The Parades Commission and Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998
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House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee The Parades Commission and Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 Second Report of Session 2004–05 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 15 December 2004 HC 172-II [Incorporating HC 224-i to vi, Session 2003-04] Published on 11 January 2005 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 Rt Hon Michael Mates, MP (Conservative, East Hampshire) (Chairman) Mr Adrian Bailey, MP (Labour / Co-operative, West Bromwich West) Mr Roy Beggs, MP (Ulster Unionist Party, East Antrim) Mr Tony Clarke, MP (Labour, Northampton South) (Chairman, Sub-committee) Mr Gregory Campbell MP (Democratic Unionist Party, East Londonderry) (appointed 4.05.04) Mr Stephen Hepburn, MP (Labour, Jarrow) (appointed 15.03.04) Mr Iain Luke, MP (Labour, Dundee East ) Mr Eddie McGrady, MP (Socialist Democratic Labour Party, South Down) Mr Stephen Pound, MP (Labour, Ealing North) Rev Martin Smyth, MP (Ulster Unionist Party, Belfast South) Mr Hugo Swire, MP (Conservative, East Devon) Mark Tami, MP (Labour, Alyn & Deeside) Mr Bill Tynan, MP (Labour, Hamilton South) The following Members were also members of the Committee during the Inquiry: Mr Harry Barnes, MP (Labour, North East Derbyshire) Mr Peter Robinson, MP (Democratic Unionist Party, East Belfast) 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 Dr John Patterson (Clerk), Hugh Farren (Attached Clerk), Dr Aileen O’Neill (Committee Specialist), Tony Catinella (Committee Assistant) and Janet Trevellyan (Secretary). 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 14 January 2004 Page Sir George Quigley Ev 1 Tuesday 10 February 2004 Professor Brice Dickson, Professor Tom Hadden, and Mr Ciarán Ó Maoláin, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Ev 15 Mr Alistair Simpson and Mr David Hoey, Apprentice Boys of Derry, and Mr Iain McAfee and Mr Eddie Kelly, Ulster Bands Association Ev 22 Wednesday 3 March 2004 Dr Duncan Morrow, Community Relations Council, Mr Paul Mageean and Ms Maggie Beirne, Committee on the Administration of Justice, and Dr Dominic Bryan and Dr Michael Hamilton, Democratic Dialogue Ev 30 Wednesday 10 March 2004 Mr David Campbell and Mr David McNarry MLA, Ulster Unionist Party Ev 40 Mr Alex Attwood MLA and Mr John Dallat MLA, Social Democratic and Labour Party Ev 45 Wednesday 31 March 2004 Sir Anthony Holland, Rev Roy Magee, Mr Peter Osborne, Sir John Pringle, Mr John Cousins, Mr Peter Quinn and Mr Andrew Elliot, Parades Commission Ev 53 Mr Robert S Saulters, Mr William Ross and Mr Denis J Watson, The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland Ev 64 Monday 26 April 2004 Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland, Chief Superintendent Seamus Hamill and Inspector Amanda Cooke, Police Service of Northern Ireland Ev 70 Mr Ian Pearson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Mr David Watkins, and Mr Mark McGuckin, Northern Ireland Office Ev 73 List of written evidence Page 1 Sir George Quigley Ev 80 2 Sir George Quigley, Supplementary memorandum Ev 82 3 Parades Commission Ev 84 4 Parades Commission, Supplementary memorandum Ev 86 5 Northern Ireland Office Ev 100 6 Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions Ev 104 7 Committee on the Administration of Justice, Supplementary memorandum Ev 104 8 Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Supplementary memorandum Ev 105 9 Ulster Bands Association Ev 115 10 Community Relations Council Ev 117 11 Democratic Dialogue Ev 119 12 Apprentice Boys of Derry Ev 124 13 Ulster Unionist Party Ev 125 14 Police Service of Northern Ireland Ev 125 15 Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition Ev 125 16 Police Service of Northern Ireland, Supplementary memorandum Ev 137 17 Parades Commission, Supplementary memorandum Ev 137 18 Committee on the Administration of Justice Ev 144 19 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Ev 154 20 Ulster Human Rights Watch Ev 158 21 Social Democratic and Labour Party Ev 162 22 Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland Ev 167 23 Ulster Unionist Party, Supplementary memorandum Ev 172 24 Parades Commission, Further supplementary memorandum Ev 174 List of unprinted