THE Orange Order has hit out at the reappointment of the existing Parades Commissioners, saying the Secretary of State's decision "amounts to nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic".
James Brokenshire announced on Monday that he has reappointed the five commissioners - Anne Henderson, Sarah Havlin, Paul Hutchinson, Colin Kennedy and Geraldine McGahey - for up to three years, subject to review in a year's time.
He said he would also phase in "staggered appointments" to the commission over the next three years.
However, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland said it was frustrated by the move and said new parading legislation was needed.
"While the commissioners have over the years made some illogical, stupid and unjust decisions, including rewarding dissident violence; their reappointment amounts to nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," it said.
It added: "Mr Brokenshire's statement offers no hope that the current debacle will be replaced with fair and equitable legislation.
"It ignores the wishes of the leadership of Unionism, all of whom have stated that the current legislation is not fit for purpose, underscoring that politics has failed the Orange family in respect of creating a level playing field for parading."
The Grand Lodge said recent resolutions to contentious parades, including in Ardoyne in north Belfast, "were in spite of the Parades Commission, not because of them".
"Indeed, their existence hindered solutions," it said.
TUV leader Jim Allister said he was "disappointed" by the reappointments and added that laws around parades need to change.
"Fundamental legislative change is imperative to establish a presumption in favour of traditional routes and parades on main arterial routes, as they are a shared space," he said.
