Appeal court rejects parades move

Don MacKay (left) and David Burrows are prominent Orangemen

A request to take a case involving the Parades Commission to the House of Lords has been rejected in the Court of Appeal.

The appeal was taken by Joseph Duffy, a resident from the Garvaghy Road.

He claimed the appointment of Orangemen David Burrows and Donald McKay to the commission would result in a conflict of interest on parades in Portadown.

Three Appeal Court judges turned down the application and awarded costs to the Northern Ireland Office.

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal upheld NI Secretary Peter Hain's decision to appoint the two Orangemen.

The court's majority verdict overturned a judicial review in May which said that the appointment of David Burrows and Don MacKay was unlawful.

In May's judicial review, the High Court said Mr Hain had failed to ensure the commission make-up represented both sides of the community.

The Parades Commission was set up by the government in 1997 to make decisions on whether controversial parades should be restricted.