Deal with the past, urges McGrory

The head of Northern Ireland's prosecution service has questioned if politicians have the will to tackle the fallout from the decades of violence in the region.

There is a long-running debate on how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles, with some victims calling for prosecutions in unsolved murders, and others demanding information on how and why their loved ones were killed.

Barra McGrory, director of the Public
Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland,
addresses the Committee on the Administration of Justice

Barra McGrory was a high profile defence lawyer before recently being appointed director of public prosecutions.

In a speech to leading human rights watchdog the Belfast-basedCommittee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), he said the question of dealing with Northern Ireland's past should be a priority.

"I think there is an imperative in the public interest that society finds a mechanism to deal with the past," he said.

"Whether that be simply giving more resources to the investigators to get on with the investigating, and then consequentially the prosecution service to prosecute cases if the evidence emerges, or whether or not society is ready for a solution to the past outside of the prosecutorial system, is a matter that I think this society needs to confront.

"In my view, the sooner it confronts it the better, but confront it it needs to."

Mr McGrory has said his decision to become a lawyer was heavily influenced by his late father Paddy McGrory, who acted in a series of high profile cases across the political divide but who rose to international prominence as legal representative for the families of three unarmed IRA members shot dead by security forces in Gibraltar in 1988.

He said that during his time as a defence lawyer, he rarely had reason to consider how the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decided whether or not to proceed with prosecutions.

But Mr McGrory said his role in public inquiries had stirred a greater interest in the issue. He added: "I think, perhaps even it would be safe to say that my representation of the (sectarian murder victim Robert) Hamill family was one of the reasons why I perhaps took an interest in this job, in that, for the first time as a lawyer I had to confront the difficulties faced by victims of a crime and how they related to the prosecution and how the prosecution related to them. And that brought home to me the importance of the role."

©Press Association

Ford visits jail in bid to end row

Ford visits jail in bid to end row 

Stormont's Justice Minister is to visit Portlaoise Prison in the Republic as efforts continue to defuse a long-running jail dispute in Northern Ireland.


Around 30 dissident republican prisoners in Maghaberry jail in Co Antrim are involved in a so-called no wash or dirty protest against the jail's regime.

Objections to full body searches when leaving or entering the prison have sparked calls for the use of a special hi-tech chair, similar to that used in Portlaoise, to help prison staff to check for contraband without physically searching inmates.

David Ford said, however, that prison staff had adhered to agreements at Maghaberry and he doubted if the technology existed to entirely replace searches.

After a meeting of justice ministers from Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic and Scotland at Stormont, Mr Ford revealed he will visit Portlaoise within weeks to examine how it handles top security prisoners.

"As far as I am concerned the prison service is adhering to the agreement that was made with the separated prisoners in August of 2010," said Mr Ford.

Justice minister David Ford is to visit
Portlaoise Prison in the Republic as efforts
 continue to end a long-running jail dispute in
Northern Ireland

"But there are clear issues around controlled movement which remain to be resolved which cannot be resolved while the difficulties are happening. There are also issues about technology to avoid full body searching. That is an issue that I am concerned we will make progress on for the whole of the Northern Ireland prison service estate.

"And if there are opportunities which develop, that maintain dignity for prisoners and prison staff, and also security for prison and prison staff, then we are willing to implement them."

Mr Ford said he would explore the possibility of employing new technologies. But the minister added: "At the moment I have no evidence that there is any technology as yet licensed for use within Northern Ireland that would meet all our needs."

The Republic's justice minister Alan Shatter said he had full confidence that Mr Ford was dealing with the prison protest appropriately.

15,000 caught without TV licence

More than 15,000 people were caught watching television without a valid licence in Northern Ireland last year.

This includes more than 4,600 in Belfast, 1,090 in Derry and 1,030 in Newry and Craigavon.

There were 3,415 cases dealt with by the courts in 2011 where an order was made following conviction. In nearly all cases a fine was issued.

Deborah King, TV Licensing spokeswoman, said: "People are given every opportunity to pay, but, if they fail to do so and watch TV illegally, we will seek a prosecution."

The number caught without a valid licence is down more than 4,800 on last year.

A total of 4,600 people in Belfast,
1,090 in Derry and 1,030 in Newry
and Craigavon were caught
without a TV licence last year

The vast majority of households in Northern Ireland possess a television. Across the UK the evasion rate remains steady at around 5%.

Ms King added: "On behalf of licence fee payers in Northern Ireland, we are committed to tackling evasion and enforcing the law amongst the small minority who should pay, but don't. It's only fair."

A colour licence costs £145.50 and is required by anyone watching TV programmes, whether they are using a TV set, computer, or any other equipment.

An unlicensed address will receive a number of reminder letters and possibly a phone call before a visit from an enquiry officer is scheduled - but if someone is then caught watching TV illegally, they risk prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

Detector vans and handheld detectors can be used by enquiry officers to check if an unlicensed property is watching TV illegally, but the database is the main enforcement tool.

©Press Association 2012