Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Royal Pardons have been issued to people in Northern Ireland in the last 25 years.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) was used 16 times in relation to persons convicted and sentenced for terrorist offences in Northern Ireland between 2000 and 2002; seven times in 2000, six times in 2001, and three times in 2002. It was used to shorten (that is not waive or remove) sentences in relation to individuals who, for technical reasons, were not eligible for the early release scheme established under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998.
The RPM was used once in 1998 and once in 1999 in non-terrorism related cases in Northern Ireland. In one case, an individual was granted the RPM following assistance that person gave to the authorities (reduction in sentence for such assistance is now provided for on a statutory basis under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005). In the other, the RPM was used to commute a portion of a sentence for a soldier who spent time under close military arrest for an offence prior to conviction. Had this person been a civilian, such time (equivalent to being on remand) would have been deducted from the sentence, but there was no statutory provision for this at the time in relation to close military arrest.
Whilst the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for recommending the exercising of the RPM for terrorism-related cases in Northern Ireland, since the devolution of policing and justice in 2010, responsibility for making recommendations for the RPM in all other cases lies with the Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Office does not hold complete records for 1996 or 1997 due to record retention policies.
Mentions:
1: Jacob Rees-Mogg (CON - North East Somerset) Lords amendments to the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill. - Speech Link
2: Pete Wishart (SNP - Perth and North Perthshire) duty and mercy for the House services to provide some sort of counselling services for Tory Back Benchers - Speech Link
3: Jacob Rees-Mogg (CON - North East Somerset) The exercise of the prerogative, now done on the formal advice of the Prime Minister, shows that most - Speech Link
4: Alexander Stafford (CON - Rother Valley) Although he is no longer a member of the other place, he still maintains and uses his title of peer of - Speech Link
5: Jacob Rees-Mogg (CON - North East Somerset) If it is not in the bars of the House of Commons, perhaps the Leader of the Home Secretary should get - Speech Link
Found: House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) (Abolition of By-Elections) Bill [HL]
Found: , perhaps more familiar through footage from Northern Ireland. ” Scottish Government, 202014 “As the
Mentions:
1: Lord Caine (CON - Life peer) six north-eastern counties of Ireland, thereby establishing Northern Ireland as a distinct political - Speech Link
2: Lord Wigley (PC - Life peer) in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. - Speech Link
3: Lord Jay of Ewelme (CB - Life peer) with Northern Ireland. - Speech Link
4: Lord Stewart of Dirleton (CON - Life peer) with Northern Ireland. - Speech Link
5: Lord True (CON - Life peer) our union, Northern Ireland. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Lord Grimstone of Boscobel (CON - Life peer) expressed concerns around the flow of goods into Northern Ireland. - Speech Link
2: Lord Purvis of Tweed (LDEM - Life peer) Ireland, about the security threat to many staff working to process at the ports of Northern Ireland - Speech Link
3: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (LAB - Life peer) Ireland, and in relation to goods travelling between GB and Northern Ireland. - Speech Link
Mar. 18 2021
Source Page: Judicial Review ReformFound: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Written Evidence Jan. 14 2021
Inquiry: Fixed-Term Parliaments ActFound: prerogative power Πalso classified the dissolution of Parliament as being an absolute prerogative of
Formal Minutes Apr. 01 2021
Committee: Petitions CommitteeFound: Formal Minutes 2016-17: List of closed petitions Formal Minutes
Found: Parliament and Northern Ireland, 1921-2021