No movement expected on flags and culture report until ministers respond

No movement is expected on the recommendations of a major report around flags and culture in Northern Ireland until Executive Office ministers agree on a way forward, an Assembly committee has heard.

The Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) Commission was initially established in June 2016 to tackle some of the most divisive issues in the region.

It submitted a report to the Executive in July 2020 and was later published in December 2021 amid disagreements.

The report made 44 recommendations but was unable to find consensus on a number of issues including changing legislation around the flying of flags from lampposts.

When the 168-page report, which cost approximately £800,000, was published, there was criticism that it was not accompanied by a plan for implementing its recommendations.

The Executive Office committee heard on Tuesday that an implementation programme was approved by the executive in March 2021 and a working group was set up, but it has not met since January 2022.

That time period has included two periods of political collapse at Stormont, the first from 2017 to 2020, and the second from 2022 to 2023.

Executive Office official Chris Gardner told the committee they met with junior ministers earlier this year to discuss the report, and have produced a new submission, which is currently “under ministerial consideration”.

Committee chairwoman Paula Bradshaw asked whether conversations have taken place around how the FICT report and the work of the Office of Identity, Culture and Cultural Expression could dovetail.

Mr Gardner said while conversations have taken place, it is unclear at this stage how the FICT report may influence the work of that office.

Questioned by Ms Bradshaw on how the FICT recommendations and an Arts Council programme on reimaging communities, Mr Gardner indicated they are awaiting the ministers’ response to their submission.

“In terms of the recommendations of FICT, we have a submission with ministers that sets out potential next steps on a way forward, but until we have a political agreement behind whatever avenue of progress they want to take, the recommendations remain under consideration,” he said.

In an earlier evidence session, Professor Dominic Bryan of the FICT Commission, said “We have all failed”, in terms of tackling these issues.

He had been asked if the Executive had failed.

“We’ve all failed actually, I’ve been producing reports on this for 20 years in my research, and I don’t think I’ve taken it forward enough,” he said.

“We haven’t solved this problem.”

However, he commended “areas of change” and cautioned against pessimism.

“Towns all across Northern Ireland, but our two largest cities, Derry, Londonderry and Belfast, have managed to create spaces which are significantly different than they were 20 years ago,” he said.

Asked about an action plan to go with the report, Mr Bryan said: “We recommended one, the story about where that went is for others to tell.”

Neville Armstrong, also of the FICT Commission, outlined the circumstances that have impacted the process, including Brexit and two periods of collapse at Stormont.

“So there was a vacuum that was there and I firmly believe if, particularly in terms of the assembly, if we’d have had an assembly … I think we would be in a different place today,” he said.