§ Mr. Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull, North)I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, Under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the need for urgent action by Her Majesty's Government in the light of new information concerning the conduct of the Stalker-Sampson investigations in Northern Ireland.The issue is important because it concerns the basis of the rule of law, whether it applies to the police and Ministers, whether they are above the law and what considerations were given under the Official Secrets Act to the publication of Mr. Stalker's memoirs, compared with the considerations given to Mr. Cavendish.It is urgent because tomorrow there is a meeting of the Anglo-Irish secretariat at which the Secretary of State will be seeking to explain away the Attorney-General's mind-boggling decision and the disciplinary measures he is proposing to take against a number of officers in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It is important that we should know whether the Chief Constable of the RUC, who originally asked Stalker to undertake this investigation but who later wrote a letter denying him information because it was classified as grade A by the Special Branch, is among those to be disciplined.
It is important to know whether the assistant chief constable, Mr. Forbes, who refused to give Mr. Stalker access to the file of a possible agent provocateur unless ordered by the Chief Constable and would not forward Mr. Stalker's request to the Chief Constable, is also to be disciplined.
It is important to know whether the officer who denied the existence of a file for three months, thus causing extra work for six officers, and who handed over the file only when he was cautioned that he was a criminal suspect, is to be disciplined.
It is important to know whether tomorrow the Secretary of State will confirm the existence or otherwise 708 of a tape recording of the events in the hayshed where Tighe died, which was not available when the case was tried by Lord Justice Kelly.
We also need to know whether the conclusion of the Director of Public Prosecutions not to proceed with shoot-to-kill allegations of 11 and 24 November and 12 December 1982 was supported by Mr. Stalker and Mr. Sampson, whether Mr. Sampson heard the tape, whether it was handed over and whether it is still in existence.
Those are important matters. They go to the root of our relationship with the Republic of Ireland, our allies in the most important fight against terrorism in these islands. The House should debate these things before the Secretary of State goes to his meeting tomorrow, where the reputation, honour and honesty of this country, the rule of law and the integrity of Ministers and the police are at stake.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 20 for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he believes should have urgent consideration, namely,
The need for urgent action by Her Majesty's Government in the light of new information regarding the conduct of the Stalker-Sampson investigations in Northern Ireland.I have listened with great care to what the hon. Gentleman has said. As he knows, my sole duty in considering an application under Standing Order No. 20 is to decide whether it should be given priority over the business set down for today or tomorrow.I regret that I cannot find that the matter the hon. Gentleman has raised meets the criteria laid down under Standing Order No. 20, and I therefore cannot submit his application to the House.
§ Mr. Tony Benn (Chesterfield)rose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am about to call the right hon. Gentleman to move his own application under Standing Order No. 20.
§ Mr. SpeakerNo. I have dealt with that matter.