Clause 1 - Offences to which the Act applies
Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill
11:00 am
Jeffrey M Donaldson (Lagan Valley, DUP)
We are saying that this should apply specifically to members of the security forces who meet the conditions in clause 3. The aim of the new clause is to separate out members of the security forces in respect of other provisions on the certificates of eligibility in that clause.
We are saying that the commissioner must issue a certificate in circumstances in which the applicant meets the two requirements that we have detailed in new clause 2(1)(a) and (b): the applicant is accused of an offence committed in the course of efforts to combat terrorism in Northern Ireland and it appears to the commissioner from the information available to him that the applicant meets the conditions in clause 3.
We are trying to make that distinction and to separate out individuals who will benefit under the other subsections of clause 3 in terms of their applying for a certificate of eligibility, so that a separate standard or set of criteria applies to members of the security forces and no moral equivalence is created, as it will be under the Bill. We are not seeking to draw a parallel between members of the security forces and members of paramilitary organisations.