McKibbin Moves To DRD

It has been revealed that Malcolm McKibbin, (pictured) who is the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) will transfer on a temporary basis to the post of Permanent Secretary in the Department for Regional Development (DRD). The move follows the suspension of Paul Priestly from his role as the most senior civil servant in DRD. The Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Bruce Robinson made the announcement yesterday and also said that Gerry Lavery, Senior Finance Director in DARD will be temporarily promoted to the post of Permanent Secretary in that Department. A Stormont committee is due to meet on Friday to discuss the events surrounding the suspension of Paul Priestly who was removed on Tuesday pending an investigation. See: NI Water 'Closed Session' As Wilson 'Snipes'

No Post At Holiday

Postal arrangements over the August Bank Holiday on Monday 30 August have been outlined by Royal Mail. There will be no deliveries or collections on 30 August, but full, normal service will resume on Tuesday, 31 August. Post Office branches will be closed on the Bank Holiday and will reopen next day, on Tuesday. Parcelforce Worldwide will not be making any deliveries or collections on Monday, 30 August, but normal service will resume on Tuesday.

Lloyds Shut BoI

The Bank of Scotland is closing Bank of Scotland Ireland (BoSI), which has an office in Belfast and will transfer its business to its parent company. Most of the 800 staff will transfer to this firm, however, there will be 35 compulsory redundancies in some areas. The bank has 150,000 customers across the island of Ireland and a loan book of €32bn and was involved in property lending and suffered in the Irish property crash. BoSI is owned by Lloyds who said that its other business operations, including its Halifax branch network in NI, will not be affected by the shutdown although the Halifax operation in the Republic of Ireland has already been closed.

Mephedrone 'Killer'

A dangerous - but previously legal - drug, mephedrone killed a 19-year-old NI man last year. He died from mephedrone poisoning, a coroner has confirmed. The now banned substance was sold in shops as plant food as was seen as a so-called 'legal high' when ingested. Yesterday, an inquest into the death of Samuel Anthony Thompson, of Hanan Drive, Lurgan heard that on the evening of his death his friends had seen him take an unknown quantity of mephedrone mixed in a drink. He died in Craigavon Area Hospital on 25 September 2009 having collapsed earlier, despite resuscitation attempts. In April 2010, mephedrone was banned and reclassified as an illegal Group B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

McCausland 'Gone Fishing'

The Stormont Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Nelson McCausland has this week toured Lough Erne to view the vital work carried out by Fisheries Officers in the area. During the visit the Minister accompanied fisheries protection officers to learn more about the work undertaken to detect and deter illegal fishing. He also viewed an example of fish habitat improvement work that is undertaken in the rivers in the catchment, and was given a demonstration of how fisheries officers monitor the quantity and quality of fish in the feeder rivers to the Lough. "Angling is the most popular participation sport and makes a significant contribution to our economy through tourism and rural regeneration. The angling waters of Lough Erne are considered by many to be amongst the finest in Europe and are visited by many thousands of people each year. We must capitalise on this and promote our fantastic angling estate further to encourage more visitors from home and abroad to sample what we have to offer," he commented.

(BMcC/GK)