Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I have been happy to add my name to the amendment. I touched on the matter in general on another occasion and, as I am aware of the relation between this amendment and Amendment No. 2, I shall venture an opinion on a slightly different aspect. There must be greater priority and precision. We simply cannot let an issue as vital as this continue on and on without any clear determination or...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Harrison, for providing us with an opportunity to reassure our good citizens in Northern Ireland and thus enabling them to cope with what I regard as rather limited challenges. An element of society for which I do not have authority to speak are the money launderers in both the North and the South. But the Irish Times provides a staple...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I, too, have a good deal of sympathy with the amendment because, on occasions such as this, I have been convinced that international draftsmen are not so much confused as seeking refuge in complexity.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, when the IRA announced a "cessation of military operations"—that was the phrase it used—I chanced to be in Downing Street, and I publicly welcomed the statement. I expressed the hope that those who had influence with terrorists of all shades would use that influence to persuade all of them to take the subsequent steps to the creation of an unconditional and permanent peace....
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, given the disbandment of effective policing, which has seriously weakened law enforcement throughout Northern Ireland, will Her Majesty's Government keep their promise to take no risks with security, and increase troop levels despite the regrettable overstretch of the Army?
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, the order should be seen as preparation for the overdue offensive against terrorist and paramilitary bodies generally. That offensive must be launched without delay if the people of Northern Ireland are to be rescued from the hideous imposition of intimidation, racketeering, drug trafficking and protection rackets. I am at one with the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, on that. The New...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, mindful of the demands on the House today, I shall be brief. I welcome the correction as regards the omission from the Northern Ireland Act 1998. It was one of the many flaws in the Act--due partly to haste in drafting it and perhaps mainly to the influence of those from foreign parts who were determined to restrict to a minimum all references to the integrity of the United Kingdom....
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 9 July (WA60), whether they accept that Article 308 of the treaty establishing the European Community is an adequate legal basis for the proposal for a Council regulation on the statute and financing of European political parties (COM(2001) 343 final).
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 9 July (WA60), whether any provisions of the proposal for Council regulation on the statute and financing of European political parties (COM(2001) 343 final) as published on 21 June are incompatible with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, given that terrorist organisations, both republican and loyalist, remain armed to the teeth, does the noble and learned Lord share my concern over the current campaigns to reduce still further the numbers and the effectiveness of the Royal Ulster Constabulary?
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, in view of the alarming domination of the civil power by drug baron paramilitaries, will the Government keep in mind the possibility--and perhaps the necessity--of increasing Army strength to prevent a complete breakdown of order?
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I apologise for interrupting the Minister at this late stage in his speech. I thought that I had made it clear that the Irish army and police had sealed the frontier efficiently. I simply said that what they can do on one occasion, surely they can do with equal efficiency on another.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, as has been said, the introduction of the extension order merely confirms the well-founded suspicion that the parent Act of 1997 was always intended to be a moveable feast. It is for that very reason that the government of the day--and they are not the only guilty ones--found it necessary to come back and literally humiliate Parliament by inviting Members to engage in something that...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I have no particular objection to this order. However, I repeat and support what has just been said. We need to be careful that we do not create too much of a gap between the other side of the Irish Sea and this side, particularly in regard to the other devolved regions in Great Britain. I am afraid that from past experience I have discovered that the racial safeguards have been...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I must first apologise to the House and, in particular, to the noble Baroness, Lady Gould, for appearing at an earlier stage to attempt to jump the queue. My only defence is to say that the error was due to the fact that I had been in the Chamber almost continuously since 2.15 p.m. and that I had entirely forgotten to check the speakers' list. That lapse may be attributed to old...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, as a layman, I hesitate to get involved in this discussion.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, the greater number of people in Northern Ireland--by that, I do not mean the unionist or Protestant majority, but the sensible, law-abiding people of all religions and of none--take the view that they do not wish this order to be imposed. As a democrat, I therefore have to support the amendment. The order will permit "Northern Ireland parties" to receive global foreign funding but...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I am sure we are all deeply grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Tebbit, for giving us this opportunity to debate vitally important linked issues which are of great concern to the law-abiding citizens of the whole of the United Kingdom. We should all be grateful to the noble Lord for his detailed and thoughtful analysis. I declare an interest as a council tax payer resident in London...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, can the Minister report any progress within the Women's Institute, given that certain experiments in that regard have not been terribly successful?
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, given the increasing volume of traffic at Heathrow particularly, is there not something seriously wrong with the maintenance situation where travelators, lifts and escalators are switched off for days and days and no maintenance contractor seems to move a finger to remedy the problem?
