HL Deb 21 January 2002 vol 630 cc190-1WA
Baroness Park of Monmouth

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action, if any, has been taken to implement the recommendation, made by the House of Commons Northern Ireland Committee in its report on relocation following paramilitary intimidation published in March, that a single unit should be set up on the mainland to assist British displaced persons, in view of the further information provided in the Radio 4 programme, "An Imperfect Peace", on 3 December. [HL1860]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

Government policy in this area has been to encourage people to liaise with the police in a bid to make them more secure within their own community, or, if they have been obliged to move, to work towards their re-integration. This is because there is a tension between the Government's desire to help those genuinely in need and, by so doing, actually furthering the objectives of those trying to force them from their homes. Formalising the development of policy and the co-ordination of support activities, as the commitee advocates, would risk sending a signal to paramilitaries that, by working to alleviate the consequences of their actions, the Government were tacitly allowing them to continue with impunity.

The Government are satisfied that the support necessary for victims of intimidation resettling in Great Britain is in place but that the committee is right to highlight the need for clear information to be available locally on how to gain access to that support. Citizens' advice bureaux appear to fulfil that function very satisfactorily; we are studying their guidance and, if it is considered that supplementary material or tailoring specific to the needs of victims of intimidation is necessary, we will pursue that with them.