The State of Us

• Northern Ireland’s smear test ‘scandal’ – explained

  Some women died of cervical cancer in Northern Ireland, while waiting to find out what went wrong with the Southern Trust’s screening programme.17,500 tests had to be rechecked. Women who had been diagnosed and treated for cancer were retraumatised after they were again contacted about abnormalities discovered during an audit of their cases.This process – known as disclosure – was so badly handled that patients complained that they were misled about the gravity of the news they were to receive, with some going without a family member because they thought it was a routine appointment.Others spoke about feeling intimidated in a room full of medical staff, with some women feeling "shocked" , "horrified", and feeling "it was a washing away of the truth".Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced an expert review into the reports, however, he stopped short of ordering a statutory public inquiry.In today’s episode of The State of Us – Tara Mills and Declan Harvey take you through exactly what went wrong, and what all of this means going forward.Get in touch: [email protected]

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• The children married in Northern Ireland

  At least 116 children – including 91 teenage girls – have been married in Northern Ireland since legal reform to criminalise the arrangement of child marriages was announced over three years ago.On 1 July 2022, Stormont’s then Finance Minister Conor Murphy said that work would begin on new legislation following a public consultation which showed overwhelming support to raise the minimum age for marriage and civil partnership to 18.Currently, 16 and 17-year-olds can still marry in Northern Ireland if they have permission from a parent or a guardian. You cannot get legally married in England, Wales or Ireland under the age of 18. The Scottish Government confirmed in July that it is committed to consulting on raising its minimum marriage age from 16 to 18. Tara Mills and Declan Harvey speak to data journalist Kathryn Torney, who has been delving into the figures. Get in touch: [email protected]

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• Soldier F – Not guilty

  A former paratrooper has been found not guilty of murdering two people on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.Known only as Soldier F – he was also found not guilty of five counts of attempted murder. Thirteen people were shot dead, and 15 others injured, when soldiers opened fire at a civil rights demonstration in a predominantly Catholic part of the city.Soldier F - the only military veteran to be prosecuted over the shootings - was screened from public view. The trial took place without a jury, with verdicts delivered by Judge Patrick Lynch.On today’s episode, Tara Mills is at Belfast Crown Court, Declan Harvey is in Derry. We’ll hear from families, veterans and have political reaction.Get in touch: [email protected]

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• TV writer says pro-Israeli views shut out of the arts

  People in the arts community who have sympathy with Israel are treated “basically like a Nazi” according to the writer of a major new TV drama. David Ireland has said that the situation in Israel and Gaza is an “impossible thing to talk about” for some people working in the arts. Ireland is the writer behind the ITV crime thriller Coldwater staring Eve Myles and Andrew Lincoln, as well as The Fifth Step, a play currently starring Jack Louden and Martin Freeman and showing at the Soho Place in London.Born in Belfast, Ireland has said that there is a natural affinity between unionist communities in Northern Ireland and Israel. In this episode of The State of Us, he explores that, and much more – including his relationship with alcohol, God and the rest of the arts community. Get in touch: [email protected]

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• Parents of SEN child convicted over school non-attendance

  The parents of a SEN teenager have been convicted for their son’s non-attendance at school in a case that has cost them £30k.The Education Authority took the case against James and Leigh Bryson after their son Archie, who is autistic, missed almost a year of school.The couple join Tara and Declan on the podcast to talk about having their lives dissected in court and feeling victimised by the process. We also ask them about being found to have failed to meet their legal duty to ensure their child has access to education.A spokesperson for the Education Authority said that following a long period of engagement, during which they say the Brysons were not cooperative, they were left with no other option but to pursue court action.Get in touch: [email protected]

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