The £800,000 Stormont report aimed at addressing disputes over flags and bonfires has not been implemented for almost three years since it was published.

Report of the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) It was published in December 2021.

The working group established to examine its recommendations has not met for more than two years.

The Enforcement Office said the FICT report will be considered as part of a review of its community relations strategy.

Professor Dominic Bryan, co-chair of the commission, said he was “disappointed it did not proceed more quickly”.

“There are some areas where there is consensus across all political parties, like bonfires, where there can be real progress,” he said.

The Queen’s University Belfast academic said he was hopeful the report would not be left “on the shelf”.

“We’re putting a lot of resources into this, people are putting a lot of time and effort into this,” he said.

“Once we have a cross-party agreement on anything, I think it’s worth really holding on to that and moving forward.”

The Stormont Executive Office established the FICT in 2016 to resolve disputes over a range of identity and cultural issues, such as flags and bonfires.

When the report was published, the Executive Office said a working group including junior ministers, advisers and officials would “continue to meet” to consider the report.

The working group met once in January 2022, before Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government collapsed that year.

It has not reconvened since the establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive. It was restored in February after a two-year break.

Paula Bradshaw, Alliance Party councilor and chair of the Executive Office scrutiny committee, expressed concern at the lack of progress.

He introduced a private member’s bill that aims to implement some of the FICT recommendations on flags.

“While absolute consensus was not reached on every issue during the FICT process, there was absolute consensus that the status quo was unacceptable.” he added.

A commission was formed under the chairmanship of the commission New Start Agreement.

The 15-member panel, which includes political and non-political appointees, consulted with many stakeholders and community groups.

It was due to report in December 2017, 18 months after it was established.

However, its work was affected by the collapse of devolution in January 2017.

The findings were finally presented to the Stormont executive in July 2020, but were not published until December 2021.

The articles run 168 pages and are divided into 17 chapters examining areas as diverse as identity, flags, bonfires, murals, monuments in public spaces, and more.

On the issue of flags, the commission said it did not agree on whether changes should be made to legislation regarding the placement of flags on lampposts and other street furniture.

However, it was stated that there was “widespread agreement” on elements of a possible “code of practice”, such as keeping flags away from interfaces.

The commission recommended that only wood be burned in bonfires and that material collection be limited to six weeks before the fire is lit.

With no consensus reached at Stormont, flag regulation appears to be taking place elsewhere.

Real estate lawyer Philip Armstrong said flags are banned from new housing projects under rules known as “restrictive covenants.”

These legal rules contained in title deeds can cover a very wide area.

But Mr Armstrong said they were now used “routinely” in relation to flags.

“I would say we are seeing restrictive covenants on most newly constructed properties that prohibit the display or display of flags, banners or emblems,” he said.

“I think it’s a sign that developers are particularly aware that, in terms of the future attractiveness of projects and properties for sale, the absence of these political emblems can be a real advantage.”

Stormont’s Executive Office is a joint department of First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

A spokesperson said in a statement: “The recommendations of the FICT report are being considered as part of the current review of the T:BUC (Together: Building a United Community) strategy.

“This will ensure that the cross-cutting and far-reaching impacts of issues within FICT enable broader thinking about good relationships.”