§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give, for each year from 1980 to date, separately as regards informant or converted terrorist trials in Northern Ireland, the number of people who have been convicted on the evidence of converted terrorist witnesses/accomplice witnesses, and in how many cases this evidence was corroborated by other evidence other than the evidence of another converted terrorist, in how many cases the evidence of the converted terrorist constituted the sole evidence of the existence of the crime itself, how many people have been charged on the basis of converted terrorists' evidence and in how many cases this was the only evidence upon which the person stood accused.
§ The Attorney-General[pursuant to the reply, 25 July 1984]: In so far as the question relates to the 418W evidence of the accomplices in trials for scheduled offences, the position in respect of the number of persons who were either convicted or pleaded guilty in consequence of evidence given by such accomplices is as follows:
Year Number of persons 1980 — 1981 — 1982 4 1983 69 1984 11 There is no comprehensive record of and it is not now feasible to identify without disproportionate cost, the matters which may have been before the court for the purposes of individual charges or whether they were capable of constituting corrorboration.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what specific cases persons have been convicted of terrorist-type offences on the basis, either wholly or partially, of accomplice witness evidence where the accomplice witness was granted immunity from prosecution for scheduled or other offences, stating the number and length of sentence of persons convicted and listing in each case the nature of the crime for which immunity was granted to the accomplice witness.
§ The Attorney-General[pursuant to the reply, 25 July 1984]: In so far as the question relates to the evidence of the accomplices in trials for scheduled offences, the position in respect of the number of persons who were either convicted or pleaded guilty in consequence of evidence by such accomplices who had received immunity from prosecution is as follows:
Year Number of persons 1980 — 1981 — 1982 4 1983 62 1984 11 The number of persons who were convicted either by the court or on their own admissions of guilt on the basis of such evidence and who received custodial sentences is as follows:
Year Number of persons 1982 4 1983 47 1984 11 The number and length of sentence imposed in respect of each individual in each case is available only at a disproportionate cost.
The crimes for which it was decided that there would be no prosecution were terrorist-type offences involvement in which was admitted by the witness in written signed statements which were furnished in full to the defence in each of these trials.