---

Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

That is much clearer than the earlier little dose of mud that was delivered to the Committee. I appreciate the second, much better intervention by the Minister. Given that extradition policy will remain primarily or exclusively a matter for Westminster, that the United Kingdom will be treated as a whole and that no special arrangements will prevail in Northern Ireland, I wonder what negotiations have taken place and what efforts have been made by the Government to ensure the full implementation of the new extradition arrangements between America and the United Kingdom as a whole that were agreed between the Prime Minister and President Bush in March 2003. Following the appalling events in New York and the massive loss of life in 2001, a new arrangement was made between the British and American Governments that extradition procedures would be changed, so that a prima facie case did not have to be made either in the British courts by the Americans. Likewise, the reciprocal basis should be that the British Government need not make a prima facie case before an American court to extradite an individual. Since the Minister has assured us that extradition remains primarily or exclusively a matter for Parliament in London, will he enlighten us about why the Irish-American lobby in America, vast as it is, has been able to prevail on the American Government to ensure that the reciprocal part of the arrangement entered into in March 2003 has not been implemented in America, whereas the British Government have honourably implemented their part of the arrangement?