§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the royal commission's report on criminal justice; and if he will make a statement. [39726]
§ Sir John WheelerThe terms of reference of the royal commission did not extend to Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State decided to consider the implications of the report in the context of Northern Ireland.
To facilitate that process, he published consultation papers on "Criminal appeals and arrangements for dealing with alleged miscarriages of justice" (June 1994), "Disclosure in criminal cases in Northern Ireland" (July 1995), and "Committal proceedings in Northern Ireland" (December 1995).
Of the recommendations that are applicable to the arrangements in Northern Ireland, many have been, or are in the course of being, implemented. Where appropriate, this is being achieved through legislation, for example through the Police (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, revisions to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 codes, and through extension of relevant parts of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 to Northern Ireland. A number of recommendations including those on corroboration rules, witness intimidation, sentence discounts and police bail are being taken forward in the draft Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order which was published for consultation in May. Others are being pursued by administrative means and some will be further examined in light of the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland, including various aspects of pre-trial procedures.