Organised Crime in Northern Ireland
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House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Organised Crime in Northern Ireland Third Report of Session 2005–06 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 28 June 2006 HC 886-II Published Wednesday 5 July 2006 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £18.50 The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Northern Ireland Office (but excluding individual cases and advice given by the Crown Solicitor); and other matters within the responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (but excluding the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Northern Ireland and the drafting of legislation by the Office of the Legislative Counsel). Current membership Sir Patrick Cormack, MP (Conservative, South Staffordshire) (Chairman) Mr David Anderson, MP (Labour, Blaydon) Gordon Banks, MP (Labour, Ochil and South Perthshire) Mr Gregory Campbell, MP (Democratic Unionist Party, East Londonderry) Rosie Cooper, MP (Labour, West Lancashire) Mr Christopher Fraser, MP (Conservative, South West Norfolk) Mr John Grogan, MP (Labour, Selby) Mr Stephen Hepburn, MP (Labour, Jarrow) Lady Hermon, MP (Ulster Unionist Party, North Down) Meg Hillier, MP (Labour/Co-op, Hackney South and Shoreditch) Dr Alasdair McDonnell, MP (SDLP, Belfast South) Stephen Pound, MP (Labour, Ealing North) Sammy Wilson, MP (Democratic Unionist Party, East Antrim) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/northern_ireland_affairs.cfm Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Mr James Rhys (Clerk), Hugh Farren (Attached Second Clerk), Dr Aileen O’Neill (Committee Specialist), Paul Derrett (Committee Assistant), Julia Kalogerides (Secretary), Laura Kibby (Media Officer), Jim Lawford (Senior Office Clerk). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 2172/3; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] Witnesses Wednesday 1 February 2006 Mr Nigel Smyth, CBI Northern Ireland; Mr Wilfred Mitchell OBE, Mr Glyn Roberts, Federation of Small Businesses Ev 1 Mr Tom Wilson, Freight Transport Association and Mrs Val Smith, Road Haulage Association Ltd Ev 11 Wednesday 15 February 2006 Sir Hugh Orde OBE, Mr Peter Sheridan, Mr Philip Aiken and Mr Mark Evans, Police Service of Northern Ireland Ev 18 Wednesday 1 March 2006 Ms Jane Earl, Mr Alan McQuillan and Mr Anthony Kennedy, Assets Recovery Agency in Northern Ireland Ev 30 Wednesday 8 March 2006 Mrs Nicola Carruthers, Federation of the Retail Licensed Trade Northern Ireland Ev 42 Wednesday 22 March 2006 Mr Paul Gerrard and Mr Donald Toon, HM Revenue and Customs Ev 53 Wednesday 3 May 2006 Mr John McGrath, Mr Dave Wall, Ms Linda MacHugh and Mr John Nevin, Department for Social Development Ev 62 Wednesday 7 June 2006 Mr Paul Goggins MP and Mr Nick Perry Northern Ireland Office Mr Nigel Hamilton, Northern Ireland Civil Service Ev 77 List of written evidence 1 CBI Northern Ireland Ev 90 2 Federation of Small Businesses Ev 91 3 Freight Transport Association Ev 92 4 Road Haulage Association Ltd Ev 93 5 Police Service of Northern Ireland Ev 94 6 Assets Recovery Agency Ev 107 7 Federation of the Retail Licensed Trade in Northern Ireland Ev 127 8 HM Revenue and Customs Ev 130, 164 9 Department for Social Development Ev 134 10 Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments Ev 139 11 Public Prosecution Service Ev 145 12 National Criminal Intelligence Service Ev 146 13 Metropolitan Police Special Branch Ev 147 14 Northern Ireland Policing Board Ev 150 15 Northern Ireland Bankers Association Ev 152 16 Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform Ev 154 17 The Petrol Retailers Association Ev 155 18 Dawn Primarolo MP Ev 155 19 Northern Ireland Federation of Clubs Ev 155 20 Crimestoppers Ev 157 21 Attorney General Ev 158 22 Law Society of Northern Ireland Ev 160 23 Lord Chief Justice Ev 161 3356921001 Page Type [SO] 29-06-06 23:46:54 Pag Table: COENEW PPSysB Unit: PAG1 Northern Ireland Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Wednesday 1 February 2006 Members present: Sir Patrick Cormack, in the Chair Mr David Anderson Mr Stephen Hepburn Mr Gregory Campbell Meg Hillier Rosie Cooper Dr Alasdair McDonnell Mr Christopher Fraser Stephen Pound Mr John Grogan Sammy Wilson Written evidence from the CBI Northern Ireland is on page Ev 90 Written evidence from the FSB is on page Ev 91 Witnesses: Mr