§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the preliminary view of the coming year's parades is to be published by the Parades Commission; to whom the preliminary view of the coming year's parades is formally submitted; to whom the Parades Commission is formally accountable; on what parades the Parades Commission has issued a formal determination since its inception; how many parades have taken place which have contravened rulings made by the Commission; and if she will make a statement on the work of the Parades Commission over its first 12 months. [76930]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 16 March 1999]The current text of the Procedural Rules, one of the three statutory documents published under the Public736W Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, indicates that the Commission will
express an informal broad view of the overall pattern of parades in the areas in which they are contentious" (Procedural Rules, p1, para. 1.2).The Commission is currently reviewing the Procedural Rules, together with the Code of Conduct and the Guidelines, in line with its statutory remit, and has issued its proposed changes to the documents in draft form for consultation. One of the proposed changes to the Procedural Rules is the removal of the requirement to make a preliminary view. In reaching its decisions in respect of contentious parades in the 1998 season, the Commission set out clearly the action it considered necessary by parties to parades disputes in order to remove the need for Commission involvement. Therefore, it considers that to issue a preliminary view in 1999 would simply be to restate what is already in the public domain.
The Chairman and his colleagues on the Commission will, of course, consider carefully the responses they receive in relation to the documents, including proposals relating to the preliminary view. The revised documents are, as the hon. Gentleman knows, subject to Parliamentary approval before publication.
In relation to accountability, the Commission was established by Parliament under the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 as an independent body. In addition to the statutory requirements in relation to the Code of Conduct, Procedural Rules and Guidelines, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is required to present to Parliament the Commission's Annual Report on the discharge of its functions for that year.
I have placed in the Library of the House a list of parades in relation to which the Parades Commission has issued a determination since receiving its statutory powers enabling it to impose conditions on parades.
Statistics on the number of parade which have contravened the Commission's rulings are not available.
Finally, I wish to congratulate the Parades Commission for their integrity and commitment over the last year. They have a difficult job and they have carried out their role in a totally fair and impartial manner in the best interests of all the people of Northern Ireland.