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

Politicians deliberately withhold information from the public.

Politicians deliberately withhold information from the public by obstructing the work of journalists, the Leveson Inquiry has been told.

John Kampfner, chief executive of Index on Censorship, which champions freedom of expression, said there is "a determination" in the corridors of power to keep ordinary people in the dark.

The former journalist, who has worked for titles including the Daily Telegraph, Financial Times and the New Statesman, said there was a "very secretive Whitehall mindset".

Lord Leveson is chairing an inquiry into the culture,
practices and ethics of the British press

He said: "There's a suspicion, invariably, of information and ... there's a determination to keep as much information out of the public domain as possible."

He said parliament had "rolled over" on the issue of superinjunctions but it did not do enough for freedom of expression. "The record of Parliament in implementing a force towards better accountability and better transparency is very poor indeed," he said.

Recalling an incident in his time as chief political correspondent for the Financial Times, he said he refused to be "fed stories" by a spin doctor, whom he did not name. The man said: "Take it down if you want more from where this came in the future." There was "a culture of complacency and duplicity", he said.

Mr Kampfner was giving evidence alongside Jonathan Heawood, director of English PEN, which campaigns for writers and journalists. The pair were asked by Robert Jay QC, counsel to the inquiry, about the balance between Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to privacy, and Article 10, the right of expression.

Mr Heawood said: "I think ultimately those are both right. This is not simply about one right trumping another."

John Kampfner, chief executive of Index on Censorship

Mr Kampfner said Index on Censorship believes the right to freedom of expression can outweigh privacy. "I think I would take a more emphatic position," he said. "We, as an organisation representing freedom of expression in the UK and around the world, do regard Article 10 rights as fundamental to democracy."

He said there are some examples where the right to freedom of expression are necessarily restricted. "But where there are competing rights, Article 8 rights, as determined by judges ... will come up against those competing rights, but we do start from a straightforward Article 10 position."

©Press Association

MCDONNELL 'SORRY' FOR PAY COMMENTS

The under-pressure leader of the SDLP has apologised after calling for a pay rise for politicians.

Alasdair McDonnell faced criticism from party colleagues, political rivals and some members of the public when he said elected representatives deserved improved salaries and a better pension deal.

SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell was criticised for his suggestion that MLAs should be paid better

The South Belfast MP and former GP, who was elected leader of the nationalist party last November, was accused of insensitivity given the financial problems facing so many working people in the current economic climate.

Stormont Assembly members are paid £43,000 a year.

Dr McDonnell acknowledged he had caused offence and stressed that SDLP policy was opposed to pay rises for MLAs.

"My choice of words over the last two days, without explaining the wider context, has caused offence to the public and party members and for that I am sorry," he said.

"As those who know me are aware, poverty, job loss and protecting those most vulnerable are at the very top of my agenda.

"These realities have never been more relevant than they are now in the midst of this recession and they are issues that I deal with daily in my South Belfast constituency.

"Just a few short weeks ago, my party colleagues who also tackle these problems on a daily basis stood shoulder to shoulder with workers campaigning against threats to pensions.

"It was in this context that I pointed out that absolutely no-one is immune from financial hardship when they lose their jobs.

"That said, SDLP party policy is that there should be no pay rises for MLAs.

"Let me be clear: under my leadership, the SDLP will continue to fight the real threats to our people and those are job cuts and poverty."