MPs debate NI fugitive bill
A bill to allow terrorist suspects and escaped prisoners back to Northern Ireland is receiving its second reading in the House of Commons today.
The Northern Ireland (offences) bill would allow so-called ‘on the runs’ to return to the province and come before a special tribunal. Even if found guilty, they would be set free on license, although if they broke this, they would be subject to a jail term.
Yesterday Tony Blair said this legislation was “very difficult” for many people but insisted it was vital to allow the rest of the peace process to go forward, following the announcement this summer by the IRA had given up the armed struggle.
Sinn Fein has welcomed the move, but unionists and victims’ groups claim that it in effect gives the ‘on the runs’ an amnesty. The Tories and Lib Dems are also opposed to the move, believing it to be premature, and could delay the bill.
Ministers have insisted the proposals do not amount to an amnesty for those concerned – some of whom are suspected of carrying out some of Northern Ireland’s worst atrocities – but would correct “an anomaly” created by the 1998 Good Friday agreement.
Under the terms of that deal, prisoners convicted of a crime before Easter 1998 are now out of prison. The bill being debated today aims to extend this to prisoners sought for crimes before this time.
But yesterday, chairman of the Northern Ireland select committee Patrick McCormack questioned why the bill was being introduced without pre-legislative scrutiny.
“There is no emergency. So why is there not the opportunity for parliamentarians to crawl over this, take evidence, and make sure that you’ve got it right?” he asked the prime minister during a session of the Commons liaison committee.
Mr Blair responded that the issue had not just “popped up” but had been first discussed in the joint declaration between the British and Irish governments two years ago.
“It has never been a secret that we need to do something. For those convicted of crimes before the Good Friday agreement in 1998, they are now out of prison,” he said.
“Therefore there was always going to be an anomaly regarding those people not convicted but sought for crimes before 1998.”
The prime minister admitted that political parties in Northern Ireland were “never going to agree” on this issue, but said leaving it hanging over the process of restoring devolved power to the province “will do none of us any good”.
He added: “I’m not pretending that this is an easy option at all. This is an issue that is uncomfortable to deal with for very obvious reasons but if you don’t deal with this you can’t move it forward.”
However, Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy said there were “serious problems” with the proposed hearings of ‘on the runs’ – in particular that they would not be required to appear in court.
“What does that say about our attitude to justice and what kind of signal does that send to their victims?” he asked.
“The government needs to understand that these proposals are very different from the controversial ‘early release scheme’.
“Those who will benefit from this are suspected of serious terrorist acts but have never faced a court – yet it is proposed that they should be allowed to return freely to Northern Ireland.”
