Tag: Northern Ireland Office

  • PRESS RELEASE : Public Information activities in Royal Hillsborough and Belfast [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Public Information activities in Royal Hillsborough and Belfast [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 12 September 2022.

    Their Majesties will arrive at Belfast City Airport where they will be met by the Lord Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Chief Executive of Belfast City Airport, before travelling to Hillsborough Castle for a number of engagements.

    The King and Consort will arrive at Hillsborough Castle, where His Majesty will hold a private audience with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and will meet with representatives from political parties. Their Majesties will also receive a Message of Condolence from The Speaker of The Northern Ireland Assembly on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland.

    The King and The Queen Consort will attend a reception at Hillsborough Castle, hosted by the Secretary of State, where they will have the opportunity to meet representatives drawn from a diverse range of Northern Ireland life.

    Later in the afternoon, His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will travel to St Anne’s Cathedral to attend a Service of Reflection for the life of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II. Their Majesties will then undertake a walkabout at Writers’ Square before departure.

    Public information regarding travel to Hillsborough Castle

    • The public is welcome to come to Royal Hillsborough ahead of the ceremony to line the route, members of the public should be in place by 1100. There is no parking for non-residents
    • Special transport is in place from the dedicated Park and Ride facility at the Eikon Centre, Halftown Road, Lisburn There will be no public access to the Castle during this period other than via this Park & Ride service.
    • Further information on the public transport services and shuttle bus times is available on Translink’s Website
    • On arrival at the Eikon Centre, members of the public will pass through a security search, before boarding coaches for Hillsborough Castle. You will be able to access toilets and refreshments at the Eikon Centre before travelling to Royal Hillsborough.
    • Large bags, such as backpacks and rucksacks will not be allowed onto the Park & Ride buses to Royal Hillsborough; you will be asked to return any large bags to your car and will have to undergo the queuing system again.
    • Please be aware that only floral tributes will be allowed to be laid in the dedicated area at Hillsborough Castle. On arrival at the Eikon Centre, all floral tributes will undergo a full security search, and any cellophane wrapping will be removed and disposed of at the Eikon Centre to avoid a fire risk.  Notes will also be removed and preserved by the NIO at Eikon Centre for onward transmission to Buckingham Palace.
    • Other items (such as soft toys) are not allowed to be laid, and will also be removed and stored at the Eikon Centre. Soft toys will be donated by the NIO to local hospitals.
    • On arrival at Hillsborough Castle, the tributes should be handed to an events steward who will lay them in the dedicated area in the Forecourt of Hillsborough Castle.

    Information regarding route between Hillsborough and Belfast St Anne’s

    • His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will leave Hillsborough Castle at 1420, travelling along Main Street and Lisburn Street to attend the Service of Reflection at St Anne’s Cathedral, which will begin at 1500.
    • They will come into Belfast City Centre along Wellington Place, Donegall Square North, Chichester Street and Victoria Street.
    • The public is very welcome to line the route as His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort travel to the Cathedral. Donegall Street and Writers Square will be closed to the public.

    Public Information regarding the Service of Reflection at St Anne’s

    The service of reflection at St Anne’s Cathedral is by invitation only. A small number of individuals have been invited to observe the proceedings at St Anne’s Cathedral from Writers’ Square. Members of the public will not be admitted to Writers’ Square or to the service of reflection. Access to the service will be strictly by ticket only.

    • More information on wider activities in Belfast is available on Belfast City Council Website including public television screens at Belfast City Hall.

    Q&A

    Where is the Eikon Centre?

    • The Eikon Centre is close to the M1 and only 10 minutes from Royal Hillsborough.
    • Yellow signs will direct you to the Hillsborough Park & Ride. You will be directed as follows, if approaching from:
      • The South (A1): Stay on the A1 past Royal Hillsborough Village and turn left onto Harrys Road
      • The East (M1): Leave the M1 at junction 7 onto the Blaris Road
      • The West (M1): Leave the M1 at junction 9 onto the A3 and turn South on the Halftown Road
      • The North (A26): At the junction with the M1 and A3, turn East onto the the A3 and turn South on the Halftown Road

    How do I get there by public transport?

    • A shuttle bus will run from Lisburn rail station to and from the Eikon Centre
    • Public buses will still run through Royal Hillsborough, but you will not be able to access the Castle other than via the Eikon Centre. You will be able to hand floral tributes to staff to lay on your behalf.

    Why is there a security check?

    • As you are aware, Hillsborough Castle is a secure venue and for this reason it will be necessary for everyone coming on site to undergo a short security check before boarding the buses at the Eikon Centre as well as a further check before entering Hillsborough Castle.
    • All cellophane on floral tributes will be removed during this security check.  No other tributes will be allowed at the Hillsborough Castle site, and guests are requested to refrain from bringing any other objects or tributes.
    • To facilitate a speedy security check, guests are requested not to bring large bags or holdalls.  There will be no storage facility in the Eikon Centre for luggage.

    I am attending the ceremonial events, do I need to travel via the Eikon Centre?

    • Yes. Guests for ceremonial events in Royal Hillsborough and Belfast also be asked to travel to the Eikon Centre.
    • Guests will be handled separately to members of the public seeking to lay floral tributes. You should have received information about travel from the Northern Ireland Office alongside notification of your attendance at the event(s).

