Mr Harry West: I want to examine the advisability of the House rising for a long Summer Recess, in view of the great tragedies that are occurring in Northern Ireland. I listened with great interest to my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, East (Sir D. Walker-Smith) speak of the tragedy of Cyprus, but nearer home there is the dreadful tragedy of Northern Ireland. Although it has...
Mr Harry West: asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many murders committed in Northern Ireland since March 1972 can be classified as sectarian; on what evidence such classification is made; how many convictions were obtained or detention orders made in respect of such murders; and how many of the convicted or detained are known to be Protestants.
Mr Harry West: Does the right hon. Gentleman recall the statement made on 3rd June by the Secretary of State and recorded in the OFFICIAL REPORT? I shall quote the relevant paragraph—[Interruption.] Apparently that is not in order. May I therefore ask the right hon. Gentleman if he recalls the Secretary of State's stating that of the 250 murders committed the overwhelming proportion were committed by...
Mr Harry West: I have been greatly impressed by the degree of sympathy expressed on both sides of the House for the measure we are now discussing and for the note of realism in many speeches. Admittedly, one of the speeches from the Labour benches rather spoilt the picture by introducing the allegation of discrimination in local authorities. I hope that when hon. Members feel disturbed about the political...
Mr Harry West: The right hon. Gentleman has been talking about standards that are acceptable to this House. If, in the event, the Convention decides by a majority against power sharing, how will the Parliament at Westminster be able to reject that finding, seeing that it does not accept power sharing in its own institutions?
Mr Harry West: I hope that the Minister of State recognises that we 12 elected Members have a mandate from the people of Northern Ireland to speak on their behalf. He does not have such a mandate. The House should listen to our view rather than the views of people who have not been elected by the people of Northern Ireland.
Mr Harry West: I beg to move Amendment No. 3, in page 7, line 35, leave out seventy-eight' and insert 'eighty-one'
Mr Harry West: The purpose of the amendment is to increase the representation in the Northern Ireland Assembly of the three constituencies referred to in Amendment No. 5. I heard the arguments earlier about increased Northern Ireland representation in this House, and I heard the case put forward that it would mean calling in a boundary commission to readjust boundaries. However, the present case is one in...
Mr Harry West: I welcome the opportunity of saying a few words about this White Paper. May I take up the point about under-representation, dealt with by my hon. Friend the Member for Londonderry (Mr. Ross), who quoted figures for constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales. If he will forgive my saying so, he was a little low in those figures. Nevertheless, there is a vast difference, on average,...
Mr Harry West: The hon. Member has hardly quoted me correctly when he said that I accused both Front Benches. I said that both Front Benches denied political interference. Admittedly it amounts to the same thing. Several senior Army officers have come out in public and made this point from their practical experience of service in Northern Ireland.
Mr Harry West: This is a most peculiar accusation. I do not recall going to the right hon. Gentleman in his office and asking him to interfere in a security matter. Will he give the information?
Mr Harry West: I give the names of General Walker and Lord Richard Cecil. The right hon. Gentleman is quite wrong, however. It is untrue to say that I went to him to ask for security protection for myself. The requests for my protection did not come at my insistence. I was present on a number of occasions when requests were made on my behalf by a number of my colleagues, two of whom are sitting on this...
Mr Harry West: That does not worry me as much as does the misrepresentation of my conduct by the Secretary of State. He has said that I went to him on four occasions asking for protection. This is not true. I have never been to him asking for protection for myself. He should withdraw that remark. It is wrong for him to make that accusation.
Mr Harry West: That is not the point.
Mr Harry West: I must again ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he still holds the view that I went to him on four occasions in his office in Belfast asking for protection for myself. Is that true or not?
Mr Harry West: We have now heard the truth, and the truth is that I did not make direct representations to the right hon. Gentleman for security for myself, as he tried to convey to the House a few minutes. That was quite untrue.
Mr Harry West: We have heard quite a lot from the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, about the cost of the bomb damage. All that is a result of terrorist activities there which we feel could have been curtailed in Northern Ireland. I have already given the names of two Army officers who have spoken publicly on the matter. There are a number of others who do not want their names mentioned because...
Mr Harry West: It is a little ridiculous to ask that. The whole picture in Northern Ireland is one of disaster because of terrorist activities. I do not make a habit of listing each item of destruction and every person killed or maimed, but it is public knowledge that this has happened. I do not keep records of such things.
Mr Harry West: I suppose the hon. Gentleman is right to come to the rescue of his right hon. Friends on the Front Bench. Of course he defends the right hon. Gentleman, but these things have happened. [HON. MEMBERS: "There is no evidence."] I say there is. I live in the community. All those who live in Northern Ireland know this to be correct. I will not waste any more time on the point. On this question of...
Mr Harry West: It is most unfortunate that even today in this House in talking of the two sections of the community we have had mention of Protestants and Catholics. I have said before in this House that the trouble in Northern Ireland does not arise between Catholics and Protestants as such but because a majority of people there want to remain within the United Kingdom and the minority want to go into a...
