§ 20. Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations she has received on the case of Guardsmen Fisher and Wright in relation to the timing of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [49038]
§ Mr. IngramMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received a number of representations about these cases. The Secretary of State formerly had a statutory power to refer a case to the Court of Appeal again if it seemed that the conviction had been the result of a miscarriage of justice. However, this power lapsed when the Criminal Cases Review Commission began work after March 1997. The Commission alone now has the statutory power to refer a case back to the court. My right hon. Friend did not retain any residual powers and the Commission is not responsible to her for its investigation of individual cases. In these circumstances, therefore, it is for the Commission to determine the priority which is assigned to specific cases.