Monthly Archives: October 2015

Translink has been accused of “starting to abandon” the Larne line rail service during a Stormont debate on East Antrim rail services. The comment was made by East Antrim Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson during an adjournment debate on October 13, when he accused the company of “salami-slicing services.” Only two other MLAs attended the debate; UUP MLA Roy Beggs and Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay, who was standing in for Oliver McMullan. DUP DRD Minister Michelle McIlveen was absent from the debate. Mr Dickson said the local rail service had been “downgraded” and the timetable changes were dissuading commuters from travelling by train. “Indeed, it seems that, bit by bit, Translink is starting to abandon the Larne line by reducing services to Larne, Whitehead and even Carrickfergus,” he stated. The new timetable means that trains now run less frequently, fewer stations are serviced and, ultimately, it makes it downright awkward … Continue reading →

Quizzed: Andrew McCormick A top civil servant has defended a decision not to publish a secret report into the collapse of a quango that brought stars of showbusiness to the province. The investigation into the demise of the Northern Ireland Events Company took more than five years and ran significantly over budget. It was finally completed last year at a cost of £1.24m – five times the £250,000 estimate. However, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, which commissioned the report, said it will not make the findings public. Andrew McCormick, the department’s permanent secretary, said there were sound reasons to keep it under wraps. “There was concern about criminal activity and therefore the need to undertake a process that would protect all the information that might possibly be relevant to that criminal investigation,” he said. “Protecting that parallel process was a responsibility we had and it would have been … Continue reading →

Adrian Cochrane-Watson An Ulster Unionist who once suggested that gay couples would not be welcome in his family’s bed and breakfast is to become an Assembly member. ‘; } s += ‘ Ads by Google ‘; if (google_ads[0].bidtype == “CPC”) { google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length; } s += ‘ ‘; document.write(s); return; } window.google_adnum = window.google_adnum || null; google_ad_client = “ca-pub-1729148518344007”; google_ad_output = “js”; google_ad_type = “text”; google_ad_channel = ‘2905088926+3455374145’; google_max_num_ads = ‘2’; google_skip = window.google_adnum; /* insert this snippet for each ad call */ In 2006, Antrim councillor Adrian Cochrane-Watson banned gay couples from his BB, saying his family’s Christian views made it impossible for gay couples to stay there. “I believe in total tolerance and have no problem with people doing what they want in the privacy of their own home,” he said at the time. “If I had a 40-room hotel I would have no difficulty … Continue reading →