Clause 14
Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill
9:45 am
Paul Goggins (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Northern Ireland Office; Wythenshawe and Sale East, Labour)
It is unusual for the hon. Lady to paint an exaggerated picture, but with that argument I fear that she has. I have already assured the Committee, and I shall offer the following reassurance to her: an individual or organisation that has been through the investigation she describes would have undergone a thorough investigation, so in practice the commission would have no ground on which to conduct its inquiry and investigation. The investigation would already have been carried out thoroughly. If someone has been subjected to a thorough and long-running investigation, it is highly unlikely that the Human Rights Commission would reopen it. That would just not occur in real life, and I suggest that the hon. Lady is painting a slightly exaggerated picture.