Latest news with #NorthernIrelandCivilService
ITV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Stormont Executive parties split over Civil Service's participation in Belfast Pride after exclusion
Thousands of people will pack into Belfast to mark the annual Pride celebrations on Saturday. However, a decision by the organisers to exclude the four Stormont executive parties has led to a debate over which organisations should take part. Belfast Pride organisers asked political parties to not attend the parade this year in an official capacity, after Stormont backed a ban on puberty blockers. The parade started in 1991 and over the last 30 years has grown to be the largest single parade in Northern Ireland. The theme for this year's event is No Going Back, as organisers said there must be 'no turning back from the advances made in visibility, legal protections and societal recognition'. Lynn Millar from Belfast Pride said: "Pride has always been a protest as well as a celebration. "While people within the community are being treated unfairly, it will remain a protest. "Especially this year with our trans-community, they have faced such an awful time." Critics say because the organisers are making a political statement, bodies like the Northern Ireland Civil Service, which are supposed to be politically impartial, should not take part. The Department of Finance, who look after this issue for the civil service, tweeted out colleagues will be taking part in celebration of diversity and inclusion. Although the decision has divided the two main parties. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said: ""There's no question that their parade, the event itself, is political. "There is a question around the civil service, which is required to be impartial, which has to dispassionately give impartial and independent advice to politicians who make decisions. "It does jar with me and it jars with colleagues and individuals who have no axe to grind or no position to take on policy perspectives. "If our civil service is impartial, then it as an organisation should not be participating, though of course any employee can." Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said: "They're a huge employer, possibly the biggest employer here, and I think it's important that that message is sent out, that message of solidarity and support. " I think being visible on the parade is important, and I do endorse and think it was the correct decision that was taken." The Alliance Party said they regret the decision not to allow them to take part, but high profile gay members of the party such as Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir and former Belfast Mayor Micky Murray will be there in a private capacity. Alliance leader Naomi Long said: "I will be respecting the fact that I'm not a parade and that that's what has been decided, and I will respect that. "I will be marking pride with my party colleagues in other ways. "It will be a different pride, but it will not be one that makes me any less of an ally because I'm absolutely committed to ensuring that LGBTQIA rights are protected in law and in practice. The pride organisers say they are more than willing to have a conversation in the future with the executive parties about them taking part, but only if they lift their ban on puberty blockers. First Minister has said it is with regret that she will stay away from Belfast Pride this year. Michelle O'Neill said she will mark Pride in her own way, and hopes to be able to return to Belfast Pride next year. It was reported that the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, was told they would be 'open to the charge of acting politically' by taking part in Belfast Pride. Ms O'Neill said she felt that as a major employer in Northern Ireland, the civil service should be represented, however TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said there was 'deep unease' among Christian civil servants. Mr Gaston said he has written to Ms Brady to voice his concern after being contacted by Christian civil servants. The PSNI said they will not be attending the event. The service said: "Following a review in 2023, the Police Service of Northern Ireland withdrew its permission for Police Officers and Police Staff to participate in Belfast Pride in uniform."This decision, in line with the Judgment of the Administrative Court in Smith v Chief Constable of Northumbria, was taken on the basis of the statutory and regulatory requirements surrounding police impartiality."PSNI are currently considering the judgment's implications for our proposed engagement at Belfast and other Pride events."Conscious that Pride is this weekend, we are aiming to reach decisions on these matters as soon as possible." Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
MLA brands NI Civil Service participation in Belfast Pride as ‘overtly political' as First Minister defends decision
The participation of Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) staff in Belfast Pride this year is 'overtly political and highly divisive', an MLA has claimed. The TUV's Timothy Gaston was speaking after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request revealed the head of the NICS was warned that taking part in the Pride Parade this weekend would leave the civil service 'open to the charge of acting politically'.
ITV News
31-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Tributes paid after death of former NI Civil Service chief Kenneth Bloomfield
Tributes have been paid to the former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, who has died at the age of 94. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt described Sir Kenneth as a 'great intellect' and 'one of our finest'. His career in public service began in the 1950s and he was cabinet secretary to the 1974 Stormont powersharing executive, and head of the NI Civil Service from 1984 to 1991. During this time the IRA tried to kill Sir Kenneth at his home in Co Down in 1988 but his family survived the bomb attack. Later, he took on a number of other roles including victims' commissioner and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. He was knighted in 1987. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said he was sorry to learn of the death. He added: 'He gave many years of service to Northern Ireland and did so with thoughtfulness and dedication. 'His calm approach, even when targeted by the IRA, earned respect across the board, and his contribution to public life will not be forgotten. 'My thoughts and prayers are with his family and all who knew him at this sad time.' Alliance Party leader and Justice Minister Naomi Long said: 'Sir Kenneth had a distinguished career in public service over many years and in many roles. 'He and his wife were personally targeted in the Troubles, when their home was attacked by an IRA bomb, but he did not allow it to deter him from his enduring commitment to public service. 'In the decades since his formal retirement, he continued that commitment, offering his skills and experience in the service of the community, most particularly in his work as victims'commissioner in the early days of the Assembly, a role which he notably described as being a 'painful privilege'.' Ms Long added: 'I know that he kept in touch with political developments and was especially supportive of efforts to ensure the devolved administration was put on a firm and stable footing. 'On behalf of myself and Alliance, I would wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Lady Elizabeth and the family circle on their very personal loss.' In a statement on X, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: 'Sorry to hear of the passing of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. 'A great intellect, public servant and one of our finest. 'Among many other things he paved the way for the setting up of the Commission for Victims and Survivors where I served before politics.' Belfast Lord Lieutenant Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle wrote: 'HM Lord Lieutenant has learnt with sadness of the death of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, distinguished public servant and former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. 'Ken brought dignity, gravitas and humanity to public life. 'To his wife Elizabeth, daughter and son, my sincere condolences. FJOB.' A post from the Belfast office of the US consulate said: 'We offer our condolences to the family of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, a distinguished public servant who dedicated his life to others, including those injured and bereaved during NI's troubled past.' Sir Nigel Hamilton, another former head of the NI Civil Service told the BBC he would remember Sir Kenneth as the 'most important, the pre-eminent public servant of his time and of his generation'. He added: 'From the 1960s right up to 1991 he was the leader, he was the public servant extraordinaire.'
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A distinguished civil servant who wanted to show leadership
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield was one of the most distinguished civil servants in Northern Ireland's history. During the 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, he was a key figure behind-the-scenes, trying to ensure public services ran as normally as possible. His death was announced on Saturday. He was 94. Sir Kenneth was born in Belfast on 15 April 1931 and he was educated at Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) and Oxford University. He entered the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1952. Four years later, he was appointed private secretary to the then Stormont finance minister Capt Terence O'Neill. He rose through the ranks of the civil service and in January 1974 he was given a key role working with the new power-sharing executive, led by Ulster Unionist Party leader Brian Faulkner. Unionist and nationalist politicians came together to govern for the first time but the cross-community executive collapsed after five months due to hard-line unionist opposition, including a loyalist workers strike. In 1988, the IRA tried to kill Sir Kenneth at his family home in Crawfordsburn, near Bangor, County Down, in a Semtex bomb attack. A colleague who was in the civil service at the time remembers how calm Sir Kenneth was after the bombing. Sir Nigel Hamilton, who also became head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, said: "Within an hour (of the bombing) he had put out a statement and within a couple of hours he was back in the office, working again. "He wanted to show leadership. "He wanted to show that we were all resilient and he wasn't going to be deflected from his public sector service because of what had happened." After he retired, Sir Kenneth reflected on the downfall of power-sharing in May 1974. He said: "It was the worst day of my official career of nearly 40 years – it was the worst single day. I could foresee that we were going to be plunged for further decades into a situation when there would be no local hand on the tiller." He was right. It would take another quarter of a century for power-sharing to return. In the interim, violence raged in the political vacuum. An attempt in 1985 by the then UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher to improve the security and political situation by signing an Anglo-Irish Agreement with the Dublin government led to sustained unionist protests. For civil servants trying to keep public services going, the challenges were huge. After Sir Kenneth stepped down from his job as head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1991, he took on a wide range of public and private sector roles, including Northern Ireland national governor of the BBC and vice-chair of the National Museum and Galleries. He was also senator at Queen's University Belfast, the inaugural victims' commissioner and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. He also worked outside of Northern Ireland, consulting on issues in Jersey, Israel, Austria, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. He received honorary doctorates from Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University. Sir Kenneth also wrote a number of books. In A New Life, published in 2008, he wrote: "I enjoyed access to ministers and the opportunity to make recommendations and suggestions to them. "They might well decide to do something different as was their prerogative. "I played the game by the rules, and any disagreement while serving, I kept to myself." Once he left the civil service, he was more free to speak his mind about politics past and present. He wrote a book called A Tragedy of Errors: The Government and Misgovernment of Northern Ireland. When it came to Stormont politics, he was an eyewitness to history, and played his part, in good times and in bad.
