§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the steps taken by the Police Complaints Authority investigating the shooting of Diarmuid O'Neill to obtain statements from(a) Brian 843W McHugh and (b) Patrick Kelly since December 1997, indicating when (i) letters were sent and (ii) appointments made and with what notice; how many appointments were cancelled following approaches to legal representatives; what responses were received; when statements were taken; what assessment has been made of the impact of a transfer of the prisoners on the investigation; and what further steps are necessary to complete the investigation. [53990]
§ Mr. MichaelI understand that the investigating team wrote to solicitors representing Brian McHugh on 13 January to arrange an interview with their client. The solicitors were subsequently notified on 23 March that an appointment had been made to visit Mr. McHugh in prison. The solicitors replied on 1 April to say that Mr. McHugh would not make a statement. Officers visited Mr. McHugh on 7 April and he declined to co-operate with the investigation.
The investigating team wrote to solicitors representing Patrick Kelly on 28 January. An appointment to interview him in prison on 10 March was cancelled because his legal representative could not be present. The solicitors were notified on 25 March that another appointment had been made and he was eventually seen on 8 April in the presence of his legal representative. He declined to provide a statement.
The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) subsequently wrote to the solicitors representing the men on 27 May to make another request for their co-operation with the investigation, but no reply has been received.
The investigating officer is continuing his inquiries and has yet to complete the interviews of the police officers involved in the incident. The PCA has not made any assessment of the impact of a transfer of the prisoners.