§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons have been held under the Emergency Provisions Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, respectively, in Northern Ireland(a) between 1970 and 1975 and (b) between 1984 and 1989 for periods of less than 48 hours, for periods of between 48 hours and five days and for periods in excess of five days; and of those persons held, how many were subsequently charged with scheduled offences permitting trial before a non-jury court.
§ Mr. CopeReadily available information is as follows:
An order bringing the codes into operation on 1 January 1990 will be laid shortly.
It had been the Government's intention to lay at the same time a draft of the code of practice on the tape-recording of police interviews with suspects; but this code will not now be laid in draft until the steering committee set up to implement and monitor the procedures has had an opportunity to evaluate the tape-recording pilot schemes which will get under way in the new year and to assess and consider the arrangements which would be appropriate for Northern Ireland.
When this has been completed the draft code of practice 'on tape-recording will be laid before Parliament and thereafter an appropriate order will be made placing (subject to parliamentary approval) the Royal Ulster Constabulary under a duty to tape-record interviews with suspects in accordance with the code.