Commission rejectsRBL poppy proposal

Alliance MLA Judith Cochrane, representing the Assembly Commission confirmed: “The Assembly Commission has no plans to scatter poppy seeds in the grounds of Parliament Buildings to commemorate The Great War 1914-1918.

“In April 2012, the Assembly Commission agreed a policy on how anniversaries during the decade of centenaries would be handled by the Assembly Commission including a set of principles and a process for agreeing events and initiatives.

“The list of agreed anniversaries within the ‘Perspectives On...’ series includes the outbreak of the First World War.

“The Assembly Commission agreed earlier this year that an event on the First World War will be held in the Senate Chamber in September 2014 in a similar format to the ‘Perspectives On...’ events held to commemorate the centenaries of the Ulster Covenant, the women’s suffrage movement and the Dublin Lockout.

“Under the terms of the policy, any further proposals for official Assembly events or initiatives to commemorate the First World War within Parliament Buildings and its precincts would have to be considered by the Assembly Commission and agreed by consensus.”