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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Let me respond to the hon. Gentleman with two facts. The Home Secretary appeared as a witness earlier this year before a Select Committee that was examining anti-Semitism. When I asked him whether he supported positive discrimination in England and Wales to make the police service more representative—I am sure that the hon. Member for Ealing, North (Stephen Pound) would wish the police service in London and his constituency to reflect the community he represents, although I do not think that it does at present—he said no. After the House adjourns this evening, the hon. Member for Ealing, North may wish to speak to the Home Secretary about making the police service in London, England and Wales more reflective of the community. The RUC came through a horrible campaign of violence and intimidation. I repeat that there were 302 dead officers—not just one here or there—in a population of 1.7 million, so there is scarcely a family that is untouched. It is not surprising that the Irish Republican Army and other republican paramilitaries targeted Catholics who chose courageously to join the police service when the Gaelic Athletic Association perpetuated rule 21. The hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt) referred to the Patten report, which recommended that all obstacles to young Catholics, including the GAA rules, should be withdrawn post-haste. The report was issued in 1999 but, if memory serves, the GAA did not withdraw rule 21 until 2005. It did not act speedily, so it is no wonder that the RUC ended up with a particular composition, which was the result, not of discrimination in the ranks, but of the undisguised intimidation and murder of Catholics who joined its forces.