making-sense-of-the-prison-healthcare-spend http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/188/prison-healthcare/making-sense-of-the-prison-healthcare-spend Daniel Holder is Deputy Director of the Committee of the Administration of Justice (CAJ). He considers what the De Silva documents tell us about the pattern of how paramilitary informants have been handled here. Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:41:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/don%E2%80%99t-legislate-for-collusion http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/don%E2%80%99t-legislate-for-collusion BY NIALL MCCRACKEN IT'S been identified time and again as the biggest problem afflicting the prison population here, but mental health issues are still barely registering within the system here, an investigation by The Detail has established. Figures released to us show that more people than ever before are being transferred out for mental health treatment but crucial information about the nature of those illnesses - and the possible ramifications for the wider prison population - is not collated, we have learnt. And while the spend on healthcare in general within the prison system has increased over the past three years, numerous enquiries on our part have failed to establish a clear picture of what the money is being spent on: how this reflects prisoners' healthcare needs or the treatment available to them - and this includes the field of mental health. Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:17:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/188/prison-healthcare/whats-being-done-for-prisoners-with-mental-health-issues-in-ni http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/188/prison-healthcare/whats-being-done-for-prisoners-with-mental-health-issues-in-ni With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 30 Mar 2013 03:41:50 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-290313 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-290313 BY RUTH O'REILLY THE mother of a child who died after being overloaded with hospital fluid today (Tuesday) called for doctors and nurses who have lied at the inquiry into her death to be charged with perjury. Marie Ferguson issued the call after she and her husband Ray provided a harrowing testimony about the final hours of their nine year-old daughter, Raychel, at Altnagelvin Hospital and Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in June 2001. In a statement read into the record of the hearing, she also challenged the refusal of Directorate of Legal Services - the health service's legal unit - to admit liability for the death of Raychel more than 12 years on, a position she said was driven by cover-up. Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:54:03 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/186/inquiry-latest/perjuring-health-workers-should-be-prosecuted-parents http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/186/inquiry-latest/perjuring-health-workers-should-be-prosecuted-parents With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:25:03 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-220313 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-220313 BY BARRY McCAFFREY A building contractor was awarded £9.8m in government funding to rebuild one of Northern Ireland’s best known theatres after a tendering process was altered resulting in it leapfrogging from last to first as the preferred bidder, an audit office report has concluded. In 2008 the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) approved the decision to appoint Gilbert Ash NI Ltd to oversee the redevelopment of the Lyric Theatre. However Northern Ireland Auditor General Kieran Donnelly has been unable to find any evidence that best practice procedures were used in the awarding of the multi-million pound contract as, despite requests, DCAL has failed to provide auditors with even basic tender documents used in the process. Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:14:54 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/185/audit-office-lyric/audit-office-questions-98m-tender-process-in-lyric-rebuild http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/185/audit-office-lyric/audit-office-questions-98m-tender-process-in-lyric-rebuild BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A Magherafelt man on trial for the murder of two British army soldiers has unexpectedly been charged with an additional lesser offence of assisting offenders just hours before the prosecution case against him closed. Brian Shivers (47) is accused of the murder of sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar outside Massereene army barracks in March 2009. The trial took an unexpected twist earlier today (Wednesday) when prosecution counsel, Terence Mooney QC, informed the court that the Co Derry man was to be charged with the additional lesser offence of assisting offenders. Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:00:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/184/shivers-additional-offence/shivers-charged-with-lesser-offence-as-murder-trial-nears-close http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/184/shivers-additional-offence/shivers-charged-with-lesser-offence-as-murder-trial-nears-close BY BARRY MCCAFFREY THE £110m redevelopment of Northern Ireland’s three largest sports stadiums has been thrown into doubt after a legal challenge claimed that government funding for one of the state sponsored projects breaks European Union competition laws. In September 2010 the Stormont Executive abandoned plans for a state-of-the-art sports stadium at the former Maze/Long Kesh prison site and opted instead to redevelop the GAA’s Casement Park, Ulster’s rugby ground at Ravenhill and the Windsor Park soccer stadium. However The Detail can reveal that a Belfast High Court has now been asked to immediately block the development proposals amid claims that it breaches EU competition laws. Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:07:58 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/183/windsor-stadium-development/legal-challenge-threatens-110m-development-of-dcal-sponsored-sports-stadiums http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/183/windsor-stadium-development/legal-challenge-threatens-110m-development-of-dcal-sponsored-sports-stadiums BY BARRY McCAFFREY ULSTER Bank has admitted another embarrassing financial crisis after it emerged that it could not pay staff wages for more than two days. A spokeswoman for Ulster Bank has confirmed to The Detail that there was a 48 hour delay in paying the monthly wages of more than 2,000 bank employees at the weekend due to “a delay in processing payments”. “There was an issue on Friday but all salaries were paid yesterday (Sunday) afternoon,” the spokeswoman said. Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:23:03 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/181/ulster-bank/ulster-bank-admits-48-hour-delay-in-paying-staff-wages http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/181/ulster-bank/ulster-bank-admits-48-hour-delay-in-paying-staff-wages With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:21:07 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-150313 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-150313 BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE Spirit of Enniskillen Trust – which was set up following the Enniskillen bombing in 1987 – has closed. The Detail has learned that a decision was taken by trustees yesterday (March 14th) to shut down the award-winning charity, which was based in Belfast and worked with young people across Northern Ireland. The trust’s solicitor has confirmed that financial problems caused by a fall in property values and an increasing deficiency in the trust’s pension commitments led to the closure. Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:11:06 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/178/enniskillentrust/the-spirit-of-enniskillen-trust-has-closed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/178/enniskillentrust/the-spirit-of-enniskillen-trust-has-closed BY KATHRYN TORNEY AN account of our quest to secure the missing response times data... Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:07:37 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/187/fire-response-times/why-did-the-fire-service-provide-incomplete-data http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/187/fire-response-times/why-did-the-fire-service-provide-incomplete-data BY KATHRYN TORNEY AN investigation by The Detail has uncovered a disturbing variation in fire and rescue service response times across Northern Ireland. Fire crews based in some rural areas took an average of four times longer to reach emergency incidents in their area than their colleagues based in Belfast. We can also reveal that at least £62m was spent by the fire service in 2011 and 2012 responding in good faith to emergency calls which turned out to be false alarms - 1,396 of these incidents were malicious false alarms. Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:28:21 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/187/fire-response-times/how-quickly-did-the-fire-service-respond-to-emergencies-where-you-live http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/187/fire-response-times/how-quickly-did-the-fire-service-respond-to-emergencies-where-you-live BY NIALL MCCRACKEN WHILE the public focus of Northern Ireland’s spectacular property crash has been on homes and other properties repossessed and people made bankrupt, The Detail can reveal the existence of behind-the-scenes deals being reached with banks over distressed mortgages. Banks here are actively negotiating shortfalls and writing down debts on private mortgages and at least three companies here now have units focused solely on achieving such settlements with lenders on behalf of clients. Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:09:51 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/182/mortgage-distress/mortgage-distress-the-deals-the-banks-are-quietly-settling-for http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/182/mortgage-distress/mortgage-distress-the-deals-the-banks-are-quietly-settling-for h3. MASSEREENE MURDER TRIAL LATEST UPDATE - THURSDAY The Massereene murder trial has heard that at least four DNA profiles, other than that of the accused Brian Shivers, were found on items recovered from the Real IRA killers’ getaway car. The court was told that a series of DNA profiles, other than Brian Shivers, were found on a range of items at the scene of the partially burnt out getaway car. Up to four DNA profiles, other than that of Brian Shivers, was found on a match stick (labelled as evidence item JC5) discovered outside the getaway car. Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:30:27 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/177/shivers-wednesday/up-to-4-peoples-dna-found-on-massereene-murder-evidence http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/177/shivers-wednesday/up-to-4-peoples-dna-found-on-massereene-murder-evidence BY BARRY MCCAFFREY The trial of a Co Derry man accused of assisting the killers of two British army soldiers at Massereene has heard police experts concede that crucial evidence may have been contaminated by a failure to properly ensure its forensic integrity. Magherafelt man Brian Shivers went on trial last week accused of attempting to destroy a getaway car used by Real IRA gunmen who shot dead sappers Mark Quinsey (23) and Patrick Azimkar (21) at Massereene army barracks in Antrim on March 7, 2009. Potentially crucial forensic evidence was found in the killers' partially destroyed getaway car, which had been abandoned 7 miles away shortly after the attack. Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:50:36 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/175/shivers-trial/question-marks-over-integrity-of-forensic-exhibits-in-massereene-murder-trial http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/175/shivers-trial/question-marks-over-integrity-of-forensic-exhibits-in-massereene-murder-trial With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:44:10 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-080313 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-080313 With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 02 Mar 2013 02:01:22 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-010313 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-010313 BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY Sinn Féin is calling for a poll on Irish unity, though opponents claim there is no appetite for such radical reform. But the move fits into Sinn Féin's wider ambitions to build its party and develop a new phase in the peace process. Gerry Adams responds to critics, and details how he believes the political landscape could potentially be changed. Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:06:56 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/174/gerry-adams/lh2-sinn-f%C3%A9in%E2%80%99s-new-place-in-irish-politics http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/174/gerry-adams/lh2-sinn-f%C3%A9in%E2%80%99s-new-place-in-irish-politics BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE latest programme designed to deliver a lifeline to Northern Ireland’s struggling entrepreneurs is being run at almost a third of the cost of its predecessor contract from three years ago, The Detail can reveal. Under its 'Go For It' brand, Invest NI contracts out the implementation of business start-up schemes. However figures obtained by The Detail show a dramatic drop in the budget of the programme in its various forms in recent years. From 2009-11 the scheme was called the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) and had an annual budget of £3.5m. Now the scheme in its current incarnation, the Regional Start Initiative (RSI), is running on a budget of £1m a year. Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:08:48 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/176/regional-start-initiative/budget-for-northern-irelands-business-start-up-programme-slashed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/176/regional-start-initiative/budget-for-northern-irelands-business-start-up-programme-slashed BY BARRY McCAFFREY BRITISH Home Secretary Theresa May is expected to publish proposals aimed at allowing the National Crime Agency (NCA) to operate in Northern Ireland, despite major Sinn Fein and SDLP concerns over accountability arrangements. The move comes as discussions aimed at breaking the impasse over the British government proposals to allow the NCA to operate in Northern Ireland appear to have ended without agreement. Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:25:45 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/173/home-office-minister-to-publish-national-crime-agency-plan-b/home-office-minister-to-publish-national-crime-agency-plan-b-for-northern-ireland http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/173/home-office-minister-to-publish-national-crime-agency-plan-b/home-office-minister-to-publish-national-crime-agency-plan-b-for-northern-ireland With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:15:21 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-220213 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-220213 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN A GROUP representing medical staff and clinicians who work at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children has said that the safety of children’s heart services is at risk of being “sacrificed on the altar of potential un-sustainability.” The services are the focus of a consultation which will determine if Paediatric Cardiac Surgery will close in Belfast. Among the many options put forward are for the service to be commissioned primarily from Belfast, Dublin or from providers within Great Britain. Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:03:52 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/171/childrens-cardiac-service/hospital-medical-staff-raise-serious-concerns-about-children%E2%80%99s-cardiac-service-proposals http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/171/childrens-cardiac-service/hospital-medical-staff-raise-serious-concerns-about-children%E2%80%99s-cardiac-service-proposals BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A STORMONT minister is claiming legal privilege prevents him telling a scrutiny committee whether or not he ignored legal advice which could have overturned a £150,000 Fair Employment Tribunal ruling against his own department. In June 2012 a Fair Employment Tribunal ruled that Dr Alan Lennon had been the victim of religious discrimination after then Department for Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy failed to appoint him as chairman of Northern Ireland Water. Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:54:26 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/172/drd-legal-privilege/minister-claims-legal-privilege-means-he-cant-say-whether-he-ignored-advice-defending-own-department http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/172/drd-legal-privilege/minister-claims-legal-privilege-means-he-cant-say-whether-he-ignored-advice-defending-own-department With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:35:39 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-150213 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-150213 BY SARAH DE BÚRCA A BAN on the Irish language being used in tourism signs appears to be heading for the courts amid allegations that the authority responsible, the NI Tourist Board is providing no rational explanation for it. A row has erupted over the issue in recent months, with Down District Council being forced to accept English-only signs for its tourist signs project before the Tourist Board would hand over the funding needed. But the Irish language website Meon Eile has learnt that the civil liberties group, the Committee on the Administration of Justice has intervened, saying it believes the board’s position is unlawful and that months of correspondence on the subject have failed to elicit any valid explanation for the ban. Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:23:02 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/170/bilingual-signs/why-is-irish-being-banned-from-tourism-signs-here--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/170/bilingual-signs/why-is-irish-being-banned-from-tourism-signs-here--2 TODAY marks 24 years since solicitor Pat Finucane was shot dead in a killing which has become a defining symbol of the state’s complicity in the Troubles. Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:10:11 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/169/finucane-anniversary/24-years-after-finucane-killing-the-damage-limitation-continues http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/169/finucane-anniversary/24-years-after-finucane-killing-the-damage-limitation-continues THE murder of Pat Finucane continues to haunt the highest echelons of British government but the extraordinary lengths which government ministers and senior Downing Street officials undertook to prevent the state’s involvement in the killing of its own citizens can now be more fully revealed than ever before. The Detail has studied the report by Sir Desmond de Silva into the killing and discussed it with those who know the case well. Previously unseen dimensions of the murder itself, the wider activity of state agencies at the time, and the attitude of the current government to these events include: :: The deep involvement in intelligence matters by the prime minister of the day, Margaret Thatcher, and her concerns about divisions between agencies; :: Thatcher’s successor John Major, his NI Secretary Peter Brooke and Defence Secretary Tom King all arguing against prosecution of Brian Nelson, the leading British Army agent who played a key role in Finucane’s murder; Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:06:25 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/169/finucane-anniversary/what-downing-street-knew http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/169/finucane-anniversary/what-downing-street-knew With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:22:57 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-080213 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-080213 BY BARRY MCCAFFREY NORTHERN Ireland’s Senior Coroner John Leckey will tomorrow (Monday) formally abandon a decision to suspend 21 Troubles-related inquests which he had previously stopped over concerns of national security. In November Mr Leckey announced that he was issuing a “blanket suspension” on the inquests on the grounds that the Northern Ireland Attorney General John Larkin QC, who had ordered inquests into the security force killings, had exceeded his powers by ordering the hearings. Mr Leckey raised doubts over whether Mr Larkin had the power to order inquests in to deaths which may potentially have national security concerns. Such cases instead are the domain of the Advocate General for England and Wales Dominic Grieve QC. Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:04:30 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/168/inquest-suspensions-lifting/grieve-bats-troubles-inquests-back-to-coroner http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/168/inquest-suspensions-lifting/grieve-bats-troubles-inquests-back-to-coroner With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:48:27 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-010213 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-010213 BY BARRY MCCAFFREY Police Ombudsman Michael Maguire is to launch a fresh investigation into events surrounding the murder of MI5 agent Denis Donaldson after the emergence of new information, the Detail can reveal. The police ombudsman has informed Mr Donaldson’s family that he has also decided to re-examine police actions surrounding the events connected to the killing of the former senior Sinn Fein official, who was shot dead at an isolated cottage in Donegal in April 2006, four months after admitting that he’d worked as an MI5/Special Branch agent for more than 20 years. Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:49:08 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/166/denis-donaldson/poni-to-reinvestigate-how-denis-donaldson-was-outed-as-an-informer--3 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/166/denis-donaldson/poni-to-reinvestigate-how-denis-donaldson-was-outed-as-an-informer--3 BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY THE search for a strategy to deliver a 'shared future' for Northern Ireland is now getting the Celebrity Big Brother treatment. David Ford, frustrated at the flawed efforts of his Stormont Castle housemates, has published his own plan to tackle sectarianism. His message to the public is clear - read the proposals - then you decide. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:29:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/165/david-ford/its-good-to-talk-alliance-opens-debate-on-a-shared-future http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/165/david-ford/its-good-to-talk-alliance-opens-debate-on-a-shared-future BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY STORMONT'S Justice Minister David Ford has launched his own blueprint for tackling sectarianism in Northern Ireland - but his decision to break ranks with government colleagues highlights renewed tensions in the administration. Mr Ford says the DUP and Sinn Féin are unable to deliver a comprehensive deal on tackling divisions between Protestants and Catholics, amid signals that the gulf between the two largest parties has widened over the ongoing Union flag protests. This comes as Stormont faces a series of hurdles in 2013, including the impact of the loyalist flag protests on the marching season, the fears over continued dissident republican violence, and the prospect of finalising talks on restructuring both the Assembly and local councils. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:24:38 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/165/david-ford/unlucky-13-the-northern-ireland-executive-faces-a-testing-year http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/165/david-ford/unlucky-13-the-northern-ireland-executive-faces-a-testing-year BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A STORMONT committee set up to oversee equality legislation has itself been accused of allowing ethnic minority leaders to be publicly mocked by MLAs. In November 2012 an ad-hoc committee was established at Stormont to produce a report on whether the Welfare Reform Bill abides by the requirements of equality legislation protections in Northern Ireland. The committee is due to deliver its report to the Assembly today (Tuesday). However The Detail can now reveal that the committee has itself been accused of failing to act after two ethnic minority leaders were allegedly mocked while giving evidence to the hearing. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:55:45 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/164/nicem/committee-accused-of-allowing-ethnic-minority-leaders-to-be-mocked-at-stormont http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/164/nicem/committee-accused-of-allowing-ethnic-minority-leaders-to-be-mocked-at-stormont BY BARRY MCCAFFREY POLICE Ombudsman Michael Maguire is to launch a fresh investigation into events surrounding the murder of MI5 agent Denis Donaldson after the emergence of new information. The Detail can reveal that the police ombudsman has informed Mr Donaldson’s family that he has also decided to re-examine police actions surrounding the events connected to the killing of the former senior Sinn Fein official, who was shot dead at an isolated cottage in Donegal in April 2006, four months after admitting that he’d worked as an MI5/Special Branch agent for more than 20 years. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:42:28 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/166/denis-donaldson/poni-to-reinvestigate-how-denis-donaldson-was-outed-as-an-informer--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/166/denis-donaldson/poni-to-reinvestigate-how-denis-donaldson-was-outed-as-an-informer--2 With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:32:56 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-250113 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-250113 SEXUAL assaults, fraud and drug-related incidents are among some of the offences that discretionary disposals have been used for over the past three years. Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:31:03 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/speedy-justice/how-discretion-has-been-used-for-crime-here http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/speedy-justice/how-discretion-has-been-used-for-crime-here THE new Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) was established and took on responsibility for case management reviews in September 2012. Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:24:57 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/child-deaths-report/signposts-for-the-future http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/child-deaths-report/signposts-for-the-future WHILE the pitiful circumstances of some children's lives in Northern Ireland are laid bare in today's report, there is also a very strong focus on serious concerns raised in the CMR reports about how professionals handled the children's cases. Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:22:51 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/child-deaths-report/the-invisible-dangers-neglect-and-siloed-pressurised-services http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/child-deaths-report/the-invisible-dangers-neglect-and-siloed-pressurised-services BY KATHRYN TORNEY A NEW report published today examines 24 disturbing cases of abuse and neglect in Northern Ireland which resulted in children dying or being seriously injured. Poor communication between professionals, children not being listened to, a failure to act on signs of neglect and procedures not being followed are some of the concerns raised about how the children’s cases were handled before the key crisis event in each case. Many of the children were living in families where parents were experiencing difficulties with their mental health, alongside misuse of alcohol or drugs, and domestic violence. Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:18:58 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/child-deaths-report/the-harm-faced-by-children-today-northern-irelands-worst-cases http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/child-deaths-report/the-harm-faced-by-children-today-northern-irelands-worst-cases BY NIALL MCCRACKEN IT has equipped police here with substantial new powers to decide on the spot who can avoid a criminal record and going to court for minor offences - but so-called 'Speedy Justice' has been rolled out here virtually unnoticed and major disparities in how it's being applied are already showing up. The Detail has investigated the use of Discretionary Disposals or "Discretion" a key policy under the Speedy Justice banner, which was introduced here in 2010. The policy is supposed to divert people, particularly young people, away from the criminal justice system. Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:04:20 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/speedy-justice/speedy-justice-who-benefits http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/speedy-justice/speedy-justice-who-benefits With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:26:32 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-180113 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-180113 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch is conducting “preliminary investigations” into the circumstances surrounding the death of four babies from pseudomonas at two Northern Ireland hospitals, 12 months after the tragedies occurred. This week marks a year since the death of the third and last baby to die as a result of the outbreak at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast. Another baby died in December 2011 after contracting pseudomonas at Altnagelvin Hospital's neonatal unit in Derry. Speaking to The Detail, the solicitor representing the family of “Baby 3” says while they welcome news of an investigation, the anniversary of their baby’s death is harder to come to terms with because many questions remain unanswered, with no one yet held to account. Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:31:19 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/pseudomonas-one-year-on/pseudomonas-outbreak-one-year-on-police-begin-investigation-into-babies-deaths http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/163/pseudomonas-one-year-on/pseudomonas-outbreak-one-year-on-police-begin-investigation-into-babies-deaths BY NIALL MCCRACKEN The Northern Ireland Policing Board is considering changing a long-standing requirement which must be met by police officers applying for the post of PSNI chief constable. The move - if approved - would allow senior officers within the PSNI currently ineligible for the job to apply. Under existing criteria, only individuals with a minimum of two years’ service in a police force outside Northern Ireland at the rank of assistant chief constable or higher can be considered for the post. This principle has been applied in police forces throughout the UK until recently. Sun, 13 Jan 2013 14:59:01 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/211/chief-const/policing-board-to-consider-changes-in-chief-constable-criteria http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/211/chief-const/policing-board-to-consider-changes-in-chief-constable-criteria With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:31:11 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-110113 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-110113 BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY The Irish government has insisted it has a “persistent and unwavering” commitment to creating true peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland amid growing concern over the violent flags dispute. But in an "article(Eamon Gilmore TD article )":http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/dublin-and-the-north-supporting-but-not-supplanting-local-politicians written for The Detail the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has said that while Dublin will continue its efforts, those efforts “must support rather than supplant the efforts of the Executive and elected political leaders”. The Labour leader was responding to an analysis piece on The Detail here on Tuesday which drew attention to the absence of intervention by the British and Irish governments in the ongoing flags crisis that has sparked violence and widespread disruption in Northern Ireland across two months. Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:05:33 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/161/irish-government-flags/supporting-but-not-supplanting-northern-irelands-politicians-on-flags-t%C3%A1naiste http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/161/irish-government-flags/supporting-but-not-supplanting-northern-irelands-politicians-on-flags-t%C3%A1naiste Dublin and the North: supporting, but not supplanting local politicians Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:38:06 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/dublin-and-the-north-supporting-but-not-supplanting-local-politicians http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/dublin-and-the-north-supporting-but-not-supplanting-local-politicians Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland has announced that the Housing Executive is to be stripped of its landlord status for 90,000 homes. PPR spokeswoman Kate Ward questions what impact the decision will have on those in most need of social housing and argues that the requirement to allocate housing on the basis of need must remain a principle right. Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:27:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/nihe-are-we-%E2%80%98facing-the-future%E2%80%99-or-reliving-the-past--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/nihe-are-we-%E2%80%98facing-the-future%E2%80%99-or-reliving-the-past--2 BY BARRY McCAFFREY DEPARTMENT of Social Development minister Nelson McCausland has announced the effective breaking-up of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) with it being stripped of its landlord status for 90,000 households. This development follows a stand-off in recent years between NIHE and the DUP minister Mr McCausland which has erupted into public rows on more than one occasion. Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:14:54 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/159/housing-executive-disbanded/end-of-an-era-as-mccausland-announces-dismantling-of-nihe http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/159/housing-executive-disbanded/end-of-an-era-as-mccausland-announces-dismantling-of-nihe As the crisis over the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall enters its second month, questions are again being raised about the continued absence of the British and Irish governments in seeking a solution. The Detail's Steven McCaffery reports. Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:37:55 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/are-london-and-dublin-flagging http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/are-london-and-dublin-flagging With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:01:47 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-040113 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-040113 BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE Detail can today reveal the full cost of benefit fraud in Northern Ireland - including striking disparities in punishments for people found guilty of illegal claims in our courts. Data provided by the Department for Social Development shows that a woman who fraudulently claimed more than £87,000 received 200 hours community service while a prison sentence was handed down to a teenager for illegally drawing down £91 in Jobseeker's Allowance. We can also confirm that only two people in Northern Ireland have had their social benefits reduced as a punishment for fraudulent claims since a hardline "one strike and you're out" policy was introduced by Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland on September 1 2011. Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:54:16 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/159/benefit-fraud/benefit-fraud-in-northern-ireland-what-the-data-shows http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/159/benefit-fraud/benefit-fraud-in-northern-ireland-what-the-data-shows With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:55:51 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-211212 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-211212 BY BARRY McCAFFREY THE new Police Ombudsman, Michael Maguire, has conceded to demands from relatives of the six men murdered in the Loughinisland massacre, and agreed to open a fresh investigation into the police's handling of the atrocity. The move by Mr Maguire comes as the families and other casualties of the 1994 shooting progressed towards judicially reviewing the work of his predecessor, Al Hutchinson, and the report he produced into the killings last year, which the victims argued played down and ignored clear evidence of collusion both in the attack and - for years - the investigation. Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:26:14 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/158/new-loughinisland-investigation/police-ombudsman-opening-new-investigation-into-loughinisland http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/158/new-loughinisland-investigation/police-ombudsman-opening-new-investigation-into-loughinisland Professor Phil Scraton is Professor of Criminology at Queen’s University in Belfast. He co-authored a report into women’s imprisonment within the male young offenders centre at Hydebank Wood in 2007. He is the primary author of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:30:48 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/ni-prisons-the-case-for-a-public-inquiry http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/ni-prisons-the-case-for-a-public-inquiry With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:39:56 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-141212 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-141212 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN GAPS still exist in the care of vulnerable prisoners at Maghaberry Prison, according to a new report from the Criminal Justice Inspectorate. It is the largest and most complex of the three prisons that make up the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS), but inspectors found that only half of the staff at Maghaberry had suicide prevention training and that near-fatal incidents were not “adequately investigated.” Concerns also emerged around “unequal treatment” of Catholic prisoners as well the resettlement of prisoners back into society. Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:40:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/157/hydebank-prison-code-alarms/gaps-in-care-of-vulnerable-maghaberry-prisoners http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/157/hydebank-prison-code-alarms/gaps-in-care-of-vulnerable-maghaberry-prisoners BY NIALL MCCRACKEN MORE than 40 medical emergency alerts, including five further suicide attempts and numerous instances of self-harm, have been recorded at Hydebank Wood prison since the suicide of two inmates in May of last year. The Detail can reveal that a total of 16 Code Blue and 25 Code Red alarm incidents have been recorded in Hydebank Wood prison between May 4 2011 and November 30 2012 with the rate of incidents rising over the past two months to an average of two alarms a week. Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:57:52 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/157/hydebank-prison-code-alarms/surge-in-self-harming-at-hydebank-wood http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/157/hydebank-prison-code-alarms/surge-in-self-harming-at-hydebank-wood Former British army agent Brian Nelson claimed that FRU chief Gordon Kerr had actively encouraged the UDA to carry out a bomb attack on an oil refinery in the Republic with the British army supplying the loyalist terror group with photographs to carry out the attack. At Nelson's trial Kerr claimed that the agent had saved 214 lives. However retired Canadian judge Peter Cory later questioned the valaidity of these claims. In a subsequent letter Kerr later wrote how he had visited Nelson in jail and lambasted him for admitting his role in UDA murder bids against nationalists. Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:29:16 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/finucane-preview/brigadier-kerrs-evidence-called-into-question http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/finucane-preview/brigadier-kerrs-evidence-called-into-question Billy Stobie supplied the weapons used in the murder but hewas also an RUC Special Branch agent. He would later reveal that he had informed his Special Branch handlers of an imminent attack on two separate occasions before Mr Finucane was murdered, one just hours before the shooting. Within hours of the killing he tipped off Special Branch that the murder weapon was about to be moved by one of the killers. Despite the warning no effort was made to apprehend the killer or recover the weapon. Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:24:30 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/finucane-preview/special-branch-role-in-the-murder-of-pat-finucane http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/finucane-preview/special-branch-role-in-the-murder-of-pat-finucane While unionism in Northern Ireland is in thrall to a row over the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall, new census figures reveal the Protestant proportion of the population has dropped below the symbolic 50% mark for the first time. The Detail’s Steven McCaffery reports on the complex implications Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:31:49 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/census-data/so-whats-the-political-future http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/census-data/so-whats-the-political-future BY BARRY McCAFFREY On October 2011 the family of Pat Finucane came face to face with British Prime Minister David Cameron in 10 Downing Street for what they thought would be the announcement of a public inquiry into the solicitor’s murder. Instead the family were informed that previous Prime Minister Tony Blair’s promise of a public inquiry had now been overruled and replaced with a review of existing evidence to be carried out in private by barrister Desmond De Silva QC. However it has now been claimed that Mr Cameron told the solicitor's family that there were unidentified establishment elements who would not allow him to give them a proper public inquiry Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:12:28 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/finucane-preview/what-stopped-a-public-inquiry-into-finucane-murder http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/finucane-preview/what-stopped-a-public-inquiry-into-finucane-murder BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE Detail has compiled interactive maps to visualise some of the key results from the 2011 Northern Ireland Census. Click on your local council area to see the religion and national identity breakdown for your area. Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:23:16 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/census-data/the-northern-ireland-census-religion-and-identity-mapped http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/156/census-data/the-northern-ireland-census-religion-and-identity-mapped With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:54:04 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-071212 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-071212 BY BARRY MCCAFFREY The unaccountable influence of MI5 on covert policing in Northern Ireland coupled with the NIO’s deliberate attempt to circumvent proper scrutiny of the actions of the security services has created a `disaster waiting to happen’, a new report into anti-terror structures has warned. The 100 page report: `Covert Policing and The Accountability Gap’, has been compiled by the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) and looks at the role of MI5 since it was give primary control of `national security’ in Northern Ireland in 2007. Tue, 04 Dec 2012 21:11:52 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/154/caj-report-into-mi5/opaque-and-dangerously-unaccountable-the-verdict-on-mi5-five-years-on http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/154/caj-report-into-mi5/opaque-and-dangerously-unaccountable-the-verdict-on-mi5-five-years-on Alliance: We've had a decade of abuse Tue, 04 Dec 2012 21:02:11 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/alliance-a-decade-of-escalating-abuse http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/alliance-a-decade-of-escalating-abuse With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:54:24 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-301112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-301112 BY NIALL McCRACKEN AND KATHRYN TORNEY GROUNDBREAKING media guidance for reporting on child abuse and neglect in Northern Ireland is being launched in Belfast today. An eight-page booklet has been produced by a working group representing journalists and child care professionals to help with reporting on cases where children have died or have been harmed as a result of abuse and/or neglect. The unique initiative within the UK comes at a time of heightened interest in media reporting of child protection nationally and locally. Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:51:37 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/153/media-guidance/new-media-guidance-for-reporting-on-child-abuse-and-neglect http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/153/media-guidance/new-media-guidance-for-reporting-on-child-abuse-and-neglect Non-grammars' 2012 exam results Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:12:09 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/152/exam-results-2012/non-grammars-2012-exam-results http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/152/exam-results-2012/non-grammars-2012-exam-results Grammar schools' exam results Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:09:26 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/152/exam-results-2012/grammar-schools-exam-results http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/152/exam-results-2012/grammar-schools-exam-results BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE results achieved by every grammar and secondary school in Northern Ireland in this summer’s GCSE and A-Level exams can be revealed today. A detailed breakdown of the grades obtained by pupils attending each of the 211 schools has been released to The Detail by the Department of Education in response to a Freedom of Information request. We have compiled an interactive map which enables readers to easily access detailed data on their local schools. One of our key findings is that a total of 72 schools - 34% of all of our 211 post-primary schools - failed to meet the key benchmark set in England of at least 35% of pupils achieving the basic standard of at least five GCSEs at grades A*-C, including English and Maths. They were all non-grammars. Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:05:03 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/152/exam-results-2012/gcse-and-a-level-results-for-all-nis-schools http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/152/exam-results-2012/gcse-and-a-level-results-for-all-nis-schools Peter Robinson's big legacy project: Catholic votes Sat, 24 Nov 2012 23:01:18 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/bind-us-together-lord-can-the-dup-woo-the-catholic-community http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/steven-mccaffery/bind-us-together-lord-can-the-dup-woo-the-catholic-community With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:54:37 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-231112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-231112 By NIALL MCCRACKEN Thu, 22 Nov 2012 10:51:27 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/151/frances-mckeown/claims-against-prison-service-include-one-alleged-sexual-incident http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/151/frances-mckeown/claims-against-prison-service-include-one-alleged-sexual-incident The incident that led to the suspension of a Prison Governor Thu, 22 Nov 2012 09:30:20 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/151/frances-mckeown/victimised-after-witnessing-prison-officer-kissing-female-inmate http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/151/frances-mckeown/victimised-after-witnessing-prison-officer-kissing-female-inmate By NIALL MCCRACKEN THE husband of a woman who took her own life in Hydebank Wood has raised serious questions about whether the Northern Ireland prison system has the ability to deal with inmates that have complex mental health issues. Brian McKeown spoke to The Detail to respond to a new report by the Prisoner Ombudsman, who investigated his wife Frances' death. Mrs McKeown (23) was psychologically fragile, had a lengthy history of mental illness stretching back before her imprisonment and had threatened suicide many times. She took her own life in Hydebank on May 4 last year, five hours after Samuel Carson, 19, died by suicide in a neighbouring block after a lengthy campaign of bullying. Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:24:27 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/151/frances-mckeown/another-failure-by-a-system-not-fit-for-purpose http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/151/frances-mckeown/another-failure-by-a-system-not-fit-for-purpose EIGHTEEN months after her son died in Hydebank as a result of bullying which went unchallenged by prison management, Sylvia Carson is still waiting for some form of apology. The effect that the death of her only son has had on the grandmother of six is all too clear as she struggles to fight back the tears.The pain of losing her only son never leaves Sylvia Carson’s mind. “Two weeks after he died we had to celebrate his birthday. “I was out shopping and I was asking myself where could I get him the nicest flowers for his grave? “It was awful because I was looking around these flowers and I thought I should be buying this child a t-shirt or DVDs or something – not flowers for a grave... it’s just awful for us, awful.” Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:37:24 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/149/prisoner-ombudsman-report-into-death-of-samuel-carson/%E2%80%9Ci-don%E2%80%99t-want-this-to-happen-to-another-mothers-child%E2%80%9D http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/149/prisoner-ombudsman-report-into-death-of-samuel-carson/%E2%80%9Ci-don%E2%80%99t-want-this-to-happen-to-another-mothers-child%E2%80%9D IEF chief executive Tina Merron gives her view on the religious make up of Northern Ireland's schools. Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:25:22 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/150/religioninschools/abandoned-pledges-and-broken-promises http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/150/religioninschools/abandoned-pledges-and-broken-promises With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:14:55 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-161112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-161112 A teenager who took his own life at Hydebank Young Offenders Centre was let down by the prison regime’s failure to prevent repeated attacks on him by other inmates, a Prisoner Ombudsman report has concluded. Ombudsman Pauline McCabe described the bullying of Samuel Carson while he was an inmate at Hydebank as being among the worst she has ever investigated. The report into yet another suicide at Hydebank comes just months after the Detail revealed the abnormally high use of solitary confinement against inmates being held at the south Belfast prison. It is the latest in a long line of investigations which have criticised the Hydebank regime. Despite acknowledging the efforts of Justice Minister David Ford and the Prison Service’s new director Sue McAllister, Mrs McCabe says she believes that bullying at the young offenders centre remains a major problem. Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:15:07 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/149/prisoner-ombudsman-report-into-death-of-samuel-carson/a-catalogue-of-neglect-%E2%80%93-but-no-one-is-held-to-account-for-the-death-of-samuel-carson http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/149/prisoner-ombudsman-report-into-death-of-samuel-carson/a-catalogue-of-neglect-%E2%80%93-but-no-one-is-held-to-account-for-the-death-of-samuel-carson BY KATHRYN TORNEY ALMOST half of Northern Ireland’s schoolchildren are being taught in schools where 95% or more of the pupils are of the same religion. Figures released to The Detail also show that 180 schools in the last academic year had no Protestant pupils on their rolls and another 111 schools taught no Catholic children. First Minister Peter Robinson previously described the Northern Ireland education system as a “benign form of apartheid”. We used Freedom of Information legislation to request a breakdown of the religion of pupils attending every school in Northern Ireland and have used this to compile an interactive map featuring 1,070 schools. Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:28:09 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/150/religioninschools/how-integrated-are-schools-where-you-live http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/150/religioninschools/how-integrated-are-schools-where-you-live With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:48:26 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-091112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-091112 Disputes over parades are putting police under pressure and fuelling sectarian divisions – but can a political route be plotted out of the crisis? In the final of a series of special reports on controversial marches, *The Detail’s Steven McCaffery* finds that some bold solutions are being considered. Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:39:13 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/parading-an-ulster-scots-solution http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/parading-an-ulster-scots-solution BY MARIE-THERESE CUNNIE MILLIONS of pounds in potential savings to the Northern Ireland taxpayer are being lost every year because government departments are failing to effectively manage public buildings, a new Audit Office report has found. The report found that more than half of public agencies have unused or under-utilised offices with some departments having no idea how much it costs to run their own buildings. Less than one in 10 public bodies have a comprehensive property asset strategy in place while there is confusion within organisations as to who is responsible for managing properties. It also found little evidence that civil service departments challenge the notional cost of properties while most public bodies have "limited or non-existent" performance targets for managing property. Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:51:35 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/147/audit-office-public-buildings/the-government-offices-lying-empty-while-the-taxpayer-foots-the-bill http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/147/audit-office-public-buildings/the-government-offices-lying-empty-while-the-taxpayer-foots-the-bill A DISPUTE over three of the most controversial security force killings of the Troubles has left Northern Ireland’s senior coroner John Leckey and Chief Constable Matt Baggott at loggerheads. Mr Leckey is due to open inquests into the RUC killings of six unarmed men in incidents in Co Armagh 30 years ago – but wants answers first as to how former members of the force’s Special Branch have been chosen by the chief constable to decide what sensitive information should be disclosed to the so-called `shoot to kill` hearings. However the Detail can now reveal that the chief constable is refusing to provide Mr Leckey with the officers' former role in Special Branch, stating: "It is not accepted that the Senior Coroner has power to direct inquiries to the Chief Constable in respect of his staff or the contractors he engages to assist in the discharge of his statutory functions." Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:23:17 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/146/psni-reject-coroners-request/psni-rebuffs-coroner-over-special-branchs-handling-of-stalker-report http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/146/psni-reject-coroners-request/psni-rebuffs-coroner-over-special-branchs-handling-of-stalker-report So - after two years of campaigning and $6 billion in campaign spending, the U.S. federal government remains essentially unchanged. The House of Representatives is comfortably in Republican hands; the Senate remains with the Democrats; and in the most important single election in global politics, President Barack Obama won re-election with just two states changing between hands between 2008 and 2012 Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:20:44 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/four-more-years-of-what http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/four-more-years-of-what IN data requested from the Northern Ireland Courts Service, we obtained a geographical breakdown of the number of Final Possession Orders across Northern Ireland from 2005-11. The figures, which are broken up by Local Government District, show that Belfast had the greatest number of possession orders overall with over 1200. Derry was second with 626, followed closely by Lisburn and Newry/Mourne who both had over 500 cases orders granted. For a detailed geographical breakdown please click "here(Local Government District Geographical Breakdown)":http://www.thedetail.tv/system/uploads/files/192/original/LGD.pdf?1352216889. Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:38:23 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/162/house-reposessions/the-rate-of-repossessions-where-you-live http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/162/house-reposessions/the-rate-of-repossessions-where-you-live BY NIALL MCCRACKEN FIGURES obtained by The Detail reveal that nearly three times as many property owners in Northern Ireland faced repossession through the courts than those in the Republic of Ireland between 2008 and 2011. While the public focus in recent years has been of the pain suffered in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) because of the high profile of its property crash, we have spoken to leading economic and housing experts who say the experience in the North has been far more severe. Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:05:13 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/162/house-reposessions/court-repossessions-three-times-higher-in-northern-ireland-than-the-republic http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/162/house-reposessions/court-repossessions-three-times-higher-in-northern-ireland-than-the-republic With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 02 Nov 2012 03:03:28 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-021112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-021112 ONLY five per cent of Loyal Order parades in Northern Ireland have any restrictions placed on them - but according to a leading Orangeman these have come to crystalise everything that many loyalists and unionists feel is wrong with the political landscape. While over the past decade Mervyn Gibson has played a central role in attempts to ‘normalise’ parading after the toxic years of the '90s, he says that continued objections to marches can only aggravate his community. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:16:28 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/the-stone-in-orangemens-shoes-restricted-parades http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/the-stone-in-orangemens-shoes-restricted-parades Quintin Oliver's defence of the Assembly is challenged by a member of the `post-conflict generation' who appreciates peace, but wants to see efficient government. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:41:48 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/delivery-not-survival http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/delivery-not-survival Cancer by postcode Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:59:11 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/143/ni-cancer-map/cancer-cases-diagnosed-2001-2010 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/143/ni-cancer-map/cancer-cases-diagnosed-2001-2010 BY BARRY McCAFFREY A 20 year legal battle into the shooting of unarmed PIRA man Pearse Jordan looks set to continue after an inquest jury failed to reach a verdict on the key issues surrounding his death. It is the second inquest into a state killing from the Troubles which has seen a jury called to make the findings - and both have ended in controversy, with questions raised about possible bias. And while the jurors' deliberations in both cases are unknown - as is a strictly-guarded convention - debate has now opened up behind the scenes as to whether juries in Northern Ireland can be impartial in such contentious cases. Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:14:46 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/140/pearse-jordan-verdict/hung-jury-in-jordan-case-raises-new-questions-about-juries-in-troubles-killing-inquests http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/140/pearse-jordan-verdict/hung-jury-in-jordan-case-raises-new-questions-about-juries-in-troubles-killing-inquests With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:14:54 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-261012 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-261012 BY KATHRYN TORNEY MORE than 100,900 people across Northern Ireland were diagnosed with cancer between 2001 and 2010 and 38,139 people died from the disease. The Detail has been given access to the most recent data on cancer diagnosis and deaths held by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry which is based at Queen's University in Belfast. We requested cancer diagnosis and death figures for each postcode district in Northern Ireland including a breakdown of the statistics for the five main cancer types - colorectal, lung, breast (female only), prostate and non-melanoma skin cancer. We have used the figures to compile an interactive Northern Ireland Cancer Map and also to rank our 80 postcode districts. Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:27:08 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/143/ni-cancer-map/how-many-people-have-been-diagnosed-with-cancer-where-you-live http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/143/ni-cancer-map/how-many-people-have-been-diagnosed-with-cancer-where-you-live BY BARRY MCCAFFREY Following the publication of the Detail’s story revealing how two government departments have failed to apply for EGF funding for FG Wilson workers, a DEL spokeswoman responded to our press inquiry. We had asked for a second time for the department to explain whether or not DEL had asked the Department of Works & Pensions to submit an application to the EU Globalisation Fund for support for FG Wilson employees and if so how does DEL account for Employment Minister Chris Grayling’s public statement that the UK government has a principled opposition to the EGF and as such will not use the fund. The DEL response came 13 days after our press inquiry was submitted. Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:40:09 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/139/fg-wilson-eu-grant-fund/del-responds-over-failure-to-secure-eu-funding-for-fg-wilson-workers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/139/fg-wilson-eu-grant-fund/del-responds-over-failure-to-secure-eu-funding-for-fg-wilson-workers IN the 1990s sectarian violence over controversial parades pushed Northern Ireland to the brink of anarchy, but throughout the period the Orange Order resisted intense pressure to enter direct dialogue with the nationalist residents’ groups that opposed its marches. Now the Order’s effective ban on talks – once an article of faith for Orangemen – has been quietly dropped. In the second part of a special series on parades, *The Detail’s Steven McCaffery* reports on how the Orange Order made its seismic shift, why no one noticed, and what it actually means for disputes on the ground Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:08:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/lifting-the-siege-how-the-orange-order-dropped-its-ban-on-talks-%E2%80%93-and-what-it-really-means http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/lifting-the-siege-how-the-orange-order-dropped-its-ban-on-talks-%E2%80%93-and-what-it-really-means BY NIALL MCCRACKEN IMPORTANT measures to improve the care of newborn babies in Northern Ireland have not yet been put in place, despite deadlines set by the review team investigating the Pseudomonas outbreak. Documents obtained in a Freedom of Information request show that a regional neonatal network in Northern Ireland that was meant to be finished by September has yet to be fully implemented and despite having a deadline of July 2012, plans to put in place a 24 hour service for regional transfer facilities for neonates have fallen short and still only operate at a 12-hour capacity. The interim and final report of the “Independent Review of the Incidents of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection in Neonatal Units in Northern Ireland” made a total of 32 recommendations. While most have been completed, The Detail has identified a number of significant outstanding issues. Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:51:37 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/141/psuedomonas-inquest/recommendations-remain-outstanding http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/141/psuedomonas-inquest/recommendations-remain-outstanding BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE Belfast School of Dentistry, voted the best in the UK only four years ago, remains in a "fragile state" and categorised “high-risk”, the dental governing body has reported nearly two years after a scandal broke over standards there. A follow-up inspection by The General Dental Council (GDC) into the Belfast School of Dentistry at Queen’s University, has said that it is “alarmed” at the lack of progress that has been made since their previous inspection a year ago. In the "report(GDC Re-inspection report March 2012 )":http://www.gdc-uk.org/Dentalprofessionals/Education/Documents/Programme%20report%20plus%20observations%202012.pdf Inspectors raised concerns over the effect this was having on the staff and, in particular, the students with confidence in the university’s commitment to the school “not as it should be”. Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:36:25 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/138/school-of-dentistry/school-of-dentistry-in-fragile-state http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/138/school-of-dentistry/school-of-dentistry-in-fragile-state BY BARRY McCAFFREY UP to 760 workers made redundant by FG Wilson last month could benefit from a €500m EU aid package yet two Stormont departments appear to have backtracked on applying to the fund. However The Detail understands the DETI and DEL’s evasive answers on our questions about the European Globalisation and Adjustment Fund are because they don’t have access to the scheme; only the government at Westminster can apply on behalf of UK workforces – and it’s opposed to the fund on principle. Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:03:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/139/fg-wilson-eu-grant-fund/the-financial-lifeline-denied-to-fg-wilson-workers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/139/fg-wilson-eu-grant-fund/the-financial-lifeline-denied-to-fg-wilson-workers With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:47:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-191012 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-191012 Northern Ireland's Senior Coroner John Leckey has been informed that four former Special Branch officers have now been placed in charge of preparing top secret materials relating to the controversial RUC killing of six unarmed men in Co Armagh nearly 30 years ago. Mr Leckey is currently preparing to open inquests into the RUC killings of six unarmed in Co Armagh in 1982. The alleged shoot to kill deaths have caused controversy for 30 years after it emerged that the RUC officers who carried out the killings were debriefed by superiors in Special Branch and instructed to give false accounts of events. However victims' families have reacted angrily to confirmation that former Special Branch officers have now been placed in charge of preparing top secret materials which will be seen by the coroner. Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:44:06 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/137/stalker-update/coroner-told-former-special-branch-officers-in-charge-of-redacting-shoot-to-kill-files http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/137/stalker-update/coroner-told-former-special-branch-officers-in-charge-of-redacting-shoot-to-kill-files BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A police officer who shot dead an unarmed IRA man later told a doctor that his job had been “great until the ceasefire”, an inquest into the killing has heard. Pearse Jordan (22) was shot dead by the RUC’s elite HMSU unit on the Falls Road in west Belfast on November 25, 1992. However it later emerged that Jordan had been unarmed and had been running away from the scene when he was shot in the back. An inquest into the death has now heard evidence from the officer who fired the fatal shots, who insists that the 22 year-old had been turning towards him when he opened fire. The inquest has heard evidence that the officer `A`, who was one of the best trained marksmen in the RUC later complained to a doctor that the IRA ceasefire had made the job less exciting Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:01:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/135/pearse-jordan-shoot-to-kill-inquest/ruc-man-who-shot-unarmed-pira-man-told-doctor-job-had-been-great-until-ceasefire http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/135/pearse-jordan-shoot-to-kill-inquest/ruc-man-who-shot-unarmed-pira-man-told-doctor-job-had-been-great-until-ceasefire BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY Legislation to ban former prisoners from becoming Stormont special advisers has hit controversy after the MLA behind the bill asked up to 200 people to lobby the committee currently scrutinising it. A letter circulated by Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister listed key points that correspondents could make, advising them to “adapt these points as you please to avoid uniformity”. The letter was sent to the Finance Committee in an apparent mistake, and while its chairman Daithí McKay expressed concerns, Mr Allister’s party denied it was seeking to unfairly influence the scrutiny of his bill Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:58:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/134/committee-email/lobbying-over-special-advisers-bill-sparks-row http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/134/committee-email/lobbying-over-special-advisers-bill-sparks-row With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 13 Oct 2012 03:43:23 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-121012 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-121012 BY STEVEN MCCAFFERY PARADES confrontations sparked one of the most tense summers in years, but there are signs the ground is shifting around an issue that has proven impossible to resolve. The Orange Order has dropped its long-held ban on talks with nationalist residents, the future of the Parades Commission is back on the agenda, and there are also signs police are now asserting their position. In the first of a series of reports on marching disputes, The Detail finds a police service seeking to challenge the inevitability of parading’s cycle of violence. Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:24:25 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/breaking-the-cycle-of-parades-violence http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/142/orange-order/breaking-the-cycle-of-parades-violence BY NIALL MCCRACKEN NORTHERN Ireland's chief coroner has ruled that an inquest will not be held into the death of the last baby to die of pseudomonas at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Ward in January this year, The Detail can reveal. The solicitor for the family of the third baby to die at the Royal Hospital says the parents of 'Baby 3' have indicated that they will accept the decision not to hold an inquest. However Ernie Waterworth stressed that the family still feel there are important outstanding issues which need to be addressed about why their baby died. Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:12:25 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/141/psuedomonas-inquest/no-inquest-for-psuedomonas-baby-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/141/psuedomonas-inquest/no-inquest-for-psuedomonas-baby-death The questions we posed to Marie Stopes Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:49:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/abortionclinic/marie-stopes-our-questions-and-answers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/abortionclinic/marie-stopes-our-questions-and-answers BY KATHRYN TORNEY A LEADING sexual health organisation has confirmed it will be providing abortions privately when it opens its first centre in Northern Ireland next week. Marie Stopes told The Detail that any pregnancy terminations conducted at its new premises in Belfast would be performed within Northern Ireland's current legal framework for abortion. A spokeswoman said: "Medical abortion up to nine weeks’ gestation will be available at the centre. "Our provision of early medical abortion will be the same service that is currently available from the NHS in Northern Ireland, available only within the current legal framework: that is, if a woman’s life is at immediate risk or there is a risk of ‘real and serious’ long term or permanent damage to her physical or mental health, she may have an abortion in Northern Ireland." The new centre opens next Thursday, October 18. Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:22:31 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/abortionclinic/marie-stopes-belfast-centre-will-provide-abortions-within-ni-legal-framework http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/abortionclinic/marie-stopes-belfast-centre-will-provide-abortions-within-ni-legal-framework BY NIALL MCCRACKEN Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:02:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/136/clinical-negligenceconfidentiality/clinical-negligence-the-cost http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/136/clinical-negligenceconfidentiality/clinical-negligence-the-cost Detailed extracts from the documents Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:35:49 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/civilservice/detailed-extracts-from-the-documents http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/civilservice/detailed-extracts-from-the-documents It took seven months and the intervention of the Information Commissioner before the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister released documents relating the their controversial appointment process. Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:29:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/civilservice/our-battle-to-obtain-the-documents http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/civilservice/our-battle-to-obtain-the-documents BY KATHRYN TORNEY IT’S Northern Ireland’s most senior public sector job but nine months after The Detail started asking about how the head of the civil service was recruited, there still remain important unanswered questions about the process and criteria used. However documents obtained by The Detail under FoI show the process featured significant input from the First Minister and Deputy First Minister Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, who said that their role in the selection process stemmed from the need for the postholder to enjoy a "close working relationship" with them. Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:59:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/civilservice/how-northern-irelands-most-senior-civil-servant-got-the-job-the-gaps-in-our-knowledge http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/129/civilservice/how-northern-irelands-most-senior-civil-servant-got-the-job-the-gaps-in-our-knowledge BY NIALL MCCRACKEN MORE than one in ten of the clinical negligence cases settled in Northern Ireland between December 2011 and March 2012 contained confidentiality agreements, despite an assurance from the Department of Health over a decade ago that they would no longer be included in settlements. In a 2002 report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office, the Department of Health outlined its intention to take “immediate action” to ensure that confidentiality clauses were not included in settlements. The department also acknowledged the "inappropriateness" of confidentiality clauses. However The Detail has learned that there were confidentiality agreements in nine of 70 cases over a recent four month period. Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:30:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/136/clinical-negligenceconfidentiality/confidentiality-clauses-still-used-in-clinical-negligence-cases http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/136/clinical-negligenceconfidentiality/confidentiality-clauses-still-used-in-clinical-negligence-cases BY KATHRYN TORNEY A NORTHERN Ireland children’s home is at the centre of a police and health service investigation after child protection concerns were raised by a whistleblower. The PSNI has confirmed that an inter-agency investigation is under way regarding allegations concerning a care facility in Co Antrim. Exact details of the allegations being investigated have not been disclosed but The Detail has learned that concerns had already been raised about high staff turnover and “tired and exhausted” staff following an unannounced inspection in July of this year. Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:15:44 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/128/childrenshome/whistleblower-raises-concerns-about-co-antrim-childrens-home http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/128/childrenshome/whistleblower-raises-concerns-about-co-antrim-childrens-home With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:01:26 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-0501012 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-0501012 By Quintin Oliver It seems fashionable to knock our politicians – our MLAs and MPs are lazy, incompetent, corrupt, petty-minded and self-serving, apparently, incapable of bold or imaginative decisions, always preferring to race to the bottom, succumb to populism and ignore the evidence staring them in the face… Not just the inevitable taxi drivers report this, but the theme runs through my wider business, social and media circles, too. It permeates how the debate is ‘framed’ in many locations. Leaving aside that they have ended 40 years of the most recent bout of our Troubles, meaning that 100 people per year possibly owe their lives to this uneasy peace, how should we assess their record of achievement? What have they done, not done and how might they compare to other jurisdictions? Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:05:31 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/in-defence-of-politics http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/in-defence-of-politics BY BARRY MCCAFFREY NEARLY one in five of those who took the Patten severance package from the RUC were later re-employed by the PSNI as civilian workers, an investigation has found. The report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office shows that: - In total the PSNI has spent £106m hiring `temporary’ staff via one employment agency since 2004. - During the last decade some 2,740 agency staff have accounted for 1.5m working days inside the PSNI. - The PSNI used only Grafton Recruitment from 2004, failed to properly oversee costs, and then saw the annual spend with the agency rise from £2m to £18m over four years; Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:22:13 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/127/audit-office-report-in-psni-temporary-recruitment/rehiring-in-the-police-the-full-story http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/127/audit-office-report-in-psni-temporary-recruitment/rehiring-in-the-police-the-full-story With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:45:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-280912 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-280912 THE criminal justice system is facing one of its biggest challenges in decades following the collapse of an armed robbery trial after undercover police officers refused to give evidence unless they were granted anonymity. While the trial judge had ordered that the surveillance officers had a right to shield their identity from the public gallery he ruled that the PSNI had failed to prove that the officers would face any added threat by giving evidence in front of the three defendants. The three defendants were subsequently acquitted by the Court of Appeal. The development marks a significant departure in how such cases have been run in recent years. Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:21:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/127/psni-undercover-officers-protocol/what-does-anonymity-ruling-mean-for-undercover-police http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/127/psni-undercover-officers-protocol/what-does-anonymity-ruling-mean-for-undercover-police BY NIALL MCCRACKEN WHEN the Northern Ireland Audit Office’s report into Invest NI’s performance over the past 12 years was published in March 2012, much of the media coverage at the time promoted a positive impression of steady progress measured against its targets. However, The Detail has probed further into the Audit Office report's underlying criticisms of Northern Ireland's leading business development agency and we can now expose the gaping hole in its investment strategy after 2013. Revised figures provided to us by Invest NI reveal that the downscaling of projects and the withdrawal of some investors has led to a loss of £83m in potential investment into the local economy in just over a year and a half. Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:48:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/128/invest-ni/going-to-plan-how-invest-nis-strategy-is-really-working-out http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/128/invest-ni/going-to-plan-how-invest-nis-strategy-is-really-working-out BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A £100m saving for the Northern Ireland taxpayer is being squandered because the only item government agencies could agree to jointly purchase over the last 10 years was photocopying paper. And Northern Ireland Auditor General Kieran Donnelly has questioned why Stormont departments have only pledged to try to save a mere fraction of a potential £140m it could recoup if it adopted the use of interdepartmental spending agreements already being effectively used in Scotland, England and Wales. Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:32:37 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/125/audit-report-into-cpd-spending/stormont-promised-to-streamline-procurement-but-waste-is-still-running-at-100m http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/125/audit-report-into-cpd-spending/stormont-promised-to-streamline-procurement-but-waste-is-still-running-at-100m With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:48:47 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-210912 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-210912 BY SARAH ASHLEY-CANTELLO MORE than 1,000 notices have been given to houses of multiple occupation in Northern Ireland for falling below official standards. As housing chiefs consider providing more people with accommodation in the form of rooms in shared houses, figures from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), requested by The Detail, present a stark warning to people looking for such rental accommodation this autumn. Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:46:36 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/124/1151-notices-given-to-sub-standard-rental-houses-in-northern-ireland/more-than-1000-rented-houses-sub-standard-in-northern-ireland http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/124/1151-notices-given-to-sub-standard-rental-houses-in-northern-ireland/more-than-1000-rented-houses-sub-standard-in-northern-ireland With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:48:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-140912 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-140912 BY KATHRYN TORNEY SOCIAL Development Minister Nelson McCausland has suspended new funding arrangements for volunteering and women’s groups in the voluntary and community sector more than eight months after department officials warned his plans could be subject to legal challenge. The Detail has seen advice provided to the minister last December which was sought after serious concerns were raised by Stormont’s Social Development Committee about planned changes to the department’s infrastructure support programme for a range of community groups. Despite officials warning of the risk of a judicial review, it was only last week that Mr McCausland announced that he would halt the funding plans for volunteering and women’s groups while continuing with plans to restructure funding arrangements for others. Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:02:12 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/122/community-funding/mccausland-was-warned-about-legal-risk-of-community-funding-plan-eight-months-ago http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/122/community-funding/mccausland-was-warned-about-legal-risk-of-community-funding-plan-eight-months-ago IT was a row which culminated in the termination of a lucrative £7m contract and the resignation of a Housing Executive chairman. Now the Detail can reveal the lengths to which First Minister Peter Robinson and the DUP went to protect discredited contractors Red Sky. The contents of a series of letters, emails and meetings between the Housing Executive and DUP politicians, obtained by the Detail under Freedom of Information (FoI), reveal the huge political pressure which was placed on Housing Executive officials in a bid to force them to overturn a decision to terminate the Red Sky contract, despite overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing. Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:44:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/122/dup-involvement-with-red-sky/the-dups-full-role-in-red-sky-row-revealed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/122/dup-involvement-with-red-sky/the-dups-full-role-in-red-sky-row-revealed BY NIALL MCCRACKEN NEW information has emerged regarding allegations of abuse of vulnerable adults at a care home in the Western Trust during July and August 2012. The Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority, which regulates Northern Ireland’s care homes, has published its Independent Review of Safeguarding Arrangements for Ralphs Close Residential Care Home on its website. The Derry based care home made headlines in September this year when the Western Trust area issued a statement saying that a number of staff had been suspended following allegations of a “serious and concerning nature.” Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:56:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/144/ralphs-residential-home/review-sheds-new-light-on-vulnerable-adult-abuse-allegations http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/144/ralphs-residential-home/review-sheds-new-light-on-vulnerable-adult-abuse-allegations With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:08:18 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-070912 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-070912 BY BARRY MCCAFFREY SENIOR officials within the Housing Executive deliberately ignored its own internal audit warnings about potential overcharging of millions of pounds, a new office report today reveals. The report, by Northern Ireland Auditor General Kieran Donnelly how an NIHE employee holidayed with a Red Sky director in the USA and the Caribbean and how 25 NIHE employees have faced disciplinary proceedings over their role in the Red Sky affair. The report also reveals how NIHE has also been forced to spend another £150,000 after Red Sky electrical faults were only uncovered in March 2012. And auditors warn that there is a perception within NIHE that any member of staff who criticises Red Sky will lose their job or be moved. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:14:58 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/120/niao-report-into-housing-executive-maintenance-contracts/housing-executive-officials-ignored-own-warnings-about-contractors-overcharging http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/120/niao-report-into-housing-executive-maintenance-contracts/housing-executive-officials-ignored-own-warnings-about-contractors-overcharging NIALL MCCRACKEN & NIAMH MURRAY NEW figures obtained by The Detail show that the number of referrals to health trusts about potential risks to vulnerable adults and children here have increased dramatically in recent years. Child Protection referrals have doubled since 2006/07, while Adult Safeguarding activity has more than trebled since 2009/10. However, charity groups and policy makers say they still don’t know if this latest trend is evidence that the systems in place to identify risks have improved or if it is an indication that there are more cases than ever before. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:17:29 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/121/vulnerable-adults-child-protection/are-societys-most-vulnerable-more-at-risk http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/121/vulnerable-adults-child-protection/are-societys-most-vulnerable-more-at-risk With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:06:25 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-310812 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-310812 BY SARAH ASHLEY-CANTELLO AS children start returning to school this week, The Detail can reveal that the Department of Environment (DoE) took years to clarify European law on public transport, allowing school bus contracts non-compliant with EU law to go unchecked. It has been confirmed to The Detail by the DoE that lucrative contracts for ‘home to school’ transport in Northern Ireland were awarded illegally by the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) to bus operators in the Republic of Ireland for at least the past academic year. Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:56:07 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/118/department-took-years-to-address-unlawful-school-bus-contracts/department-took-years-to-address-unlawful-school-bus-contracts http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/118/department-took-years-to-address-unlawful-school-bus-contracts/department-took-years-to-address-unlawful-school-bus-contracts BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE law on how stillbirths are dealt with in Northern Ireland is set to be deliberated in the High Court, opening up the prospect that these baby deaths could be scrutinised in a Coroner’s Court for the first time. The move has been precipitated by Northern Ireland’s Attorney General John Larkin QC, who wants an inquest to be held into the death of baby Axel Desmond, who was stillborn in 2001 in Derry. Axel’s mother Siobhan (left) has campaigned for the past 11 years for the deaths of her son and other stillborn children to be afforded the same level of enquiry as children who have died after drawing breath, allowing learning to come from the preventable deaths Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:27:04 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/117/siobhan/legal-protocol-on-stillbirths-to-be-re-examined http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/117/siobhan/legal-protocol-on-stillbirths-to-be-re-examined With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 24 Aug 2012 15:47:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-240812 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-240812 With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 18 Aug 2012 03:28:56 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-170812 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-170812 The following is a statement issued to us by the Department on the buildings at the centre of the MES report. Update of works *To note*: References to legionella and asbestos risks in this report are primarily internal notes identifying the fact that asbestos is present in the building and also that, because of the nature of the somewhat dated plumbing installations, there is a risk of legionella. This in no way implies that these risks are not being managed in a totally appropriate manner in line with all statutory requirements and in accordance with best practice. The DHSSPS requires and receives assurances to this effect from its Arms Length Bodies regularly. Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:48:42 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/115/hospitalbuildings/department-of-health-statement-on-mes-findings http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/115/hospitalbuildings/department-of-health-statement-on-mes-findings BY KATHRYN TORNEY FIFTEEN buildings within Northern Ireland’s health estate present a "particularly high risk" to the lives of patients, staff and the public, a survey carried out for the Department of Health has established. The Detail has learned that the department’s latest Maintaining Existing Services survey uncovered serious risks including fire safety hazards, out-dated electrical systems, masonry falling from buildings, poor sanitary facilities and lifts at risk of failure. Department of Health officials admitted in a briefing arranged for The Detail yesterday that £5.5 billion is needed to bring the health estate up to modern standards. Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:03:58 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/115/hospitalbuildings/northern-irelands-ailing-hospital-buildings-revealed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/115/hospitalbuildings/northern-irelands-ailing-hospital-buildings-revealed BY KATHRYN TORNEY AS the Department of Justice consults on proposed changes to firearms licensing laws here, The Detail can reveal information about the owners of Northern Ireland's 153,459 legally held guns. Almost 60,000 members of the public own over 146,000 firearms with the remaining 7,018 legally held guns belonging to serving police and prison officers. The Detail has been given rare access to information stored on the PSNI's firearms database in response to a Freedom of Information request. We have analysed detailed information provided on each of the 59,585 people living in Northern Ireland who currently hold firearms licences. Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:28:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/116/firearms/who-owns-northern-irelands-153000-legally-held-guns http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/116/firearms/who-owns-northern-irelands-153000-legally-held-guns BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE number of life sentence prisoners being released in Northern Ireland could reach a record high,as there are fears that the system to re-integrate them back into society is in disarray. The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has not yet established any firm contingency plans to replace the purpose-built Prisoner Assessment Unit (PAU) on the Crumlin Road site which was closed in April 2011 following revelations about the conduct of both inmates and prison officers. As a result, most of Northern Ireland’s longest-serving prisoners have been transferred back to the main prison population at Maghaberry, where prison inspectors say they are not receiving adequate preparation before being released. In an exclusive interview with The Detail CJI inspector Tom McGonigle says without a fully functioning step down unit, prisoners here cannot prove whether or not they are safe to be released back into the community. Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:43:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/116/life-sentence-prisoners/lifers-not-prepared-for-release-as-numbers-rise http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/116/life-sentence-prisoners/lifers-not-prepared-for-release-as-numbers-rise With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 11 Aug 2012 03:52:54 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-100812 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-100812 Matthew Symington on 'Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty'. Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:08:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/review/does-good-government-create-wealth http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/review/does-good-government-create-wealth BY NIALL MCCRACKEN A SYSTEM set up by a nursing home to assist the transfer of its most vulnerable residents in case of an emergency had disastrous consequences for one patient when he arrived at hospital with the wrong medication details, The Detail has learnt. Matters were made worse when the shortcomings with the so called "hospital passport" records were not immediately picked up and corrected by the hospitals charged with the care of George Hunter, his family claims. George's family believe these failures led to a series of events which would result in a spiral of declining health for George. Despite immediately flagging up the issues around the incorrect information, the family discovered that the same system was still in place in the nursing home a year-and-a-half after the original incident. When the health regulator investigated the matter after repeated approaches from the family, it found that the information prepared to accompany other vulnerable residents to hospital in an emergency, was still incorrect. Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:47:49 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/126/george-hunter/the-flawed-patient-transfer-system-which-went-uncorrected http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/126/george-hunter/the-flawed-patient-transfer-system-which-went-uncorrected With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 04 Aug 2012 03:19:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-030812 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-030812 With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 28 Jul 2012 05:42:58 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-270712 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-270712 NORTHERN Ireland Prison Service director Sue McAllister has pledged to investigate new figures which show an alarming rise in the use of solitary confinement punishment against inmates at Hydebank Prison. However the new director insists that the dramatic rise in the use of solitary confinement at Hydebank may not provide a proper picture of the punishment regime inside the south Belfast prison. Ms McAllister says it is unfair to compare the Hydebank figures with Maghaberry prison, which in contrast has shown a major reduction in its use of solitary confinement against inmates. Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:33:11 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/114/hydebank-solitary-confinement/use-of-solitary-not-cavalier-new-prisons-director http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/114/hydebank-solitary-confinement/use-of-solitary-not-cavalier-new-prisons-director 'A' was just 14 years of age when he was charged with attempted robbery and threats to kill in June 2009. Because he is still a minor he cannot be identified. However A’s father has now spoken for the first time to complain that his son is being turned into a “caged animal” inside Hydebank prison having been forced to spend months on end in solitary confinement. Challenging official prison service figures which state that inmates at Hydebank are only ever sentenced to a maximum of 14 days in solitary confinement at any one time, A’s father insists: “Any time my son goes on the (punishment) block it’s for at least four weeks, maybe three months. “It seems to be the same for other inmates. “It’s not a few days on the block; it’s several weeks at least for a minor incident.” Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:00:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/114/hydebank-solitary-confinement/the-teenager-for-whom-solitary-is-the-norm http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/114/hydebank-solitary-confinement/the-teenager-for-whom-solitary-is-the-norm BY BARRY MCCAFFREY THE treatment of vulnerable inmates at Hydebank Wood has been repeatedly criticised by prison inspectors and now new figures obtained by The Detail reveal how inmates at the young offenders centre are seven times more likely to be punished with solitary confinement than inmates at Maghaberry. Figures obtained by The Detail reveal a huge surge in the use of solitary confinement against young prisoners at Hydebank since 2008 while in contrast its use as a punishment has been dramatically scaled back at Northern Ireland’s main adult prison at Maghaberry. While the new head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service Sue McAllister has defended the use of solitary confinement leading academic Professor Phil Scraton questions whether it is damaging already vulnerable inmates. Tue, 24 Jul 2012 10:38:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/114/hydebank-solitary-confinement/solitary-confinement-has-doubled-in-hydebank-prison-the-detail-asks-why http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/114/hydebank-solitary-confinement/solitary-confinement-has-doubled-in-hydebank-prison-the-detail-asks-why With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 03:47:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-130720 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-130720 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN Plans to establish a MRI scanner at the Children’s Hospital to speed up and improve diagnoses of young patients are still bogged down in internal health system process more than four months after the trust assured that the issue was moving, The Detail can reveal. After an outcry at the end of February over the failure of the Belfast Trust to prepare for the scanner, which is being provided entirely through volunteer fund-raising, the trust told BBC’s In Your Corner series that the full business case was already with the Department of Health and the Health and Social Care Board for their consideration. However enquiries from The Detail over the past two weeks have established that only an outline for the business plan has been submitted – the first phase in the process – and the MRI proposal has not even moved past this stage four months on from the assurances given to the public. Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:42:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/113/childrens-mri-scanner-still-in-limbo/childrens-mri-scanner-still-in-limbo http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/113/childrens-mri-scanner-still-in-limbo/childrens-mri-scanner-still-in-limbo With him on one side, and him on the other. Sat, 14 Jul 2012 04:08:19 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-130712 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-130712 With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:38:41 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-060712 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-060712 BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A NORTHERN Ireland Audit Office report due to be published today raises serious questions as to how the Housing Executive allowed public land to be sold-off to “favoured” private developers at millions of pounds below the market value. Auditor General Kieran Donnelly will today publish a highly damaging report into the accounts of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. However it is the Executive’s mishandling of millions of pounds in the sale of public land to unnamed private developers and more than £1m in overpayments to contractors which will has left the public authority facing the most severe criticism in 40 years. Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:13:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/111/niao-report-into-housing-executive/housing-executive-sold-public-land-to-favoured-developers-in-secret-deals http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/111/niao-report-into-housing-executive/housing-executive-sold-public-land-to-favoured-developers-in-secret-deals By Kathryn Torney Under Freedom of Information, we requested all documentation held by the Department of Health relating to the IMG group on domestic violence, including briefing papers, letters, emails and reports. We also asked for any written correspondence between ministers and minutes of the meetings which have taken place. We are publishing extracts from these documents today. Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:47:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/111/domestic-violence-group/extracts-from-the-documents-released-under-freedom-of-information http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/111/domestic-violence-group/extracts-from-the-documents-released-under-freedom-of-information BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE father of a severely disabled child has said a fundamental right of parents here in safeguarding their children’s safety has been removed with a new amendment to the legislation that regulates the management and conduct of children's homes in Northern Ireland. The amendment to the Children’s Homes Regulations (NI) 2005, means that parents of children in respite care will no longer be entitled to monthly monitoring reports. The reports contain information about the running of the home. The changes also mean that parents no longer have a right to oversee the plan that provides the way their children are looked after. Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:20:38 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/112/childrens-regulations-update/parents-rights-to-information-on-disabled-children%E2%80%99s-care-%E2%80%9Cneutered%E2%80%9D http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/112/childrens-regulations-update/parents-rights-to-information-on-disabled-children%E2%80%99s-care-%E2%80%9Cneutered%E2%80%9D BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE statistics are horrifying. Over 700 families have to be re-housed in Northern Ireland every year as a result of domestic violence. Six people are killed. At least 11,000 children live with domestic violence on a daily basis and the PSNI deals with more than 100 domestic violence assaults on women and men every week. So why has there been such poor attendance at the Northern Ireland Assembly's Inter-Ministerial Group on Domestic and Sexual Violence? Wed, 04 Jul 2012 21:50:09 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/111/domestic-violence-group/executive-ministers-criticised-for-poor-attendance-at-domestic-and-sexual-violence-group http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/111/domestic-violence-group/executive-ministers-criticised-for-poor-attendance-at-domestic-and-sexual-violence-group BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A Catholic policeman who lost a leg in a dissident bomb attack has been refused industrial injury compensation because the law claims he was not on duty at the time of the attack. Peadar Heffron was badly injured when a booby-trap bomb exploded underneath his car as he travelled to work as a policeman in west Belfast in January 2010. Constable Heffron, who was the captain of the PSNI’s GAA team, has never been able to return to work because of the extent of his injuries. However the 35 year-old has now been informed that, despite being confined to a wheelchair, he is not eligible to benefit from industrial injury compensation. Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:05:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/109/peadar-heffron/psni-officer-refused-compensation-for-bomb-injuries http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/109/peadar-heffron/psni-officer-refused-compensation-for-bomb-injuries BY CHRIS MOORE A Co Down couple are on the verge of bankruptcy and homelessness because of a land dispute that began five years ago and which they say was based on an incorrect map used in court. Robert and Deirdre Shaw could lose their home on Creevytennant Road at Boardmills near Ballynahinch before the end of the year if they cannot persuade a court that they have become victims of a miscarriage of justice. In 2007 a neighbour succeeded in getting an interim court injunction to stop the Shaws building a wall around their property on the basis that the wall was going to narrow an already narrow laneway and right of way at the side of the Shaws' property. But the Shaws say the map used in the initial court hearing was flawed. Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:51:37 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/107/chris-land-story/dispute-over-right-of-way-is-road-to-ruination http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/107/chris-land-story/dispute-over-right-of-way-is-road-to-ruination BY BARRY MCCAFFREY CIVIL servants convicted of defrauding tens of thousands of pounds from the taxpayer are being allowed to continue working in the public sector because government departments refuse to alert each other that their employees have been found guilty of embezzlement. The shocking revelation comes in a National Fraud Initiative (NFI) due to be published today. However auditors found that government departments are ignoring their own anti-fraud guidelines. “Under NFI guidance, where successful prosecutions are secured, the employing body of the fraudster should be notified so that disciplinary proceedings can be considered. “NIAO has recently become aware that this has not been happening in Northern Ireland. “It is essential that such notifications happen so that the deterrent effect of the NFI can be reinforced.” Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:59:33 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/106/convicted-fraudsters-allowed-to-continue-working-within-government-departments/government-departments-refuse-to-pass-on-information-on-employees-convicted-of-fraud http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/106/convicted-fraudsters-allowed-to-continue-working-within-government-departments/government-departments-refuse-to-pass-on-information-on-employees-convicted-of-fraud BY CALUM MCKAY NORTHERN Ireland Housing Executive could be split into five separate associations and lose direct control of allocation of homes if 90,000 tenants are asked to vote on its future, according to one of the UK’s leading housing publications. And The Detail understands that plans are at an advanced stage to ballot NIHE’s 90,000 tenants on a decision which could see control of social housing being passed to five `super’ housing associations. We understand that 50 tenants in the Bloomfield area of Bangor will be asked to vote later this summer on such a scheme. Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:52:16 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/105/housing-executive-to-be-split-into-five/is-this-the-future-of-public-housing-in-northern-ireland http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/105/housing-executive-to-be-split-into-five/is-this-the-future-of-public-housing-in-northern-ireland BY NIALL MCCRACKEN The Medical Director of the Belfast Trust has contacted the family of Baby 3 to inform them that an investigation is ongoing into issues around their baby’s medical notes, including interviews with staff members. Following the "publication(Father of Baby 3: still awaiting answers)":http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/104/baby-3-interview/father-of-baby-3-still-awaiting-the-truth of an interview with the father of “Baby 3” who criticised the trust for a lack of contact with his family, Dr Tony Stevens has written to the family's legal team to address a number of concerns they had raised in a previous letter that was sent over two months ago. However, the family’s Solicitor Ernie Waterworth has said that, while he welcomes that the trust has finally responded and they are investigating the matter, the family are still in the dark about why cuts Baby 3 sustained are not in the medical notes which were given to the family. Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:14:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/104/baby-3-interview/new-pseudomonas-investigation-trust-now-interviewing-staff-about-baby-3-medical-records http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/104/baby-3-interview/new-pseudomonas-investigation-trust-now-interviewing-staff-about-baby-3-medical-records BY NIALL MCCRACKEN THE father of the third baby to die of pseudomonas at the Royal Victoria Maternity Hospital in January has spoken for the first time to say the Health Minister, Belfast Trust and the team set up to review the deaths have all failed in their promises to provide his family with answers about what happened to their baby. He has raised questions about why the hospital was not using sterilised water on the ward as had been the practice before, and he has described the family being kept in the dark from the moment 'Baby 3' was born right up to the present day. Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:30:08 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/104/baby-3-interview/father-of-baby-3-still-awaiting-the-truth http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/104/baby-3-interview/father-of-baby-3-still-awaiting-the-truth BY KATHRYN TORNEY NEW figures which break down pupils’ exam achievements by their religion show a wide variation in performance in some council areas of Northern Ireland. Detailed data on school leavers’ exam results has been released by the Department of Education in response to a written Assembly question from Sinn Fein’s Daithi McKay, Assembly member for North Antrim. The overall figures show that 88.4% of Protestant school leavers and 88.3% of Catholic school leavers achieved at least five GCSEs A*-G including English and Maths. However, an examination of the data relating to council areas - based on the 20,431 school leavers’ home addresses - gives a much more divided picture. Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:43:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/103/school-exam-figures/exam-results-in-northern-ireland-does-religion-matter http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/103/school-exam-figures/exam-results-in-northern-ireland-does-religion-matter With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 15 Jun 2012 17:46:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-150612 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-150612 BY NIALL MCCRACKEN AS the Northern Ireland Ombudsman releases his annual report today we can reveal details of one of the office’s most critical investigations into the Belfast Trust and their handling of an incident which led to heart failure of an infant during routine surgery. What started with a campaign by one family to uncover the truth behind the near-fatal incident during their baby girl’s eye surgery, led to a damning account of the Belfast Trust’s handling of the situation, with a paper trail that leads to its most senior management. In his report, the Northern Ireland Ombudsman Dr Tom Frawley openly criticises the Belfast Trust’s Medical Director Dr Tony Steven, for failing in his commitment to an “open and through” process that addressed the concerns of the family and he also highlights “serious deficiencies” in how it investigated the matter. Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:35:06 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/110/ni-ombudsman-report/baby-heart-failure-investigation-criticised-by-ombudsman http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/110/ni-ombudsman-report/baby-heart-failure-investigation-criticised-by-ombudsman BY BARRY MCCAFFREY He was criticised for blocking plans to build 200 homes for homeless nationalists but has now been accused of placing the Housing Executive under undue pressure to build 85 homes in loyalist areas without any clear evidence of homelessness - The Detail asks Nelson McCausland: why? The Detail can now reveal new evidence showing that the DUP minister was responsible for ensuring that four loyalist areas in North Belfast were given preferential treatment to be included in a new house building scheme three months after the project had already been agreed. Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:42:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/102/mccausland-challenged-over-fast-tracking-for-loyalist-areas/mccausland-challenged-over-special-housing-preference-for-loyalist-areas http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/102/mccausland-challenged-over-fast-tracking-for-loyalist-areas/mccausland-challenged-over-special-housing-preference-for-loyalist-areas With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 08 Jun 2012 18:27:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-080612 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-080612 THE European Foundation Centre held its annual assembly in Belfast this week, bringing together representatives of hundreds of philanthropic agencies around the theme of peace through social justice, drawing heavily from the experience of Northern Ireland. As the event in Belfast's Europa Hotel drew to a close on Friday, EFC chief executive, Gerry Salole, spoke to The Detail about the learning which had come from the event and the challenges set by the financial crisis engulfing Europe. And the celebrated South African campaigner and judge, Albie Sachs, spoke about the critical role played by external groups in his own country and in Northern Ireland and of the unquantifiable benefits of some independent intervention. Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:06:16 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/99/albie-sachs/taking-a-risk-in-unstable-times http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/99/albie-sachs/taking-a-risk-in-unstable-times BY CHRIS MOORE Fr James Donaghy stood trial in Belfast – this time with three survivors of his abuses giving evidence against him in court. The new trial under Judge Patrick Lynch began on November 16 2011. Fifty-three-year-old Fr Donaghy faced a total of 26 sex abuse charges and one of common assault. He was cleared of the common assault charge and two charges of sex abuse were left on the books as the jury could not decide on them. Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:05:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/100/judge-steps-aside/what-happened-next http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/100/judge-steps-aside/what-happened-next BY KATHRYN TORNEY THE average turnaround time for ambulances transporting people with potentially life-threatening conditions to our hospitals has increased by 14% since the closure of Belfast City Hospital’s A&E department, The Detail can reveal. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has provided detailed data on ‘turnaround times’ in response to a Freedom of Information request. Turnaround time is how long it takes an ambulance to clear a hospital after arrival. Delays can hold ambulances back from taking on their next 999 call. Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:54:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/108/ambulance-turnaround-times/ambulance-turnaround-times-increasing-under-new-ae-regime http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/108/ambulance-turnaround-times/ambulance-turnaround-times-increasing-under-new-ae-regime BY BARRY MCCAFFREY A leading human rights group has challenged the NIO to “set the record straight” and admit that it deliberately altered the job criteria of the Police Ombudsman's post in 2007 to ensure the position was filled by its favoured candidate Al Hutchinson. He was forced to resign and leave office early after a series of damning reports found major weaknesses in his leadership as Police Ombudsman. However the row over the Northern Ireland Office’s appointment of Al Hutchinson as police ombudsman continues to cause controversy with the human rights group Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) this morning publishing an open letter, challenging the NIO to admit it mishandled the ombudsman’s appointment. Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:54:04 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/99/caj-set-the-record-straight/foi-documents-contradict-nio-denials-over-hutchinson-appointment http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/99/caj-set-the-record-straight/foi-documents-contradict-nio-denials-over-hutchinson-appointment Universities in times of crisis and renewal Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:53:44 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/universities-in-times-of-crisis-and-renewal http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/universities-in-times-of-crisis-and-renewal BY NIALL MCCRACKEN The solicitor for the family of “Baby 3” has written to the PSNI asking them to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of their baby under corporate manslaughter legislation. While there has only been one successful conviction here under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act (2007), Belfast solicitor Ernie Waterworth believes the family of the third baby to die of pseudomonas at the Royal Victoria Maternity Hospital, who he represents, has an extremely strong case. Following the death of three babies at the Royal Jubilee Maternity service in January 2012 and one baby at Altnagelvin hospital in December 2011, the Health Minister appointed Professor Pat Troop to chair a review into the circumstances contributing to the occurrences of pseudomonas infection within the neonatal units. Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:05:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/99/baby-3-police-letter/family-of-baby-3-want-death-investigated-under-corporate-manslaughter-legislation http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/99/baby-3-police-letter/family-of-baby-3-want-death-investigated-under-corporate-manslaughter-legislation With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:45:46 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-010612 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-010612 By BARRY McCAFFREY His own departmental officials and trade union leaders urged him not to do it so why did DSD Minister Nelson McCausland insist on publishing the religious breakdown of Housing Executive staff working in North Belfast? In February Mr McCausland caused anger when he chose to provide a party colleague with a religious breakdown of Housing Executive staff employed in North Belfast. At the time the decision was widely criticised by trade union leaders and nationalist politicians who warned that it could put the lives of Housing Executive staff in danger. However The Detail can now reveal the existence of a series of highly sensitive internal DSD and Housing Executive emails which show that Mr McCausland refused to accept advice from his own officials against publishing the controversial figures. Thu, 31 May 2012 15:08:21 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/101/nelson-mccausland/what-really-went-on-inside-dsd-when-dup-demanded-religious-breakdown-of-housing-executive-staff http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/101/nelson-mccausland/what-really-went-on-inside-dsd-when-dup-demanded-religious-breakdown-of-housing-executive-staff THE solicitor for the family of the third baby to die of pseudomonas at the Royal Victoria Maternity Hospital in January, has told The Detail of their pain and disappointment following the publication of phase two of the Troop Review. Belfast solicitor, Ernie Waterworth of McCartan Turkington & Breen law firm, who represents the family of “Baby 3”, has called a section designed to address the experiences of the families “patronising” and criticised it for failing to address specific concerns flagged up by the family. The Detail can reveal that on January 14 2012, the mother of “Baby 3” received a phone call from a nurse advising that their baby’s skin had been torn while attempting to place an intravenous line. By January 19 the baby had died. However, when the family requested medical records following their baby’s death, they contained no reference to this incident. Wed, 30 May 2012 14:20:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/98/troop-review-part-ii/cuts-suffered-by-baby-3-missing-from-the-record-and-the-infection-inquiry http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/98/troop-review-part-ii/cuts-suffered-by-baby-3-missing-from-the-record-and-the-infection-inquiry BY CHRIS MOORE COURT transcripts obtained by The Detail reveal that a Crown Court judge stepped aside last year during the trial of a sex abusing priest when the prosecution raised concerns about her admitted friendship with Patrick Walsh, a former Bishop of Down & Connor, who was a potential witness. The case was that of Fr James Donaghy who was later sent to jail for 10 years in February this year after a second trial for offences involving three young boys going back 17 years. The judge who stood down was Her Honour Judge Gemma Loughran who began hearing the case on January 24 last year. But during two days of courtroom drama – Friday, January 28 and Monday, January 31, 2011 - Judge Loughran refused to step aside over prosecution concerns that there may have been a conflict of interest due to her friendship with retired Bishop Patrick Walsh. Tue, 29 May 2012 16:00:12 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/100/judge-steps-aside/chronicle-of-a-judge-stepping-aside-from-a-case http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/100/judge-steps-aside/chronicle-of-a-judge-stepping-aside-from-a-case With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 25 May 2012 15:41:49 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-250512 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-250512 Telling someone what to do is not teaching. “You must show them.” I remember being commended as a child for showing a classmate how to subtract using a few of those tiny plastic counting cubes. Our teacher, suggesting a future career in education, must have stirred something innate. It is hard to communicate that thought without sounding like an insufferable five year-old, attempting to impart knowledge at will. That was not the case; it was an innocent and fairly compulsive need to help that I still feel in various situations - such as a need to fill an awkward silence. Yet, that particular memory is so vivid that I can still picture the pink and crinkly woollen jumper the teacher wore. So what’s the approach to teaching in the 21st Century in Northern Ireland – in our tertiary system? It’s a pertinent question:universities receive public money every year to teach. Fri, 25 May 2012 12:37:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/fit-to-teach-in-university http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/fit-to-teach-in-university What the principals said Fri, 25 May 2012 11:51:24 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/97/school-attendance/what-the-principals-said http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/97/school-attendance/what-the-principals-said THE Police Ombudsman’s office has spent nearly £94,000 defending employment cases taken against them by members of their own staff. And in addition they’ve paid out £50,000 in damages to one former staff member. In answer to Freedom of Information questions a spokesperson for the Police Ombudsman [PONI] told The Detail: “I have been advised that the costs associated with defending employment-related cases to date has been £93,839.54. Thu, 24 May 2012 15:24:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/96/dysfunction-poni/the-employment-cases-which-show-further-dysfunction-within-poni http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/96/dysfunction-poni/the-employment-cases-which-show-further-dysfunction-within-poni MORE than 21,000 pupils at schools in Northern Ireland had a serious problem with their attendance during the last academic year, The Detail can reveal. Figures on attendance levels for 1,067 schools have been released to The Detail by the Department of Education in response to a Freedom of Information request. Detailed statistics for each school - which can be accessed in our interactive map - show that attendance for tens of thousands of pupils dropped below the crucial level of 85% of all half school days. This is the point at which pupils can be referred to the Education Welfare Service which may then formally intervene with families. Thu, 24 May 2012 08:31:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/97/school-attendance/is-there-poor-pupil-attendance-at-your-local-schools http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/97/school-attendance/is-there-poor-pupil-attendance-at-your-local-schools Former Police Ombudsman chief executive Sam Pollock will be appointed as the new head of the Policing Board within days, sources confirmed on Tuesday. Mr Pollock dramatically resigned as chief executive of OPONI last April claiming the independence of the ombudsman’s office has been undermined by interference from senior civil servants within the Department of Justice. As a result of Mr Pollock’s claims two inquiries were subsequently launched to investigate his allegations. The first report, carried out by Community Relations Council (CRC) chairman Tony McCusker, exposed deep divisions inside the ombudsman's office and questioned the leadership given by Al Hutchinson to staff. Tue, 22 May 2012 15:38:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/94/pollock-appointed-new-policing-board-chief/pollock-appointed-new-policing-board-chief http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/94/pollock-appointed-new-policing-board-chief/pollock-appointed-new-policing-board-chief Disciplinary proceedings should have been considered against a former head of Northern Ireland’s Civil Service for alleged failures in what has been branded as one of the “starkest examples of incompetence and mismanagement” of public funding. Stormont’s Public Accounts Committee will this morning publish a highly damning report into the Department for Enterprise Trade and Industry’s multi-million pound funding of a project aimed at establishing a bioscience and technology institute in Belfast 20 years ago. The committee’s query over non-pursuit of Sir Bruce in a formal disciplinary process refers to when he was head of the Invest NI’s precursor, the Industrial Development Board. Sir Bruce subsequently became head of the NI Civil Service. He retired last year. Tue, 22 May 2012 14:41:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/95/pac-question-why-former-civil-service-head-was-not-disciplined/pac-questions-why-no-disciplinary-proceedings-against-former-head-of-civil-service http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/95/pac-question-why-former-civil-service-head-was-not-disciplined/pac-questions-why-no-disciplinary-proceedings-against-former-head-of-civil-service HUGE backlogs and long waiting times for people with serious immune deficiencies and urgent allergy problems have come to light in documents obtained by The Detail. The Immunology Day centre is based at the Royal Victoria Hospital site in Belfast. It hit the headlines late last year after 59 patients with conditions affecting their immune system were recalled. The latest evidence uncovered by The Detail, suggests that recent attempts by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to cap the numbers on the waiting list by using locum doctors on an ad hoc basis seem to be failing, while the costs continue to rise. Mon, 21 May 2012 14:55:37 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/96/immunology/huge-waiting-lists-for-serious-immune-deficiencies-and-urgent-allergy-problems http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/96/immunology/huge-waiting-lists-for-serious-immune-deficiencies-and-urgent-allergy-problems With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 18 May 2012 16:41:33 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-180512 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-180512 THE Police Ombudsman here is prevented from informing complainants about the outcome of their investigations because of data protection concerns, The Detail has learnt. And whilst it’s not be top of the agenda, there's a feeling in the Police Ombudsman's office that the issue of data protection for serving officers disciplined as a result of a complaint is one that has to be cleared up. A source told The Detail; "When we carry out an investigation we are unable to inform the complainant about the outcome. Fri, 18 May 2012 16:10:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/93/ombudsman-convictions/why-the-police-ombudsman-won%E2%80%99t-tell-you-the-outcome-of-your-complaint http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/93/ombudsman-convictions/why-the-police-ombudsman-won%E2%80%99t-tell-you-the-outcome-of-your-complaint IT has cost the Northern Ireland taxpayer over £90m to fund the Police Ombudsman’s office since it started...and yet the police watchdog can’t say how many convictions have resulted from their investigations. An investigation by The Detail has discovered that the Police Ombudsman’s office [PONI] can’t actually say how many criminal convictions there were between November 2000, when their offices opened, and the present. “Our systems do not record final outcomes,” we were told in a written response to a series of questions under Freedom of Information. However, because of a change in the way information is collated, they can now tell us that from December 2008 to present, two officers have been convicted of criminal charges and two others have been given adult cautions. Fri, 18 May 2012 15:36:18 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/93/ombudsman-convictions/the-police-ombudsman-value-for-money http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/93/ombudsman-convictions/the-police-ombudsman-value-for-money THE Republic of Ireland soccer team will wear blackarm bands during its match with Italy at next month's EURO championship to commemorate one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles. In what is thought to be the first time it has ever happened the Football Association of Ireland has confirmed that its players will wear black arm bands during its game with Italy on June 18 to commemorate the 18th anniversary of a loyalist gun attack on Loughinisland in June 1994 which left six men dead. The game will fall exactly 18 years to the day since the atrocity, which took place when UVF gunmen opened fire on patrons at the Heights Bar in Loughinisland as they watched Ireland play Italy during the 1994 World Cup in America. Thu, 17 May 2012 06:41:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/92/loughinisland-foot-ball/irish-soccer-team-to-wear-black-armbands-to-commemorate-loughinisland-atrocity http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/92/loughinisland-foot-ball/irish-soccer-team-to-wear-black-armbands-to-commemorate-loughinisland-atrocity THE Public Prosecution Service is refusing to meet some murder victims’ families to explain why it has abandoned prosecutions as a result of “security concerns” for the health and safety of staff, a new report has revealed. Between October 2010 and September 2011 the PPS issued 11,933 letters informing victims’ families that prosecutions were being abandoned or charges against defendants were being reduced. Prosecutors came in for widespread criticism from victims’ families in a number of cases over claims that it had failed to explain to them why it had abandoned or reduced charges. The Criminal Justice Inspection (CJI) will this morning (Thursday) publish a report into how effective the PPS has been in explaining its decision-making process to the families of victims. Wed, 16 May 2012 17:12:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/92/cji-report-into-pps/pps-criticised-for-failing-to-provide-families-with-answers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/92/cji-report-into-pps/pps-criticised-for-failing-to-provide-families-with-answers THE prison governor who has been suspended from duty is under scrutiny over whether an alleged inappropriate incident between one of his officers and a female inmate was properly investigated, The Detail can reveal. The alleged incident at Hydebank Wood prison is said to have been witnessed by Frances McKeown who took her own life in May last year. There is no suggestion at this stage that the allegation and Frances's supposed role in it were contributory factors in her death. The Detail has been investigating Frances’s final few months in Hydebank since February of this year and we have been seeking answers from the Prison Service and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on this specific subject since then. Tue, 15 May 2012 16:36:12 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/91/hydebank-governor-suspension/hydebank-enquiry-to-focus-on-handling-of-alleged-inappropriate-behaviour http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/91/hydebank-governor-suspension/hydebank-enquiry-to-focus-on-handling-of-alleged-inappropriate-behaviour A DISTURBING study of mental health patient and carers’ experiences at Northern Ireland’s A&E departments raises serious questions about the treatment and support given to people presenting with self-harm or suicidal thoughts. The report by the Belfast Mental Health Rights Group contains evidence collected over the last two years from people who have attended hospitals in mental health crisis. It highlights long waiting times, patients being left out of decision making and many individuals in mental health distress being discharged without details of important follow up appointments. Tue, 15 May 2012 14:42:56 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/91/mentalhealth/long-hospital-waits-putting-mental-health-patients-lives-at-risk http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/91/mentalhealth/long-hospital-waits-putting-mental-health-patients-lives-at-risk Sir Robert Salisbury chaired Northern Ireland’s Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce. In an article written for The Detail, he gives his view on the attempt to improve reading standards and calls for urgent action. Tue, 15 May 2012 11:58:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/under-performing-staff-should-be-identified-supported-re-trained-or-if-all-else-fails-dismissed%E2%80%9D http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/under-performing-staff-should-be-identified-supported-re-trained-or-if-all-else-fails-dismissed%E2%80%9D There were two significant reminders last week about the creeping use of secret ‘evidence.’ The first was the continued imprisonment of Marian McGlinchey (née Price) despite her three co-accused walking free when a judge threw out charges against all four. Marian Price was technically speaking already ‘out on bail’ in relation to these charges (which the Prosecution Service may now seek to resurrect). Her continued imprisonment relates not to a decision by a Court, but a separate procedure involving a government Minister and a Commission which can rely on secret evidence. Mon, 14 May 2012 13:44:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/the-growth-of-secret-%E2%80%99evidence%E2%80%99-and-the-case-of-marian-price http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/the-growth-of-secret-%E2%80%99evidence%E2%80%99-and-the-case-of-marian-price With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 11 May 2012 15:59:30 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-110512 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/detail-news-110512 THE Assembly's Programme for Government stressed the need to improve literacy and numeracy levels of all school leavers in Northern Ireland and committed to giving additional support to under-achieving pupils. However, The Detail has found that the Department of Education's investment in the literacy strategy has reduced dramatically and financial backing for the successful Reading Recovery programme which helped young children struggling to read has flatlined to zero for the last three years. The chair of Northern Ireland's Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce – Sir Robert Salisbury - has warned that key issues still need to be addressed before any sustainable progress in raising standards will be seen. Fri, 11 May 2012 15:06:50 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/92/literacy/government-investment-in-literacy-support-for-struggling-children-axed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/92/literacy/government-investment-in-literacy-support-for-struggling-children-axed With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 04 May 2012 16:38:36 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-040512 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-040512 The families of IRA men Martin McCaughey and Dessie Grew have rejected an inquest jury’s verdict that SAS soldiers had used “justifiable force” in shooting them dead. On Wednesday an inquest jury ruled that SAS soldiers had been justified in shooting the IRA men dead at a mushroom shed near Loughgall, Co Armagh on October 9, 1990. It later emerged that the SAS soldiers had fired 70 shots during the incident while the IRA men had not opened fire. “We had fought for more than 20 years to get an inquest which could deliver an effective verdict, which properly reflected the evidence which was presented," said Martin McCaughey's brother Peter. “My father Owen successfully took the Chief Constable all the way to the House of Lords to ensure that the PSNI handed over all documents concerning Martin and Dessie's deaths. “Yet not a single police or army log, which would have contained crucial contemporaneous information concerning the killings, could be apparently found. Fri, 04 May 2012 15:19:41 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/88/grewmccaughey-families-respond-to-jury-verdict/ira-mens-families-reject-shoot-to-kill-verdicts http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/88/grewmccaughey-families-respond-to-jury-verdict/ira-mens-families-reject-shoot-to-kill-verdicts The Detail’s revelation that OFMDFM plans to cut government classified advertising to local newspapers has been officially confirmed for the first time by Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness. In April the Detail revealed the contents of a confidential government plan to cut classified advertising to local newspapers.   The cuts, which if adopted in full, could lead to the closure of up to 12 newspapers and the loss of 580 jobs. The proposed cuts were strongly criticised by the National Union of Journalists. Thu, 03 May 2012 09:04:54 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/87/advertising-cuts-update/ofmdfm-confirm-newspaper-advertising-cuts http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/87/advertising-cuts-update/ofmdfm-confirm-newspaper-advertising-cuts AN SAS soldier who shot an IRA man dead as he lay mortally wounded on the ground was justified in firing the fatal shots because he believed his life was still in danger, an inquest jury has ruled. IRA men Dessie Grew (37) and 23 year-old Martin McCaughey were shot dead by SAS soldiers at a mushroom shed near Loughgall, Co Armagh on October 9, 1990. The killings caused controversy after it emerged that neither of the IRA men, who had been carrying AK47 rifles, had fired any shots during the entire incident, but were themselves shot more than 30 times by the SAS. Wed, 02 May 2012 16:16:59 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/87/shoot-to-kill/jury-says-sas-justified-in-shooting-ira-man-on-ground http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/87/shoot-to-kill/jury-says-sas-justified-in-shooting-ira-man-on-ground AN increasing number of retired pensioners and low income workers are among the 22% of people living in poverty in Northern Ireland, according to a new report launched today. This is one of the key findings of research into poverty and social exclusion commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The number of people in poverty living in working households doubled to 30,000 between 2005 and 2010 and half of the 120,000 children living in poverty live with a working parent. Tue, 01 May 2012 18:33:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/86/oisin-rowntree-report-story/more-low-wage-workers-and-pensioners-living-in-poverty http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/86/oisin-rowntree-report-story/more-low-wage-workers-and-pensioners-living-in-poverty With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:00:36 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-270412 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-270412 Fr Daniel Curran was first convicted and jailed for child sex abuse in 1995 – a year after his best friend Fr Brendan Smyth was sent to prison. Curran was last convicted and jailed for four years on February 29 this year on similar charges. In the 17 years between the first and last of his four convictions involving 13 survivors of his sexual assaults, the Catholic Church continued to pay him a monthly allowance right up until December last year when he went on trial for the fourth time. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:01:40 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/84/chris-clerical-abuse-story/paedophile-priest-paid-by-church-for-17-years http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/84/chris-clerical-abuse-story/paedophile-priest-paid-by-church-for-17-years In July 2007, the Catholic Church in Ireland chose Ian Elliott, a Protestant from Co. Antrim, to head up its new child protection watchdog – the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland. Now in the last year of his six year contract, Ian Elliott talks exclusively to The Detail about the challenge he faced coming to understand the complexities of the Catholic Church and its 188 different church authorities. He believes his greatest achievement is that out of the 26 dioceses and 162 religious orders he has managed to create a church that speaks with one voice now in safeguarding children. And he reflects on the challenge for society about how it deals with paedophiles in order to protect the next generation of children... Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:47:40 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/84/chris-clerical-abuse-story/bishops-shielding-paedophiles-are-moral-and-criminal-issues http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/84/chris-clerical-abuse-story/bishops-shielding-paedophiles-are-moral-and-criminal-issues Hain, the Attorney General and Information Control Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:37:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/hain-the-attorney-general-and-information-control http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/hain-the-attorney-general-and-information-control Timeline of Taylor's capture Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:56:11 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/taylor/timeline-of-taylors-capture http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/taylor/timeline-of-taylors-capture The crimes Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:52:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/taylor/the-crimes http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/taylor/the-crimes CHARLES Taylor today (Thursday) became the first former head of state convicted by an international court since the Nuremburg military tribunal of Nazis after World War II - and it was an Irish general who got him there. Taylor, Liberia’s ex-president, was found guilty on Thursday morning of “aiding and abetting” mass-murder and other atrocities in neighbouring Sierra Leone, and for planning some of the crimes – although the court found he did not bear primary responsibility for them. He is expected to be sentenced on May 30. But he may never have faced justice if it were not for the work of the predominantly Irish UN forces – and one man in particular. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:42:36 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/taylor/the-irish-soldier-who-brought-charles-taylor-to-court http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/taylor/the-irish-soldier-who-brought-charles-taylor-to-court ONE of Northern Ireland’s best known lawyers gives his view on libel and privacy law in an interview for The Detail. Paul Tweed speaks about the clash between freedom of speech and personal reputation in a discussion with Dr Andrew Scott, senior lecturer in media law at the London School of Economics. Our audio interview coincides with the news that freedom of speech is to be given more protection as part of a new Defamation Bill announced in the Queen’s speech this week. Claimants will have to show they have suffered serious harm before suing for defamation. The bill is intended to ensure a fair balance between freedom of expression and protection of reputation. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:04:16 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/89/paul-tweed/the-clash-between-freedom-of-speech-and-personal-reputation http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/89/paul-tweed/the-clash-between-freedom-of-speech-and-personal-reputation SIGNIFICANT hygiene failures in Altnagelvin Hospital’s neonatal unit went unresolved for weeks and sometimes months in the lead up to the Pseudomonas outbreak, it can be revealed today. Information on the hospital’s handling of hygiene failures flagged up in regular audits are contained in internal reports The Detail requested from the Western Health Trust using Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation. The documents show a flurry of activity in response to hygiene failures noted in the reports in the days leading up to and following the first Pseudomonas baby death within the unit on December 10 2011. Before this, many hygiene failures appear not to have been acted upon. When asked to comment on this issue a trust spokesman claimed that the "vast majority" of actions were completed and said “IT issues” were the reason this information had not been included in the reports. Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:29:24 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/neonatal-updates/neonatal-ward-hygiene-issues-unresolved-in-lead-up-to-baby-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/neonatal-updates/neonatal-ward-hygiene-issues-unresolved-in-lead-up-to-baby-death THE head of the Pseudonomas review team has been asked to address serious concerns raised by the family of the third baby to die from the infection in Belfast’s Royal Jubilee Hospital. Belfast solicitor Ernie Waterworth has written to Professor Pat Troop – who is heading up the review team – requesting that she ensures issues are addressed by the Belfast Health Trust in relation to gaps in information provided to the family about their baby’s care. Speaking to The Detail earlier this month, Mr Waterworth revealed that the family had questions about missing hospital records from January 14. Despite assurances following a meeting with the Health Minister, the family claim theiir concerns have still not been addressed by the Belfast Trust. Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:50:38 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/neonatal-updates/family-want-explanation-from-review-team http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/83/neonatal-updates/family-want-explanation-from-review-team The new beginning that never was: Where now for the NI Bill of rights? Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:33:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-case-for-a-bill-of-rights http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-case-for-a-bill-of-rights With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:47:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-200412 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-200412 An investigation into allegations that firefighters made fraudulent overtime claims has instead revealed how the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service was itself operating without proper guidelines for "non operational" overtime payments. The Detail can reveal for the first time that auditors from the Department of Health’s internal audit unit, Business Services Organisation (BSO), were called in last October to investigate “alleged irregularities” concerning overtime and expenses claims which had been submitted by firefighters overseeing a NIFRS recruitment programme last summer. The audit investigation comes weeks before the fire service is expected to face serious questions during an industrial tribunal case involving a senior member of staff who was suspended from duty after exposing alleged wrongdoings within the organisation. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:22:21 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/85/nifrs/fire-chiefs-take-heat-for-irregular-overtime-claims http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/85/nifrs/fire-chiefs-take-heat-for-irregular-overtime-claims The battle to get the figures Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:43:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/82/child-maintenance/the-battle-to-get-the-figures http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/82/child-maintenance/the-battle-to-get-the-figures ON the day that Northern Ireland’s first whistleblower action group meets with the Health Minister, a former care worker speaks exclusively to The Detail about his decision to “blow the whistle” on safety concerns at a privately-owned assisted living service for vulnerable adults. For months Aidan Hanna repeatedly raised concerns around client safety and staff training within the organisation but these were ignored. He then sought advice and provided external parties with what he believed to be evidence of such shortcomings - but this action led to him being sacked. Aidan's contract of employment was with the charity Positive Futures who run the Windemere Supported Living Service in Lisburn. Many clients are placed in the service by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. A report published by trust just months before Aidan's dismissal acknowledged many of the issues he had previously flagged up - but it made no difference to Aidan; he remains out of work to this day. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:19:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/90/aidan-hanna-story/raising-concerns-in-healthcare-a-sacked-whistleblower-speaks http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/90/aidan-hanna-story/raising-concerns-in-healthcare-a-sacked-whistleblower-speaks Parents living in Northern Ireland owe over £87m in child maintenance to the government agency tasked with collecting and distributing the payments, The Detail can reveal. The total outstanding debt has risen dramatically in less than two years – increasing from £80.7m in March 2010 to £87.1m in December 2011. Over a quarter (27%) of the 28,966 children entitled to receive maintenance payments through the child support system did not receive any money in the last three months of 2011. Today, we are publishing an interactive map which gives a detailed breakdown of the arrears owed to children living in each postcode district of Northern Ireland. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:49:56 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/82/child-maintenance/how-much-do-parents-owe-in-maintenance-to-children-living-in-your-area http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/82/child-maintenance/how-much-do-parents-owe-in-maintenance-to-children-living-in-your-area Detailed figures broken down by council area Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:08:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/82/child-maintenance/detailed-figures-broken-down-by-council-area http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/82/child-maintenance/detailed-figures-broken-down-by-council-area The Senior Coroner is considering abandoning plans for an inquest into the death of a pregnant woman and her baby at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald. Coroner John Leckey made the comment at a Preliminary Hearing of an inquest into the death of 36-year old Cara Louise Officer on Wednesday. Ms Officer died on 12 June last year as a result of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), a rare blood disorder that causes abnormal blood clotting. Her baby Ewan was stillborn. Mr Leckey asserted his provisional view that a report into the death by a retired obstetrician and gynaecologist referred only to as Dr Boyle had been circulated to him, and his provisional view was that it did not indicate that the holding of an inquest was necessary. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:55:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/81/coroner-pregnancy-death/coroner-considers-no-inquest-into-maternal-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/81/coroner-pregnancy-death/coroner-considers-no-inquest-into-maternal-death The legal battle surrounding one of Invest NI’s flagship programmes has been settled, it emerged today. An investigation by The Detail in February found that the Business Start up Scheme - a programme set up to deliver a lifeline to Northern Ireland’s struggling entrepreneurs - had been inactive for almost six months after becoming embroiled in a legal dispute over who should run it. Court hearings began in early March. However with legal costs growing by the day, it has been confirmed that the legal challenge is now over and the disputed contract decision has been reversed. Enterprise Northern Ireland (ENI), the group who formerly run the programme and were challenging Invest NI over the legitimacy of the tendering process, and Invest NI released a joint statement this morning to confirm that the legal processes have ended. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:30:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/81/go-for-it-settled/invest-ni-reverses-decision-after-legal-dispute http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/81/go-for-it-settled/invest-ni-reverses-decision-after-legal-dispute A HEALTH service whistleblower's group has set up in Northern Ireland at a time when concerns about safety in our health and social care system are rarely out of the news. In recent months there has been extensive coverage on the role of whistleblowers within Northern Ireland’s health trusts following the leaking of documents to The Irish News which exposed allegations of years of abuse at two former children's hospitals. Dr. Kim Holt, one of the best-known health service whisteblowers in England attended the launch of the NI branch of Patients First on Monday night and said the need for protection of people who flag concerns about patient safety has never been greater. Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:49:13 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/80/patients-first/blowing-the-whistle-on-health-service-secrecy http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/80/patients-first/blowing-the-whistle-on-health-service-secrecy With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:39:04 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-130412 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-130412 With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:12:04 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-060412 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-060412 The pseudomonas outbreak claimed the lives of four premature babies in December and January and a central function of the Troop review into the outbreak is to set down measures to ensure it never happens again. We now know that since 2008 26 other people who died in Northern Ireland had “pseudomonas infection” on their death certificate but that none of these deaths was treated as a serious adverse incident; nor did any result in a coroner’s inquest. Oversight of hygiene in the high-risk neonatal unit was either ineffective – as the internal hygiene audits revealed by The Detail last month have revealed; or non-existent – we have also established that to this day there has NEVER been an inspection by the external oversight agency, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, which is now facilitating the review of this tragedy. We examine the timeline of events. Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:38:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/78/neonatal-interim-report-pseudo/the-last-baby-to-die http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/78/neonatal-interim-report-pseudo/the-last-baby-to-die THE family of the third baby who died after the pseudomonas outbreak at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital (RJMH) in January 2012 have spoken for the first time to say they have concerns about gaps in the hospital records provided to them following the death of their child. Their comments came after they met the Health Minister Edwin Poots on Wednesday (4th April) shortly before an interim report of the investigation into the outbreak of Pseudomonas here was published. Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:07:24 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/78/neonatal-interim-report-pseudo/pseudomonas-outbreak-grieving-family-still-has-questions http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/78/neonatal-interim-report-pseudo/pseudomonas-outbreak-grieving-family-still-has-questions TOP 10 REASONS PARKING TICKETS WERE ISSUED Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:06:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/top-10-reasons-parking-tickets-were-issued http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/top-10-reasons-parking-tickets-were-issued STREETS/ ROADS/ CAR PARKS WITH MOST TICKETS Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:05:24 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/streets-roads-car-parks-with-most-tickets http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/streets-roads-car-parks-with-most-tickets TICKETS PER STREET: MAGHERA - WARRENPOINT Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:06:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-maghera-warrenpoint http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-maghera-warrenpoint TICKETS PER STREET: ENNISKILLEN - LURGAN Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:05:22 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-enniskillen-lurgan http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-enniskillen-lurgan TICKETS PER STREET: BUSHMILLS - DUNMURRY Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:04:30 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-bushmills-dunmurry http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-bushmills-dunmurry TICKETS PER STREET: BELFAST Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:03:38 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-belfast http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-belfast TICKETS PER STREET: AHOGHILL - BANGOR Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:01:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-ahoghill-bangor http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-per-street-ahoghill-bangor Tickets issued in each town Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:56:30 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-issued-in-each-town http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/tickets-issued-in-each-town BELFAST’S Lisburn Road was the most ticketed street or road in all of Northern Ireland - exemplifying the tensions between traffic management and providing access to local businesses. Local traders claim that shoppers are being "hounded" away from the road by over-zealous traffic attendants and they have also criticised the Department for Regional Development's recent rejection of a proposal to relax the urban clearway on the road. In response, the DRD said the Lisburn Road is a priority clearway which needs to be patrolled on a daily basis to ensure the free flow of traffic and the overall safety of all road users. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:50:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/contested-clearway-on-our-most-ticketed-road http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/contested-clearway-on-our-most-ticketed-road A century of climate change in NI Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:52:49 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/76/climate-change/a-century-of-climate-change-in-ni http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/76/climate-change/a-century-of-climate-change-in-ni THIS week’s Mediterranean-style heatwave could be the shape of things to come for Northern Ireland’s climate. That is the picture emerging from a century’s-worth of data from Northern Ireland’s weather stations. Taken together, the information reveals a distinctly hotter province than this time last century. Scientists and Friends of the Earth campaigners have warned that such a vast re-jig of the the climate could spell problems for agriculture, animals, and ordinary householders. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:46:23 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/76/climate-change/a-heatwave-in-spring-northern-ireland-and-climate-change http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/76/climate-change/a-heatwave-in-spring-northern-ireland-and-climate-change BY RUTH O’REILLY AND BARRY MCCAFFREY PLANNED Stormont Executive cuts in public advertising are likely to bring about dramatic changes in the press in Northern Ireland over the next 18 months. In a jurisdiction heavily dependent on the public sector, cutbacks will be devastating, industry insiders say; they’re predicting the closure of 12 newspapers and the loss of 580 jobs. Major media outlets likely to be unaffected by the new regime – or to benefit – include UTV, the Belfast Telegraph and its NIJobfinder website and some weekly newspapers which a government-commissioned survey says still reach a significant numbers of readers. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:39:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/76/newspaper-advertising-story/how-stormont-cuts-could-decide-what-newspaper-you-read--3 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/76/newspaper-advertising-story/how-stormont-cuts-could-decide-what-newspaper-you-read--3 With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:10:35 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-300312 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-300312 HOSPITAL campaigners have accused the Southern Health Trust of moving the goal posts after imposing a cut in weekend hours at Northern Ireland's minor injury unit - which had never been discussed before. During the latest Trust Board Meeting today (Thursday 29 March) at Craigavon Area Hospital, the trust revealed that the minor injuries unit at South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon would stay open from 9am-9pm for a 12 month trial period, but it cut the hours during weekends from 9am-9pm to 10am-6pm. In a "story(Concerns about cut plans to busy MIU)":http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/74/minor-injury-unit-south-tyrone/concern-about-plan-to-cut-hours-of-busy-minor-injuries-unit by The Detail earlier this week we revealed how the trust had indicated to campaigners that there would be a likely reduction in hours at South Tyrone Hospital’s Minor Injury Unit (MIU) from 9am-9pm to 9am-7pm across the entire week. Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:05:19 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/74/minor-injury-unit-south-tyrone/cuts-to-injuries-unit-even-deeper-than-feared http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/74/minor-injury-unit-south-tyrone/cuts-to-injuries-unit-even-deeper-than-feared THE Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-Related Deaths resumes today with a disagreement over one piece of medical evidence still unresolved in spite of delays in the process to find common ground. The oral hearings into the deaths of five children in hospitals in Northern Ireland is embarking on an examination of the death of the first child to die, Adam Strain, who is the subject of the dispute between a recently-procured expert, Professor Fenella Kirkham, and other medical experts who believe that hyponatraemia caused by excess fluid was the cause of his death. It's taken the inquiry more than seven years to move to full public hearings since its inception in 2004. It was due to start last November, but was postponed after the Belfast Trust produced documents it said had just been found about the death of Adam. Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:54:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/79/inquiry-experts-disagree/inquiry-experts-fail-to-reach-agreement http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/79/inquiry-experts-disagree/inquiry-experts-fail-to-reach-agreement A decision to reduce the number of hours at the minor injuries unit at South Tyrone Hospital could see an overspill of over a thousand patients a year to already under pressure A&E wards in the Southern Health Trust area. Last September the Trust published a Strategic Review of Minor Injuries Units (MIU) and a number of options were put out for consultation but it has since emerged that the trust’s preferred choice is to reduce the hours at South Tyrone from 9-9pm to 9-7pm. A final decision on the future of the Minor Injuries unit will be made at the trust board meeting tomorrow (Thursday, March 29th). Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:31:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/74/minor-injury-unit-south-tyrone/concern-about-plan-to-cut-hours-of-busy-minor-injuries-unit http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/74/minor-injury-unit-south-tyrone/concern-about-plan-to-cut-hours-of-busy-minor-injuries-unit MORE than 125,800 parking tickets were issued in towns and cities across Northern Ireland in 2011. The Detail has compiled an interactive map which shows the number of tickets issued in each town and the most ticketed street/car park in each area. We have also calculated that the revenue raised by parking tickets is millions of pounds short of the money paid annually to a private contractor to enforce parking restrictions. However, the Department for Regional Development insists that the benefits of reduced congestion, improved access to town centres and improved road safety are vital to local economies. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:48:37 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/where-every-parking-ticket-was-issued-in-2011 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/77/parking-tickets/where-every-parking-ticket-was-issued-in-2011 A STATE of the art supported living centre for people with dementia still lies practically empty a year-and-a-half after it first opened its doors. The 15 supported living cottages at Gnangara in Enniskillen are part of a £2.5 million joint residential and assisted living home specialised for people with dementia. When it opened it in October 2011 it was hailed as being at the forefront of dementia care in the United Kingdom. However The Detail can reveal that only two of the fifteen spaces are currently occupied with tenants. Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:55:25 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/73/gnangara/state-of-the-art-dementia-centre-almost-empty http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/73/gnangara/state-of-the-art-dementia-centre-almost-empty With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 23 Mar 2012 01:53:54 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-230312--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-230312--2 With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:28:56 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-160312 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-160312 With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:18:00 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-090312 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-090312 IN rare cases among the tens of thousands of 999 calls, some people had to wait over an hour for an ambulance or rapid response vehicle to arrive. We list some of the longest recorded waits.... Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:56:15 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/72/ambulance-response-times/the-longest-waits http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/72/ambulance-response-times/the-longest-waits THE Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said that response times are influenced by the key constraints of availability of funding and managing and dealing with population density. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:15:52 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/72/ambulance-response-times/ambulance-service-is-working-with-limited-resources http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/72/ambulance-response-times/ambulance-service-is-working-with-limited-resources THE solicitor who represented Laurence Rush in his long and unfinished quest for answers over the Omagh bombing has called on the authorities to come clean on the full facts of the atrocity. Des Doherty was speaking after the death was announced of Mr Rush, 70, who lost his wife Elizabeth in the explosion which killed another 28 men, women and children, including a mother pregnant with twins. Mr Rush was the first of the victims to raise questions over the actions of the authorities before and after the Real IRA attack on August 15 1998. His battle for accountability from the police was still unresolved when he died yesterday (Sunday) morning. Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:22:54 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/71/laurence-rush/time-for-the-truth-on-omagh-laurence-rush-solicitor http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/71/laurence-rush/time-for-the-truth-on-omagh-laurence-rush-solicitor Towards a new kind of public discourse Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:32:53 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/towards-a-new-kind-of-public-discourse http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/towards-a-new-kind-of-public-discourse WHERE you live in Northern Ireland makes a massive difference to ambulance response times in life threatening situations, it can be revealed today. An investigation by The Detail has uncovered a disturbing postcode lottery when it comes to ambulance service response times. We analysed 215,349 emergency calls made to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service during 2010 and 2011. Among the longest waits was almost an hour and a half for someone thought to be having a life threatening stroke in the Cookstown area. Today we are publishing an interactive map showing the response times for each postcode district and the longest Category A call wait for an ambulance service response in each area. Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:00:25 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/72/ambulance-response-times/how-quickly-did-help-arrive-where-you-live http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/72/ambulance-response-times/how-quickly-did-help-arrive-where-you-live With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 02 Mar 2012 02:07:33 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-020312 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-020312 THE human rights implications of use of restraint and handling of medication in Northern Ireland's nursing homes are laid bare in a new report out today. A study commissioned by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has critiqued the quality of care provided to Northern Ireland’s elderly population from the perspective of civil liberties. The report entitled 'In Defence of Dignity' concentrated specifically on nursing homes. On the current oversight regime of care for the elderly, the report concludes: "Both good sense and the government’s international legal obligations require that the human rights standards become a much more explicit basis for the regulatory system." Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:51:48 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/71/how-vulnerable-are-nis-elderly-population/the-human-rights-abuses-of-nis-elderly http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/71/how-vulnerable-are-nis-elderly-population/the-human-rights-abuses-of-nis-elderly THE mother of one the children being investigated by the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-Related Deaths has called for chairman John O’Hara QC to resign. This follows news of further delays in the child death inquiry. Marie Ferguson's daughter Raychel died in 2001 aged nine following an appendectomy at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. A statement issued by inquiry chairman, John O’Hara QC, issued last night (Tuesday) to representatives of the five children who died of suspected fluid overload said the opening addresses would now take place on Monday the 26th March. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:28:13 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/69/another-delay-for-hypo-inquiry/mother-calls-for-inquiry-chairman-to-resign http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/69/another-delay-for-hypo-inquiry/mother-calls-for-inquiry-chairman-to-resign THE chair of Stormont's Health Committee has accused the Department of Health of preventing MLAs from attending an "urgent meeting" into hygiene failures at the Royal Jubilee neo-natal unit. Sinn Fein MLA Sue Ramsey requested the meeting following a story by The Detail which outlined concerns surrounding the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital's sinks and taps. However, the department has instead offered to only brief the committee chair and deputy chair on the issue. The health chair wanted to find out why hygiene failings identified in the Royal's neo-natal unit months before the pseudomonas outbreak were not dealt with sooner. At a meeting of the health committee at Stormont today (Wednesday, 7th March), Ms Ramsey said that the members should have been informed about the hygiene reports instead of having to read about them in the media. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:44:39 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/70/new-neonatal-hygiene-results/mlas-blocked-from-urgent-health-meeting http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/70/new-neonatal-hygiene-results/mlas-blocked-from-urgent-health-meeting AS the 14th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement draws near, a new report has criticised the governing political parties here over their failure to tackle continued deep sectarian divisions and it also warns that the policing deal is not secure. These are among the many stark assessments contained in the first of a series of annual reports which aim to independently monitor Northern Ireland’s journey out of violence. Drawing mainly on statistics already in the public domain, the Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report will measure on an annual basis the distance travelled – either closer to or further away from – the goal of having a peaceful and inclusive society. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:38:21 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/68/peace-report/policing-deal-in-northern-ireland-is-not-secure http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/68/peace-report/policing-deal-in-northern-ireland-is-not-secure With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:33:39 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-240212 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-240212 THE programme set up to deliver a lifeline to Northern Ireland’s struggling entrepreneurs has been inactive for almost six months after becoming embroiled in a legal dispute over who should run it. The Detail can also reveal that Invest NI have spent over £250,000 on advertising The Go For It programme since September - which is when the scheme stopped being fully functional. The business start up scheme had been hailed as one of its biggest success stories, providing help and advice to budding entrepreneurs under the banner of the ‘Start a Business Programme’ Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:58:28 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/67/no-go-for-it/%E2%80%98go-for-it%E2%80%99-has-gone http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/67/no-go-for-it/%E2%80%98go-for-it%E2%80%99-has-gone ROSIE says she felt her options were shut down after she contacted the Police Ombudsman’s office to complain about the raid on her home and she feels she was misled. As she sets out in the video above, she says she was told that the Police Ombudsman could not investigate because only the PSNI’s Professional Standards Department can question the deployment of the armed response unit. When The Detail raised Rosie’s concerns with the Police Ombudsman’s office a spokesperson did not dispute Rosie’s version of events but said there might have been a breakdown in communication. Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:10:43 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/66/chris-ombudsman-story/what-can-the-police-ombudsman-investigate http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/66/chris-ombudsman-story/what-can-the-police-ombudsman-investigate A CO Antrim mother wants to know why six armed police officers charged her house last October with weapons drawn. And she has told The Detail of her anger at being informed by the policing watchdog that it could not investigate her complaint because only the PSNI’s Professional Standards Department can question the deployment of the armed response unit. Now the woman, whom we identify only as Rosie, has also told The Detail how she views that response totally inadequate. She said: “The police investigating the police is not an acceptable alternative.” Her experience raises yet more questions about the value of the Police Ombudsman’s office – this time to members of the public looking for accountability in contemporary cases – following a year of revelations about political interference in high-profile investigations into the past. Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:02:01 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/66/chris-ombudsman-story/getting-accountability-after-a-police-raid http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/66/chris-ombudsman-story/getting-accountability-after-a-police-raid An insider's view of student evaluation Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:11:40 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-value-of-values-in-higher-education--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-value-of-values-in-higher-education--2 NEWS of another hold-up marked the opening of the long-awaited Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-Related Deaths today (Monday) but the first public hearing also cast light on another phenomenon: extraordinary delays in the processing of investigations against individual doctors in the cases. The inquiry formally opened in Banbridge, only to adjourn for what is expected to be a matter of weeks. But in the course of the opening statement presented by Counsel to the Inquiry, Moyne Anyadike-Danes QC, it emerged that complaints against eight doctors lodged in 2004 with the General Medical Council took at least four-and-a-half years to process, with three still unresolved more than seven years on, including a complaint against a doctor who has tried to erase himself from the medical register. Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:24:58 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/65/doctors-hypo-inquiry/complaints-against-professionals-in-fluid-death-cases-dragging-on-for-years http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/65/doctors-hypo-inquiry/complaints-against-professionals-in-fluid-death-cases-dragging-on-for-years With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:53:12 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-170212 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-170212 THE Detail has received email documentation that shows the Belfast Trust’s refusal to respond to Freedom of Information requests concerning the outbreak of Pseudomonas at the Royal’s neonatal unit because the situation is “still live.” A matter of hours after Health Minister Edwin Poots told the Northern Ireland Assembly that the Pseudomonas bacteria had been traced to taps at the neo-natal unit in the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital, the Belfast trust received a number of follow up Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. On the 24th Janaury 2011, Gerry Bond sent three separate FOIs to the trust, each acknowledged on the same day. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:17:38 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/64/royal-hosp-follow-up/trust-refusal-to-answer-foi-because-issue-still-live http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/64/royal-hosp-follow-up/trust-refusal-to-answer-foi-because-issue-still-live THE safety of the government’s childhood vaccination programme is set to come under the spotlight after the Attorney General ordered that a second inquest must be held into the death of a 15-year-old schoolboy from Co Down. The Detail can reveal that John Larkin QC issued the directive to senior coroner John Leckey and he also stressed that the case is of “enormous public importance”. Christopher Coulter (left), from Hillsborough, was found dead in his bed a week before Christmas in 1994, 10 days after receiving the combined Measles/Rubella (MR) vaccine at school. Christopher’s parents Anne and Harry have always believed that the vaccine played a part in their son’s death but the original inquest in 1995 concluded that he died from an epileptic fit – even though there is no history of epilepsy in the family. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:28:53 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/63/anne-coulter-update/new-inquest-ordered-into-co-down-teenagers-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/63/anne-coulter-update/new-inquest-ordered-into-co-down-teenagers-death With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:36:16 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-100212 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-100212 Non-grammar schools' GCSE results Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:44:45 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/non-grammar-schools-gcse-results http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/non-grammar-schools-gcse-results Grammar schools' GCSE and A-Level results Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:42:29 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/grammar-schools-gcse-and-a-level-results http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/grammar-schools-gcse-and-a-level-results GCSE and A-Level result data for every post-primary school Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:39:20 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/gcse-and-a-level-result-data-for-every-post-primary-school http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/gcse-and-a-level-result-data-for-every-post-primary-school The 77 schools with less than 35% of their pupils achieving five or more GCSE grades A* to C, including English and Maths Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:16:57 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/the-77-schools-with-less-than-35-of-their-pupils-achieving-five-or-more-gcse-grades-a-to-c-including-english-and-maths http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/the-77-schools-with-less-than-35-of-their-pupils-achieving-five-or-more-gcse-grades-a-to-c-including-english-and-maths MORE than a third of Northern Ireland’s post-primary schools would be rated as “failing” under exam performance criterion set by the coalition government for schools in England, The Detail can reveal. Today we publish our analysis of schools’ exam performance based on the results obtained by thousands of pupils in last summer’s GCSE and A-Level examinations. The findings provide stark evidence of the long tail of underachievement in many of the province’s schools - hanging uncomfortably alongside Northern Ireland’s highest achievers regularly outperforming their counterparts in other parts of the UK every year. We are also publishing a detailed breakdown of the GCSE and A-Level grades achieved by pupils in every post-primary school. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:58:51 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/exam-results-show-a-third-of-our-schools-are-failing http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/62/educational-achievement/exam-results-show-a-third-of-our-schools-are-failing One of the key witnesses in the inquiry into the deaths of children from suspected fluid overload in hospitals here has acknowledged his responsibility in managing the fluids that contributed to the death of four-year-old Adam Strain. The Inquiry into Hyponatreamia-related Deaths in Children was established in 2004 and was primarily set up to investigate the deaths of Adam Strain, Claire Roberts, Raychel Ferguson and Conor Mitchell. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:16:42 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/61/dr-taylor-hypo-inquiry/new-key-witness-evidence-in-child-death-inquiry http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/61/dr-taylor-hypo-inquiry/new-key-witness-evidence-in-child-death-inquiry With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:56:04 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-030212 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-030212 MORE than a week after Health Minister Edwin Poots announced an investigation into the Pseudomonas outbreak, internal hygiene reports obtained by The Detail reveal that a separate ward at the Royal Victoria Hospital had already failed key hygiene targets linked with preventing the killer disease. The Immunology Day Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital site treats patients with serious immunodeficiencies, however documents received by The Detail show that the ward's sink basins and taps have been consistently failing the hospital's own hygiene tests. It has emerged that sink taps were the source of the infection in the neo-natal units at the Royal and Altnagelvin maternity wards. Staff in hospitals were subsequently told to avoid using tap water with babies, while tests on water outlets and necessary refits were carried out. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:56:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/64/royal-hosp-follow-up/immunology-taps-failing-hygiene-inspections http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/64/royal-hosp-follow-up/immunology-taps-failing-hygiene-inspections THE families of five men killed in a UDA gun attack on a Belfast bookmakers 20 years ago will this morning reveal new evidence which they say questions whether there was ever a proper police investigation to bring the killers to justice. The families of those killed in the attack on Sean Graham's bookmakers say the new evidence contradicts police claims that they had decativated one of the murder weapons before the attack. Further concerns have been raised that two loyalist gunmen were never questioned about the massacre despite being caught with one of the murder weapons three months after the attack. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:52:01 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/60/sean-grahams-bookmakers/now-betting-shop-atrocity-failings-come-to-light http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/60/sean-grahams-bookmakers/now-betting-shop-atrocity-failings-come-to-light With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:26:19 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-270112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-270112 NORTHERN Ireland’s hygiene and infection regulator has never inspected any of Northern Ireland’s neonatal units. The Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) conducts an ongoing programme of infection prevention/hygiene inspection across Northern Ireland based on the Regional Healthcare Hygiene and Cleanliness Standards, "published(Audit tool)":http://www.rqia.org.uk/cms_resources/RHHC%20Audit%20Tool%20072011.pdf by DHSSPS in July 2011. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:02:01 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/64/royal-hosp-follow-up/regulator-has-yet-to-inspect-any-of-nis-acute-hospital-neonatal-units http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/64/royal-hosp-follow-up/regulator-has-yet-to-inspect-any-of-nis-acute-hospital-neonatal-units THE Detail can reveal that the regulator tasked with conducting external infection and hygiene inspections at hospital wards across Northern Ireland has never inspected the neonatal unit at Belfast's Royal Jubilee Maternity hospital. Last week it emerged that three babies had died in the ward over a two-week period within the last month as a result of Pseudonomas bacterial infection. Pseudomonas can cause breathing difficulties and tissue damage. It is believed it can take hold in areas such as sinks and in water pipes with stagnant water. The bacteria can live for several days on surfaces but can be eradicated by vigorous hand-washing. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:37:49 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/59/neonatal-unit/regulator-has-never-inspected-neonatal-infection-ward http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/59/neonatal-unit/regulator-has-never-inspected-neonatal-infection-ward With him on one side, and him on the other. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:44:19 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-200112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-200112 BUREAUCRACY and institutional defensiveness can still impede practical help in some cases of life-or-death mental illness, according to two families The Detail has spoken to. The mother of a young woman who has made numerous attempts on her life says her care has been hampered by a diagnosis of 'personality disorder'. And the father of a young man who took his own life and whose death was the subject of a Serious Adverse Incident investigation has cast doubt on the willingness of some health authorities to deal with the difficult questions which arise when a patient dies by suicide. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:29:08 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/the-people-the-system-isnt-catching http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/the-people-the-system-isnt-catching “WHAT suicidal patients need more than anything is hope.” These are the words of a consultant psychiatrist who spoke to The Detail during our research on suicide rates among mentally ill patients. He and other practitioners in the field highlighted the importance of good communication to ensure that patients don’t fall between the cracks within the system. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:22:10 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/keeping-track-and-providing-hope http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/keeping-track-and-providing-hope Summaries of serious adverse incident reports Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:31:12 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/summaries-of-serious-adverse-incident-reports http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/summaries-of-serious-adverse-incident-reports MORE than 220 people known to mental health services died in suspected suicides in Northern Ireland over a two-year period, The Detail can reveal today. The figures – which relate to deaths which occurred between April 1 2009 and September 30 2011 – were released to The Detail by the agency tasked with health service oversight, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). The death toll appears to indicate a dramatic increase in suicide deaths of people suffering from mental health problems compared with statistics collected between 2000 and 2008 as part of a national confidential inquiry. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:17:08 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/are-more-mental-health-patients-dying-from-suicide http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/58/mental-health/are-more-mental-health-patients-dying-from-suicide A 'communication failing’ identified in the Donagh village sex abuse scandal may result in new legislation or procedures to allow communities to have a say in court about the impact serious crime has had on them. Community impact assessments will soon be going out to consultation after a Department of Justice feasibility study concluded there was a place for them in the Northern Ireland justice system. Yet, ironically, the Department’s feasibility study recognises that such measures in the Donagh case would not have resulted in a materially different outcome in court. Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:01:12 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/57/donagh--2/community-impact-statements-what-impact http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/57/donagh--2/community-impact-statements-what-impact With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:39:51 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-130112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-130112 An insight into information management in Northern Ireland Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:53:39 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/waiting/waiting http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/waiting/waiting THE trial of two men charged with the murder of police constable Stephen Carroll will open this morning (Monday) with evidence that undercover soldiers had been secretly bugging a car belonging to one of the accused for more than a month before the shooting. However, the trial will also be told that potentially key evidence from the tracking device was destroyed while it was held inside a supposedly secure army compound just days after the murder. Forensic science will also come under the spotlight during the proceedings with a dispute over evidence about gunshot residue forming a central element. The trial is the latest in a series of high-profile Diplock hearings in recent months focused on paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:43:18 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/55/carrol-new/latest-diplock-trial-opens-with-surveillance-and-forensic-evidence-in-the-spotlight http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/55/carrol-new/latest-diplock-trial-opens-with-surveillance-and-forensic-evidence-in-the-spotlight THE temporary replacement for Northern Ireland’s Police Ombudsman may not have the legal powers to recommend prosecution against police officers and other activities when he takes over at the end of this month, the Detail has learned. The high profile police watchdog’s office has become embroiled in even more controversy just months after the current ombudsman – Al Hutchinson - announced that he would step down at the end of January following a series of damning revelations about his leadership. A temporary head will be asked to take over the Ombudsman's role while Mr Hutchinson’s replacement is sought. But with a question mark over the legal powers of an interim ombudsman, the recruitment period could potentially result in a substantial backlog of work to be signed off by the new Ombudsman. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:36:17 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/55/poni/delays-and-backlogs-feared-during-interim-ombudsman-phase http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/55/poni/delays-and-backlogs-feared-during-interim-ombudsman-phase With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:14:09 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-060112 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-060112 THEY'VE admitted collusion happened in Northern Ireland; they’ve apologised for Bloody-Sunday and the murder of Pat Finucane. But how up-front is the British government really being when it comes to who, how, where and when of the State personnel willingly involved in helping run the 30-year dirty war which claimed untold lives in the conflict? The Detail’s Chris Moore was the first journalist to produce definitive proof of collusion following the murder of Loughlin Maginn by the UFF in 1989. Twenty-two years on he has spoken to those still trying to uncover the full story of British state involvement in both loyalist and republican killings. The picture is one of damage limitation and a continued unwillingness on the part of the State here to be fully accountable for its role. In the alleged words of one senior police officer to relatives of a notorious gang of informers who killed at least 20 people: “I am not looking at police officers, I am only interested in terrorism and criminality.” Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:15:03 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/54/the-state-and-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-past/the-state-and-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-past http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/54/the-state-and-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-past/the-state-and-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-past FSNI is no stranger to controversy with the quality of its processes having been called into question on a number of previous occasions over the last decade. Contamination of evidence, pressure from the police to provide results, mix-ups, forged signatures and failure to keep evidence secure are among the issues discovered in recent years. In December 2007 the Omagh Bomb trial was informed of an email which the former FSNI chief executive Dr Richard Adams had circulated among colleagues expressing concerns that his fingerprints might be found on the remnants of the bomb’s Timer Power Unit (TPU). The trial was told that Dr Adams had written to a colleague that he and other unnamed officials had been shown a "bit of TPU box" used in Omagh and, while he could not remember "touching anything", he added: "but who knows?” An FSNI official admitted under cross-examination that the incident had shown a "casual approach" to protecting the integrity of forensic evidence in FSNI’s care. Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:16:51 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/53/fsni-story/the-trials-of-fsni http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/53/fsni-story/the-trials-of-fsni With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:41:44 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-161211 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-161211 Thousands of people in Northern Ireland have been imprisoned for non-payment of court fines for minor crimes including not having a light on their bicycle, dropping litter and fishing without a licence. Around 2,000 people are sent to jail every year for fine defaulting and they make up around a third of total admissions to our prisons. An investigation by The Detail has examined information released under Freedom of Information relating to over 14,000 cases where people served time behind bars from the start of 2006 until the end of October this year. The largest unpaid fine was £500,000 for evading customs duty on goods and the lowest were three fines of £1. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:01:55 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/51/finedefaulters/thousands-imprisoned-every-year-for-minor-crimes http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/51/finedefaulters/thousands-imprisoned-every-year-for-minor-crimes Olwen Lyner, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (Niacro) gives her view on imprisonment for fine defaulting: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:28:15 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/families-pay-a-heavy-cost-for-fine-jail-terms http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/families-pay-a-heavy-cost-for-fine-jail-terms PATRICIA Campbell worked as a nurse in the Belfast Trust for over 10 years with a career that spanned a quarter of a century. However in spring of this year she was dismissed - an uncommon outcome within Northern Ireland's public sector. Her offence had been to leave a small number of documents at the venue of meeting. She is now taking the trust to an industrial tribunal, claiming she's been victimised for trade union activity and treated far more harshly than staff implicated in major scandals including the dumping of documents at Belvoir Park and abuse at Lissue and Forster Green hospitals. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:13:09 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/56/patricia-campbell-story/looking-for-fair-play-in-disciplinary-hearings http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/56/patricia-campbell-story/looking-for-fair-play-in-disciplinary-hearings THE Police Ombudsman has found the actions of the PSNI officer who shot a man dead in Ballynahinch nearly six years ago were “critically flawed” and raised questions about whether he should have had access to a weapon or deal with members of the public. The report, presented last night to the family of Steven Colwell, condemned the behaviour of the officer who opened fire, noting that he had drawn his gun at an early stage, placed himself in front of the vehicle Colwell was driving - and remained there. It also found that forensic evidence contradicted the policeman's account of what happened. However the police will not confirm if the officer concerned has faced or will face internal disciplinary charges. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:40:59 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/51/colwell-ombudsman-update/steven-colwell-killing-where%E2%80%99s-the-accountability http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/51/colwell-ombudsman-update/steven-colwell-killing-where%E2%80%99s-the-accountability THE Chief Executive of Northern Ireland’s independent health regulator has stood over its performance following more questions about its handling of hygiene standards at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Glenn Houston, who heads the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, told BBC Radio Ulster that a series of reports into hygiene in 250 wards, published by RQIA yesterday (Tuesday), were "a good news story", showing a broad improvement. However, when asked about persistently poor hygiene standards in Ward 4F - highlighted in previous editions of The Detail - he said: “We’ve been back to the Belfast trust, we’ve been back to the Royal Victoria Hospital, we’ve undertaken a range of inspections and I’ve no doubt we’ll also be back to that particular ward to look at conditions and we will report what we find when we make that inspection.” The Ward was the subject of one of RQIA's worst reports two years ago and was forced to restrict admission at the end of November because of two cases of Clostridium Difficile there. But it didn't feature in RQIA's hygiene audit published yesterday (Tuesday). Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:19:02 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/50/ward-6d-rqia-follow-up/hygiene-failures-same-hospital-different-ward http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/50/ward-6d-rqia-follow-up/hygiene-failures-same-hospital-different-ward STEVEN Colwell was more than just a statistic to his family. In his 23 years, he had a difficult life: he lost his mother at an early age and his father became an alcoholic when he was very young. Then, at nine years of age, he suffered brain damage as a result of a sectarian attack and was unable to speak for a year. His family says that the lack of parental control as a child led to Steven becoming involved in anti-social behaviour. However they firmly believe he could have been arrested and maintain that police did not need to open fire on the day he was killed. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:04:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/50/steven-colwell/family-fight-to-ensure-steven-is-not-another-statistic http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/50/steven-colwell/family-fight-to-ensure-steven-is-not-another-statistic EUROPE’S most senior human rights figure has called for the formation of a truth commission in Northern Ireland to aid a healing process he believes is crucial for the future. Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, also urged continued vigilance against a regression of civil liberties and said the discussion on the subject had become confused, especially in London where the Coalition government is discussing repealing the Human Rights Act. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:19:19 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/49/eu-council/truth-commission-for-northern-ireland-%E2%80%9Cwould-protect-the-rights-of-all%E2%80%9D http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/49/eu-council/truth-commission-for-northern-ireland-%E2%80%9Cwould-protect-the-rights-of-all%E2%80%9D THE case was a litmus test for oversight of Northern Ireland's new police service: a killing by a PSNI officer; but almost six years after Steven Colwell was shot twice at the wheel of a car in Ballynahinch, his family is only today (Wednesday) receiving a Police Ombudsman report - and even then they had to fight for it. One of Steven's brothers, Neil Colwell, today tells The Detail about the frustration he and his family have had in getting accountability: the police officer concerned is back on duty; criminal charges have been ruled out; the Police Ombudsman's enquiries were limited; PONI only decided to release its report after the family threatened legal action; and it's unable to force action against any PSNI personnel. The Colwell family also believe the officer concerned should not even have been on duty on the day Steven was killed. Neil says: "The buck just doesn’t stop with the officer in question. The senior management of the PSNI has to accept some responsibility there as well." Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:33:07 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/50/steven-colwell/why-did-it-take-the-police-ombudsman-six-years-to-report-on-a-psni-killing http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/50/steven-colwell/why-did-it-take-the-police-ombudsman-six-years-to-report-on-a-psni-killing With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:54:11 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-091211 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-091211 BY BARRY MCCAFFREY AND CIARAN BARTLETT MILLIONS of pounds of taxpayers' money has been ploughed into ensuring they have a well funded pension scheme - but why are MLAs investing in companies accused of tax evasion, price fixing, enforced evictions and creating `addictive’ video games? The Detail has investigated the background of the Assembly members' pensions portfolio and discovered serious questions about the credentials of a number of them, including African Minerals, First Quantum, Coal of Africa, Votorantim, Grupo México and NCsoft. But it's not clear what, if any ethical standards our MLAs are held to when it comes to the retirement plans they've set up with public money; we asked for `statement of investment principles' but were told that only MLAs were allowed to see it. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:32:58 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/48/mla%E2%80%99s-face-more-questions-over-latest-pensions-investments/the-ethical-deficit-of-our-mlas-pensions-pot--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/48/mla%E2%80%99s-face-more-questions-over-latest-pensions-investments/the-ethical-deficit-of-our-mlas-pensions-pot--2 Stormont MLAs have been challenged to defend their pension fund’s decision to invest in the nuclear weapons industry. The call comes as an independent panel meets at Stormont today to review MLA salaries and their pensions. Each year more than £1m in taxpayers’ money is pumped into a Stormont pension fund to ensure that MLAs receive substantial financial support following retirement. The latest MLA pension fund report released last month reveals that Stormont politicians now benefit from a £17.3m pension pot. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:24:43 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/48/mla%E2%80%99s-face-more-questions-over-latest-pensions-investments/mlas-face-more-questions-over-latest-pensions-investments http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/48/mla%E2%80%99s-face-more-questions-over-latest-pensions-investments/mlas-face-more-questions-over-latest-pensions-investments ESCALATING dysfunction in Northern Ireland’s forensic science agency is laid bare today with officials shown to have been angered by a senior judge's criticism of their performance. As an investigation by The Detail reveals delays and mishaps at Forensic Science Northern Ireland impacting on a substantial number of criminal trials and investigations, documents show its executives reacting with indignation at a rebuke from Mr Justice Reginald Weir. An e-mail from the chief executive Stan Brown suggests the judge – a veteran of hundreds of criminal trials – has “made very negative generalisations”, does not understand the problems faced by FSNI and, in a letter to him, another FSNI official advises that the judiciary and the agency “have a joint responsibility to ensure confidence in the criminal justice system is maintained”. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:11:56 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/53/fsni-story/the-letters-which-reveals-forensic-science-in-turmoil-and-denial http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/53/fsni-story/the-letters-which-reveals-forensic-science-in-turmoil-and-denial With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:26:54 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-021211 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-021211 Holding the Church to account Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:54:16 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/holding-the-church-to-account http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/holding-the-church-to-account THE past week has provided yet another insight into the huge scale of sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Ireland. However the reports into child abuse in six dioceses did not dwell on the enormity of the hurt inflicted on children going back generations and the systematic cover-ups which allowed it to flourish; instead they focused on the future. The Detail’s Chris Moore has led the way in exposing the patterns of abuse, concealment and conspiracy within and around the Catholic Church. Today he reports on the uphill struggle of one victim who simply wants acknowledgement of what happened to him in a Catholic school and he reflects on whether the church is really facing up to the crimes it is responsible for. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:39:08 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/47/st-columbs/facing-up-to-abuse-in-the-catholic-church http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/47/st-columbs/facing-up-to-abuse-in-the-catholic-church TWO government agencies have refused to comment on a Northern Ireland Audit Office report which reveals how their failure to monitor grant aid funding led to millions of pounds of public money being squandered. On Tuesday Auditor General Kieran Donnelly was highly critical of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Industry (DETI) and Invest Northern Ireland’s handling of how £2.2m pound was paid to a bio-tech support company nearly 10 years ago. But officials in both bodies have told The Detail that it would be inappropriate for them or the Minister, Arlene Foster, to talk about the report until it is discussed by the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee - in seven weeks time. They have also refused to disclose how staff have been held to account in the six years since the scandal came to their attention. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:25:04 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/45/bti-audit-story--2/deti-minister-refuses-to-reply-to-audit-report-for-another-seven-weeks http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/45/bti-audit-story--2/deti-minister-refuses-to-reply-to-audit-report-for-another-seven-weeks FIRST Trust Bank has confirmed to the Detail that it has overcharged more than 8,800 customers by £347,000. In a statement to the Detail website this afternoon, a First Trust spokesman said: “First Trust Bank is refunding a total of £347,187 to 8,805 customers who were incorrectly charged fees,” he said. “The average customer refund is £40 and includes compensatory interest.” Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:01:15 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/44/first-trust-story/first-trust-admits-overcharging-8800-customers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/44/first-trust-story/first-trust-admits-overcharging-8800-customers IT was meant to build a state-of-the-art centre of excellence for Northern Ireland’s emerging bio-tech industry but why did millions of pounds in government funding end up being squandered on finder’s fees, double billing and unaccounted payments to family members? A report to be published this morning by Auditor General Kieran Donnelly reveals how £2.2m was “wasted” by government departments who allowed a publicly funded company to: • Double charge two government departments to the tune of £500,000 • Pay out £100,000 in an unauthorised finder’s fee - of which £25,000 went to one of the company’s own directors • Spend £370,000 on equipment which went straight to director’s other companies Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:47:30 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/45/bti-audit-story--2/the-deti-millions-and-the-biotech-venture-which-never-happened http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/45/bti-audit-story--2/the-deti-millions-and-the-biotech-venture-which-never-happened With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:44:01 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-251111 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-251111 VICTIMS' families have reacted angrily after being dramatically informed by the Police Ombudsman this afternoon that it can no longer investigate the killings of anyone shot dead by a police officer during the Troubles. The Police Ombudsman is understood to have contacted up to 50 families of people whose loved ones have been killed by police officers during the Troubles to inform them that it has obtained legal advice which precludes the ombudsman from investigating any police related killing which has already been previously investigated by the RUC. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:35:29 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/42/sam-mclarnon/ombudsman-says-it-cant-investigate-police-killings http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/42/sam-mclarnon/ombudsman-says-it-cant-investigate-police-killings THE ward at the centre of an outbreak of Clostridium Difficile at the Royal Victoria Hospital is the same one whose persistent issues with hygiene were highlighted by The Detail five weeks ago. Belfast Trust today (Wednesday) announced it was restricting admissions to Ward 4F because of two cases of the superbug there. In October The Detail revealed how the healthcare watchdog, the Regulation Quality and Improvement Authority, had issued one of its most damning reports after a probe into the ward two years earlier but that the ward which was supposed to be running the same hygiene standards as an operating theatre, was in fact barely making the mark in hygiene scores. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:12:51 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/42/ward-4f-update/failing-ward-under-spotlight-once-again http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/42/ward-4f-update/failing-ward-under-spotlight-once-again It was supposed to be the ultimate financial gift when the British government handed over six security bases to be redeveloped to boost Northern Ireland’s flagging economy, but have a series of OFMDFM management blunders led to taxpayers being left to clean up a multi-million pound mess? A new report to be published by Northern Ireland Auditor General Kieran Donnelly will today reveal how one army base was sold-off well below the market value; OFMDFM couldn't show auditors evidence of five year accounts on army base spending; Taxpayers facing a £8.5m bill to decontaminate sites because OFMDFM failed to carry out prior checks; and OFMDFM continues to accept contaminated MoD land despite civil servants warning it isn’t value for money Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:57:44 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/41/audit-report-on-military-bases/did-ofmdfm-squander-economic-boost-from-mod-gift-of-bases http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/41/audit-report-on-military-bases/did-ofmdfm-squander-economic-boost-from-mod-gift-of-bases With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:58:35 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-181111 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-181111 AS many eyes were focused on the long awaited Programme for Government announcement at Stormont, the final report of a taskforce set up to examine poor reading and maths levels in our schools was launched. The Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce document was finally made public yesterday morning (November 17th) – six months after it was written and handed over to the Department of Education. When asked to explain this timescale, a spokesman for the department said the delay in arranging a launch event was down to the difficulties involved in getting a date and location that suited all participants. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:47:04 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/40/burying-bad-news/delaying-the-bad-news http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/40/burying-bad-news/delaying-the-bad-news THE mother of a child killed by fluid she was given after a routine operation has raised fears that the long-postponed inquiry into the death is on the verge of collapsing, before public hearings have even started. Marie Ferguson, whose daughter, Raychel (left), died of dilutional hyponatraemia caused by intravenous fluid from a drip after an appendectomy in Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital in June 2001, has written to the chair of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-Related Deaths. She expresses her anguish at the latest delay to the public hearings which were due to start earlier this month – seven years after the inquiry was established to learn lessons from the death of Raychel and three other children who died in similar circumstances here. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:58:58 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/40/marie-ferguson-hypo-inquiry-letter/mother-fears-inquiry-collapse http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/40/marie-ferguson-hypo-inquiry-letter/mother-fears-inquiry-collapse TENS of thousands of children continue to be targeted by bullies in schools across Northern Ireland despite a nine-year campaign by the Department of Education to tackle the problem. In the midst of a week devoted to tackling bullying here, The Detail can reveal that the percentage of children being bullied in our schools has remained at the same stubbornly high levels since 2002 – even though more than £1.5m of funding has been invested by the department in anti-bullying initiatives. New research which focused on Year 6 pupils in primary schools and Year 9 pupils in post-primary schools has estimated that over 15,000 children in these two school years alone were bullied during the last school year. . Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:47:33 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/39/bullying/government-anti-bullying-drive-fails-to-make-an-impact http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/39/bullying/government-anti-bullying-drive-fails-to-make-an-impact With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:40:30 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-111111 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-111111 SDLP- Choosing the Leader. Again Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:10:47 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/sdlp-choosing-the-leader-again http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/sdlp-choosing-the-leader-again It was flagged as urgent; to be taken up immediately by the Health Minister and Executive after the elections in May, but now the Minister for Health, Social Services & Public Safety has announced that there isn't enough money to fund Northern Ireland's dementia strategy. While the strategy remains in limbo, campaigners fear the framework needed to support Northern Ireland’s ageing population will continue to suffer. Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:43:31 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/38/no-money-for-strategy/no-money-for-dementia-strategy http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/38/no-money-for-strategy/no-money-for-dementia-strategy With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:53:34 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-41111 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-41111 It was flagged as urgent; to be taken up immediately by the Health Minister and Executive after the elections in May, but almost six months on, there has been no movement on Northern Ireland’s dementia strategy. But Edwin Poots is due to make an announcement on the subject in a matter of weeks, just in time to coincide with the much-anticipated Alzheimer’s Society benefit concert taking place at the Ulster Hall in early November. With the Executive’s budget under more pressure than ever, campaigners fear that the Minister’s plan may not create the framework needed to support Northern Ireland’s ageing population as it swells in the years ahead. