§ Mr. Jim CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the statutory codes of practice in respect of terrorist suspects to come into operation.
§ Sir Patrick MayhewI have today laid before Parliament the draft codes of practice for the detention, treatment, questioning and identification of terrorist682W suspects in Northern Ireland, as I am required to do by section 61(3) of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991.1 intend to make an order which will bring the codes into opertion from midnight on 31 December 1993. This short delay is to enable the RUC to ensure that all officers are fully conversant with the new codes of practice before they come into operation.
The codes, which will replace part IV of the non-statutory "Guides to the Emergency Powers", have been based heavily on the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (PACE) codes of practice which apply to non-terrorist suspects. Adjustments have been made where necessary to reflect the relevant emergency legislation.
The purpose of the codes is to enhance still further the already extensive safeguards available to those detained under the terrorism provisions and to provide clear and workable guidelines for the police.