Clause 1 - Offences to which the Act applies
Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill
11:45 am
Huw Irranca-Davies (PPS (Rt Hon Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State), Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Ogmore, Labour)
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. I am sure that the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire did not intend in any way to mislead regarding the Bill, where it states,
“in connection with terrorism and the affairs of Northern Ireland”.
It is not “or the wider affairs of Northern Ireland”. Now, while everything that we pass on to the statute book is subject to interpretation by the judiciary and by whoever sits on these matters, would my hon. Friend not agree that it is pretty clear this relates to terrorism—not to every form of criminality?