Stakeholder

The Chairman of the Parades Commission has written to the Secretary of State indicating his intention to step down from his position in the coming months. Roger Poole said today,

“My term of office as Chairman of the Parades Commission was originally due to expire in December 2008. At that time I agreed, along with my fellow Commissioners to stay on for a further period. However the role of Chairman is an exacting one and I feel that the time is now right for me to step down from that role.  I have given the Secretary of State an assurance that I will remain in place for as long as is required to oversee a smooth transition to a new Chair.

“I have enjoyed my time as Chairman immeasurably. The present Commission came into being in January 2006, directly following some of the most serious parades related rioting Northern Ireland had seen for decades, and I believe very firmly that the Commission has made a very significant contribution to stabilising the parading environment in the last three years. We supported and facilitated dialogue processes where possible and some remarkable progress was due in large part to the courage and commitment of residents groups, parading bodies and individuals as well as local representatives. Some of these processes were by their nature confidential while others were in the public domain.

“I wish to place on record my appreciation for the outstanding efforts made by my colleagues on the Parades Commission and secretariat over the last three years and more. They have dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to resolving this difficult issue and I know they will continue to do so as Northern Ireland moves forward.”