§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the recent meeting held with representatives of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace about the hunger strike in Her Majesty's prison Maze.
§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsThe Government welcomed the efforts by the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace to contribute to a resolution of the Maze hunger strike and the associated prison protests. The commission held a series of discussions with the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, between 23 June and 6 July, and also visited the prisoners on hunger strike.
The Government were not in negotiation with the prisoners or anyone else through the intermediary of the commission. The purpose of the discussions was to clarify the Government's position in regard to the current prison regime, with particular reference to the issues of special treatment of certain prisoners and control by the prison authorities of day-to-day activities in the prisons.
I very much regret that the commission's intervention did not lead to the ending of the hunger strike on the basis of my statement issued on 8 July.
Peer of the Realm Appointment Hours per week Salaries or expenses paid As at 8 July 1981 As at May 1979 Lord O'Neill TD DL JP Trustee, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum Not possible to assess Nil Nil Lord Blease of Cromac Member, Northern Ireland Security Board Not possible to assess Nil Nil Lord McCarthy MA PhD Non-Executive director, Board of Harland and Wolff Ltd. Not possible to assess £1,575 £1,575