Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill
8:45 pm
Lorely Burt (Shadow Minister, Northern Ireland Affairs; Solihull, Liberal Democrat)
The amendments relate to Liberal Democrat amendments Nos. 48, 49, 51 and 54, which the Committee dealt with previously. Amendment No. 60 would tie the behaviour of the organisation to the fate of the individual. It would allow the Secretary of State to cancel a person’s certificate of eligibility if the conditions in section 3(3) were not met by the organisation at the time when the certificate was issued or, more crucially, if they are no longer being met by that organisation. That would give paramilitary organisations an incentive to cease all illegal activity: if they do not, they put the licences of those who support them at risk.
Although the Bill deals with individuals, it is important to remember that individuals carried out terrible acts of terrorism in Northern Ireland in the name of certain organisations. The behaviour of those organisations must also be considered in relation to the Bill.