|
Orange Halls in Northern Ireland provide an invaluable community
resource. In both urban and rural areas, halls are the base
not just for the activities of the Institution but they are
often a home for other community activities, for community
groups, credit unions, youth services and a vast array of
other types of activity.
For this reason I and my Party have been lobbying Government
intensely for a greater recognition of that contribution and
for it to be reflected in a tangible way financially. We were
extremely pleased when the Government responded positively
to our lobbying for the introduction of de-rating for Orange
Halls. This has helped to remove a large financial burden
from many halls and boosted the efforts of those seeking to
develop and improve facilities within the community.
However, another major area of concern for us has been the
issue of insurance cover which, even if provided to a hall,
comes at a very high cost.
No one can doubt the seriousness of this issue given the
number of attacks on Orange Halls which have taken place down
through the years. There has been a particular upsurge more
recently with the added complication that there has been a
corresponding reduction in the issue by the Chief Constable
of Certificates for the purposes of compensation.
Sectarian attacks on Orange Halls have become commonplace
but the Government has actually been withdrawing support rather
than recognising the scale of the problem. I know of some
instances where those seeking insurance for an Orange Hall
approached over 30 different companies. Because of the Chief
Constable's increasing unwillingness to issue a Chief Constable's
Certificate, it makes it more and more difficult for compensation
to be paid out by the Northern Ireland Office.
In a huge number of cases it becomes extremely difficult
to prove the conditions that need to be met for a successful
claim against the NIO. It is virtually impossible to prove
that the act of criminal damage has been committed "unlawfully,
maliciously or wantonly by 3 or more persons" as required
by the legislation. Yet everyone in Northern Ireland knows
the motivation behind such attacks on Orange Halls. I believe
that one of the reasons such attacks are on the increase is
that the perpetrators know full well the difficulties brethren
are having in terms of the financial consequences. Delays
in the compensation system have resulted in the community
being left without a vital resource and many activities are
stopped as the wrangle over compensation continues.
There is a simple solution to all of this. In the case of
agricultural premises there is a simple requirement under
the law to prove that damage was caused "maliciously
or wantonly". This categorisation should be extended
to cover Orange Halls.
In the House of Commons during the passage of the Miscellaneous
Provisions (Northern Ireland) Order I proposed that the same
rules for agricultural premises should now be extended to
cover Orange Halls. A very strong case was made which was
supported by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.
When it came to the vote, 199 MPs joined us in the lobbies
to support my Amendment. The Labour Party dragged in 271 MPs
to vote against - most of whom had never even listened to
the arguments.
However, we should be greatly encouraged by the extent of
the support and the fact that this matter has now attracted
such widespread support on the floor of the House of Commons.
It will remain an issue for us in terms of discussions with
the Government because we are determined to see this injustice
sorted out as quickly as possible.
Nigel Dodds, OBE, DUP MP, MLA
House of Commons
|
