Northern Ireland Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 February 2012

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Questions (206, 207, 208)

Clare Daly

Question:

209 Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his views regarding the use of the EU-US mutual legal assistance treaty by the PSNI to subpoena, through the US Department of Justice, tape recordings of interviews given in confidence to researchers by republican and loyalist paramilitaries who participated in the armed conflict in the North, noting that the decommissioning papers are lodged in the same archive at Boston College; and if he will make representations to the US Government requesting that these tapes should not be released in the interests of guaranteeing confidentiality to participants in important historical research, protecting the free flow of information and ensuring the safety of the researchers. [10334/12]

Clare Daly

Question:

210 Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has been consulted by his counterpart in Northern Ireland regarding the subject matter in the Boston College — Oral History Belfast Project. [10335/12]

Clare Daly

Question:

211 Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if any request has been made to him by the PSNI for the arrest of anyone within the State arising from the subject matter contained in the Boston College tapes — Oral History Belfast Project. [10336/12]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Alan Shatter)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 to 211, inclusive, together.

I refer the Deputy to my reply to Questions 169 to 174, inclusive, of 26 January 2012, in which I have set out the position in relation to the papers of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning some of which have been lodged by the Commission at Boston College. I have no function in relation to the entirely separate issue of the Oral History Belfast Project.

As for the question of any request to arrest any individuals within this jurisdiction in relation to offences committed in another jurisdiction, there are well-established procedures under the European Arrest Warrant for dealing with any such requests. Ultimately that would be a matter for the Courts.