A former Portadown Orange District Master and a DUP councillor are to serve on Northern Ireland's revamped Parades Commission, it was confirmed today.
David Burrows and Donald Mackay were named today to serve on the commission, which adjudicates on controversial parades in Northern Ireland.
It is to be chaired by former trades union negotiator Roger Poole. Its members will also include former nationalist SDLP MP Dr Joe Hendron and former Women's Coalition Assembly Election candidate Anne Monaghan.
Dr Hendron served as the MP for West Belfast between 1992 and 1997 after he unseated Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.
In a joint statement three Protestant marching organisations which have refused to talk to the commission said last night the body still had deep flaws.
The leaders of the Orange Order, Royal Black Institution and Independent Orange Institution said: "We recognise that, while new members may bring a new attitude and focus to the job, the system remains fundamentally flawed.
"It's our intention to engage with Government and other stakeholders in the New Year in a positive, constructive and substantive way to enable a permanent resolution to the issues surrounding parades in circumstances of mutual respect and tolerance."
Following the appointments, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain challenged the new members of the commission to help make contentious parades a thing of the past.
"These appointments bring a completely new dynamic to the Parades Commission," he said. "The membership represents the interests of all the people of Northern Ireland. They come from a variety of backgrounds, with a broad skills mix and, for the first time, a gender balance."
"I am particularly pleased that two people with personal experience and understanding of the Orange Order and the cultural importance of parades have been appointed to the commission."
Ulster Unionist Assembly member Michael Copeland the body had displeased unionists in the past.