NI Secretary orders judge-led review of Parades Commission decision makingSir Chris Bryant said the commission ‘needs to enjoy the fullest possible confidence of all communities’.Sir Chris Bryant made the announcement following a critical High Court judgment last week (Niall Carson/PA)PA WireRebecca Black6 minutes ago
A judge-led review has been ordered into how the Parades Commission in Northern Ireland makes its decisions.
Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant made the announcement following a critical High Court judgment last week.
But DUP leader Gavin Robinson described as “indefensible” Sir Chris’s decision to “fully back” the current commissioners.
The commission, which adjudicates on contentious parades in Northern Ireland, was heavily criticised by unionist politicians and the Orange Order after the ruling which quashed its determination over the Drumcree parade in Portadown.
High Court judge Mr Justice McAlinden referred to “errors”, “short cuts”, and “sloppy procedures” in the approach of the commission to making its determination.
The Parades Commission has blocked the order from marching along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown in July every year since 1998.
Some unionist politicians have called for the resignation of the commissioners, including chair Professor Evelyn Collins, following the ruling.
One commissioner, Billy Gamble, who had attracted criticism, resigned from his post on Thursday.
Sir Chris received assurances from the commission on Friday that it had a plan to address the concerns raised.
The 25th anniversary Drumcree parade in Portadown, Co Armagh, in 2023 (Niall Carson/PA)PA Archive
He met with the body on Tuesday, after which he announced the judge-led review of its decision-making processes.
Sir Chris paid tribute to the commission as doing a “vital job in what can be sensitive and difficult circumstances”.
But he said it “needs to enjoy the fullest possible confidence of all communities”.
“That is particularly important in the wake of the court’s ruling,” he said in a statement.
“I have considered the commission’s response to that ruling and, while I am satisfied that the issues raised are being taken seriously and progress is being made, I have decided that an independent review is needed to provide assurance on and consider improvements to the commission’s processes and procedures.”
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Sir Chris said: “This will strengthen the commission’s immediate and future work. In the meantime, the current commissioners have my full backing. It is in the public interest that they continue their critical functions as we work together to restore public trust in this vital institution.”
The Northern Ireland Secretary has also asked officials to launch a public appointments process as soon as possible to appoint commissioners, and urged all to “continue supporting the important work of the commission and to conduct parades and protests in a lawful manner”.
“I would urge everyone to support the independent judge-led review and to give the commission time and space to rebuild confidence and regain its footing,” he said.
“There is no justification for anyone stepping outside the law, including in relation to the lawful notification of parades.”
Mr Robinson said he believes the commissioners should not remain in place.
“The court identified fundamental failures in their decision making. Those responsible cannot credibly remain in post while the very processes over which they presided are investigated,” he said.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said he believed the commissioners should not remain in place (Brian Lawless/PA)PA Wire
“The commissioners have lost public confidence and have no credibility to continue. The Secretary of State should stand them down and put interim arrangements in place pending the outcome of the review.
“The review cannot become an exercise in institutional protection or a means of shielding individuals from accountability. I will examine its terms of reference and its scope. This organisation needs to change. That is not optional.
“The Parades Commission has too often been part of the problem rather than the solution. Confidence will not be restored while commissioners, discredited by the court’s findings, remain in office.”
UUP leader Jon Burrows welcomed the review as the “right course of action”.
But he called for its terms of reference to extend beyond processes and procedures.
“The judge should be granted full access to the commission’s documentation, and the final report must be published in full within a clearly defined timescale. Reporting privately to the Secretary of State on procedural matters alone would not be sufficient,” he said.
“On the commissioners, I have been clear that confidence has been lost. Steps should now be taken to appoint fresh commissioners in a timely and orderly manner.
TUV leader Jim Allister (PA)PA Wire
“I encourage the Secretary of State to meet promptly with Portadown District. These are the men at the centre of this matter. They pursued their case through the courts and were vindicated.”
TUV leader Jim Allister accused Sir Chris of “rolling over”, insisting the commission does not enjoy cross-community support.
He said: “It was Chris Bryant who set the bar for retention of the Parades Commission. He is the one who articulated the prerequisite of community confidence.
“He knows the commission does not, and cannot, enjoy cross-community confidence. Yet, he has rolled over, hiding behind a review…
“Now he has created the worst of all messes – a wholly discredited commission, with its history of unlawful conduct, supposed to adjudicate on a fresh Drumcree application!
“By his climbdown the Secretary of State has compounded the farce that now governs parading. He is much diminished by his retreat from the principle of public confidence which he proclaimed.”
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