Minister 'remained silent' in death threat

A Northern Ireland Office minister was today criticised for remaining silent on the death threat against the chief executive of a council in the North.

Craigavon Council’s nationalist SDLP group leader Dolores Kelly criticised NIO minister David Cairns for remaining silent as her party teamed up with Sinn Fein and independent councillors to call a special meeting of the council to discuss the threat.

The council’s chief executive Francis Rock was returning with his family from holiday in South Africa on Monday when he learnt from a colleague he had received a live bullet in the post and a letter ordering to pull back from staff reorganisation plans.

The letter made specific references to Mr Rock’s wife, Grainne and his two daughters, aged two and six, and the family has since had to take stringent security measures.

Ms Kelly, who is an Assembly member for Upper Bann, said her party, Sinn Fein and independents had decided to convene a special meeting in the absence of any such move by the Ulster Unionist Mayor of Craigavon Kenneth Twyble.

She told PA: “I am disappointed the minister responsible for local government, Mr Cairns, has yet to comment publicly on this threat.

“If this were to happen in England and a chief executive of a council there were to be threatened in this way, I am certain government ministers in Whitehall would be falling over themselves to condemn it.

“Can I also say that I am disappointed that while some chief executives of councils have individually contacted Mr Rock, the forum for council chief executives has yet to make any statement.”

Ms Kelly said it was regrettable the SDLP, Sinn Fein and an independent councillor had felt it necessary to sign a petition requesting a council meeting to discuss the threat against Mr Rock and his family.

“My party colleague, the Deputy Mayor Mary McAlindnen spoke to the Mayor yesterday, asking that a meeting be called,” she said.

“He said he did not want to move without talking to the chief executive. This is a matter of great urgency but as yet we have heard nothing from the Mayor about the convening of a meeting.

“It is regrettable but necessary that some councillors have therefore had to go down the route of calling a meeting themselves.”

The SDLP Group leader also criticised Democratic Unionist councillors and some Ulster Unionists who at a committee meeting last night passed a motion condemning Sinn Fein group leader Michael Tallon for suggesting the threat against Mr Rock could be sectarian.

“Our councillors were unable to attend that meeting which knocks on the head DUP claims that there was proper cross-party backing for their motion,” she said.

“I have to say I think it’s amazing that some unionists appear to be more exercised about taking Michael Tallon to task than they are about taking a stand at a special council meeting over the death threat against Mr Rock and his family.”