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Northern Ireland Office

Answer

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of (a) Section 2 Paramilitary violence and (b) Section 3 Systems for investigating deaths of the Chief Commissioner's Overview of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2004. [202876] Mr. Paul Murphy: I utterly deplore and condemn the vicious attacks highlighted in section 2 of the Chief Commissioner's overview, which in many cases have left the victims physically and mentally scarred for life. Despite making every effort to bring to justice those responsible for these acts, the police can be hampered when in their investigations if the victims fail to cooperate either through fear or because to do so may implicate them in other crimes. Prosecutions are therefore extremely rare. However, Government and law enforcement agencies continue to seek ways of addressing the problem effectively. The Independent Monitoring Commission will continue to monitor the level of paramilitary activity including shootings and assaults and report on this regularly to the British and Irish Governments. In relation to Section 3, following judgments of the European Court of Human Rights the Government has put together a package of remedial measures designed to address the judgments and improve the investigation of deaths including the inquest system. This package reflects the current position of the Government and remains under the consideration of the Committee of Minister's Deputies in Strasbourg. Furthermore, the Government recognises the continuing hurt that many feel about the number of deaths that remain unresolved. For those who have suffered the loss of loved ones, the possibility of coming to terms with what has happened in the past is made more remote because there remain significant unanswered questions. We must do everything possible to give those people the best chance of achieving that. The Serious Crime Review Team within the Police Service of Northern Ireland was established by the Chief Constable this spring to re-examine the files on some of these murders, and to establish whether there is any prospect of fuller reinvestigation leading to an outcome. It is recognised that this is painstaking work and places significant demands on police resources. As a consequence the Government has been working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on how this work might be expanded to process greater numbers of unresolved deaths and to do so in a way that commands the confidence of the wider community.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

202876; 428 c923-4W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Criminal investigation Death Northern Ireland Proscribed organisations Terrorism Violence

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk