§ 23. Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce the audio recording of interviews with terrorist suspects; and if he will make a statement. [16382]
§ Sir John WheelerThe Government believe, taking into account the views of the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, that a move to audio recording at this time would not necessarily be in the overall interests of justice. The special circumstances in Northern Ireland mean that, for the time being, audio recording would be unacceptable on security grounds. Indeed, it its entirely possible that people's lives would be put at risk if the contents of recorded interview were made public in a court.
However, the Government do see benefits, both for interviewees and for the police, in facilitating silent video recording of interviews. A public consultation exercise on the draft code of practice to which the new system will operate has been completed, and it is hoped that the scheme will be up and running later this year.