Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 08 Jul 2019
Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill
"Hear, hear...."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 20 May 2019
Immunity for Soldiers
"I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Damien Moore) for his initiative in bringing this debate to the House and for how he presented the case. I also pay tribute to all the subsequent speakers who, without exception, made powerful and well-informed contributions.
I wish briefly …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 20 May 2019
Immunity for Soldiers
"I would not put it quite as explicitly as that, but it was certainly implicit in the way that our report recommendation was first put forward and then somehow mysteriously excised from the Government’s agenda. May I try to resolve the pointed issue and ask my hon. Friend whether he …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 20 May 2019
Immunity for Soldiers
"Honourable and gallant Friend...."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: Immunity for Soldiers
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 20 May 2019
Immunity for Soldiers
"Does the hon. Lady accept that the great advantage of the truth recovery mechanism is that by removing the threat of prosecution, the truth is more likely to come out, so families will find resolution?..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 11th March 2019
Asked by:
Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question
to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the provision in the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 capping time spent in prison for Troubles-related offences at two years applies to members of the (a) armed forces, (b) police and (c) security services and (b) paramilitaries; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Under the early release scheme that formed part of the 1998 Belfast Agreement and was given legislative effect by the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998, qualifying prisoners may apply for early release (subject to certain conditions) after they have served two years in prison. Currently anyone convicted of Troubles-related scheduled offences and serving their sentence in Northern Ireland would be eligible to apply to the scheme. Release is on licence, such licence being subject to revocation for noncompliance with certain conditions - as has happened in a number of cases. When a licence is revoked an individual is liable to be returned to prison to serve out their original sentence.
The provisions set out in the draft Northern Ireland (Stormont House Agreement) Bill on which we recently consulted would amend the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 to extend this two year accelerated release scheme for Troubles-related offences to those serving sentences in Great Britain. The Sentences Act does not cover offences committed before August 1973, so the draft Bill proposes to extend the early release scheme to cover the start of the Troubles (January 1968-August 1973). The Government has no intention to extend early release to offences committed after the date of the Belfast Agreement in April 1998. There is no proposal in the consultation to do this and the Government is not contemplating it.
The legacy consultation concluded in October and we expect to finish our analysis of the 17,000 plus responses shortly. It is right we take the time to consider each response fully and I will set out the next steps in this process as soon as I can.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 21 Jan 2019
Northern Ireland: Security Situation
"I appreciate the Secretary of State’s remark that it only takes a very small number of terrorists to have a disproportionate effect, and I appreciate the significance and sensitivities of ongoing investigations, but can she tell the House whether any arrests have been made—the BBC has already reported that they …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Written Question
Tuesday 11th September 2018
Asked by:
Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question
to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many legacy cases from the Troubles in Northern Ireland are (a) currently being and (b) are due to be brought to court in the next 12 months; and how many of those cases involve the prosecution of present or former (i) service personnel, (ii) police or other security forces, (iii) republican terrorists and (iv) loyalist terrorists.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Government does not hold figures on prosecutorial decisions as this is a matter for the prosecuting authorities, in this case the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland who act independently of Government.
We are aware, however, that since 2011 the following decisions have been taken in relation to offences connected to the security situation in Northern Ireland that took place prior to the signing of the Belfast Agreement on 10 April 1998:
- There have been seven prosecutions of republican paramilitaries. Of the five concluded cases there have been two convictions, one acquittal and two cases in which proceedings were discontinued (one following the death of the defendant). Two cases are currently active;
- There have been four prosecutions related to alleged loyalist paramilitary activity. Convictions have been secured in two cases and two cases are currently active;
- There have been three prosecutions of soldiers with one ‘no prosecution’ decision currently under review. All of these cases are currently active.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 06 Sep 2018
Northern Ireland Government
"The Secretary of State mentioned that she is taking these steps in the national interest. Does she feel that it is in the national interest that old soldiers who participated in securing the successful outcome after the years of the troubles and the creation of civil government in Northern Ireland …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Jul 2018
Northern Ireland Budget (No. 2) Bill
"May I urge the Secretary of State to realise that the protagonists in this bitter debate are sometimes trapped by their own rhetoric? The truth of the matter is that one side wants there to be an amnesty for one group of people, but not the other, and the other …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Budget (No. 2) Bill