§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the terms of reference are of the Law and Order Task Force; what its membership is; how frequently and where it will meet; what resources have been made available to it over the next two years; what body will provide its secretariat and staff; and what decisions the Task Force has made. [74795]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyThe terms of reference for the Law and Order Action Group are
to monitor the effectiveness and co-ordination of action to combat crime and reinforce law and order in Northern Ireland.The Group will help support the independent operational agencies in their co-ordinated approach to tackling all aspects of crime. I chair the Group. The other members are Jane Kennedy, Des Browne, Lord Goldsmith, Rosie Winterton and their advisers. The Chief Constable and the Director of Public Prosecutions attended the first meeting on 24 September and will be invited to attend future meetings. The Group will meet on a regular basis, the location to be decided as appropriate for each meeting. No specific resources have been allocated to the Group. The Northern Ireland Office provides the Secretariat. The Group is taking a broad look at the crime spectrum; public order issues were discussed at the first meeting.