§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to extend legislation on racially motivated crime to Northern Ireland. [1074]
§ Mr. BrowneThe provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which created categories of racially motivated offences were not extended to Northern Ireland. The Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1987, however, makes provision for a range of offences of stirring up hatred or arousing fear on religious or racial grounds. In response to approaches that have been made in recent months, it is our intention to conduct a consultation exercise later this year to consider how best to legislate in Northern Ireland against race crime.