CONSERVATIVE
New Forest East

BUSINESS QUESTION – SELECT COMMITTEES & OPERATION BANNER VETERANS - 07 September 2017

BUSINESS QUESTION – SELECT COMMITTEES & OPERATION BANNER VETERANS - 07 September 2017

Dr Julian Lewis: I thank the Leader of the House and her assiduous Parliamentary Private Secretary for responding so quickly to the requests led by the Chair-elect of the Public Accounts Committee. Indeed, I thank you, Mr Speaker, for your intervention in getting the Select Committees up and running from next week.

May we take advantage of the fact that there is a suspension of the usual arrangements in Northern Ireland to get a statement from the Government once and for all bringing forward a plan for a statute of limitations to protect our veteran Servicemen from prosecution for acts that occurred during the troubles – many years ago – that have been investigated many times in the past? It is not right that criminals and terrorists go free while veteran Servicemen face the possibility of long terms of imprisonment.

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Andrea Leadsom): I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for reflecting particularly on your role, Mr Speaker, in ensuring that we have Select Committees up and running soon. He raises an important point about the statute of limitations. Yesterday, the Prime Minister made it clear that there has been a review of bodies looking at legacy issues, and I am sure my right hon. Friend will take the issue up separately with the Secretary of State for Justice.]