Wednesday Volume 528 18 May 2011 No. 160 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 18 May 2011 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2011 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through The National Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/our-services/parliamentary-licence-information.htm Enquiries to The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 323 18 MAY 2011 324 I am sure the Secretary of State will join me in House of Commons congratulating the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda on the recent Northern Ireland weapons Wednesday 18 May 2011 finds in East Tyrone and South Armagh. Will he give an assurance that the amnesty previously offered under the decommissioning legislation to those handing in, The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock and in possession of, such weapons will no longer apply, and that anyone caught in possession of weapons will be brought before the courts and any evidence arising PRAYERS from examination of the weapons will be used in prosecutions? [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Mr Paterson: I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his question, and I entirely endorse his comments on the co-operation between the PSNI and the Garda and Oral Answers to Questions the recent arms finds in Tyrone. The amnesty to which he refers expired in February 2010, and we have no plans to reintroduce it. There is no place for arms in NORTHERN IRELAND today’s Northern Ireland. Everyone can pursue their legitimate aims by peaceful democratic means, and those caught with arms will go through the due process The Secretary of State was asked— of law. Independent International Commission on Decommissioning Security Threat 1. Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East) (Lab): When he expects to receive a final report on armaments 2. Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab): What discussions from the Independent International Commission on he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the level of security threat from dissidents. [55380] Decommissioning. [55379] The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr Owen The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr Owen Paterson): With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to Paterson): Close co-operation with the Northern Ireland begin by paying tribute to David Cairns, the former Executive plays a major part in our efforts to counter Member for Inverclyde, who died recently. He served as the threat from terrorism in Northern Ireland. This a Minister in the Northern Ireland Office for a short involves regular discussions with the Executive’s Justice time in the run-up to devolution in 2007, and was liked Minister. I look forward to continuing work with the and respected in all parts of the House. I speak for new Executive in the coming weeks and months on the many in Northern Ireland in passing on our sincere security, economic and community aspects of this problem. condolences. The British and Irish Governments have been Mr Hanson: First, may I thank the Secretary of State presented with the IICD’s final report, which focuses on for his tribute to David Cairns, whom I served with as a commissioners’ experiences and lessons learned. I am Northern Ireland Minister some years ago? considering the report with my counterpart in the Irish Government and we will publish it in due course. The Secretary of State will know that the PSNI is making good progress in capturing weapons and Semtex, Heidi Alexander: I thank the Secretary of State for but, with more than 100 bombings in the last year his reply, and may I associate myself with the condolences alone, I believe it is clear that supply is coming from he expressed? outside Northern Ireland. Will he work with the Executive, When the Secretary of State announced the dissolution the Home Office, the Irish authorities and, indeed, of the IICD and the Independent Monitoring Commission international authorities to ensure that he does everything at the end of March, he thanked the commissioners for possible to stem the supply of such material from the crucial part they played in assisting Northern Ireland’s outside Northern Ireland? transition to a peaceful, stable and inclusive society. Given developments since, what plans does he have to Mr Paterson: I thank the right hon. Gentleman for continue the work previously undertaken by those bodies? his question, and pay tribute to his work on Northern Mr Paterson: I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her Ireland. He is absolutely right that we must make sure question and her comments. I would like to put on that at every level of government we work to stem the record our thanks to General de Chastelain, Brigadier flow of fresh arms into Northern Ireland. We now have Nieminen and Andrew Sens for the work they have unprecedented co-operation. That is the case not only done over the years. We intend to keep Parliament between the Westminster Government and the Northern updated on developments, probably by written statements. Ireland Executive—I pay tribute to all those who have recently been elected to the Executive, and I am delighted Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley) (DUP): that David Ford, whom I spoke to this morning, has May I pay tribute on behalf of my colleagues to the late been re-elected—but there is also exceptional co-operation David Cairns, former Northern Ireland Minister, for with the Garda. I discussed this matter with the Home the excellent work he undertook during his time in that Secretary yesterday as well, so we are clearly working at post, and pass on our sympathies to his family? all levels. 325 Oral Answers18 MAY 2011 Oral Answers 326 Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con): May I £200 million over the next four years. We are absolutely also pay tribute to David Cairns on behalf of the Select determined to stand by Northern Ireland and do the Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs? I had the right thing. honour of working with him on a number of Committees and always found him to be extremely efficient and Mr Shaun Woodward (St Helens South and Whiston) courteous. (Lab): I join the Secretary of State and hon. Members in their tribute to David Cairns. He was a much respected All Members will recall the show of paramilitary Minister when Labour were in government and a much strength by men in balaclavas over the Easter period, loved colleague and friend. Our deepest sympathy goes which brings shame to Northern Ireland. Will the Secretary to his family and his partner, Dermot. of State give an update on what is being done to pursue It would be remiss not also to take this opportunity those who obviously have common cause with those to put on the record the fact that the Queen’s extraordinary who were threatening violence? visit to Ireland at the moment is an enormous success. It is as healing as it is inspiring. The visit both symbolises Mr Paterson: I thank the Chairman of the Select the peace process and represents the next step in that Committee for his remarks. As he will have seen over process. The process is still necessary, as dissident republican the weekend, the police investigation into those shocking groups pose new threats to the police and the public; scenes at Easter took its course, and in one case charges just this Monday, a coded bomb warning brought huge were laid against Marian McGlinchey. I took the decision disruption to central London. What is the Secretary of to revoke her licence as she was charged under the State’s evaluation of the capability of this growing Terrorism Act 2000. I spoke to the chief constable this number of dissident terrorists, not only in Northern morning. The police investigations continue, and I am Ireland but here in Britain? confident that the PSNI will bring further charges when there is sufficient evidence. Mr Paterson: I entirely endorse the right hon. Gentleman’s comments on the significance of Her Majesty Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North) (DUP): Will the the Queen’s visit to the Republic of Ireland. It is a Secretary of State accept—I am sure he will—that the wonderful way to end the current President of Ireland’s outcome of the recent Assembly and council elections two terms and it is a wonderful, ringing endorsement of in Northern Ireland showed a clear endorsement of the normality between our two nations. Significantly, moving Northern Ireland forward and a clear rejection the right hon. Gentleman and I are not in Ireland this of those who would use violence, whose philosophy is morning; we are here answering questions in Parliament. to wreck Stormont and drag us backwards? Will he give This is an endorsement of the tremendous progress that a clear commitment to work closely with the security has been made and a sign of how we will move further forces, the police and the new Minister of Justice in forward. On the question of capability here, we do not Northern Ireland to protect society and do whatever is like to get into operational matters but, as he knows, we necessary to protect all of us from dissident terrorist do not underestimate the threat of these groups and we threats? have done a significant amount in the past year to bear down on them. Mr Paterson: I wholeheartedly endorse the right hon. Mr Woodward: The threat, none the less, has clearly Gentleman’s comments; there is absolutely no place for heightened, not only in Northern Ireland, but here in the pursuit of any political aim by physical violence in Britain.