Clause 3 - Certificates of eligibility
Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill
12:00 pm
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; he is very generous. I am partly reassured because I think I know where the Government are headed on this matter. Does he accept my logic that if they envisage a time when the scheme should close—that should be at the earliest opportunity—and the fact that clause 3(1) allows that to be done two years after it comes into operation, that implies that the Government foresee that the earliest opportunity could be two years after the Bill is passed? We want only to make that provision more robust, and I am partly reassured by my hon. Friend’s approach.