High Court quashes Parades Commission decision on Drumcree march

The High Court in Belfast has quashed a decision by the Parades Commission to restrict the annual Orange Order parade at Drumcree in Portadown. The ruling follows a legal challenge after the Commission conceded a procedural error regarding how it handled the determination.

During the proceedings, it was revealed that the decision had not been considered in its “final form” by all members of the Commission. Instead, the determination had been distributed to commissioners essentially “for information purposes only.” Representing the applicant, John Larkin KC described the situation as a “scandalous abdication of responsibility.”

High Court judge Mr Justice McAlinden stated he had “no hesitation” in quashing the determination, noting that the process “does not stand up to any scrutiny at all.” He emphasized that public administration must maintain public confidence and correct errors when “sloppy procedures are manifest.”

The ruling means the Orange Order is expected to submit a fresh application to parade along the nationalist Garvaghy Road, a route that has been blocked by the Commission since 1998.