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:32:09 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/dementia/dragging-its-feet-on-dementia--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/dementia/dragging-its-feet-on-dementia--2 A COURT case gets under way today (Friday) which has the potential to transform how evidence about informants is dealt with by the courts – and the extent to which it is shared with defendants and the public. The planned judicial review involves a miscarriage of justice dating back 20 years, featuring IRA informers including Freddie Scappaticci , a series of closed court hearings, and allegations of criminal behaviour by police officers in the original investigation. However the focus of the action, being taken by solicitor Kevin Winters on behalf of James Martin, is the current stand-off by the Police Ombudsman, Al Hutchinson, who has failed to investigate the case. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:26:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/secret-justice--2/secret-justice-and-justice-delayed-in-the-dock--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/secret-justice--2/secret-justice-and-justice-delayed-in-the-dock--2 IT'S the forum of last resort for workers when their backs are against the wall in disputes over pay, conditions and even redundancies but an investigation by The Detail has found a system increasingly weighted against the aggrieved employee. Most employees' tribunal claims against their bosses fail or are withdrawn before a hearing; with no legal aid available in employment cases, more and more aggrieved workers have to represent themselves, usually coming against a team of specialist lawyers hired by their bosses. The tribunal system was set up to simplify the resolution of employment rows, however, according to one trade unionist, it has ‘turned into a monster’ in which aggrieved employees almost always come out worse. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:45:50 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/employment-tribunals/the-perils-of-taking-your-boss-to-tribunal http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/employment-tribunals/the-perils-of-taking-your-boss-to-tribunal THE Detail has investigated the practicalities of self-representing in an employment tribunal. It found a system which mostly takes place behind closed doors and which unrepresented workers need focus and nerves of steel to come through. It also carries with it the threat of the self-represented worker having to bear the legal costs of the other side, if their case is unsuccessful. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:14:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/employment-tribunals/whats-involved-in-self-representing-at-a-tribunal http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/employment-tribunals/whats-involved-in-self-representing-at-a-tribunal AN overwhelming number of tribunal claims against our public bodies end in settlements sworn to secrecy, an investigation by The Detail reveals. A survey we conducted of a cross-section of public sector bodies shows thousands of pounds of tax payers' money is spent on insurance policies or directly on legal fees, paying the best barristers to defend cases taken by aggrieved employees. And in most cases public bodies are also silencing employees when they hand out settlements with confidentiality a condition of the deal. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:08:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/employment-tribunals/a-hidden-world-of-settlements-and-gagging-orders http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/37/employment-tribunals/a-hidden-world-of-settlements-and-gagging-orders With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:56:59 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-281011 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-281011 A COURT case gets under way today which has the potential to transform how evidence about informants is dealt with by the courts – and the extent to which it is shared with defendants and the public. The planned judicial review involves a miscarriage of justice dating back 20 years, featuring IRA informers including Freddie Scappaticci , a series of closed court hearings, and allegations of criminal behaviour by police officers in the original investigation. However the focus of the action, being taken by solicitor Kevin Winters on behalf of James Martin, is the current stand-off by the Police Ombudsman, Al Hutchinson, who has failed to investigate the case. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:34:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/36/secret-justice/secret-justice-and-justice-delayed-in-the-dock http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/36/secret-justice/secret-justice-and-justice-delayed-in-the-dock It was flagged as urgent; to be taken up immediately by the Health Minister and Executive after the elections in May, but almost six months on, there has been no movement on Northern Ireland’s dementia strategy. But Edwin Poots is due to make an announcement on the subject in a matter of weeks, just in time to coincide with the much-anticipated Alzheimer’s Society benefit concert taking place at the Ulster Hall in early November. With the Executive’s budget under more pressure than ever, campaigners fear that the Minister’s plan may not create the framework needed to support Northern Ireland’s ageing population as it swells in the years ahead. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:23:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/34/dementia-update/dragging-its-feet-on-dementia http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/34/dementia-update/dragging-its-feet-on-dementia HUNDREDS of millions of pounds has been lost to the public purse through fraud and staff errors, an investigation by the audit office reveals today. The report, by Auditor General Kieran Donnelly, further reveals how a third of government departments and their so-called arms length bodies (ALBs) have been reprimanded for spending millions of taxpayers' money without proper authorisation. While the auditor’s latest report states that some government departments have improved practices, his report will also show that six government departments and their ALBs flouted their own rules to spend millions without proper authorisation. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:52:53 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/34/auditor-general-story/millions-of-public-money-lost-by-fraud-and-error-auditor http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/34/auditor-general-story/millions-of-public-money-lost-by-fraud-and-error-auditor With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:56:58 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-211011 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-211011 Michael Connolly is a survivor of sex abuse by four of the notorious McDermott brothers from Donagh in Fermanagh who has chosen to give up his right to anonymity so that it might encourage other survivors to shake off feelings of shame so they can step forward in pursuit of justice. Mr Connelly (51) gave The Detail an exclusive interview before heading to Stormont for the inaugural ‘Justice in the Community’ awards hosted by Department of Justice Minister David Ford. The Donagh survivors picked up an award for their courage in helping to convict the McDermott brothers who’d terrorised children for five decades. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:01:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/donagh/survivor-of-abuse-discards-his-anonymity http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/donagh/survivor-of-abuse-discards-his-anonymity The inquiry into the deaths of a number of children from suspected fluid overload in hospitals has been postponed until next year, The Detail can reveal. The public hearings were due to begin in November, seven years after it was set up. It will now be February 2012 before proceedings start and this time next year before closing submissions are heard. One of the main causes cited as the reason behind the delay points to new documents that were only discovered by the Belfast Trust on the 11th October. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:17:13 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/32/hypo-inquiry-postponed/child-inquiry-postponed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/32/hypo-inquiry-postponed/child-inquiry-postponed With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:14:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-141011 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-141011 THE retired Canadian judge who advised the British Government to hold an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane seven years ago has expressed shock and disappointment at David Cameron's rejection of the probe. Mr Justice Peter Cory, who has examined all available evidence in a review ordered ten years ago under the Weston Park agreement, said he was sad that the best interests of all concerned would not appear to be served by the decision presented by Mr Cameron to the Finucane family on Tuesday. And he warned that there would always be concerns and doubts about who was involved in the killing until there was a proper inquiry. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:11:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/finucane-decision-will-leave-doubts-and-concerns-over-case-cory http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/finucane-decision-will-leave-doubts-and-concerns-over-case-cory FOR 22 years the Finucane family have been demanding the truth about the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane at his north Belfast home in February 1989. The British now accept what a police investigation told them in 2003 and what a retired Canadian judge told them in 2004 - that there was clear evidence of collusion by security force members in Pat Finucane's murder. But it is clear is that they don't have the appetite to to delve any further into those waters and dredge up exactly how extensive that collusion was and who is implicated. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:31:25 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/the-ghost-of-pat-finucane-still-stalks-the-british http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/the-ghost-of-pat-finucane-still-stalks-the-british THE Finucane family had gone to Downing Street to accept a compromise which would have allowed an inquiry into the most controversial murder of the Troubles. So why did David Cameron take the time out of a busy schedule to offer them an arrangement he must have known amounted to a full-scale rejection of everything they'd been promised? Is the Cameron initiative on the Finucane case about money? Or is it about the British state's continued unwillingness to admit its role in events dating back nearly 22 years? Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:49:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/why-did-cameron-renege-on-pat-finucane-deal http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/why-did-cameron-renege-on-pat-finucane-deal With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:03:35 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-71011 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-71011 IN 2004 retired Canadian judge Peter Cory uncovered substantial evidence of security force collusion in the murder of Pat Finucane. That evidence included security chiefs failing to warn the solicitor of three previous threats to his life; Special Branch officers having an `unfortunate attitude' towards the solicitor's safety and army chiefs turning a blind eye to undercover agents being involved in murder. But despite overwhelming evidence of collusion, the British government has stalled for seven and a half years on allowing a public inquiry into the evidence which was uncovered by the Canadian judge. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:22:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/the-questions-cory-wants-answered http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/the-questions-cory-wants-answered THE campaign for answers about the murder of Pat Finucane is entering a new phase as his family embark on the final push for an inquiry which would provide the complete picture of events surrounding the killing. The widow and children of Finucane will meet the Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday and, they hope, break the deadlock which has prevented the establishment of an inquiry for the past seven years; the framework of the 2005 Inquiries Act, which allows the government to withhold evidence. But it is understood they could be offered an inquiry in which it would be up to the chairman of the inquiry to decide what evidence, if any, should be withheld - the model which was applied in the recent inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:03:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/a-breakthrough-on-the-horizon-for-the-finucanes http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/30/finucanes-meet-cameron/a-breakthrough-on-the-horizon-for-the-finucanes FOR decades survivors of physical and sexual abuse in institutions in Northern Ireland - State run and religious - have campaigned to have their voices heard and to secure justice. Last week the Northern Ireland State finally gave them hope by announcing a public statutory inquiry. But it has emerged that the inquiry may be severely hampered in its efforts and is likely to acquire the powers necessary to run properly only in the final six months of its existence, thanks to a time limit imposed by the Executive combined with a requirement for new legislation - a process which will take two years. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:03:46 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/28/chris-abuse-inquiry-update/what-northern-ireland-is-really-offering-child-abuse-survivors http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/28/chris-abuse-inquiry-update/what-northern-ireland-is-really-offering-child-abuse-survivors Patrick Corrigan Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:40:50 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/reflections-on-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-child-abuse-inquiry http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/reflections-on-northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-child-abuse-inquiry RAYMOND Mackin had done all in his power to ensure his fiancée, Anne Hearty, and their unborn child, Conall, would be safe on their journey through pregnancy and childbirth. The Dundalk couple wanted the best service possible and so decided to pay for private care with consultant obstetrician Dr Michael O’Hare at Daisy Hill hospital across the border in Newry. But as their families were waiting at home for good news about the arrival of a new grandson, Raymond watched helplessly as an understaffed and chaotic maternity regime cost the lives of both Anne and Conall. In this exclusive interview with The Detail, Raymond tells his family's heartbreaking story. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:34:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/27/annes-story/how-a-husband-and-father-to-be-saw-his-dreams-for-the-future-destroyed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/27/annes-story/how-a-husband-and-father-to-be-saw-his-dreams-for-the-future-destroyed THE family of a woman who died along with her unborn child in a maternity hospital in Northern Ireland have spoken of the secrecy and denial they have faced in their quest for answers over the past four years. In an exclusive interview with The Detail, relatives of Anne Hearty have revealed how understaffing and botched care led to the death of Anne and her son Conall Mackin - however, hospital enquiries into the catastrophe ended up commending staff concerned, rather than learning from it. The father and fiancé of Anne were in the High Court in Belfast on Monday where they accepted undisclosed damages from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and legal representatives for Dr Michael O’Hare, whom the couple hired to provide private obstetric care. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:23:06 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/27/annes-story/a-mother-and-baby-die-during-labour-%E2%80%93-but-have-the-lessons-been-learned http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/27/annes-story/a-mother-and-baby-die-during-labour-%E2%80%93-but-have-the-lessons-been-learned Fitting the Crime: the age of criminal responsibility Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:36:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/fitting-the-crime http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/fitting-the-crime With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:13:08 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-30911 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-30911 BY BARRY MCCAFFREY AND CIARAN BARTLETT MILLIONS of pounds of taxpayers' money has been ploughed into ensuring they have a well funded pension scheme - but why are MLAs investing in companies accused of tax evasion, price fixing, enforced evictions and creating `addictive’ video games? The Detail has investigated the background of the Assembly members' pensions portfolio and discovered serious questions about the credentials of a number of them, including African Minerals, First Quantum, Coal of Africa, Votorantim, Grupo México and NCsoft. But it's not clear what, if any ethical standards our MLAs are held to when it comes to the retirement plans they've set up with public money; we asked for `statement of investment principles' but were told that only MLAs were allowed to see it. Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:32:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/31/mla-pension-fund/the-ethical-deficit-of-our-mlas-pensions-pot http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/31/mla-pension-fund/the-ethical-deficit-of-our-mlas-pensions-pot AT one stage Abigail Lyle would not have believed it, but today she is living proof that there is life after abuse. She has not looked back since her break-up from Jonathan Cresswell and his subsequent imprisonment. As she reveals in this video, she now lives happily with her new boyfriend Charlie in England and is enjoying increasing success in a career she loves. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:51:34 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/26/abigail/a-victim-no-more http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/26/abigail/a-victim-no-more AS the criminal justice system prepares a new approach in a bid to reverse the persistently low conviction rates for domestic violence crimes, one woman today lays bare the reality of an abusive relationship. Abigail Lyle from Bangor, whose former boyfriend was jailed for six months for a series of attacks on her, agreed to share her disturbing story to encourage other women living in violent relationships to break the cycle, seek help and to see their perpetrator brought to justice. New figures reveal that a staggering 22,780 incidents with a domestic abuse motivation were recorded by the PSNI in Northern Ireland between June 2010 and June 2011. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:47:56 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/26/abigail/putting-violent-partners-in-the-dock http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/26/abigail/putting-violent-partners-in-the-dock With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:38:08 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-23911 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-23911 DETAILS of inspection reports produced by RQIA raise further questions over why the agency has never exercised its powers of sanction. The reports make for disturbing reading but the RQIA's favoured tactic appears to have been increasing the number of inspections it carries out in problem homes. Its position is in stark contrast to that of its sister organisation in England: the "Care Quality Commission(Care Quality Commission)":http://www.cqc.org.uk/ (CQC) which can and does act against homes it has concerns about. Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:14:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/gerrys-story-rqia/policing-by-inspection http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/gerrys-story-rqia/policing-by-inspection With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:57:12 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-16911 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-16911 IT'S SUPPOSED to be at the heart of patient safety in our health and social care system, but an investigation by The Detail into policing of care homes by the "Regulation Quality & Improvement Authority(RQIA)":http://www.rqia.org.uk/home/index.cfm (RQIA) raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the agency. We have studied dozens of reports of inspections carried out by the agency and discovered that in spite of some disturbing findings and police investigations into alleged abuses in care homes, the RQIA has not closed a single home and has only limited admissions to two since it was set up in 2005. The ability of the RQIA to even fully record abuse and poor care is also called into question: we've spoken to a woman whose mother suffered six fractures, but the incident it is not included in any of the inspection reports for that home. Another case treated as a Serious Adverse Incident in another home is not recorded either. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:36:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/gerrys-story-rqia/regulation-in-care-homes-what-does-it-take-to-act http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/gerrys-story-rqia/regulation-in-care-homes-what-does-it-take-to-act With him on one side, and him on the other Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:45:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-9911 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-detail-news-9911 With Scottish Conservative hopes dashed at the general election and a Conservative pact with the UUP leading to nothing, Patrick Haugseng looks at how Conservatives are now trying to make a break outside England. Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:36:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/tories-on-the-edge--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/tories-on-the-edge--2 A RECKONING looms at the Office of the Police Ombudsman this week with the future credibility of the institution and the tenure of its chief Al Hutchinson both on the line. Two weeks after this website revealed the contents of an official report into OPONI and following a series of investigations we have conducted into dysfunction within the office, the Maguire document will be officially published on Monday. The reaction which plays out and actions which may or may not be taken in the days which follow will signpost the future of the office itself and how effectively it will function and will also clarify the accountability of figures like Hutchinson in the face of public censure. Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:58:49 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/24/damning-report-on-ombudsman-due-for-publication/new-report-puts-pressure-on-hutchinson-to-quit-or-be-sacked http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/24/damning-report-on-ombudsman-due-for-publication/new-report-puts-pressure-on-hutchinson-to-quit-or-be-sacked Mary O'Rawe on supergrass trials of the 1980s with today's legal framework Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:53:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/transparency-key-to-supergrass-success http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/transparency-key-to-supergrass-success ON Tuesday the biggest single supergrass trial in 25 years gets under way in Northern Ireland as the north Belfast loyalist Mark Haddock and 13 others go on trial on the word of two former comrades. The Detail today sets out the questions it raises for the justice system: why is the supergrass approach back now? And what will determine its success or failure in 2011? We also examine the central role played by the state in the alleged activities of the Mount Vernon UVF over the past generation. Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:10:18 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/24/supergrass-preview/supergrass-system-back-in-the-dock-after-25-years-in-limbo http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/24/supergrass-preview/supergrass-system-back-in-the-dock-after-25-years-in-limbo Stephen Murtagh knows from heartbreaking personal experience what it is like when a loved one dies in hospital. His 31-year-old wife Janine died in November 2002 in the Royal Victoria Hospital six weeks after what was meant to be a routine procedure to investigate fertility problems. Nine years on and after a series of investigations into his wife's death, Stephen is still waiting for action which would remove the risk of the tragedy being repeated. Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:07:25 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/25/incident-reports/heartbreak-and-frustration-after-a-hospital-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/25/incident-reports/heartbreak-and-frustration-after-a-hospital-death Over 170 people died in health and social care linked serious adverse incidents in Northern Ireland in the 14 months up to the start of July, The Detail can reveal. Reports by health authorities on the 82 deaths so far this year indicate that 26 of them may not have been reported to the Coroner’s Office, which is supposed to be informed of sudden, unnatural or violent deaths. The reports have been heavily redacted to remove the location, timing and context of the incident – and sometimes the response of the authorities. The HSCB says this is to protect patient confidentiality. However, the information which is visible shows that the deaths reported this year include suicides, deaths in hospitals, the death of “clients” discharged after failing to attend appointments and people who died following surgery. Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:59:09 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/25/incident-reports/the-174-health-care-related-deaths-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-about http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/25/incident-reports/the-174-health-care-related-deaths-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-about The Compassionate Society? Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:08:49 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-compassionate-society http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-compassionate-society A confidential review into the death of a Co Fermanagh baby shortly after his birth found that medical staff knew about the pregnancy but failed to act on missed appointments by his mother who had mental health and alcohol addiction problems. The inquest into Joshua Johnston's death in June heard that Wendy Johnston's family did not know she was expecting a baby and only found out after Joshua's "concealed birth" in February 2006. The Detail can also reveal that the organisation which represents Northern Ireland’s doctors has raised serious questions about the outcome of the review. The BMA also appears to contradict a Department of Health assertion that the vast majority of the report's recommendations - many of which relate to mental health issues - have been implemented. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:51:16 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/22/wendy-johnston/confidential-report-sheds-more-light-on-babys-death-and-raises-more-questions http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/22/wendy-johnston/confidential-report-sheds-more-light-on-babys-death-and-raises-more-questions IT TOOK eight months for the RQIA to respond to Gerry Bond's complaints about ward hygiene after his grandson almost died of an infection and it led to one of its most damning reports, but two years on the ward concerned is still barely making the mark, The Detail can reveal. In June 2009 it was revealed that after an unannounced "inspection(Inspection report May 2009)":http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:X853L-cGboYJ:www.rqia.org.uk/cms_resources/Royal%2520Victoria%2520Hospital%252029%2520May%25202009%2520v2%2520PICTURES%2520COMPRESSED.pdf+ward+4f+inspection+royal+victoria+hospital+RQIA+may+2009&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiyFiVY22tnJmIS9_WYn8X7D5wA91afJn39HCH1JlzvO35T32XO4tFAUtXN0WVtdmbjrJdga2OJELI43AXxdnCEbkqTP9-QIGeejyCF54XO2G_4ATvGsqRKGMVJxlXyHgb-ZLo5&sig=AHIEtbTDgvg-Xjm_cXqaA63byrJ9jiMWIA carried out by the RQIA at Ward 4F at the Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH), the Belfast Trust were making the decision to close the ward for refurbishment. The RQIA’s findings were widely reported in the media as one of the worst the regulatory body had ever seen with 122 hygiene failures, but behind these figures was a personal campaign by Gerry Bond, who was horrified that it had taken so long to get the inspectors in in the first place. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:34:04 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/gerrys-story-rqia/ward-still-struggling-with-hygiene-after-rqia-intervention http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/33/gerrys-story-rqia/ward-still-struggling-with-hygiene-after-rqia-intervention The Detail can today reveal a damning new report's recommendation that the Police Ombudsman's Office be suspended from investigating Troubles murders and raises concerns over a "lowering of independence" regarding its relationship with the police. The explosive report, carried out by Criminal Justice Inspector Dr Michael Maguire, further reveals how ombudsman reports have been altered or rewritten to exclude criticism of police without explanation; senior ombudsman officials have demanded to be disassociated from investigation reports after their original findings were altered without reason; ombudsman staff investigating some of the worst atrocities of the Troubles believe key intelligence has been deliberately withheld from their inquiries Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:03:36 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/22/cji-report-into-ombudsman/ombudsman-loses-staff-trust-over-withheld-intelligence http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/22/cji-report-into-ombudsman/ombudsman-loses-staff-trust-over-withheld-intelligence Houses continue to crumble and decay in one of the most deprived areas of Belfast despite plans announced over six years ago to completely redevelop the entire area in the north of the city. Now the Northern Ireland Housing Executive is saying it could be another five to ten years before any plans are complete. In a week when plans to build 200 homes on the site of a former Girdwood army barracks in North Belfast were scrapped, the Housing Minister Nelson McCausland has made a rushed first visit to Parkside and cut the first sod in phase one of the new development scheme Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:46:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/21/parkside/the-85-million-regeneration-plan-the-result-six-years-on http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/21/parkside/the-85-million-regeneration-plan-the-result-six-years-on A British army 'cover-up’ has withheld evidence for more than three decades revealing that UDR units were being used to finance and support the UVF in west Belfast, with at least 70 soldiers on one base linked to the loyalist terror group. Top secret government papers disclose that the UDR’s Belfast battalion was heavily infiltrated by the UVF in the late 1970s. Army chiefs feared that 70 soldiers in one UDR unit were linked to the UVF in west Belfast, including one member of the notorious Shankill Butcher gang. One UDR unit was suspected of a £47,000 fraud to help fund the UVF while UDR equipment was regularly stolen from another unit to support the loyalist terror group. Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:35:38 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/20/udr-girdwood-story/british-army-covered-up-udr-units-links-to-uvf http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/20/udr-girdwood-story/british-army-covered-up-udr-units-links-to-uvf THE increase in Tramadol prescriptions issued across Northern Ireland raises new questions about how powerful painkillers are managed by the health service. Figures held by the Northern Ireland Prescription Database reveal prescriptions of tramadol hydrochloride painkillers have surged over the last ten years from 123,955 in 2000 to 395,119 in 2010. We asked the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and its Health and Social Care Board how these long-term trends are monitored and policed. Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:05:35 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/20/prescription-drugs/the-questions-about-prescribing http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/20/prescription-drugs/the-questions-about-prescribing With calls to roll cameras into our courtrooms from our own Attorney General and legal professionals across the UK, Patrick Haugseng asks if filming court proceedings really would open up our justice system and what else might. Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:13:29 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/opening-up-the-courts http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/opening-up-the-courts THE powerfully addictive nature of the painkiller tramadol hydrochloride is laid bare today by a former user who has described how it turned her from a happy stable woman to a suicide risk in a matter of weeks. "Helen" suffered extreme withdrawal and side effects to the painkiller which is emerging as the prescription drug of choice for pain relief here; 395,119 prescriptions of tramadol hydrochloride painkillers were issued in Northern Ireland last year alone. She experienced rapid flares in body temperature, hallucinations, tremors, heart palpitations and an excruciating week of insomnia. Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:04:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/20/prescription-drugs/the-price-of-pain-relief http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/20/prescription-drugs/the-price-of-pain-relief Chris Moore on Cloyne Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:22:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-crimes-of-omission http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-crimes-of-omission THE man responsible for holding most public servants in Northern Ireland to account says a fight back against his rulings could render the office’s work futile in the future. In his first interview for years, Tom Frawley also expresses concerns that an Assembly review aimed at streamlining “watchdog” bodies here is in danger of creating accountability gaps in critical areas of public life which his office could cover. The Northern Ireland Ombudsman’s office has been facing challenges on two fronts this year: the review by the Assembly into the role of all “arms-length” bodies here; and the British Medical Association which is contesting his powers to order payments and apologies from organizations found guilty of maladministration. Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:18:34 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/19/ombudsman-interview/thin-end-of-the-wedge-for-the-northern-ireland-ombudsman http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/19/ombudsman-interview/thin-end-of-the-wedge-for-the-northern-ireland-ombudsman How are those radical changes to prosecution working out? Let's ask the same guy who's been in charge for 20 years. Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:39:42 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-public-prosecution-service http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-public-prosecution-service FORMER rifleman, John Moore, travelled with The Detail back to the hills of South Armagh where his first tour of Northern Ireland was cut short at the height of the hunger strikes of 1981. On July 16, 1981, he was caught up in an IRA ambush near Crossmaglen. His best friend died when the IRA opened fire on their surveillance post in a scrap yard at Glassdrummond on the border. He survived but the bullet that hit him left him paralysed from the chest down. Here he reflects on the watershed moment for Northern Ireland which indelibly altered his own life. Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:59:31 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/18/soldier-story/back-to-the-hills http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/18/soldier-story/back-to-the-hills IN an exclusive interview about her role as Public Appointments Commissioner, Felicity Huston tells The Detail of the difficulties asserting her role as a regulator at Stormont. Mrs Huston, who steps down from the role she has inhabited since 2005, has also revealed that for the past three years the head of the Civil Service, Sir Bruce Robinson, has ignored her requests to meet. Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:56:12 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/the-uphill-battles-of-a-stormont-regulator--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/the-uphill-battles-of-a-stormont-regulator--2 IS the Public Appointments process self-populating? The Public Appointments Commissioner believes that tpo many "stale, pale and males" are ending up in our public bodies. Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:54:16 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/a-stale-pale-and-males-syndrome-in-appointments-here http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/a-stale-pale-and-males-syndrome-in-appointments-here WITH only a few weeks left as Public Appointments Commissioner, Felicity Huston reflects on the fragmented nature of oversight at Stormont and where it leaves the public it's supposed to be helping. Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:52:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/a-bit-of-divide-and-rule--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/a-bit-of-divide-and-rule--2 JOHN Moore was a 19 year-old rifleman, newly arrived in Northern Ireland, when Bobby Sands started refusing food inside the Maze prison in March 1981. Four months later Sands and another five of his fellow-Republican prisoners were dead, having starved to death on a hunger strike which would eventually claim the lives of ten inmates. It would also be a shattering moment for John Moore; a crucible from which he would forge a poignant life-long link with Ireland. Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:20:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/18/soldier-story/from-the-crucible-of-the-hunger-strikes http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/18/soldier-story/from-the-crucible-of-the-hunger-strikes The Head of the Civil Service, Sir Bruce Robinson has responded to claims that he has not met with the Public Appointments Commissioner in almost three years by saying that they have met informally each year, at the OFMDFM Christmas carol Service. Mrs Huston told The Detail last week that she has contacted Sir Bruce on numerous occasions to try to arrange an official meeting and that her repeated requests have been ignored. Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:01:24 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/civil-service-chief-cites-contact-at-carol-service-as-proof-of-meetings-with-regulator http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/17/bruce-robinson-follow-up/civil-service-chief-cites-contact-at-carol-service-as-proof-of-meetings-with-regulator "We should be debating children’s rights not religious morality" Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:18:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/we-should-be-debating-children%E2%80%99s-rights-not-religious-morality--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/we-should-be-debating-children%E2%80%99s-rights-not-religious-morality--2 Catherine Couvert gives her view on the adoption debate Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:17:36 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/we-should-be-debating-children%E2%80%99s-rights-not-religious-morality http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/we-should-be-debating-children%E2%80%99s-rights-not-religious-morality Students, worried about your fees? Then worry not, because there are no fees. Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:16:21 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/student-fees http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/student-fees Where did it all go wrong for the Police Ombudsman? Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:48:36 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/nio-interference-leaves-ombudsman-under-pressure-to-quit http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/nio-interference-leaves-ombudsman-under-pressure-to-quit As Stormont enters its annual summer recess and MLAs head away on their holidays, we pause as the dust begins to settle over the new chamber. Whilst the dust is very real, ‘new chamber’ is something of an oxymoron: very little from 2007 changed following the May Assembly election. Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:29:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/stormont-%E2%80%93-an-overview http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/stormont-%E2%80%93-an-overview WITH only a few weeks left as Public Appointments Commissioner, Felicity Huston reflects on the fragmented nature of oversight at Stormont and where it leaves the public it's supposed to be helping. Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:21:38 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/information-commissioner/a-bit-of-divide-and-rule http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/information-commissioner/a-bit-of-divide-and-rule IS the Public Appointments process self-populating? The Public Appointments Commissioner believes that we need to move away from the ‘stale, pale and male’ mentality that we currently see in Government departments. Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:18:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/information-commissioner/the-stale-pale-and-male-syndrome-of-appointments-here http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/information-commissioner/the-stale-pale-and-male-syndrome-of-appointments-here IN an exclusive interview about her role as Public Appointments Commissioner, Felicity Huston tells The Detail of the difficulties asserting her role as a regulator at Stormont. Mrs Huston, who steps down from the role she has inhabited since 2005, has also revealed that for the past three years the head of the Civil Service, Sir Bruce Robinson, has ignored her requests to meet. Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:13:30 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/information-commissioner/the-uphill-battles-of-a-stormont-regulator http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/information-commissioner/the-uphill-battles-of-a-stormont-regulator THE Office of the First and Deputy First Minister has finally handed over material which shows it intended to shield Children’s Commissioner Patricia Lewsley from criticism over a payout for legal costs - by agreeing it could be covered by an insurance policy she took out without prior permission. More than five months after The Detail requested documents relating to a critical report into the office of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) and following an intervention by the Information Commissioner’s Office in London, 28 pages of material have been released. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:33:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/ofmdfm-2/niccy-the-insurance-policy-and-government-secrecy http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/ofmdfm-2/niccy-the-insurance-policy-and-government-secrecy IF the Police Ombudsman’s report into the McGurk’s Bar atrocity highlighted his reluctance to grapple with collusion, his report into Loughinisland is startling by its absence of another crucial piece of the picture: the role of Special Branch both before and after the massacre. Mr Hutchinson states that he studied all “available intelligence” connected to the killings but important intelligence-related aspects of the case are not even mentioned in the report, raising questions over just how deep his investigation went in this case and, again, drawing attention to a “civil war” within his own office. Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:36:22 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/15/loughlandisland-special-branch-restructure-for-issue15/where-was-special-branch-in-loughinisland-massacre--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/15/loughlandisland-special-branch-restructure-for-issue15/where-was-special-branch-in-loughinisland-massacre--2 Short Strand v the media narrative Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:58:25 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/short-strand-v-the-media-narrative http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/short-strand-v-the-media-narrative THE Department of Health began work on new adoption legislation in 2004. Seven years later and it's still in limbo. Meanwhile, over 2,500 children are living in care. Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:44:44 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/how-our-politicians-dealt-with-the-issue http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/how-our-politicians-dealt-with-the-issue THE International Fund for Ireland, the agency set up 25 years ago to build prosperity and reconciliation on both sides of the border, has investments, donations due, cash in the bank and money waiting to be asked for by projects amounting to at least £150m, The Detail can reveal. As politicians both in Ireland and in the United States lobby for the restoration of funding which was removed from the 2011 budget an analysis of its accounts show there is a pipeline of cash that could stretch for years. The Fund was set up in 1986 and contributions are drawn from the governments of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well as the EU. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:54:47 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/15/ifi-fund-john-breslin/big-freeze-on-investments-from-international-fund-for-ireland http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/15/ifi-fund-john-breslin/big-freeze-on-investments-from-international-fund-for-ireland THE Detail can today reveal the conclusions of the Police Ombudsman on the Loughinisland massacre: that the failure by police to secure convictions afterwards was down to incompetence and a lack of commitment - but not collusion. The final report also leaves unanswered a key question of the families of the six men killed at The Heights bar 17 years ago: what the role of Special Branch was either before or after the attack. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:32:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/14/loughinisland-report-barry-follow-up/loughinisland-the-ombudsmans-report-but-key-issues-remain-unaddressed http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/14/loughinisland-report-barry-follow-up/loughinisland-the-ombudsmans-report-but-key-issues-remain-unaddressed IF the Police Ombudsman’s report into the McGurk’s Bar atrocity highlighted his reluctance to grapple with collusion, his report into Loughinisland is startling by its absence of another crucial piece of the picture: the role of Special Branch both before and after the massacre. Mr Hutchinson states that he studied all “available intelligence” connected to the killings but important intelligence-related aspects of the case are not even mentioned in the report, raising questions over just how deep his investigation went in this case and, again, drawing attention to a “civil war” within his own office. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:26:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/14/loughinisland-report-barry-follow-up/where-was-special-branch-in-loughinisland-massacre http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/14/loughinisland-report-barry-follow-up/where-was-special-branch-in-loughinisland-massacre NEW legislation governing apartments in Northern Ireland and protecting the rights of owners is at last two years away, The Detail can reveal. Despite the crisis facing thousands of apartment owners affecting their ability to maintain common areas as they would like - as revealed in The Detail over the past two weeks - a private member's bill which aimed to deal with the issue and which could have been in place by now, has been run into the ground. The Department of Finance and Personnel, which blocked the bill, is now most likely to have the final say on whether there should even be legislation - and it will be at least two years before it makes a decision. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:08:02 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/15/apartments-part-iii-politics/law-reform-for-apartment-owners-at-least-two-years-away http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/15/apartments-part-iii-politics/law-reform-for-apartment-owners-at-least-two-years-away THE delay in new adoption legislation means that thousands of children living in “kinship care” continue to be denied vital support and financial help. A recently published UK-wide study found that 5,200 children in Northern Ireland were being raised by family members who were not their parents in 2001. It is thought that the number would now be significantly higher 10 years on. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:18:41 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/over-5000-children-live-with-relatives-in-kinship-care http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/over-5000-children-live-with-relatives-in-kinship-care A LEGAL challenge has been mounted against the government after it stalled on moves to bring in new legislation which would allow gay couples to jointly adopt, The Detail can reveal today. Leave for the judicial review has been granted to the Human Rights Commission and, if successful, the case could led to new laws which would permit joint adoption by same sex and unmarried couples. The commission claims that the current law is discriminatory and out of line with human rights legislation. Draft adoption legislation was finally agreed by the Executive over a year ago in May 2010 - but withdrawn from the Assembly’s legislative programme just five months later. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:16:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/adoption-where-stormont-stalled-the-commission-steps-in http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/16/adoption/adoption-where-stormont-stalled-the-commission-steps-in What exactly is meant by the term 'collusion'? We keep you informed with The Detail's team of informers. Sat, 18 Jun 2011 10:20:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/collusion http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/collusion JOHN Larkin has suggested that problems in the Public Prosecution Service can be best addressed by more transparency in the way it works. Mr Larkin who is responsible for appointing the Director of Public Prosecutions - a position currently being filled - has also spoken in favour of opening up the courts here and allowing some hearings to be televised. On the challenges facing the new DPP, he has told The Detail: “Far from saying that there aren’t issues - there are problems from time to time as there will always be with individual cases and any new director will want to have a hard look at that. “But I’m inclined to the view that one of the biggest problems at the moment is lack of information, lack of accurate information on the part of the public and that the more the public learns, I think, I would hope, the more that public concerns will be assuaged.” Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:11:56 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/barry-attorney-general-story/larkin-backs-open-pps-and-courts http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/barry-attorney-general-story/larkin-backs-open-pps-and-courts THE Attorney General John Larkin has confirmed that the inquest system here shall have a role "front and centre" in how Northern Ireland deals with the past. And with speculation running high that the government could be preparing to establish a truth commission, Mr Larkin said he believed the two institutions could run in parallel although there would be "enormous" legal questions which would come with a commission. In an interview with The Detail, he also talks about his relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive one year into his job and his views on openness and transparency within the legal agencies here. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:49:08 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/barry-attorney-general-story/inquests-will-be-front-and-centre-in-dealing-with-the-past-attorney-general http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/barry-attorney-general-story/inquests-will-be-front-and-centre-in-dealing-with-the-past-attorney-general A "SATISFACTORY" relationship has been established with Northern Ireland's ministers, the Attorney General says. Just over a year into his tenure, John Larkin says the independence of his office has never been compromised by the need to work closely with politicians and civil servants on a daily basis. “Independence is an act of professional conscience judgement very often and it’s in no way opposed to collegial working together, where that’s appropriate, to the free exchange of views. “But I have the reassurance that my independence is statutorily enshrined and therefore that’s a very powerful safeguard. “I’ve never had to; so far, stand on that statutory underpinning, because so far things are working exceptionally well." Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:33:54 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/barry-attorney-general-story/a-satisfactory-relationship-with-government http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/barry-attorney-general-story/a-satisfactory-relationship-with-government Corporation Tax: new jobs or just hot money Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:56:04 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/corporation-tax-new-jobs-or-just-hot-money http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/corporation-tax-new-jobs-or-just-hot-money IN the last edition of The Detail we explained how apartment owners would become shareholders in an owners’ management company giving them the authority to establish the cost of service charges to maintain the common areas such as gardens, corridors, stairs, window cleaning and the exterior walls and roof. But the owners’ management company would only come into existence when the developer gave them legal ownership of the common land around the block of apartments. Today we look at the consequences of developers not vesting this land to the apartment owners and at the role of property agents some of whom behave like they are the owners’ management company. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:37:22 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/chris-apartments-story-part-2/the-real-cost-of-apartment-limbo http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/chris-apartments-story-part-2/the-real-cost-of-apartment-limbo New statistics obtained by The Detail highlight a worrying trend in the number of referrals about potential risks to vulnerable adults. In the financial year 2009-10, which is the only period there is robust data for at this stage, there were a total of 1,184 referrals to health trusts about potential risks to adults. We speak to one father whose daughter will have to spend the rest of her life within this system. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:53:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/23/vulnerable-kids-adults/1200-vulnerable-adult-abuse-claims-investigated http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/23/vulnerable-kids-adults/1200-vulnerable-adult-abuse-claims-investigated The department tasked with ensuring that millions of pounds of government contracts to private consultants is properly accounted for has itself been criticised after paying consultants 10 times more than budgeted for a project designed to improve government savings. The Northern Ireland Audit Office found the contract between the Department for Finance and Personnel and consultants PriceWaterhouseCoopers had overrun its allotted timescale by four years and ended up costing the taxpayer an extra £8.6 million from its original predicted budget of £970,000. The startling overspend is contained in the latest NIAO report into the outsourcing of public sector management work to private consultancy firms. Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:49:05 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/audit-office-report-into-consultancy-payments/dfp-spent-10-times-budget-on-consultants http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/audit-office-report-into-consultancy-payments/dfp-spent-10-times-budget-on-consultants The Northern Ireland Court Service is preparing for its inquest system to become a significant forum for many of the most troubling cases of the past. The Detail understands that meetings have already taken place at the top of the courts system following a landmark Supreme Court judgment which places the onus on coroners here to thoroughly investigate deaths where the state has been implicated. The move is also a response to a series of directions from the Attorney General for cases of killings to be re-opened by the Coroner's Court. Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:57:03 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/coroners-courts-braced-for-rush/coroners-service-preparing-for-more-historic-cases http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/coroners-courts-braced-for-rush/coroners-service-preparing-for-more-historic-cases THE Apartment Association of Northern Ireland [AANI] is campaigning for apartment owners to be given their full and clear title to the land on which their apartments are built. Developers who cannot or will not transfer ownership of the land known as the common areas – this includes gardens, car-parks, hallways, stairs, roof and exterior walls – deny apartment owners of the opportunity for them to run the owner management company by themselves and for themselves. The issue of clear title is exercising the minds of legislators and the Northern Ireland Law Commission is trying to find ways of clearing up the difficulties that exist because of the present complicated land law, company law and contract law. Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:41:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/apartments/homeowners-stuck-in-the-mud http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/apartments/homeowners-stuck-in-the-mud Would Stormont work better with fewer departments? Or would that just be folding up deck-chairs on the Titanic? Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:02:09 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/departments http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/departments What message does our court system send out to the public? Patrick Haugseng spent three weeks working it out. Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:58:22 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/pinstripes-and-paperwork-three-weeks-in-the-courts http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/pinstripes-and-paperwork-three-weeks-in-the-courts The CAJ's Mike Ritchie considers the role the Attorney General is playing in examining some of the most controversial moments of the Troubles Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:41:21 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/the-attorney-general-and-the-past http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/the-attorney-general-and-the-past The Detail has picked up a prestigious industry award less than three months into its existence. Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:04:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/award-for-the-detail/award-for-the-detail http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/award-for-the-detail/award-for-the-detail While Northern Ireland’s defence lawyers have been criticised for benefiting from excessive legal aid payments they are not the first to have found themselves in the dock over huge wage bills. In August 2007 the Criminal Justice Inspectorate carried out the first ever review of Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service. The CJI inspection reported that PPS barristers and solicitors claimed fees five times higher than their counterparts in Britain. Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:23:35 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/barry-legal-aid/public-prosecutors-were-previously-criticised-for-overspending--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/barry-legal-aid/public-prosecutors-were-previously-criticised-for-overspending--2 A row has erupted between the medical community and the Northern Ireland Ombudsman, opening up fundamental questions about how GPs here are policed. The British Medical Association has told its members that they may not have to make “consolatory” payments recommended by the Ombudsman and it has advised practices under investigation by the Ombudsman to contact it. And the Ombudsman’s office itself appears to have conceded that there is a question mark over its powers to enforce recommendations imposed on GPs following a complaint, including apologies or payments to patients and their families – and it now wants the Assembly to intervene. Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:13:30 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/ombudsman-bma-disagreement/row-erupts-over-gps-regulation http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/12/ombudsman-bma-disagreement/row-erupts-over-gps-regulation Justice Minister David Ford is currently embroiled in a bitter aid row with Northern Ireland’s lawyers refusing to rule out the possibility that he will bring in British lawyers if local defence counsel refuse to accept Legal Aid cuts. Mr Ford insists that lawyers have to accept their share of cuts as part of a huge reduction in public spending. However, one of Northern Ireland's leading barristers questions whether there is an ulterior motive to the dispute and raises concerns that it is an attack designed to destroy the independence of the local justice system and replace it with a two tier American style public defender system. Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:09:22 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/barry-legal-aid/breaking-the-law-whats-the-legal-aid-row-really-about http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/barry-legal-aid/breaking-the-law-whats-the-legal-aid-row-really-about Eugene Grant QC has been a barrister in criminal practice in Northern Ireland for a number of years and is founder and secretary of the Criminal Bar Association (NI). In this piece he looks at the issue of independent advocacy in the criminal justice system. Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:40:41 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/its-not-about-the-money-its-about-an-independent-legal-system http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/its-not-about-the-money-its-about-an-independent-legal-system Could Belfast's hospital estate be rationalised? Or is putting 'Belfast' and 'rational' in the same sentence too much to ask? Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:39:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/hospitals http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/hospitals The Department sent a detailed response to a series of questions on stillbirth posed by The Detail. Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:15:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/stillbirth/the-department-of-health-answers-our-questions--3 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/stillbirth/the-department-of-health-answers-our-questions--3 A COUNTY Derry mum has agreed an out of court settlement with the Western Health Trust - 10 years after her son's stillborn death at Altnagelvin Hospital. Axel Desmond died in October 2001 – one of the 112 stillbirths in Northern Ireland that year. There is no admission of liability on behalf of the trust. Her case highlights the Catch 22 situation faced by parents of a stillborn child: that the system fundamentally does not recognise the need for these deaths to be investigated and for lessons to be learned when mistakes are made. Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:29:26 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/stillbirth/stillbirths-the-deaths-that-dont-count http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/stillbirth/stillbirths-the-deaths-that-dont-count More than 6,000 babies were stillborn in Northern Ireland between 1974 and 2009. The staggering total death toll is increasing as around 120 babies here continue to lose their lives to stillbirth every year – the equivalent to two babies dying every week. The Detail has investigated how stillbirths are dealt with and investigated here. We have spoken to bereaved families, the Department of Health, the Coroner’s Service and medical experts and have also examined the latest statistics and reports on the issue. Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:56:50 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/stillbirth/the-failure-to-find-out-why http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/11/stillbirth/the-failure-to-find-out-why Do we all have a role to play in making this summer a calm one? Will Maloney, an American who works with young people in interface areas of Belfast, ponders an alternative approach to flashpoint confrontations. Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:04:55 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/do-we-all-have-a-role-to-play-in-ardoyne http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/analysis/do-we-all-have-a-role-to-play-in-ardoyne EXTRACTS taken from judgements made by the High Court of Justice show the difficult decisions taken by judges when it comes to making so-called freeing orders. The welfare of children is their top priority. In one case, a five-year-old girl was freed for adoption despite her birth mother being assessed as having "excellent parenting skills". In another case, a mother of nine lost her two youngest children to a freeing order. None of her children now live with her. Fri, 27 May 2011 18:00:23 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/family-courts-part-2/the-families-behind-the-statistics http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/family-courts-part-2/the-families-behind-the-statistics CHILDREN from 220 families were “freed” for adoption in Northern Ireland without the consent of their parents/guardians during a six year period, it can be revealed today. The figure was obtained by The Detail as part of our investigation into Northern Ireland's family court system. The orders were made during the years 2005-2010 and in each of the 220 family cases more than one child could have been "freed" for adoption. Many other life changing decisions are regularly made behind closed doors within these courts. As well as children being taken away from their families, custody battles are fought, allegations of abuse within families are dealt with and plans for forced marriages involving young people have also been thwarted. Fri, 27 May 2011 17:55:44 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/family-courts-part-2/court-orders-hundreds-of-children-should-be-removed-from-parents http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/family-courts-part-2/court-orders-hundreds-of-children-should-be-removed-from-parents OUR request was lodged on January 31st this year. We are yet to receive a response from the Office of First and Deputy First Minister. Fri, 27 May 2011 17:43:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/ofmdfm/four-months-on-still-no-response http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/ofmdfm/four-months-on-still-no-response THE Office of the First and Deputy First Minister could be found in contempt of court if it fails to respond to an outstanding Freedom of Information request from The Detail. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in London has intervened in the long-running stand-off by issuing a formal notice which directs the lead government department to respond to our request within 35 days. Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness’ office has not yet responded to questions centred on a review report into the Children’s Commissioner’s office – despite our request being lodged with the department four months ago. Fri, 27 May 2011 17:41:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/ofmdfm/ofmdfm-reprimanded-by-information-commissioner http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/ofmdfm/ofmdfm-reprimanded-by-information-commissioner After Saturdays Champions League final at Wembley were ticket touts were exceptionally active, Chris Moore recalls his own experience of ticket touts in Barcelona in 1999. Fri, 27 May 2011 15:50:12 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/unmasking-the-ticket-touts http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/unmasking-the-ticket-touts Are you a member of the public? Then why haven't you taken part in a public consultation exercise? Fri, 27 May 2011 15:38:00 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/public-consultation http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/public-consultation IN 2003 retired Canadian judge Peter Cory recommended a public inquiry into the murder of Rosemary Nelson after finding evidence of collusion in her murder. “I am satisfied that there is evidence of collusion by governmental agencies in the murder that warrants holding a public inquiry." He went on to say:"Without public scrutiny doubts based solely on myth and suspicion will linger long, fester and spread their malignant infection throughout the Northern Ireland community." However when the inquiry delivered its report on Monday it failed to mention collusion anywhere in its findings. The omission did not prevent Secretary of State Owen Paterson from declaring that the RUC and NIO had been cleared of collusion. Mr Paterson was later criticised for attempting to `spin' the inquiry's findings. But has the inquiry's failure to address collusion raised more questions than answers? Fri, 27 May 2011 13:32:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/collusion-not-mentioned-in-rosemary-nelson-inquiry/why-did-the-nelson-inquiry-not-mention-collusion http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/10/collusion-not-mentioned-in-rosemary-nelson-inquiry/why-did-the-nelson-inquiry-not-mention-collusion insert Tue, 24 May 2011 17:00:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/audit-office-investigation-psni/audit-office-northern-ireland http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/audit-office-investigation-psni/audit-office-northern-ireland Northern Ireland’s law courts can be imposing and intimidating places for adults. So imagine how frightening it must be for a child caught up in a breakdown of relations between his/her parents. Sat, 21 May 2011 15:54:10 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/family-courts-part-1/the-human-face-of-family-courts http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/family-courts-part-1/the-human-face-of-family-courts An inquiry into child deaths at Northern Ireland’s hospitals has appealed for help to track down a missing and potentially crucial witness. The issue was raised last week at the second progress hearing of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths. The inquiry was set up in 2004 but, almost seven years on, has still to hear evidence. Last week The Detail revealed that the Inquiry had been provided with information about a new case involving the death of a young girl at Antrim Area Hospital, six years after the inquiry was first announced. The Inquiry chairman has since announced that he was considering a small number of other cases and if they were to be included in the inquiry, it would be revealed in due course. Fri, 20 May 2011 17:26:42 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/inquiry-missing-witness-follow-up/child-inquiry-seeking-to-find-nurse-who-witnessed-boys-death http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/inquiry-missing-witness-follow-up/child-inquiry-seeking-to-find-nurse-who-witnessed-boys-death The five education boards have released statistics and information on how they are containing asbestos within their schools following a Freedom of Information request from The Detail. Fri, 20 May 2011 16:12:27 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/asbestos/the-education-boards-respond-to-our-questions http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/asbestos/the-education-boards-respond-to-our-questions ALMOST 1,000 schools across Northern Ireland still contain potentially deadly asbestos, it can be revealed today. An investigation by The Detail has found that a number of schools are “safely managing” crocidolite, which is considered the most deadly form of the dangerous material. And two of the education boards have also confirmed that they have paid out thousands of pounds following legal claims from people claiming illness/disease or death was caused by asbestos. Fri, 20 May 2011 15:59:40 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/asbestos/silent-killer-lurking-in-our-schools http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/asbestos/silent-killer-lurking-in-our-schools The chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly's health committee, Michelle Gildernew, outlines the priorities for the Department of Health. Fri, 20 May 2011 10:33:50 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/suicide-carers-and-breastfeeding-high-on-health-committee-agenda http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/suicide-carers-and-breastfeeding-high-on-health-committee-agenda A government watchdog which publishes a Legal Aid `league table’ of Northern Ireland’s highest earning lawyers, has itself been criticised after it failed to hand back nearly £30,000 it had overpaid to its commissioners. The Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission (NILSC) was first established in April 2003 to take over the administration of publicly-funded legal services from the Law Society. Part of its statutory obligation is to ensure “best value for money”. It is currently embroilled in a public battle with lawyers over its decision to publish Legal Aid league tables of the highest paid barristers and solicitors. However NILSC has now confirmed to the Detail that it chose not to recover nearly £30,000 which had been overpaid to commissioners, despite being censured by the Lord Chancellor Fri, 20 May 2011 09:06:13 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/legal-services-commission/legal-aid-body-fails-to-recover-overpayments-to-commissioners http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/legal-services-commission/legal-aid-body-fails-to-recover-overpayments-to-commissioners AN investigation by The Detail today raises serious concerns about the current state of Northern Ireland’s family court system. Despite the obvious relationship, the courts do not fall under the remit of the Department of Justice; a much needed review of the system ended because of a “shortage of resources” and parents we have spoken to claim they find it hard to have their voices heard. Meanwhile, amidst departmental stasis, the Legal Aid bill for family courts now stands at £20m a year. Next week, we ask whether life changing decisions involving families should continue to take place behind closed doors and we will also highlight how the courts regularly remove children from families for adoption against the wishes of parents. Fri, 20 May 2011 09:05:04 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/family-courts-part-1/departments-locked-in-custody-battle-parents-struggle-in-court http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/family-courts-part-1/departments-locked-in-custody-battle-parents-struggle-in-court Are judges really running Northern Ireland? We sentence you to a brief explanation. Thu, 19 May 2011 16:07:52 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/judicial-reviews http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/judicial-reviews A man who is under investigation by the PSNI for an alleged £80k fraud committed last September is believed to have set up shop with another scam working out of Belfast within the past number of weeks. Mark Townley, who has convictions for fraud in Liverpool, has had no charges brought against him by the PSNI to date. New pictures obtained by The Detail can reveal that he has had his head and neck tattooed to change his appearance. Mr Townley previously received a six month suspended jail term after pleading guilty to 14 counts of deception between May 2004 and May 2006. In 2008 he was accused of operating a modeling ‘scam’ in Dublin that is claimed to have netted him £750,000. Wed, 18 May 2011 14:31:56 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/conman/convicted-fraudster%E2%80%99s-photography-course-far-from-picture-perfect http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/9/conman/convicted-fraudster%E2%80%99s-photography-course-far-from-picture-perfect The Prison Service has confirmed that it has sent prominant dissident spokeswoman Marian Price to Maghaberry men's prison rather than Northern Ireland's women's prison at Hydebank Wood on the outskirts of south Belfast. The 57 year-old spokeswoman for the 32 County Sovereignty Movement (CSM) was returned to prison on Monday after Secretary of State Owen Paterson revoked her licence, claiming she posed a significantly increased threat to society. However, instead of sending Ms Price to Hydebank Wood a Prison Service spokesman said that she had been sent to Maghaberry for "operational reasons". Tue, 17 May 2011 18:30:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/marian-price/marian-price-sent-to-maghaberry-for-operational-reasons http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/marian-price/marian-price-sent-to-maghaberry-for-operational-reasons The future of academic selection, tens of thousands of empty seats in our schools, special needs, streamlining administration, school improvement, improving literacy and numeracy standards…. These are just some of the many issues facing our new Education Minister. Sun, 15 May 2011 11:03:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/sinn-fein-has-kept-education-what-now-for-our-schools http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/sinn-fein-has-kept-education-what-now-for-our-schools BELFAST journalist Ciarán Bartlett is in Pristina, Kosovo. In the third in a series of articles for The Detail, he travels to Prekaz, a hamlet in the north. He meets Rifat, a sixty year old former soldier and schoolteacher who now looks after the national monument in honour of the massacre at Prekaz. In 1998, over 50 members of the Jashari family were murdered by Serb forces across three farmhouses in the tiny northern village. Instead of quelling Albanian resistance, the massacre of Adem Jashari and his family galvanised the Kosovo Liberation Army and made them an even more formidable enemy for the Serbs. Rifat tells Ciarán how he feels about the Serbs now, just over a decade after burying his friends, their children and grandchildren. Sat, 14 May 2011 10:15:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/kosovo-article-second-week/struggling-with-the-past-in-kosovo http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/kosovo-article-second-week/struggling-with-the-past-in-kosovo Would you like to live in a nice mixed area? Or would a hypothetically nice mixed area do? Fri, 13 May 2011 16:00:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/mixed-housing http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/mixed-housing THE chief executive of one of Northern Ireland’s leading charities has said that the public could lose faith in the charity sector if the delays with the commission are not resolved soon. Roisin Foster, Chief Executive of the Ulster Cancer Foundation, believes it’s imperative that the commission gets up and running as soon as possible. Fri, 13 May 2011 13:59:45 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/donations-story/two-years-on-ni-charities-commission-remains-toothless http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/donations-story/two-years-on-ni-charities-commission-remains-toothless Damien and Adele Elliott’s lives changed forever when their sons Marc and Matthew were diagnosed with the rare genetic illness Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). The rare, inherited disorder leads to progressive brain damage, failure of the adrenal glands and eventually death. The Fermanagh couple are currently involved with a campaign to raise £2m for a children’s MRI scanner at the Royal Hospital in Belfast. The cause brings together four local charities who believe that without a dedicated children’s MRI scanner, many children who would benefit are unable to have this scan. Instead these children undergo different types of investigation which can be invasive or involve radiation. Fri, 13 May 2011 12:24:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/donations-story/families-behind-the-funds http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/donations-story/families-behind-the-funds AT LEAST £50m of charitable funding raised by the Northern Ireland public is tied up in restricted accounts and cannot be used by cash strapped local health trusts, The Detail can reveal. It is understood that some of the funds have been gathering in accounts for up to 50 years. The money can come from a range of benefactors including former patients, members of the public as well as from specific charitable campaigns. The majority of the funds are raised for specific issues; however bureaucratic rules which state that the moneys cannot be spent until their full targets have been reached, means millions of pounds are lying dormant. Fri, 13 May 2011 12:13:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/donations-story/50m-of-charitable-funds-tied-up-in-cash-strapped-health-trusts http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/donations-story/50m-of-charitable-funds-tied-up-in-cash-strapped-health-trusts A PUBLIC inquiry into the death of a number of children from fluid mismanagement in hospitals here has been provided with information about a new case in which a young girl died unexpectedly at Antrim Area Hospital. It comes six years after the Department of Health first established the inquiry. The Northern Health Trust has confirmed to The Detail that it's assisting the coroner’s office investigation into the death of 15-year-old Shauna Shivers from Castledawson. The Trust also confirmed that it has passed on the details to the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths chaired by John O’Hara QC. Shauna died on the 3rd of December 2009. Her death certificate, seen by The Detail, identifies cerebral odema and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) as the cause of death. Thu, 12 May 2011 14:29:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/shaunas-story/six-years-after-inquiry-set-up-another-death-to-be-examined http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/8/shaunas-story/six-years-after-inquiry-set-up-another-death-to-be-examined The long awaited report into the UVF killing of six men in Loughinisland in June 1994 has been delayed again. The report had been due to been finally published on Thursday, after two years of repeated delay. However a spokesman for Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson has confirmed to The Detail that the report will not now been published until next month. The spokesman said that the postponement of the report had been with the agreement of the Loughinisland families. Last month The Detail revealed how some victims families were warning that they were considering withdrawing support for the ombudsman over concerns over politicial interference. Days later ombudsman chief executive Sam Pollack announced his resignation because of the "meddling" of senior civil servants in the ombudsman's work. Sun, 08 May 2011 13:10:13 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/loughinisland-delay/new-delay-in-loughinisland-report http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/loughinisland-delay/new-delay-in-loughinisland-report The families of a teenager and young woman who took their own lives in prison last month today publicly place responsibility for their deaths with the Prison Service. The criticism from the families of 19 year-old Samuel Carson and mother-of-two Frances McKeown comes on the same day as Prisoner Ombudsman Pauline McCabe publishes a report into the death of another inmate in Hydebank Prison. The ombudsman's report today reveals how a teenage suicide victim lay undetected in his prison cell for five minutes. Warders couldn't find Allyn Baxter's prison cell because of a broken alarm light. Fri, 06 May 2011 18:50:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/hydebank-suicides/suicides-in-prison-ombudsman-and-families-speak-out http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/13/hydebank-suicides/suicides-in-prison-ombudsman-and-families-speak-out Does Northern Ireland need more entrepreneurs? Or just fewer ways to make money that actually cost money? Fri, 06 May 2011 18:35:49 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/entrepreneurs http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/entrepreneurs Travelling to Mitrovica, a divided city in northern Kosovo, Ciarán Bartlett speaks with lcoal journalist and fixer Avni Ahmetaj about misrepresentation and the problems facing journalists, particularly foreign correspondents today. The Ibar River in Mitrovica seperates Serbs from Albanians as the two communtiies dispute each tohers political status in Kosovo. Fri, 06 May 2011 11:16:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/kosovo/kosovo-the-real-thing http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/kosovo/kosovo-the-real-thing In the first of a series of articles, Belfast journalism student Ciarán Bartlett reports from Pristina, Kosovo. He's making a documentary examining now the conflict was reported internally by journalists and the impact of that reporting. In his first article, having just arrived in Pristina, he gives his first impressions of a country with a past that because of the conflict, draws comparisons with Northern Ireland. In the second article Ciarán travels to the divided city of Mitrovica in the north of the country. There, he speaks with a local journalist about the misrepresentation of the story both inside Kosovo and internationally. In the city, Ciarán, walks the banks of the Ibar River which seperates Serbs from Albanians as the two communties dispute each others political status. Fri, 06 May 2011 11:01:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/kosovo/in-search-of-the-past-in-kosovo http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/kosovo/in-search-of-the-past-in-kosovo The Detail has spoken to two young men in their 20s from Belfast – who asked not to be identified - about their experiences of living in care and being in custody. Our second film tells their stories. Fri, 06 May 2011 10:01:03 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/youth-crime/the-view-of-young-offenders http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/youth-crime/the-view-of-young-offenders Criminologist Professor Phil Scraton explains how the public outcry which followed the murder of toddler James Bulger in 1993 by two 10-year-olds led to major changes in the youth justice system. Fri, 06 May 2011 09:41:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/youth-crime/the-case-which-changed-the-face-of-youth-justice http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/youth-crime/the-case-which-changed-the-face-of-youth-justice Almost 100 children aged between 10 and 12-years-old were convicted of crimes in Northern Ireland over a five year period, The Detail can reveal today. During the same period, over 550 young people aged between 13 and 17 were sentenced to custody. The figures have been released under Freedom of Information legislation as a review team set up by the Department of Justice continues to examine Northern Ireland’s youth justice system and our low age of criminal responsibility. Today, in our three articles and two films we give a breakdown of the figures, the viewpoint of youth crime experts and two young offenders also tell their stories. Fri, 06 May 2011 09:31:03 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/youth-crime/serious-concerns-raised-as-children-criminalised-at-10 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/7/youth-crime/serious-concerns-raised-as-children-criminalised-at-10 A Co Tyrone man who was questioned for 14 days in connection with the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr has condemned the policeman's murder and insisted that he was not involved. However father-of-two Brian Carron, who was released without charge, says that his life has now been put in danger after his photographed was published by a number of media outlets.“I condemn what happened to Ronan Kerr,” he told the Detail. “It was sad and it was wrong, but I had nothing to do with it and the police know that. Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:34:56 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/brian-carron/i-didnt-kill-ronan-kerr-says-freed-murder-suspect http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/brian-carron/i-didnt-kill-ronan-kerr-says-freed-murder-suspect Throughout the Troubles the media in Northern Ireland abided by an unwritten `code' not to identify suspects until they appeared in court. But in recent years that `code' appears to have become blurred and ignored. News outlets are legally entitled to name a suspect who has been arrested but do reporters also have a moral obligation to consider? English Attorney General Dominic Greive has recently warned that some media outlets' wreckless naming of suspects, who have been arrested but not charged, could lead to new tighter reporting restrictions being imposed. But is the naming of suspects actually trial by media or the right of a free press in a democracy? Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:17:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/brian-carron/naming-suspects-trial-by-media-or-the-right-to-a-free-press http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/brian-carron/naming-suspects-trial-by-media-or-the-right-to-a-free-press Jonty Brown left the RUC in 2001. He was no stranger to death threats from both loyalists and republicans. His home was attacked by Loyalist paramilitaries. In retirement, he is a seasoned observer of the police force that took over from the RUC, the PSNI. He is dismayed at the continuing violence from republicans and at the loss of police lives in recent times. In this article Jonty Brown looks back at the kind of personal protection provided during his service and compares that with what is on offer for the young officers of today as they stand together in the face of the growing and ever more deadly threat from terrorists deaf to the calls for peace. