Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Michael Mates (Conservative). It was answered on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Drug Smuggling

Question: I am sure that the Minister is aware that the Chief Constable feels that he is being severely held back by the amount of time that his force is having to spend looking back over past matters and not getting on with matters such as that which my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) mentioned—the joint pursuit of those responsible for the drugs problem. Will he do all that he can to ensure that the Chief Constable is allowed to get on with his job, which is policing for today and tomorrow rather than so much for yesterday?

Answer: The right hon. Gentleman is entirely right. Every pound that is spent on policing the past is a pound that is not spent on policing the present and making the future absolutely safe. The Government have established, under Robin Eames and Denis Bradley, a commission to investigate whether there is a way of drawing a line under the past that will enable the whole of society in Northern Ireland to move forward, including on policing. We must devote all the resources that we can to ensuring that Northern Ireland is a safe place in which to live and work.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 470 c293
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Drugs Northern Ireland Smuggling Cross border cooperation Police Service of Northern Ireland Garda Síochána
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk