Flags report risks becoming an ‘expensive misadventure’

The Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) was originally set up in 2016 in a bid to find consensus on contentious issues.

The FICT report was unable to find agreement on the issues of flying flags from lampposts (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

A report into flags and culture in Northern Ireland will end up becoming an “expensive misadventure” if its recommendations are not implemented, the chair of a Stormont committee has said.

The commissioner behind the report has told MLAs that he hopes that an implementation plan can be set up to bring the recommendations forward.

The Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) was originally set up in 2016 in a bid to find consensus on a number of contentious issues, but devolution collapsed before it could deliver a report.

Its findings were submitted to the First and deputy First Ministers in July 2020, and were finally published last December.

The report made 44 recommendations, but was unable to find consensus on a number of issues including changing legislation around the flying of flags from lampposts.

Taking this forward lies with the political parties. It was their process, it was your representatives who were on this

Professor Dominic Bryan

When the 168-page report, which cost approximately £800,000, was published, there was criticism that it was not accompanied by a plan for implementing its recommendations.

Professor Dominic Bryan from the FICT Commission, told the Stormont Executive Office committee that they had held 287 meetings as part of research for the report.

Committee chair Sinead McLaughlin said: “The long-awaited publication of the report was very important, it was regrettable it took so long to get published.

“The disappointment lay that there was no action plan to follow through on the recommendations as there wasn’t any form of joint progress by the First and deputy First Minister.

“Obviously there are difficulties in the Executive in relation to actions arising from the report.”

MLA Sinead McLaughlin expressed concern that the recommendations of the FICT report had not been acted upon (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Archive)

Prof Bryan said: “One of our recommendations is an action plan.

“The point we hand it over, it really lies with the Executive Office.

“Taking this forward lies with the political parties.

“It was their process, it was your representatives who were on this.

“To be very blunt about it, if want value for money, value for money isn’t in the producing of it, it is what you do with it afterwards which counts.”

Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan said: “This isn’t a piece of work which came out of the Executive Office, it was approved by the whole Executive.

“All the parties voted to have this work carried out.

“It must be disappointing for you that there is no implementation plan.

“The narrative is that the parties couldn’t agree to get an implementation plan published.

“In actual fact what is happening is the DUP are actually blocking the publishing of an implementation plan.”

Some 11 others have also received suspended prison sentences

Sinead McLaughlin

Ms McLaughlin said: “There is real genuine fear of losing ground, there is a real holdback in relation to an implementation plan.

“I believe that your report is so important and it is going to be just an expensive misadventure if it doesn’t get an action plan.

“It is just a waste of paper, a waste of time, a waste of energy if we don’t move on these critical issues.”

The committee agreed to write to the Executive Office to reflect their concerns over a lack of implementation of recommendations of the FICT report.