Royal coat of arms for NI courts

Government plans to remove the Royal coat of arms from courtrooms and attempts to stop the flying of the Union flag from Northern Ireland court buildings look set to be scrapped.

The measures are contained in legislation currently going through the House of Commons.

But Ulster Unionists have said the plans are being dropped.

The move is expected to anger the nationalist SDLP and Sinn Fein who will argue that the changes will do little to make courtrooms neutral working environments.

Obviously we would have liked more movement on our concerns but we are moderately satisfied

Unionist source

The plans have always caused great difficulties for unionists and conservatives who claimed the removal of crests and the withdrawal of the Union flag was an attack on Britishness.

Crests in courtrooms which are regarded as having architectural merit will remain in place and new courts being built will also have an outside crest.

Officially, the government will not comment until their proposals are published on Friday, but it will be seen in some circles as an attempt to sooth unionist worries.

This is particularly after the secretary of state's comments about Northern Ireland becoming a cold house for Protestants.

Measures

The Ulster Unionists have said the change of heart is significant and a victory for Britishness.

One unionist source said: "This is a significant concession to us as under the existing criminal justice reform plans new court houses would not have displayed a coat of arms at all and all coat of arms inside the buildings would have been torn down.

"Obviously we would have liked more movement on our concerns but we are moderately satisfied that these measures by the government will go some tangible way towards addressing the "cold house" for Protestants identified by the secretary of state, John Reid in Liverpool last year."

The Criminal Justice Review, set up as part of the Good Friday Agreement, had recommended more than 300 changes to the way the law operates in Northern Ireland.

It included a plan to reduce the role of the Crown in the justice system.

A review group had recommended no change to the Royal coat of arms outside court buildings, but that there should be no such symbols inside courtrooms.

SDLP deputy leader Mark Durkan expressed his anger at what he said was the government's proposal to water down the criminal justice review on symbols.

Mr Durkan said it was completely unacceptable to the SDLP and was also contrary to the Good Friday Agreement.