§ 2. Lady Olga MaitlandTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made to counter punishment beatings carried out by terrorist organisations. [19608]
§ The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Sir John Wheeler)Punishment beatings are criminal conspiracies; all such criminal attacks are very serious crimes. The Royal Ulster Constabulary makes every effort to prevent those atrocious crimes and bring offenders to justice.
§ Lady Olga MaitlandI thank my right hon. Friend for his reply. Is he aware of just how extremely serious punishment beatings are and that 90 have been reported since the ceasefire? Of that number, 51 were inflicted by republicans and 39 by loyalists. Such savagery is unacceptable. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the topic must be put on the agenda in forthcoming talks with both sides?
§ Sir John WheelerI am grateful to my hon. Friend for all that she says. I assure her and the House that Ministers treat those appalling attacks with the greatest seriousness. They are totally unacceptable; they are a denial of human rights and an affront to the concepts of democracy. During the exploratory talks, my right hon. and learned Friend emphasises his condemnation of the attacks and urges all with any influence in the matter to bring them to an end.
§ Mr. A. Cecil WalkerI am sure that the Minister is aware that my constituency suffers more than most from punishment beatings. Has he considered establishing some form of confidential, covert operation with the assistance of victims, to combat that scourge in our community?
§ Sir John WheelerThe hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the plight of victims. The Royal Ulster Constabulary will best be effective in diminishing or reducing such unlawful acts if the public help by giving the police information. They can do so in confidence, and the RUC is innovative in looking for the best ways of working with the community to ensure that persons who commit such crimes are arrested and taken before the courts.
§ Mr. BarnesIn addition to and allied with the savage beatings, there is the expulsion from Northern Ireland by terrorist groups of many Catholics and Protestants, who are not allowed to return; it is a form of exclusion order. Many organisations, especially Families Against Intimidation and 967 Terror, fight against both savage beatings and expulsions. Would it not be useful to provide such organisations with extra funding for their valuable work?
§ Sir John WheelerThe hon. Gentleman is right to say that there is widespread condemnation of such evil acts within Northern Ireland and without. I hope that all who have influence on the persons who perpetuate such acts will use their voices to urge that those acts should end. Voluntary organisations do much good work in the community, often bravely. The organisation to which the hon. Gentleman referred already receives some public money, and I met its representatives recently to advise how it might attract further funding. Such organisations do a worthwhile job, and I am always willing to consider how they might reasonably be assisted to continue their work.