§ Rev. Ian PaisleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will make a statement on the eligibility of people from Northern Ireland to be members of the Northern Ireland Criminal Cases Review Commission; [40307]
(2) if he will make a statement on progress towards the establishment of a Northern Ireland Criminal Cases Review Commission; [40305]
(3) what will be the (a) functions and (b) powers and remit of a Criminal Cases Review Commission in Northern Ireland. [40306]
§ Sir John WheelerA Criminal Cases Review Commission is being established to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice and, if necessary, to refer cases back to the Court of Appeal. Its remit will cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who are currently responsible for considering such cases, will cease to do so once the commission is established.
The commission is a statutory body whose functions, powers and remit are set out in the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It will comprise a chairman and a minimum of 10 board members. At least one third of the members must be legally qualified, whilst at least two thirds must have previous experience of the criminal justice system. One member, at least, must have knowledge or experience of the Northern Ireland criminal justice system. Subject to these provisions, selection is through open competition and is in accordance with the recommendations of the 748W Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life. Accordingly, advertisements for the recruitment of members appeared in the press in May, including the three Northern Ireland daily newspapers.
The selection process is under way and it is expected that the commission will begin work early in 1997.