HC Deb 18 June 1981 vol 6 cc1161-3
2. Sir William van Straubenzee

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had in the Province with Church leaders.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Humphrey Atkins)

In recent weeks I have met in Northern Ireland representatives of all four of the leading Churches there—Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Church of Ireland. I also had the opportunity to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury during his visit to the Province.

Sir William van Straubenzee

My right hon. Friend referred to the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Province. Does he accept that the clear and unequivocal moral guidance given by the Archbishop, particularly in his sermon at St Anne's cathedral in Belfast, was helpful and positive in present circumstances and in marked contrast to the equivocation of some other Church leaders who have pronounced on the matter?

Mr. Atkins

I had the privilege of hearing the Archbishop's sermon. I can say without question that his visit and what he said and did there were deeply appreciated throughout the Province. In answer to the second part of the question of my hon. Friend, to whom I offer my congratulations, he may have noticed that the Irish Catholic bishops, who are in conference at Maynooth, issued a statement yesterday in which they said: We solemnly declare that those who kill, wound, threaten or intimidate, those who put people in fear of their lives or endanger their livelihoods are guilty of evil deeds contrary to the law of God. That was very helpful.

Mr. McNamara

That was indeed a helpful statement. Did the right hon. Gentleman also notice that the conference of Irish bishops recommended that he should look seriously at the proposals of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace with regard to the problems in Maze prison?

What will the right hon. Gentleman say to the Irish Parliament if one of its Members dies in the custody of a British prison because he is unable to wear the clothes that he would be able to wear if he were in prison in the Republic?

Mr. Atkins

I always pay attention to statements issued by reputable bodies such as the conference of Catholic bishops or the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace, but it is important for us to be clear what the protest, including the hunger strike, is about. It has nothing to do with prison conditions. It is about the constantly repeated demand of the protesters to be treated differently from other prisoners. We have had no representations from any Government or any bodies, such as those to which I have referred, to grant that request, and we would not do so.

Mr. Kilfedder

Despite the recent outrageous attack on the Government by Cardinal O'Fiaich, who warned that they faced the wrath of the nationalist people unless they gave into some of the hunger strikers' demands, which, I understand, include free association and the right to wear their own clothes, which would turn the Maze into a college for terrorism—that was a strange statement by the cardinal, who seems to put Irish Republicanism before Christianity—will the Government make stronger efforts to rebut the well-financed and effective Provisional IRA propaganda campaign by giving the full facts, particularly to America, where prison conditions are far worse than those in the Maze?

Mr. Atkins

The Government spend a great deal of time and effort seeking to make our precise position clear to everyone. With regard to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question, I do not believe that the British Government will face the wrath of any civilised country if they stand up for the rule of law.

Mr. Fitt

Will the Secretary of State take note that the statement issued yesterday by the Irish bishops at Maynooth was one of the most clear-cut and compassionate statements issued by the Catholic hierarchy since the onset of the present troubles at the Maze prison? All the equivocation was gone and there was no repeating of intransigence, inflexibility and rigidity. The blame for the present state of affairs at the Maze was laid barely and simply at the doors of people who are ruthlessly prepared to put men on hunger strike to death in pursuit of their aims. Will he accept that that statement yesterday has been accepted gratefully by many people of the Roman Catholic faith who, until it was issued, had serious doubts in their minds?

Mr. Atkins

I agree with the hon. Gentleman. That statement was clear and unequivocal. I have read out one extract from it. The whole country, and certainly the House, will be glad that the assembled Catholic bishops in Maynooth have made it.

Mr. Pendry

When the Secretary of State next meets Church leaders, will he listen attentively to the views of the Bishop of Down and Dromore on unemployment, particularly his view that unemployment is a major contributor to social unrest in the Province? Does he not accept that the economic and social policies pursued by the Government do little to assist those who wish to create a climate of stability and peace in Northern Ireland?

Mr. Atkins

I do not accept the last part of the hon. Gentleman's question, but I assure him that I shall always listen carefully to the statements of the Bishop of Down and Dromore or those of any other Church leader. Almost the entire range of Church leaders do their utmost to bring peace, quiet and order to the province. That is what they want and what we want.