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Membership of Parades Commission Announced

24 February 1998

The Secretary of State, Mo Mowlam, has announced the membership of the new Parades Commission, which has now been formally established under the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 which became law on 16 February.

She confirmed that Alistair Graham, who has been Chairman of the Commission since it was set up in March last year, has been re-appointed as Chairman. She also announced that she had re-appointed two of the original members of the Commission, Frank Guckian and David Hewitt; and had appointed four new members, Glen Barr, Tommy Cheevers, Rose-Anne McCormick and Aiden Canavan. Welcoming the appointments the Secretary of State said:

"I am extremely grateful to Alistair Graham for his willingness to continue to chair the Commission. He has already shown that he has the special qualities of open-mindedness, energy and independence required to lead the Commission as it finally takes up the powers envisaged for it in the report.

"I am also grateful to David Hewitt and Frank Guckian for agreeing to continue to serve as members of the Commission. Their continued involvement, together with that of Alistair Graham, will ensure a valuable degree of continuity is brought to the work of the Commission. My grateful thanks are also due to the new members. By agreeing to serve each of them has made a personal commitment to the task in hand and I am convinced that they will make a most valuable contribution to the work of the Commission."

The Secretary of State went on to express her thanks to Mrs Berna McIvor who did not wish to be re-appointed to the new Commission but who had made a very valuable contribution to its work in its difficult formative months.

The Secretary of State went on to stress that the Parades Commission was totally independent of Government. She said:

The Secretary of State went on to express confidence in the Commission's ability to approach its task in an even-handed and impartial manner. She said:

"I have every confidence that the Commission will endeavour to reach decisions which are in the best interests of all of the people of Northern Ireland. In this difficult task, they require and deserve everyone's support."

The Secretary of State went on to point out that, during its passage through Parliament, the legislation had been amended to take account of concerns which had been expressed that it focused exclusively on parades as the problem and did not take sufficient account of the difficulties which protests against parades can cause. She said:

The Secretary of State concluded by looking ahead to the coming months, which she said would represent a crucial Period for the people of Northern Ireland. She said:

1.The Parades Commission is established as a statutory body under Section 1 of the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998. The Act gives the Commission power to encourage and facilitate local accommodation on contentious parades and, where this is not possible, to make determinations about such parades.

2.The Chairman and members (up to six in total) of the Commission are appointed by the Secretary of State under Schedule 1 to the Act. In making these appointments the Secretary of State is required to secure that, as far as is practicable, the membership of the Commission should be representative of the community in Northern Ireland.

3.The Parades Commission was first set up, on a non-statutory basis, by the last Government in March 1997. Prior to the passing of the Public Processions Act, the Commission has been carrying out a remit confined to conciliation and education.

4.The Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 implements the main recommendations of the Independent Review of Parades and Marches, chaired by Sir Peter North, which produced its report on 30 January 1997. The report recommended that an independent Parades Commission be established to help to promote mediation and local agreement in respect of contentious parades. It also recommended that the Commission should take over from the police the legal power to re-route and set other conditions for parades, on the basis of statutory criteria enlarged to include the impact of contentious parades on community relations.

5.The passing of the Act fulfils the commitment given by the Government, initially when in opposition and again upon taking office, that it would implement the recommendations of the North Report.

6.Attached is a guide to the Act, which explains how the new legislation will work and the obligations it will place, both on the organisers of parades and those who wish to protest against parades. It also sets out the functions of the Parades Commission, the RUC and the Secretary of State in relation to parades and protest meetings.

Mr Alistair Graham is Chief Executive of Leeds Training and Enterprise Council. He has been chairing the Parades Commission since it was established as a non-statutory body in March 1997.

Mr Tommy Cheevers has been a member of the Apprentice Boys of Derry for some 12 years. He is Director of the Greater Shankill Partnership, Director of Ballysillan Community Initiative, and a member of the Steering Group of North Belfast Interface Group.

Mr Aiden Canavan is a senior partner in a Belfast law firm. He was president of the Law Society in 1995 and is involved in several community development projects in West Belfast.

Mrs Rose-Anne McCormick is a Barrister and lives in Belfast. She was a member of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland from 1991 - 1997.

Mr Glen Barr is Chief Executive of the Maydown Ebrington Group. He is a former member of the Fair Employment Agency and Community Relations Council. He is involved in cross-community work in Londonderry.

Mr David Hewitt CBE is a senior partner in a Belfast law firm. He was previously Independent Assessor of Military Complaints procedures. He has been a member of the Parades Commission since it was originally set up in March 1997.

Mr Frank Guckian, CBE DL JP is the Commissioner of the Planning Appeals Commission. He is a former Director of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce and former Chairman of the Western Health and Social Services Board. He has been a member of the Parades Commission since it was originally set up in March 1997.

For text of Secretary of State's statement on Appointment of Parades Commission click here.
Link here for A Guide To The Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.

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