Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DIVISIONS FLAGGED UP IN NEW RULINGS
Govt denies claim decision breaks deal pledge
THE government has rejected claims that excluding Northern Ireland from new guidance on flying the Union flag undermines pledges in the New Decade, New Approach power-sharing accord.
It comes as further details emerge of the £800,000 cost of a Stormont body set up to make recommendations on dealing with cultural issues.
The Union flag is to be flown on government buildings in Great Britain every day under the new guidelines but in Northern Ireland it will continue to be erected only on designated days.
Unionist parties have called for the measures to be extended to Northern Ireland but the Alliance Party warned against overturning the current “long-settled” approach.
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said excluding the region “is wrong and runs contrary to” last year’s New Decade, New Approach deal which restored devolution.
He said the agreement “sought to align us with the rest of the UK when it came to the Union flag being flown on government buildings”.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where designated days for flag-flying are enshrined in law.
In the power-sharing deal, the government agreed to increase our designated dates by three to bring them into line with Britain.
It said the “same designated days will be observed in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK going forward”.
The government denied the change in guidance coming into effect this summer goes against New Decade, New Approach.
A spokeswoman said: “This is not true. The designated days list for UK government buildings is consistent with the days set out in the Schedule to the Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000.
“We updated the designated list for Northern Ireland to ensure it matched the days observed by UK government buildings, delivering on an important New Decade, New Approach commitment.
“The guidance issued by the Depart- ment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport does not change the position in New Decade, New Approach or the regulations governing flag-flying in Northern Ireland.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged a total of £809,019.88 has been spent on the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition.
Almost half was paid to commission members for remuneration, travel and subsistence, according to an Assembly response received by TUV leader Jim Allister.
The 15-member panel was set up in June 2016 to make recommendations on handling divisive issues including flags and bonfires.
Its long-delayed report was completed last July but has not yet been published.
An Executive Office working group set up to consider the report only met for the first time last week.
The FICT commission included political and non-political appointees. Commission members who d i d not hold elected office received remuneration and expenses for the meetings they attended.
On Monday, MLAS backed an Assembly motion calling for the FICT report to be released.