§ 6.13 p.m.
§ LORD DONALDSON OF KINGS-BRIDGE rose to move, That the Draft Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 (Continuance) Order 1974, laid before the House on July 4, 1974, be 1189 approved. The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move that this Order be approved. I hope to speak about it briefly and I shall try to answer any points which are raised.
§ This order is to continue the Emergency Provisions Act passed in 1973. I do not feel in this House it will be necessary to go into very great detail to demonstrate that the Emergency which justified the Act in the first place is with us still and justifies its continuance. As I think most noble Lords will agree with this, I do not propose to list the really vile crimes which continue to be committed by the men of violence on both sides. My right honourable friend gave a very full account of this in his speech in the other place and I would refer noble Lords to that Record. Perhaps it is enough to say that we have 15,000 troops in Northern Ireland and in the last three months 178 bombs were exploded by terrorists. There were 909 shooting incidents, and 6 soldiers, 5 policemen and 35 civilians were killed; 67 soldiers, 21 policemen and 458 civilians were injured and treated in hospital—all this as a direct result of terrorist activity. Of the 379 people charged with security offences 138 were detained under interim custody order.
§ The proxy bomb, where a wife or relation is held as hostage and the husband forced to deliver a bomb to a certain place, is a continuing method of assault. Perhaps the nastiest feature is the internal revenge within the violent groups—67 punishment woundings (most of them knee-cappings) have occurred since January 1, and only last week there was the disgusting humiliation by shaving and exposing in public of two young girls. We can best show our contempt for this kind of behaviour by approving the Order. My Lords, I will say no more now but shall be happy to answer any questions noble Lords may like to put. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Draft Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 (Continuance) Order 1974, laid before the House on July 4, 1974, be approved.—(Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.