A Stormont policy review following a political row over a refusal to plant a tree for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee has proposed changes to the rules.
Finance Minister Conor Murphy ordered the audit in January after facing criticism from unionists for declining a request to plant the tree in the Stormont estate.
The DUP accused the Sinn Féin minister of “intolerance and disrespect”, but he insisted official policy dictated that only "international events" could be commemorated with tree plantings.
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Mr Murphy, whose department has responsibility for the 400-acre Stormont grounds, later decided to review that policy.
A review panel was set up involving senior civil servants, the Stormont estate's management unit and an external arboriculturist.
The current policy from 2016 permits tree planting to commemorate "international events" and prohibits any further installation of memorial plaques, benches or similar structures.
In its 15-page review, the panel concluded that the current policy "remains fit for purpose".
But it recommended "further consideration" should be given to some potential changes to "future proof" the policy.
These included extending the criteria for the planting of memorial trees to include "exceptional" events on a "domestic, jurisdictional or international basis".
The panel said consideration should be given to extending the current system of approval delegations to include a role for a cross-party review group.
It also suggested requiring locally grown trees to be planted where available.
Any deviations from the current policy should be subject to an equality impact screening, the panel said.
The review was completed in February but the Department of Finance said it is still "exploring the options".
The report included a list of memorials, sculptures and commemorative trees currently in the Stormont estate, such as a Somme memorial and an Irish Ash tree planted in 2009 to mark the GAA's 125th anniversary.
DUP MLA Joanne Bunting had sought permission to plant a tree on the estate as part of the Queen's Green Canopy project, an initiative that encourages people across the UK to "plant a tree for the Jubilee".
Separately in February, Stormont's Assembly Commission - a body made up of representatives of the main parties - agreed to plant a tree in the grounds of Parliament Buildings to mark the Jubilee.
Last year, Sinn Féin vetoed a proposal put to the commission to place a commemorative stone at Parliament Buildings to mark Northern Ireland’s centenary.
Unionists accused the party of a "shameful exercise" in blocking the plan, but Sinn Féin said the proposal "reflected one political perspective".
On the recent policy review, a Department of Finance spokeswoman said it was "completed in February 2022", adding that the "department is currently exploring the options".
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