It is now over eighteen years since the signing of the historic Good Friday Agreement which made possible a new era in democratic politics in Northern Ireland following the IRA’s formal abandonment of violence. But the peace is incomplete. Paramilitary groups remain at large in the Province, bringing misery to individuals and some local communities.
The Government, in association with the devolved Northern Ireland Executive, is introducing new measures to try and deal with this residual violence. The measures include the establishment of a new Independent Reporting Commission on which our Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government of the Irish Republic will all be represented.
Alistair Lexden considered the role of this body in the context of Northern Ireland’s fragile peace in a short speech in the Lords on November 7. Follow the link to read the speech…. Hansard