§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Attorney-General on what grounds he decided not to exercise his discretion under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996 to certify that the charge of murder of Robert Hamill against Paul Marc Hobson be not treated as a scheduled offence. [85494]
The Attorney-GeneralIn determining whether or not to certify that an offence should be treated as a non scheduled offence, I take into account the circumstances of the case on the basis of a note and recommendation furnished on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland. In the case of Paul Marc Hobson, who faced a charge of murdering Robert Hamill, on the basis of the information available to me, I took the view that the offence was connected with the emergency and declined to issue a certificate.