Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill

Anthony Lester owes me one! I had to spend four hours in Grand Committee on this Northern Ireland Bill moving amendments he had tabled in our joint names, to say nothing of the time spent mugging up on the Bill and the Joint Committee on Human Rights criticisms of it, because he was unavoidably absent. Towards the end I was saved from having to deal with a further seven consecutive sets of amendments, by Lord Maginnis making a long speech criticising the Northern Ireland police ombudsman. According to him she pursued a witch-hunt against a police officer who inadvertently drove onto a pavement while he was investigating a terrorist offence. She noticed this on a TV picture, and called house to house along the street to get someone to make a complaint, following which the officer had to undergo several interrogations and is still suspended from duty.

Things are still not exactly normal in Northern Ireland.

www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/
ldhansrd/text/70319-gc0001.htm#07031923000002