Criminal Justice Order Consultation an Elaborate Smokescreen says UUP
Ulster Unionist East Antrim MLA Roy Beggs said that no rational person could argue with the common-sense nature of the consultation on the proposal for a draft Criminal Justice (NI) Order but that the Assembly Consultation was an elaborate smokescreen, designed to smooth the path for the devolution of Policing and Justice.
In a statement Mr Beggs said
“Minister Goggins’ consultation on introducing issues such as removing remission for dangerous sexual and violent offenders, introducing curfews and electronic tagging, and increasing sentencing for knife crime is long overdue. No reasonable person would oppose these proposals. The question is why has the NIO forwarded this Order to the Assembly as part of the consultation process?
I believe that this is part of the out-working of the St Andrew’s Agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP. It is interesting to note that the chief Whip of the DUP, Lord Morrow proposed the motion and the chief Whip of Sinn Fein, Ms Ni Chuilin seconded the motion to establish an ad-hoc Committee to look at these justice issues. It is, to the untrained eye, a fairly innocuous and common sense piece of legislation. However what the Assembly consultation does is set the tone and paves the way for what Lord Morrow’s and Ms Ni Chuilin’s parties agreed behind closed doors at St. Andrews – the devolution of Policing Justice.
The Ulster Unionist Party has agreed to sit on this ad-hoc Committee to keep a watching brief. We cannot oppose common sense proposals that would be of benefit to the people of Northern Ireland but we can and will point out the underlying motives for this Assembly consultation and in doing so we re-state our opposition to the transfer of Policing and Justice matters to the Executive and Assembly. Given the recent events in South Armagh it is clearly much too early for Policing and justice to be devolved to Northern Ireland.”