The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice spokesperson Tom Elliott MLA has urged the Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, to publicly support his Private Members Bill which will prohibit the naming of publicly funded property after terrorists. 

Mr Elliott said:

“I am currently in the process of bringing in a Private Members Bill at Stormont which would prohibit the naming of publicly funded property after terrorists and ensure there can be no repetition of the situation which arose in Newry where the local Council voted to name a children’s playpark after an IRA terrorist.

Currently there is no legislation in place that restricts the naming of publicly funded property. A lot of local councils have a written policy which is sometimes not adhered to, and some have no policy at all in place. We need a uniform approach across the whole of Northern Ireland.

The proposed bill outlines that an ineligible person to name a public property after, is anyone that has been convicted and served a sentence of a certain length in Northern Ireland or anywhere else and/or has been convicted of being a member of a proscribed organisation.

Earlier this week the Secretary of State’s said – in relation to the naming of a children’s playpark “McCreesh Park” – “with hindsight I think I should have been a bit tougher. The decision to name it after an IRA terrorist was not just unhelpful but actively difficult for community relations."

I therefore invite the Secretary of State to give her public backing to my Private Members Bill which will prevent such events happening again, improve community relations and help build a genuinely shared future.”