§ 1. Mr. Hydeasked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he has made any progress towards the conclusion of an extradition treaty with the Government of Eire so as to cover offences committed in Northern Ireland.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (Mr. Douglas Dodds-Parker)I regret that there is nothing to add to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 28th July.
§ Mr. HydeIs my hon. Friend aware that the Eire Minister for External Affairs recently informed the special correspondent of "The Times" that the question of extradition, if it arose, would call for delicate handling, which shows that the Eire Government are at least willing to discuss the matter? Does my hon. Friend not regard this as an encouraging sign, and will he and his noble Friend not pursue it with equal delicacy?
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerMy hon. Friend may rest assured that we shall do our best to follow up such hopeful signs. We are grateful to him for his continued interest in this matter.