    I live in Hillsborough, do I need to travel to Eikon?

    • Local residents and business owners within Royal Hillsborough Village should receive a leaflet from Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council regarding the special arrangements in operation during the national period of mourning. If you have not received this, please contact the Community Assistance Centre on 028 9244 7999 for further information and support.

    I just want to lay flowers, do I really need to go to Eikon?

    • Hillsborough Castle is only accessible to the general public (aside from local residents and business owners) during the national period of mourning via the Park & Ride facility at the Eikon Centre.
    • Flowers may be handed to staff outside Hillsborough Castle; any other material (such as wrappings and other tributes) will be removed and the flowers will be laid in the dedicated area.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Secretary of State announces the appointment of new Commissioner to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

    PRESS RELEASE : Secretary of State announces the appointment of new Commissioner to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

    The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 26 August 2022.

    The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Shailesh Vara MP, has announced the appointment of Justin Kouame to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

    Mr Kouame will take up the appointment with effect from 1 September 2022.

    Mr Kouame was formerly Chair of the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers and member of the Northern Ireland Race Equality Sub-Group and Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities.

    Background

    The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (the ‘NIHRC’) was created by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, as part of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

    The NIHRC was established in 1999 and operates as an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office.

    Its powers and duties are set out in legislation, and it operates in compliance with UN General Assembly resolution 48/134 (the ‘Paris Principles’) on National Human Rights Institutions. The NIHRC’s functions include keeping under review the adequacy and effectiveness in Northern Ireland of law and practice relating to the protection of human rights and promoting understanding and awareness of the importance of human rights in Northern Ireland.

    Further information about the work of the Commission can be found here.

    Terms of appointment

    • This position is part-time for a period of three years ending on 31 August 2025.
    • The position receives a fixed annual remuneration of £7,500.
    • The position is not pensionable.

    Political Activity

    All appointments are made on merit and with regards to the statutory requirements. Political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity in defined categories to be made public.

    Mr Kouame has declared that he has not been politically active in the last five years.

    Regulation

    The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment (OCPA) regulates appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

    Statutory Requirements

    The Secretary of State makes appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in accordance with the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Platinum Jubilee Rug unveiled at Ulster Carpets

    PRESS RELEASE : Platinum Jubilee Rug unveiled at Ulster Carpets

    The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 23 August 2022.

    Dundonald Primary School pupil Emily McMullan (11), was announced as the winner of the competition by Minister of State Conor Burns in June, and met with Ulster Carpets designers to learn how her design was being turned into a special gift for Her Majesty the Queen.

    Emily’s design, featuring some of Northern Ireland’s most iconic landmarks such as Samson and Goliath in Belfast and the North Coast’s Giant’s Causeway, was woven into a rug by Ulster Carpets’ expert team, and unveiled by Emily and Minister of State Conor Burns at the manufacturing company’s Portadown headquarters on Tuesday 23 August.

    Emily’s postcard to the Queen was chosen from over 2000 colourful and creative entries, with primary schools across Northern Ireland offered the opportunity to take part in a unique design competition as part of this year’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

    The specially designed Jubilee rug will be delivered to Her Majesty the Queen as a gift from the children of Northern Ireland in her Jubilee year and Emily will also receive her own copy of the rug as a lasting memory of the important role that she has played in helping Her Majesty celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.

    Speaking about seeing the rug, competition winner Emily McMullan said:

    “It’s amazing to see all of the places that remind me of home being made into a gift for Her Majesty the Queen. I still can’t believe that something I designed in art class is now being delivered to the Queen!

    “It has been great learning from the designers at Ulster Carpets about how they turn art into rugs and carpets. It is something that I will never forget and I think I would like to be a designer in the future.”

    Speaking after the visit, Minister of State Conor Burns said:

    “It seems like only a few weeks ago when I was on the phone to Nick from a primary school in Bournemouth. I told him I’d had an idea and asked him to tell me honestly if it was crazy. Thankfully Nick and his team at Ulster Carpets are as open minded as they are creative. Nick said let’s do it. So the Platinum Jubilee Rug Competition was conceived.

    Little did I imagine then that it would be embraced so wholeheartedly by Northern Ireland’s young people. Yet the entries flooded in – over 2000 from schools of every kind in every county. Emily, her fellow finalists and indeed every child who entered can be incredibly proud of their designs.

    They have captured the natural and built wonder of this amazing place. Today I have seen the finished product and it is beyond my wildest dreams. We asked the young people to design a rug on the theme ‘a postcard from Northern Ireland’. What they did and Ulster carpets have produced is literally a gift fit for the Queen.

    I am bursting with pride in what these wonderful young people – the future of Northern Ireland – have done and I thank them sincerely.”

    Group Managing Director of Ulster Carpets Nick Coburn said:

    “It has been a great privilege to be involved in the NIO’s Platinum Jubilee design competition and to have the honour of manufacturing a rug for Her Majesty the Queen, particularly in the same year as we received the Royal Warrant.

    “The designs created by schoolchildren from across Northern Ireland demonstrate the immense artistic talent that we have in our country. As we look to the future, it is reassuring to know that Ulster Carpets can transform this potential into the carpet designers of the future.”