§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the review into the future operation of the Diplock court system; and when he expects a report to be published. [130422]
§ Mr. IngramOn 14 December 1999, during the Second Reading of the Terrorism Bill in the House of Commons, the Home Secretary announced that in parallel with the passage of the Bill the Government would conduct a review of the Diplock court arrangements. The Review Group has now completed its work and presented its report to the Secretary of State. The report was placed in the libraries at Westminster on 4 July and I enclose a copy for information.
While the Government's overall objective remains a return to jury trial for all offences in Northern Ireland, the Secretary of State agrees with the Review Group's recommendation that the time is not yet right for such a move. The Review Group's report also addresses a number of detailed points in relation to the operation of the Diplock court and will be considered further by the Secretary of State.