Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will discuss with the Irish Government the whereabouts of Michael Christopher Hayes in connection with his involvement in the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974; and whether that person received an on-the-run letter.

I hold regular discussions with the Irish Government on a range of issues including security. Existing arrangements are in place between UK police forces and An Garda Síochána to allow for co-operation in criminal investigations. Taking forward criminal investigations is a matter for the operationally independent police.

The UK Government does not comment on individual cases. The Government made clear in September 2014 that the on-the-run scheme established by the previous Labour administration was at an end, and that there was no basis for any reliance on letters received under the scheme as a barrier to prosecution should the required evidential test be met. Lady Justice Hallett carried out an independent review in 2014 and while she found that there were significant failures in this process she concluded that these letters did not amount to an amnesty.