Powys County Times
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Tributes paid after death of former NI Civil Service chief Kenneth Bloomfield
Tributes have been paid to the former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, who has died at the age of 94. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt described Sir Kenneth as a 'great intellect' and 'one of our finest'. His career in public service began in the 1950s and he was cabinet secretary to the 1974 Stormont powersharing executive, and head of the NI Civil Service from 1984 to 1991. During this time the IRA tried to kill Sir Kenneth at his home in Co Down in 1988 but his family survived the bomb attack. Later, he took on a number of other roles including victims' commissioner and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. He was knighted in 1987. Alliance Party leader and Justice Minister Naomi Long said: 'Sir Kenneth had a distinguished career in public service over many years and in many roles. 'He and his wife were personally targeted in the Troubles, when their home was attacked by an IRA bomb, but he did not allow it to deter him from his enduring commitment to public service. 'In the decades since his formal retirement, he continued that commitment, offering his skills and experience in the service of the community, most particularly in his work as victims'commissioner in the early days of the Assembly, a role which he notably described as being a 'painful privilege'.' Ms Long added: 'I know that he kept in touch with political developments and was especially supportive of efforts to ensure the devolved administration was put on a firm and stable footing. 'On behalf of myself and Alliance, I would wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Lady Elizabeth and the family circle on their very personal loss.' Sorry to hear of the passing of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. A great intellect, public servant and one of our finest. Among many others things he paved the way for the setting up of the Commission for Victims & Survivors where I served before politics. internal-gallery:%7C19 — Mike Nesbitt (@mikenesbittni) May 31, 2025 In a statement on X, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: 'Sorry to hear of the passing of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. 'A great intellect, public servant and one of our finest. 'Among many other things he paved the way for the setting up of the Commission for Victims and Survivors where I served before politics.' HM Lord Lieutenant has learnt with sadness of the death of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, distinguished public servant and former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. — BelfastLieutenancy (@BLieutenancy) May 31, 2025 Belfast Lord Lieutenant Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle wrote: 'HM Lord Lieutenant has learnt with sadness of the death of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, distinguished public servant and former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. 'Ken brought dignity, gravitas and humanity to public life. 'To his wife Elizabeth, daughter and son, my sincere condolences. FJOB.' We offer our condolences to the family of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, a distinguished public servant who dedicated his life to others, including those injured and bereaved during NI's troubled past. — US Consulate Belfast (@USAinNI) May 31, 2025 A post from the Belfast office of the US consulate said: 'We offer our condolences to the family of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, a distinguished public servant who dedicated his life to others, including those injured and bereaved during NI's troubled past.' Sir Nigel Hamilton, another former head of the NI Civil Service told the BBC he would remember Sir Kenneth as the 'most important, the pre-eminent public servant of his time and of his generation'.
