Skip to main content

Proceeding contribution from Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party) in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 14 September 2010. It occurred during Ministerial statement on Billy Wright Inquiry.


Billy Wright Inquiry

I too have met David Wright; unfortunately, I never met Billy Wright, but I too felt David Wright's pain as a father. I have also met many victims of Billy Wright and the LVF. We remember them today, just as we should remember all the victims of all the terrorism of the INLA, who will have very mixed feelings on a day like today. The Secretary of State has told us in the statement that the report emphatically rejects the idea of collusion. But does he not agree that that is partly because the report relies on the fact that the word ““collusion”” was not in the terms of reference for the inquiry and also because it specifically demurred from Judge Cory's definition of collusion—a definition that was, of course, clearly embraced by the police ombudsman in the recent report about Claudy? As for the findings, the report identified six wrongful omissions by the Northern Ireland Prison Service, which the panel say facilitated the murder or death of Billy Wright. Three further findings of wrongful omissions were identified that indirectly facilitated his murder, as well as two wrongful acts by the NIPS, one of which is held directly to have facilitated the murder, and one serious failure on the part of the Prison Service and its chief executive, involving a decision with ministerial knowledge, with conclusions attached to that to the effect that wrongful acts or omissions indirectly facilitated the murder. One Maze prison practice was concluded to have assisted the murder; one further prison failure undoubtedly facilitated the murder; and one wrongful omission by the Royal Ulster Constabulary that facilitated the murder was held to be negligent rather than intentional. In relation to the same issue, there was one most unfortunate conclusion against the security service. Yet all that adds up to ““no collusion””, so what does it add up to?


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
515 c749 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Accountability Homicide IRA Northern Ireland Prisoners Prisons Northern Ireland Prison Service Loyalist Volunteer Force Ulster Defence Association Irish National Liberation Army Billy Wright Inquiry Wright, Billy
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk