STATEMENT
BY
COUNCILLOR JIM McELROY, DUP, BANBRIDGE
DISTRICT COUNCIL
COUNCILLOR IAN BURNS, UUP, BANBRIDGE DISTRICT
COUNCIL
COUNCILLOR STEPHEN HERRON, TUV, BANBRIDGE
DISTRICT COUNCIL
DREW NELSON, GRAND SECRETARY of the ORANGE
ORDER
RE: EQUALITY COMMISSION
We met with the Chief Commissioner Bob Collins, and two of
his staff on Monday last, 4th February 2008.
We had a general discussion about equality issues and in
particular flags and emblems and a particular discussion about
the Equality Impact Assessment Public Consultation currently
being undertaken by Banbridge District Council.
During our discussions the Chief Commissioner and his staff
indicated that they had not had any contact with Banbridge
District Council about this matter.
We have subsequently discovered that in fact Banbridge District
Council wrote to the Equality Commission on the 14th May 2007
about this matter and that the Equality Commission responded
by email on the 1st June 2007. That email had attached "a
briefing that we have pulled together around the legal considerations
and guidance in relation to the flying of Union Flag".
The enclosed guidance contained references to The Flags Regulations
(NI) 2000 which do not apply to Council Buildings and The
Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998, which does
not make any direct reference to Flags.
The Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission repeated
his claim during an interview on BBC Newsline on Tuesday 5th
February 2008 when he said that "we had no contact, no
contact with the Council in advance of anything that they
did. They did not seek our advice".
We feel that we have been misled by the Chief Commissioner
and that the ratepayers and residents of Banbridge District
have also been misled as a result of these claims and we now
call on him to withdraw them publicly and to clarify and confirm
that the Equality Commission did advise Banbridge District
Council in relation to the flying of the Union Flag on the
1st June 2007.
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