SAOIRSE32

:::u.tv:::
TUESDAY 04/03/2008

Former Royal Ulster Constabulary officer Jimmy Spratt has been confirmed as the new chairperson of an Assembly committee looking at the reform of Stormont and the transfer of policing and justice powers.

Mr Spratt accepted the nomination by Ian Paisley Snr to the Assembly and Executive Review Committee.

The South Belfast MLA will replace Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson as the committee chairperson, following his appointment last week as a junior minister.

The committee is due to report back next week to the Assembly on its deliberations on the devolution of policing and justice powers.

It is widely anticipated MLAs will be told by the committee cross-party agreement does not exist for the transfer of the powers by the British Government`s May deadline.

Mr Spratt was a policeman for 30 years, serving in Belfast and Londonderry and as a member of the close protection unit to Northern Ireland Office ministers, MPs and Chief Constables.

Prior to entering frontline politics, he was best known as a former chairman of the Police Federation.

In 2005 he was chosen to run for the DUP in South Belfast in the General Election and missed out on capturing the seat which the the nationalist SDLP`s Dr Alasdair McDonnell.

Two years later he captured an Assembly seat.

BBC
03 March 2008

The people of Belfast should not resign themselves to the long-term acceptance of peace walls, the SDLP has said.

There are now more than 40 peace lines in Belfast

SDLP councillor Alban Maginness said the city council should convince people there were other ways to guarantee their safety.

He said nine peace lines in Belfast when the first ceasefire was called had now increased to more than 40.

A proposal for the removal of peace walls is to be put before the council on Monday evening.

Mr Maginness said the barriers were “part of the harsh reality of life in parts of our city,” but they could not “simply be removed”.

“Rightly or wrongly, many people feel they are essential for security. We also need to face up to the consequences of having so many physical obstacles to social and economic development,” he said.

“Certainly in north Belfast, the existence of the peace walls is a major obstacle to sensible solutions to meet the high need for social and affordable housing.”

Mr Maginness said the SDLP hoped to see a working group set up to reach out to people who lived close to the peace-line.

The group would “point out some of the benefits of working more closely together for a city that everyone can be part of and where everyone can have a better life.”