Hain succeeds in overturning Parades Commission ruling

Northern Secretary Peter Hain has succeeded in overturning a court ruling quashing his appointment of two Portadown Orangemen to the Parades Commission.

The High Court in Belfast ruled last month that the appointment of David Burrows and Don McKay was unlawful because no nationalist candidates were canvassed for the posts.

The case was taken by a nationalist resident from the Garvaghy Road in Portadown.

Mr Hain subsequently appealed the judgement and the Court of Appeal ruled today that the appointments were not in breach of the law.

The court said what mattered was the actual appointments and not how the Northern Secretary went about making them.

It said that, while it appeared the two Orangemen had a conflict of interest which they failed to declare in their applications for the job, they had pledged to act impartially and Mr Hain had taken this into account.