The statement by the Apprentice Boys of Derry, acknowledging that members of the Clyde Valley loyalist flute band wore a contentious British Parachute Regiment emblem during an Orange Order parade and that this “may have caused upset to many in the nationalist community”, is deeply depressing.

Members of Protestant marching organisations in the North welcomed the promise of a new system for overseeing parades in today’s deal, but Catholic residents’ groups expressed concerns over any changes.

GAA members of the North’s Police Service will soon be forced to declare their affiliation, it was claimed today.