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:12:09 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/psni-need-more-protection http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/psni-need-more-protection THE East Belfast family of a man shot dead by an off-duty police officer insist they want to see the closed circuit video footage of their loved one's death - no matter how distressing it will be. This was their position after learning from the Public Prosecution Service that the police officer involved will not face prosecution. Billy Ringland, father of 29-year-old shooting victim Marc Ringland, said the family wanted to see for themselves how he died. The family accepted Marc was doing wrong by using a knife to rob a filling station on the Albertbridge Road in Belfast. But they are angry with some media reporting and with conflicting reports about whether the shooting was close up or not. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:17:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/ringland-follow-up/family-of-shot-man-shot-by-psni-officer-to-meet-with-pps http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/ringland-follow-up/family-of-shot-man-shot-by-psni-officer-to-meet-with-pps AS the world anxiously waits to see if scientists can prevent a nuclear explosion at the Fukushima power plant in Japan the Detail brings you inside the bunker where Northern Ireland’s VIPs will escape to in the event of an atomic explosion. We reveal exclusive pictures of the showers where First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness would be hosed down to wash away radiation in the event of a nuclear attack. We show the bunk bed dormitories which politicians such as Sammy Wilson and Gerry Kelly would be expected to sleep. We show the special canteen where Ulster Unionist leader Tom Eliott and SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie would share special tinned beans and sausages. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 11:01:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/nuclear-bunker/the-detail-brings-you-inside-northern-irelands-nuclear-bunker http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/nuclear-bunker/the-detail-brings-you-inside-northern-irelands-nuclear-bunker THE sudden resignation of the chief executive of the police ombudsman’s office has thrown into question the essential independence needed to make Ombudsman Al Hutchinson’s work acceptable in our divided society. Al Hutchinson will be distressed by the strong language used by outgoing chief executive Sam Pollock as part of his exit strategy in which he accuses senior civil servants in the Department of Justice of meddling in the affairs of the police ombudsman in such a way as to damage the organisation’s independence. Of course, Al Hutchinson and the Department of Justice do not accept these criticisms. However, others also make the same accusations for different reasons and the whole issue may yet be investigated in a Department of Justice inquiry. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:08:51 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/ombudsman-resignation/pollock-resignation-adds-to-accusations-of-malaise-at-ombudsman http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/ombudsman-resignation/pollock-resignation-adds-to-accusations-of-malaise-at-ombudsman The purpose of the Baby Commissioner is not to commission babies. That is a completely different front-line service. The purpose of the Baby Commissioner is to commission a commissioner. It's his baby. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:22:01 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-baby-commissioner http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/the-baby-commissioner OVER the last four years more than £130m in taxpayers' money has been paid out to buy `off the shelf' homes from cash-strapped private developers who have been caught by the crash in the housing market. The scheme was scene as a `win/win' situation in which 1,400 people on the housing waiting list would be given new homes while millions of pounds would be pumped in to help save the local building economy. However in recent weeks outgoing DSD Minister Alex Attwood warned of more investigations into how housing associations operate after senior executives refused to accept a pay cut. Is this the end for the `off the shelf' scheme? Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:49:54 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/obel-tower/130m-taxpayers-money-paid-out-for-off-the-shelf-developments http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/obel-tower/130m-taxpayers-money-paid-out-for-off-the-shelf-developments IT was the flagship of the boom times for the Northern Ireland economy just a few years ago so why are developers now discussing the possibility of selling-off luxury apartments at the Obel Tower complex for social housing? Is Northern Ireland’s premier apartment block about to become the latest in a long line of cash-strapped property developments to be saved by a publicly funded buy-out? An investigation by the Detail can reveal how housing associations have used £132m of public money since 2007 to buy up private developments of more than 1,400 properties for social housing. But what does this say about the true value of the north’s housing market? Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:26:58 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/obel-tower/developers-in-talks-to-sell-off-obel-apartments-for-social-housing http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/obel-tower/developers-in-talks-to-sell-off-obel-apartments-for-social-housing HUNDREDS of PSNI officers serving across Northern Ireland have been disciplined for misconduct over the last six years, it can be revealed today. Figures compiled by the PSNI’s Professional Standards Department - which has responsibility for internal discipline relating to police officers – have been released to The Detail under Freedom of Information legislation. Misconduct investigations have included officers being accused of sexual offences, drink driving, theft, assaults, unauthorised disclosure of information, possession of drugs, possession of indecent photographs and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:13:24 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/psni-misconduct/number-of-police-officers-disciplined-for-misconduct-too-high http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/psni-misconduct/number-of-police-officers-disciplined-for-misconduct-too-high CASE management reviews are carried out when a child dies or is seriously injured and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor. The Detail's Kathryn Torney puts forward the case for executive summaries of the reports to be published in full. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:08:11 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/child-deaths-who-has-the-right-to-know--2 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/child-deaths-who-has-the-right-to-know--2 BISHOP Brian Hannon was diagnosed with Alzheimer's after a routine check up with his local GP four years ago. Having recently resat his driving test and contiuing to lead a relatively normal life with the help of the drug treamtnet Aricept, he believs he is living proof that dementia doesn't mean a death sentence. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:25:57 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/alzheimers-story/learning-to-live-with-dementia http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/alzheimers-story/learning-to-live-with-dementia AT the moment around a quarter of the £230 million a year of public funds spent on dementia goes towards care packages in people’s homes. The rest is divided up between private residential and nursing homes, hospitals and other health institutions. Thousands of individuals and their families are topping up the public bill from their own pockets and from the sales of assets like the family home . The detail examines what the financial and human cost of this really is. The rest is divided up between private residential and nursing homes, hospitals and other health institutions. The detail examines what the hum Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:21:22 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/alzheimers-story/cracking-the-care-conundrum http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/alzheimers-story/cracking-the-care-conundrum THREE years after the Executive made a commitment to put a policy in place, Northern Ireland is still without a strategy for dealing with the problem of dementia in Northern Ireland. The illness currently takes £400 million a year from the public purse, untold millions more in private care costs and the numbers of people afflicted by the condition here are projected to treble over the next 40 years. The latest available figures suggest around 18,000 people here have been diagnosed with the condition. Health experts say it’s the most pressing health issue facing Northern Ireland and getting a strategy in place won’t be picked up again until after the election – where it’s not even a topic of discussion. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:05:39 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/alzheimers-story/executive-accused-of-failing-dementia-sufferers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/6/alzheimers-story/executive-accused-of-failing-dementia-sufferers CONSULTANT psychiatrist Dr Ian Bownes has worked with children across Northern Ireland who are displaying sexually abusive behaviour. In his view, the millions of pounds spent every year on residential treatment for these troubled young people is worth the cost and has the ability to turn their lives around. Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:22:17 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/young-sex-offender/the-medical-experts-view http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/young-sex-offender/the-medical-experts-view THE Secretary of State's decision to extend the use of non-jury trials in Northern Ireland for another two years has been described as politically motiviated and unjustified. Despite Diplock courts having officially been abolished in Northern Ireland in 2007 the practice of non-jury trials still persists for some cases. But what does this say about Northern Ireland and how far are we away from normalised judicial system? While a leading human rights campaigner has called for an end to Diplock trials former Ulster Unionist leader Lord Trimble has defended the use of non-jury trials, describing them as ``our own little curious form of normality.'' Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:16:26 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/diplock-courts-story/non-jury-trials-form-of-normality http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/diplock-courts-story/non-jury-trials-form-of-normality SPECIALIST treatment for one young sex abuser from Northern Ireland cost £1.5 million, it can be revealed today. The Detail has learned that the teenager – who had abused other children - was sent to a residential treatment centre in another part of the UK where he stayed for over three years. The help needed to reform his sexually abusive behaviour is not available in Northern Ireland. A social worker and his mother were flown over to the centre from Northern Ireland once a month. The boy, who had not been convicted of any crime, returned home last year. This case is by no means unique. It is understood that millions of pounds are spent every year on similar treatment programmes for young people from here who are displaying sexually harmful behaviour. Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Ian Bownes, who is an expert in the field, said that the treatment is expensive but worth it. Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:52:14 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/young-sex-offender/treatment-for-young-sex-abuser-cost-15m http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/young-sex-offender/treatment-for-young-sex-abuser-cost-15m How has online interaction affected Northern Ireland? You might say it's been a positive force, at least for a while. Others might say you're wrong - and furthermore, you're worse than Hitler. Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:09:21 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/noticeboards http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/noticeboards MORE than 300 members of the RUC were killed during the Troubles but throughout that period many nationalists refused to support the force because of persistent allegations of collusion and sectarianism. In 1998 the Patten Commission was asked to come up with a set of proposals to change the future of policing in Northern Ireland. Two of the key architects of Patten were former Boston Police chief Kathleen O'Toole and retired Stormont civil servant Maurice Hayes. More than a decade on the experts discuss the pressures which investigating historic cases has put on the ombudsman’s office and judge whether the changes have brought about a new era in policing in Northern Ireland. Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:07:09 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ombudsman-story/has-ombudsman-led-to-greater-accountability-in-policing http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ombudsman-story/has-ombudsman-led-to-greater-accountability-in-policing 1971 and 2011 comparison Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:03:32 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ni-over-40-years/census-timeline http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ni-over-40-years/census-timeline THE Detail can reveal the Police Ombudsman has been given another £5m to deal with Troubles-related murders. But even though his budget for investigating historic cases has been doubled, Al Hutchinson admits it will still take at least 25 years to complete his reports. Solicitors now warn continued delays in completing investigations are leading to a crisis, with many families considering withdrawing support for the ombudsman. One solicitor told The Detail: “If the office does not have the funding and the resources to do that investigation, well you have to ask the question - what’s the point in proactively guiding a family to engage with the ombudsman’s office? “That (relationship) is under strain and it’s a matter which we’re currently giving serious review.” Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:41:44 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ombudsman-story/ombudsman-itll-take-25-years-to-finish-troubles-reports http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ombudsman-story/ombudsman-itll-take-25-years-to-finish-troubles-reports IN 1971 a pint of beer and cigarettes would have cost 39p, today they will set you back £10.45. Daily essentials such as a loaf of bread and a pint of milk would have cost 15p; in 2011 they are £1.65. Forty years ago the average wage was £24.90, today statistics show that people are earning £356.00 per week. Caroline McIlwain compares and contrasts the 1971 census to the predicted results from 2011. Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:31:19 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ni-over-40-years/what-will-the-census-tell-us-about-the-changes-in-northern-ireland http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/5/ni-over-40-years/what-will-the-census-tell-us-about-the-changes-in-northern-ireland Analysis: Dissident Murder of Ronan Kerr Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:43:30 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/dissident-for-trevor/analysis-dissident-murder-of-ronan-kerr http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/dissident-for-trevor/analysis-dissident-murder-of-ronan-kerr AN Omagh businessman who acted as a "land agent" for former Fine Gael Minister for Communications, Michael Lowry was banned from being a company director by the Northern Ireland High Court in 2000. Kevin Phelin was involved in a company which sold kitchens but was wound up owing creditors over £370,000. Mr. Phelin has also fallen foul of the planning authorities over an "unauthorised" extension to his home outside Omagh. Sun, 03 Apr 2011 20:25:29 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/moriarty-tribunal/key-player-for-michael-lowry-was-banned-from-being-a-director http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/moriarty-tribunal/key-player-for-michael-lowry-was-banned-from-being-a-director On May 5, the unionist voters of Northern Ireland will flock to the polls to try to ensure that Sinn Fein is not returned to Stormont as the largest party, and thus scupper the chances of Martin McGuinness being installed as First Minister in the next assembly. That at least is what the UUP and the DUP are hoping for - and doubtless will do everything in their power to bring about - and what many political pundits are predicting will happen. But how realistic a prospect is a massive anti-McGuinness turnout? Not very realistic, is the answer Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:50:43 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-mcguinness-factor http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/the-mcguinness-factor MRSA and C-Diff superbugs have officially been confirmed for the first time as being linked to more than 1,100 deaths in Northern Ireland during the last 10 years, The Detail can reveal. Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:41:28 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/cdiff/c-diff-and-mrsa-figures-reveal-new-shock-superbug-deaths http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/cdiff/c-diff-and-mrsa-figures-reveal-new-shock-superbug-deaths DOES Northern Ireland's equality system make us all equal? Or does it divide us into categories, multiply paperwork, add up to very little and subtract from the budget? Alas, that question is almost certainly racist. Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:58:15 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/equality http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/equality THE Department of Health answers questions from The Detail: Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:09:20 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/swine-flu--3/the-response-to-our-questions http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/swine-flu--3/the-response-to-our-questions FOLLOWING a tip-off the USPCA had been watching a small unofficial bird sanctuary for months. They had seen enough to be concerned about issues of neglect and cruelty to organise an uannounced search of the premises in Co Antrim. So along with officers from the PSNI and the USPCA’s vet, David Bailey, we joined USPCA staff, including chief executive Stephen Philpott, for a tour of the property. Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:07:48 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/animal-welfare/uspca-acts-on-neglect-tip-off http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/animal-welfare/uspca-acts-on-neglect-tip-off OVER 1,000 pages of documentation showing how publicity was handled by the Department of Health during the swine flu season were released to The Detail under Freedom of Information legislation. Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:48:07 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/swine-flu--3/documents-reveal-what-was-happening-behind-the-scenes http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/swine-flu--3/documents-reveal-what-was-happening-behind-the-scenes THE Department of Health has side stepped a request to confirm the total number of deaths from the recent swine flu outbreak in Northern Ireland – just months after it was forced to issue weekly death reports to the public. The department was severely criticised earlier this year for restricting information on swine flu given to the public and was eventually forced to backtrack on its policy not to release statistics on fatalities. Documents featuring decisions made by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey and Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride (both pictured left) give an insight into discussions taking place behind the scenes. Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:40:59 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/swine-flu--3/department-still-reluctant-to-confirm-swine-flu-deaths http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/swine-flu--3/department-still-reluctant-to-confirm-swine-flu-deaths UNDER the 1972 Animal Welfare Act, intervention by the police and the USPCA could only happen when animals were actually suffering. The new bill which passed through the Assembly in February means intervention can now occur in advance of the animal suffering. The Detail joined the police and USPCA on two recent visits to properties in Antrim where animals were suspected of living in neglect to discover the impact of changes in the law. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:50:40 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/animal-welfare/new-bill-allows-intervention-before-animals-suffer http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/animal-welfare/new-bill-allows-intervention-before-animals-suffer INVESTIGATION BY CHRIS MOORE STORMONT has been warned of a serious risk that abused animals in Northern Ireland could be left to suffer after a new welfare bill was passed by the outgoing Assembly. The Detail can reveal that council chiefs are claiming they were excluded from consultation and are seeking legal advice as they continue to resist the implementation of the new law, which removes responsibility for animal welfare obligations from the USPCA and places in in the hands of local government. As part of our investigation, we've produced three films examining issues arising from Stormont's new bill. In film one we hear from the councils and from the DARD Minister. In films two and three we join the police and USPCA inspectors on visits to premises to check on animal welfare. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:48:34 +0100 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/animal-welfare/new-animal-welfare-bill-to-be-challenged-by-councils http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/4/animal-welfare/new-animal-welfare-bill-to-be-challenged-by-councils Up until recently the words “Corporation Tax” belonged firmly in the business world and even then were only used by businesses lucky enough to make profits and thus be subject to taxation. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:41:23 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/corporation-tax-%E2%80%93-why-all-the-fuss http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/corporation-tax-%E2%80%93-why-all-the-fuss Why does Stormont use so many consultants? Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:34:06 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/consultants http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/consultants Documents released to the The Detail show the serious concerns raised by department officials and school principals. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:22:47 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/caitriona-ruane/revealed-the-serious-concerns-of-department-officials-and-principals http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/caitriona-ruane/revealed-the-serious-concerns-of-department-officials-and-principals EDUCATION Minister Caitriona Ruane ploughed ahead with a controversial plan to axe annual interviews between principals and primary 7 parents – despite being warned against the move by senior Department of Education officials. The Detail can today reveal the minister was cautioned that this “would be a strange and highly contentious course of action” which may cause legal risks for the department. She was also told that the most vulnerable children in Northern Ireland’s schools would bear the brunt of the adverse impact of such a change. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:03:19 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/caitriona-ruane/caitriona-ruane-ignores-warnings-on-scrapping-p7-parent-interviews http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/caitriona-ruane/caitriona-ruane-ignores-warnings-on-scrapping-p7-parent-interviews INVESTIGATION BY BARRY McCAFFREY FOR twelve years the Loughinisland families silently mourned the loss of their loved ones. They believed police assurances that no stone would be left unturned in the hunt for the killers. However, their faith in the police ran out as allegations emerged suggesting the killers were being protected from prosecution. Two police informers have been implicated in the events surrounding Loughinisland. Concerns have been expressed that no has been brought to justice despite police recovering the killers’ getaway car, weapons, clothes and a hair follicle being found on a balaclava. Why do allegations persist that the Loughinisland killers were protected? Will the ombudsman reveal collusion or discount it as a myth? Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:13:10 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/loughlandisland/loughinisland-collusion-or-myth http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/loughlandisland/loughinisland-collusion-or-myth INVESTIGATION BY BARRY McCAFFREY IT is five years since the Police Ombudsman began investigating allegations of major failures in the RUC investigation of six men shot dead in Loughinisland in June 1994. An investigation by the Detail can now reveal the existence of an eyewitness who insists she provided police with a detailed description of the getaway driver within hours of the attack but it was never followed up. We also reveal claims the killers’ getaway car was hidden on a policeman’s farm. But the witness now lives in fear of her life after a police officer allegedly passed her personal details onto a relative of the suspected killer. In this investigation we have produced five films that examine the various aspects of the story. In the first film we look at Loughinisland: the untold story. A witness speaks in film two and in film three, we hear from a widow angry that evidence was ignored. In film four, relatives question a pardon given to a suspect and in our final film, a survivor talks about the night of the attack on the Heights Bar. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:10:35 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/loughlandisland/police-ignored-my-evidence-says-loughinisland-eyewitness http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/loughlandisland/police-ignored-my-evidence-says-loughinisland-eyewitness PUBLIC sector contracts now account for over 50 per cent of construction jobs in Northern Ireland. There are 70,000 construction workers still in employment and the industry accounts for around £2.5 billion of economic activity here each year, but new findings show the sector is facing yet another year of decline. Statistics from the Federation of Master Builders show March was the thirteenth month in a row that the workloads of small and medium-sized construction firms in Northern Ireland have been negative. With more and more construction workers and companies looking abroad for work, Finance Minister Sammy Wilson is calling on the construction sector to be more innovative. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:30:16 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/construction-industry/public-sector-employs-majority-of-construction-workers-here http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/3/construction-industry/public-sector-employs-majority-of-construction-workers-here Once the dust of the May election settles down and the politicians have worked their way through the complications of d’Hondt, a new Minister of Education will arrive in his or her office in Rathgael House with a formidable pile sitting in their in-tray. Having dominated the news headlines for so many years, educational controversy has been somewhat in abeyance in recent months, but this is a consequence of a tired stand-off between the protagonists rather than an outbreak of consensus. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:07:45 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/a-new-educational-order http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/a-new-educational-order The Department of Health responds to questions from The Detail Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:38:23 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/the-department-of-health-answers-questions-from-the-detail http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/the-department-of-health-answers-questions-from-the-detail Should Stormont get to work on welfare reform? It is available for work, but it just hasn't had any suitable offers. Perhaps if it comes back in two weeks something will have cropped up. In the meantime, it may just keep looking through the papers. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:49:44 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/welfare-reform http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/welfare-reform The controversy over conflict of interest issues in government was highlighted earlier this month by the Stormont Assembly’s most powerful watchdog. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a hard hitting report into the mishandling of performance, procurement and governance issues at NI Water. Ironically, the report found that the Department for Regional Development (DRD), which has overall responsibility for NI Water, had failed to identify its own serious conflict of interest issues when it had appointed a three-man independent panel to investigate performance issues at NI Water. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:07:26 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/superdump/questions-over-conflict-of-interest-into-ni-water-inquiry http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/superdump/questions-over-conflict-of-interest-into-ni-water-inquiry A DISPUTE over plans for a controversial `super dump' near Coleraine has taken another twist with claims of a potential conflict of interest in the awarding of contracts. The Detail can reveal that campaigners opposed to a proposed super dump near Ringsend in Co Derry have expressed concerns over a potential conflict of interest after it emerged that consultants employed to oversee the tendering process were later employed by the successful bidder. In 1999 seven local councils in the north west formed a consortium to draw up a waste management plan for the region. In 2004 consultant engineers RPS (Ireland) were appointed to oversee a tender process to find a 'super dump' which would take 120,000 tonnes of rubbish over the next 16 years. In January 2007 RPS oversaw a tender process which resulted in B Mullan&Sons being chosen by the council consortium as the preferred bidder. It would emerge that RPS was later employed by Mullans to help ensure the controversial project secured planning permission. However Environment Minister Edwin Poots has rejected campaigners demands for a public inquiry into the controversy Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:04:31 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/superdump/super-dump-row-raises-questions-over-conflict-of-interest http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/superdump/super-dump-row-raises-questions-over-conflict-of-interest INVESTIGATION BY KATHRYN TORNEY A PERSON has died in Northern Ireland after being given their swine flu vaccination. The Detail can also reveal that a wide range of side effects suspected to be linked to the swine flu and cervical cancer vaccinations – given to teenage girls – are contained in hundreds of reports submitted from the province during 2009 and 2010 to the government agency responsible for vaccine safety. Thousands of adults and children receive vaccines across Northern Ireland every year and the vast majority suffer no ill effects. However, The Detail has investigated what happens on the rare occasions when vaccines go wrong and it makes disturbing reading. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:50:31 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/northern-ireland-death-linked-to-swine-flu-vaccine http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/northern-ireland-death-linked-to-swine-flu-vaccine The mother of a Co Down teenager who died days after receiving a combined Measles/Rubella vaccine tells her story. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:48:07 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/christopher%E2%80%99s-story-one-family%E2%80%99s-battle-for-answers http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/christopher%E2%80%99s-story-one-family%E2%80%99s-battle-for-answers Jackie Fletcher secured compensation for her son’s vaccine damage 18 years after he received the MMR jab. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:46:18 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/rob%E2%80%99s-story-the-fight-for-compensation http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/vaccines/rob%E2%80%99s-story-the-fight-for-compensation MARC ‘Ringo’ Ringland (29) was shot dead as he robbed a filling station shop in East Belfast last month. For the first time his family speak exclusively to The Detail to voice concerns about how leaks to the media about Marc's criminal past appeared to them as an attempt to justify an off-duty policeman shooting him to death. The Ombudsman has a team of a dozen investigators looking at the circumstances of the shooting in an Albertbridge Road filling station on February 3rd and has already submitted an interim report to the Public Prosecution Service while work continues on other aspects of the investigation. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:08:04 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/ringland/family-of-man-shot-by-police-hit-out-at-%E2%80%98smear-campaign%E2%80%99 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/ringland/family-of-man-shot-by-police-hit-out-at-%E2%80%98smear-campaign%E2%80%99 Marc Ringland (29) was shot dead as he robbed a filling station shop in East Belfast last month. For the first time his family speak exclusively to The Detail to voice concerns about how leaks to the media about Marc's criminal past appeared to them as an attempt to justify his shooting to death by an off-duty policeman. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:05:18 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/ringland/criminal-leaks-hurt-family http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/ringland/criminal-leaks-hurt-family In recent years the Northern Ireland Audit Office has found a series of government departments guilty of breaching conflict of interest guidelines in relation to the awarding of public contracts worth millions of pounds. In December 2010 auditor Kieran Donnelly revealed that almost £200m of taxpayers’ money had been misspent by seven Stormont departments. The auditor general subsequently warned public bodies of the need to be alert to potential conflicts of interest and highlighted the importance of perception, as well as reality, in such situations. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:27:15 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/superdump/conflicts-undermine-public-confidence-in-government http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/superdump/conflicts-undermine-public-confidence-in-government THE British Retail Consortium has said the Finance Minister’s proposed levy on out of town retailers here is not in the wider interest of Northern Ireland. Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:09:56 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/towncity-centres--2/the-doughnuts-taking-a-bite-out-of-our-town-centres http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/2/towncity-centres--2/the-doughnuts-taking-a-bite-out-of-our-town-centres Informer's Story Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:03:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/the-intelligence-struggle-in-the-shadows http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/the-intelligence-struggle-in-the-shadows Just days before the annual St Patrick’s Day knees-up in Washington, a well-known Belfast solicitor has told The Detail that a group of individuals in Belfast are seeking to “reignite” the Emerald Fund project. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:21:42 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/emerald/fresh-attempt-to-revive-failed-fund http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/emerald/fresh-attempt-to-revive-failed-fund Paedophile coach Derry O'Rourke served nine years in prison for abusing young swimmers. Karen Leach was one of his victims. Karen's mother took her own life because she couldn't live with the guilt of not being able to protect her daughter and Karen battles to live with the impact of the abuse every day. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:26:17 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/nspcc/my-swimming-coach-destroyed-my-life http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/nspcc/my-swimming-coach-destroyed-my-life WITH NAMA holding £3.5 billion of property loans in Northern Ireland, Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson has his Dublin counterpart on speed dial. Francess McDonnell reports. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:34:48 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/uncertainly-causing-property-paralysis-in-%E2%80%98nama-land%E2%80%99/uncertainty-causing-property-paralysis-in-%E2%80%98nama-land%E2%80%99 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/uncertainly-causing-property-paralysis-in-%E2%80%98nama-land%E2%80%99/uncertainty-causing-property-paralysis-in-%E2%80%98nama-land%E2%80%99 St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. The Irish economy is in tatters. Elections were just held, Fianna Fail party took its own shellacking and Fine Gael will lead the next government. Young people in Ireland are also voting with their feet. With few jobs at home, many are leaving for places where the jobs are, like Australia and Canada. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:32:15 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/its-time-to-cut-the-blarney http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/comment/its-time-to-cut-the-blarney IN April 2008 four New York public pension funds announced they were pumping $150m of their members' money into the Northern Ireland economy, with the investment potentially worth several times that amount over time. The Emerald Fund was hailed by the then First and Deputy First Ministers' as the largest ever public investment in Northern Ireland. But, three years on, not a single cent has been invested here. But just as it looked like the initiative was dead, The Detail learns that a group of business people are working behind the scenes to try and get the US money back on the table. John Breslin and Niall McCracken investigate. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:36:24 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/emerald/the-emerald-that-failed-to-sparkle http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/emerald/the-emerald-that-failed-to-sparkle IN March 2009 then Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde revealled that he was drafting in the British Army's Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) to target dissident republicans. Nationalist politicians criticised the decision and warned it would add to concerns over MI5's role in Northern Ireland. The government insist the PSNI is granted full access to all parts of the intelligence gathered by the security services. However a former army whistleblower provides a telling insight into the undercover operations in Northern Ireland and claims that MI5 and the SRR will never give the PSNI unfettered access to their intelligence. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:33:11 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/psni-gets-limited-access-to-army-intelligence-says-former-soldier http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/psni-gets-limited-access-to-army-intelligence-says-former-soldier In 2007 control for targetting dissident republicans was removed from the PSNI and handed over to MI5. Nationalist politicians criticised the decision, claiming that MI5 is unaccountable in Northern Ireland. But can the security services effectively combat the threat of terror while still being asked to operate within the ordinary the rule of law. One of Britian's most best known barristers, Michael Mansfield QC, has voiced concerns over increasing instances of evidence going missing in high profile court cases involving MI5 and other intelligence agencies. However QUB Law Professor Brice Dickson insists there is a need for effective security services if society is to be properly protected. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:28:43 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/lawyer-questions-reliability-of-intelligence-services-evidence http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/lawyer-questions-reliability-of-intelligence-services-evidence THE Detail can reveal that a British army unit operating in Northern Ireland had bugged a car belonging to one of two men charged with murdering policeman Stephen Carroll in Craigavon in March, 2009. But a preliminary court hearing has been told that data stored on the bugging device was mysteriously wiped inside an army base. Meanwhile, a leading barrister has raised concerns over the regularity with which the security services `lose' evidence in high profile trials and questions whether the need to protect national security is used being as a cover to withhold intelligence material from the legitimate forces of law and order. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:26:17 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/security-services-questioned-over-missing-evidence-in-carroll-murder http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/security-services-questioned-over-missing-evidence-in-carroll-murder Over the last 10 years a series of high profile court cases in Northern Ireland have heard allegations that the security forces had attempted to manipulate evidence. However, in many cases the allegations did not come from the defendants but instead emerged from evidence given to the courts by forensic scientists and other experts. While some of these claims were later discounted, a number of the allegations were proved to have been true and led to the subsequent collapse of trials. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:21:59 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/intelligence-services-accused-in-past-of-withholding-evidence http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/carroll/intelligence-services-accused-in-past-of-withholding-evidence A chronological look at the events surrounding the announcement of the Emerald Infrastructure Development Fund. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:58:08 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/emerald/emerald-timeline http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/emerald/emerald-timeline IT'S a criminal offence for a teacher to have a sexual relationship with a pupil even if they are over the age of consent. People working in places like residential children’s home, young offenders centres and hospitals are also legally barred from having a physical relationship with older teenagers in their care. But - despite two years of debate at Stormont - it's still perfectly legal for sports coaches to get involved with young athletes of the same age. Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:57:31 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/nspcc/how-our-politicians-handled-the-issue http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/nspcc/how-our-politicians-handled-the-issue THOUSANDS of children involved in sport across Northern Ireland have been left more vulnerable to abuse after local politicians failed to close a loophole in the law, The Detail can reveal. Justice Minister David Ford has decided not to amend the Sexual Offences Order to give better protection to young sports people – despite this move being strongly backed by a leading children’s charity and a number of key sporting groups. Since the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) – based in the NSPCC in Belfast – was founded 10 years ago a significant number of people have been convicted of child sexual abuse here and in the Republic of Ireland who were in positions of responsibility in relation to children in sport. Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:23:41 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/nspcc/teenagers-left-vulnerable-to-abuse-in-sport http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/1/nspcc/teenagers-left-vulnerable-to-abuse-in-sport Has coverage of the budget left you feeling Stormont is a farce? Then worry not, because Stormont's budget process works just fine. It also works backwards and inside-out, admittedly. But apart from that, it works just fine. Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:25:35 +0000 http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/setting-the-budget http://www.thedetail.tv/columns/how-northern-ireland-works/setting-the-budget