Clause 1 - Guarantee of continued judicial independence
Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill
10:45 am
Mr Crispin Blunt (Reigate, Conservative)
I listened carefully to the hon. Gentleman. I am glad that he acknowledges that it is not the most serious amendment that we will consider, and I hope that that means that he will not press it. The effect of the amendment and its implications would be regarded with the utmost seriousness by the people at whom it is aimed—the members of the judiciary.
The judiciary in Northern Ireland has discharged its responsibilities with the utmost heroism during the past 33 years. A number of its members have been murdered. They have required permanent protection from the threats of murderers, and they have had to move home. They have not only had to suffer the constant physical presence of people to protect them, but have had substantial changes made to their whole way of life in order to sustain a judicial function in Northern Ireland.
No one examining the judicial record in Northern Ireland during the past 33 years, whichever side of the argument they come from, could regard the judiciary as having been ''on their side''. The fate of the evidence from the supergrasses is a case in point. In that instance, the judiciary acted in a way that caused massive inconvenience for the forces of law and order who were fighting terrorists and murderers in Northern Ireland.
I sincerely hope that the hon. Gentleman will reflect on what his amendment would actually mean for those who are its targets, and will withdraw it. I see it as a gratuitous insult to the record of the judiciary. The way in which they have carried out their function in terrible circumstances is beyond reproach.