Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I support the amendment. If we expect other countries to co-operate fully in the elimination of terrorism worldwide, we in the United Kingdom must transmit to foreign governments and foreign courts that we are clear-headed about the control of terrorism in our own territory and reassure them that we will co-operate with them in their efforts to eliminate it.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, I too support the government amendments. They are a vast improvement on what had gone before. In particular I note that subsection (1)(b) contains the two little words "or threat". I presume that, by implication, that includes the retention of the means of making a threat valid and effective. Therefore, the retention of arms and munitions falls within the scope of that provision....
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, will the Government consider compelling hole diggers to meet the cost of traffic wardens or some form of traffic control to relieve the type of congestion which one saw this morning at the important junction at Gloucester Road? Two totally unrelated contractors succeeded in nullifying the effect of the entire lighting system.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: It gives me great pleasure to support both the amendment and the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Cope of Berkeley. In a previous incarnation I had the privilege of appearing before many of these distinguished persons. Although their conclusions were sometimes a little inconvenient to some of us--and even more inconvenient for some governments--their reports instilled confidence in the...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way. I shall be brief. My only connection with the legal profession was when I served for many years as a justice of the peace, but I was then "holding the ring", so to speak, and not necessarily on anyone's side. I believe that the noble Lord, Lord Cope of Berkeley, made a valid point earlier. We need to reassure the public. The public perception is...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: The Committee should be grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, and his co-sponsors of these amendments. Over hundreds of years your Lordships' House has developed a tradition--which I am sure the noble and learned Lord the Attorney-General supports--of being precise, particularly in matters affecting the law of the United Kingdom. That is why, collectively as a House, we do our best to...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: In his response, the Minister used the words "at this stage". But in view of what has been said, the discussion we had in the debate on the political parties Bill, when we touched on a parallel problem of money shipment into Northern Ireland, and the Prime Minister's forthcoming statement, I hope that he has not entirely closed his mind to tightening up the draft legislation as it stands.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I apologise for interrupting the Minister again, but he made the point a few minutes ago that it is impossible for Her Majesty's Government to stop Irish American citizens sending money into Northern Ireland. By the same token, is it impossible for any nation in the Commonwealth to send money through the post to England for the Conservative Party? What is the difference?
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: Perhaps I may confirm that my noble friend Lord Rogan and I are not in any way opposed to contributions made by citizens of the Irish Republic to parties either here in Great Britain or in Northern Ireland. What concerns us--and the noble Lord, Lord Mackay, has made this point clearly over and over again--is not a question of only £100,000 here or there. We are discussing the millions of...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I am grateful to the noble Lord. Perhaps I may ask him whether he shares my anxiety that, even if we had, at a different time of day or at a different sitting, the time to go through thoroughly all the various--to my mind, conflicting--amendments, whether we would still find a great deal of overlap and contradiction, and whether we would find that a slab of the Committee stage of the Bill had...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I have a great deal of sympathy with the objectives of the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth. My noble friend Lord Rogan and I survived two referendums where, in one case, the question was settled by a government department and, in the other, more recent case, the question was set by agreement with a foreign government. Some of us protested mildly about that idea but were...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I support what the noble Lord, Lord Mackay, said about experimentation. In particular, I have in mind postal votes as an alternative to one going to a polling station, wherever that polling station may be. I have always supported the proposition of postal votes for those who find it impossible to get to a polling station for a variety of legitimate reasons. The noble Lord, Lord Mackay, has...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: It is important to respond to the noble Lord, Lord Mackay, on that point because initially there was great confusion when the Northern Ireland Assembly was established. There was some idea that it would be a beneficiary of what we colloquially call Short money. Like some others present, I was involved in the negotiations at the time of the Wilson government in bringing that about. It appeared...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I am not certain that the noble Lord, Lord Mackay, will be fully satisfied with the explanations that he has received from the Minister. I am not complaining, but I get an uneasy feeling that much of this design is based on personalities as we know them. It is not certain that that happy relationship will exist in three to five years' time. Like the noble Lord, Lord Mackay, I should...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I do not know whether I can help the noble Lord but I can say only that I am not aware of any Cross-Bencher who is in receipt of a Whip of any party.
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I support the amendment. The noble Lord, Lord Mackay, may find that it is far more significant than he realises. I think that what I am about to say will shock and stagger all Members of the Committee. It was generally believed that the Speaker of the House of Commons chaired all four Boundary Commissions. In all parts of the United Kingdom, some of that work was delegated, naturally, to a...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: I support the amendment. The noble Lord, Lord Mackay, has made what I regard as an unanswerable case for a specific Scottish commissioner. There is a very strong case for a commissioner ordinarily in residence. There is a very strong case because we could draw a parallel with Northern Ireland. I might be tempted to go into that in referring very briefly to the reason why Northern Ireland...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, given that the Belfast agreement committed all of the participants to exclusively peaceful means, how do Her Majesty's Government regard this morning's announcement by Mr Adams that his IRA standing army will be retained in perpetuity? Why should a political party in government in Northern Ireland need a standing army? With that goes the fact that some of the IRA's weapons will be...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mayhew of Twysden. He came to Northern Ireland uniquely qualified to bring his sound judgment to bear on a whole range of issues. I share the view of many that he left a lasting impact on what one might call the science of governance in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Like him, I feel that we would be wise to reflect on...
Lord Molyneaux of Killead: My Lords, we are at some small disadvantage as a result of delays in terms of both availability of documents and of short notice. I do not attach any blame to Ministers or to the Department of Finance and Personnel. Your Lordships will be aware of certain little difficulties elsewhere. It seems appropriate that we should calmly examine government expenditure in Northern Ireland against a more...