Nigel Smyth, Director of CBI Northern Ireland, Mr Wilfred Mitchell OBE, Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses and Mr Glyn Roberts, FSB Parliamentary OYcer, gave evidence. Q1 Chairman: Good afternoon and welcome. This Q2 Chairman: Would either of you like to add to is the first public evidence session in the that? Committee’s inquiry into organised crime. We have Mr Mitchell: My name is Wilfred Mitchell; I am had a visit to Belfast before Christmas and to the Chairman of the Policy Unit at the Federation Dublin last week where we had informal of Small Businesses in Northern Ireland. I am background briefings and discussions with a wide joined by Glyn Roberts who is the Parliamentary range of people, but this is on the record evidence. OYcer. I would like just to make a few remarks. If there is any evidence that you do wish to submit V to the Committee o the record we would be very Q3 Chairman: Can you just tell us how many small happy to see you in a private session briefly when businesses you represent? the formal evidence is concluded. If there are points Mr Mitchell: Five thousand. which you wish to bring up following your reflection on this evidence session you can of course submit further paper or papers to our clerk and the Q4 Chairman: What is your definition of a small Committee will see those. If they are for business in Northern Ireland is employing less publication we will publish them; if they are for than . .? background information we will not publish them. Mr Mitchell: Close to 200. We are very conscious of the fact that there are Mr Roberts: The majority of our members would some extremely sensitive and delicate issues be in the region of nought to ten. involved. Mr Smyth, would you like to introduce Mr Mitchell: We also welcome this opportunity to your colleagues? contribute to the inquiry on organised crime and, Mr Smyth: I am Nigel Smyth; I am the Director of as you aware from our submissions, we have the CBI in Northern Ireland. I have a brief number focused on extortion and racketeering by of comments then I will hand over to my colleagues paramilitaries and illegal organisations at a local in the Federation of Small Businesses. We welcome level. While we recognise that the Organised Crime the opportunity both to submit written evidence Task Force has had a measure of initial success and to be here today. Organised crime is an with some individuals, we believe not at the grass important issue of concern to the business roots level. To date there has never been a serious community—and indeed particular sectors of the attempt by government to fully identify the core business community—in Northern Ireland. It is a problem and find a solution to extortion of the Y di cult issue to comment on in detail. As you SME business sector. Northern Ireland is rightly said there are very many sensitive issues dependent on the SME sector and the FSB can particularly around the area of extortion and it is demonstrate through research that illegal extremely hard to get hold of firm evidence. From a donations are a hidden cost of doing business. Due business perspective the four most significant issues facing us in Northern Ireland from the CBI’s to the sensitivities we are unable to speak in a perspective are firstly fuel smuggling and public forum on specific case studies that we have laundering, violent and armed robberies, extortion obtained. However, the FSB survey has identified both in and across the construction sector and the that 6% of businesses are aVected by perceived retail sector, and counterfeiting. There is a final illegal donations. Replicating this sample study we area which has maybe a less direct impact on would suggest that up to four thousand businesses businesses which is organised crime involvement in could be aVected. As well as the economic impact, illegal drugs. That is all I intend to say at this stage. the fear that many businesses face is unacceptable. 3356921001 Page Type [E] 29-06-06 23:46:54 Pag Table: COENEW PPSysB Unit: PAG1 Ev 2 Northern Ireland Affairs Committee: Evidence 1 February 2006 CBI and FSB Northern Ireland It is unrealistic for an individual business to report think the view there would be that that is this type of crime as the consequences in terms of continuing at a very high level. The view is that this personal security and business sustainability are has exploded in the late 1990s and I have no too high.