HC Deb 19 January 1995 vol 252 cc843-4
11. Mr. Soley

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Sir Patrick Mayhew

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Lady Olga Maitland) earlier today.

Mr. Soley

I congratulate the Secretary of State on the steps that he has taken so far in normalising the position in Northern Ireland. May I urge him to go a step further and end the use of the Emergency Provisions Act, which sits so uncomfortably in a parliamentary democracy? Will he consider making a statement soon that if the peace process continues all such emergency legislation will be ended?

Sir Patrick Mayhew

I am grateful for what the hon. Gentleman said at the outset of his question. No one wants to see emergency powers available on the statute book in the United Kingdom save when they are necessary. Unfortunately, it is not the advice reaching me that the risk which it is the duty of the security forces to guard against has diminished to so great an extent that we are now able to do without the emergency provisions legislation. I do not think that the country and I certainly do not think that Northern Ireland would feel that that was a risk that we were justified in taking at this stage. I look forward to the day when it will be possible to meet the hon. Gentleman's wishes.