HL Deb 06 July 1982 vol 432 c763WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether all the recommendations of the Bennett Committee have now been implemented, and if not, which are still outstanding.

The Earl of Gowrie

I would refer the noble Lord to the paper entitledAction to be taken on the Recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into Police Interrogation Procedures in Northern Ireland placed in the Library of the House in July 1979. This sets out the action to be taken following publication of the report of the Committee of Inquiry into Police Interrogation Procedures in Northern Ireland in March 1979 (Cmnd 7497).

All the action set out in the document has been taken, except that Recommendation 61 has not yet been implemented in full. However, a tribunal was recently convened under Section 13 of the Police Act (Northern Ireland) 1970. Its powers were clarified by the courts and consideration is now being given to these powers being increased as recommended by the report.