Treatment of Detainees

John Bercow Excerpts

Tuesday 6th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Last, but certainly not least, I call Mr. Mark Durkan.

[Mark Durkan (Foyle) (SDLP)]

I thank the Prime Minister for acknowledging dimensions of this issue that the previous Government either denied or dithered about. Does he also accept, however, that not all of us can join in the canonisation of the security services, because many of us believe that they were complicit in some of worst crimes carried out by both loyalists and republicans in Northern Ireland? Can the Prime Minister address the peculiar sequence that now seems to be in front of us: mediation, compensation, then investigation by this inquiry—and then, presumably, adjudication and publication thereafter? Might that not be a self-frustrating sequence?

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I can see that the House is hungry.