§ Viscount Brookeboroughasked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements they have made to review the operation of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991.
Viscount LongViscount Colville of Culross, who has carried out an annual review of emergency legislation in previous years, has accepted an invitation to prepare a report on the operation of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991. As with the former reviews, the intention is that the report should enable both Houses of Parliament to discharge effectively their responsibility to scrutinise the operation of the Act on the occasion of the annual debates on the Continuance Orders, and to determine whether any of the Act's temporary provisions could be allowed to lapse.
As the temporary provisions of the Act will lapse on 15th June 1992 unless continued in force by order, Lord Colville has been asked to submit his report by the beginning of April next year.