written evidence Additional papers have been received and have been reported to the House but to save printing costs they have not been printed. Copies have been placed in the House of Commons library where they may be inspected by members. Copies are also placed in the Record Office, House of Lords and are available to the public for inspection. Requests for inspection should be addressed to the Record Office, House of Lords, London SW1. (Tel 020 7219 3074) Hours of inspection are from 9:30am to 5:00pm on Mondays to Fridays. Mr Austen Morgan Mr Richard Monteith Northern Ireland Committee, Irish Congress of Trade Unions Ulster Bands Association – Submission to the Quigley Review Portadown District Loyal Orange Lodge No.1 Labour Relations Agency Greater Shankill Community Council Northern Ireland Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Wednesday 14 January 2004 Members present: Mr Michael Mates, in the Chair Mr Adrian Bailey Mr Eddie McGrady Mr Harry Barnes Mr Peter Robinson Mr Roy Beggs The Reverend Martin Smyth Mr Tony Clarke Mr Hugo Swire Mr Iain Luke Witness: Sir George Quigley, examined. Q1 Chairman: Sir George, you are very welcome to “After all, we have been walking in these areas for the Committee. It is the first time since I have been generations. We have established a right. What’s Chairman, but I know you have made an wrong with it now?” Of course, that is a very appearance in front of us before, and thank you for dangerous situation because there could be other sparing the time to come. We had a briefing last areas where there is demographic change, and with week, informal and oV the record, from David a perception within the marching tradition that “If Watkins, whom you will remember, and his team, there is demographic change, we will lose our about the background and the way your report came routes,” the stakes become increasingly high. There about, so the Committee has had an opportunity to are one or two instances, I think, where that would read itself into what is going on. Can I ask you just apply. The third point I would make is that within a couple of questions, to start with, about the the Nationalist community, in respect of those background. In your view, what are the main parades, there is a feeling that they are particularly sources of tension surrounding parades? provocative, sectarian, arrogant, political coat- Sir George Quigley: Thank you, Chairman, and may trailing, marking out territory as of yore, and, in I say that I welcome the opportunity to give any fact, branding Nationalists as second-class citizens. assistance to the Committee that I can, here or Of course, those arguments are refuted vigorously hereafter. I think that really there are a number of by the other side. I think the point flowing on from elements in the answer to that question. First of all, that is that the Protestant community will tend some of the tension is derived from history. Over the to say, “Many of these marches last for 10 or 15 last 200 years, one has had a position adopted by the minutes, what’s the problem?” The other side of the Orange Order, which of course is an organisation of argument would be, “Well, if they’re so insignificant, great longevity, in respect of virtually every public why have them at all?” So again you get a clash of issue, and from the point of view of the Nationalist perceptions there. Of course, the last 30 years has community they have always been on the wrong side deepened and reinforced the divisions. There is a of history and the wrong side of the argument. Over very strong perception within the Orange that period there have been tensions in regard to community and the Loyalist/Protestant/Unionist parades, mostly Orange parades but more rarely community that a great many of the diYculties Nationalist parades, so that there is a legacy of overt about parades in the 1990s were orchestrated by the or latent hostility. I think that is one point. The Republican movement, and Republicans would be second one, much more immediate, is that in recent regarded to a considerable extent as “our enemies” years one has seen a considerable amount of over the last 30 or 40 years. Of course, Republicans demographic change. We have consolidated into were represented then in the devolved single-identity communities, something like 90% of administration.