The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, has welcomed confirmation from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice that Westminster will ensure that the provisions of the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing (CTS) Bill will apply to Northern Ireland.

Doug Beattie MLA said:

“As I have stated previously, the Ulster Unionist Party has long been concerned that although the United Kingdom Government was intent on bringing forward counter terrorism legislation though Westminster, there was a real danger that Northern Ireland would be excluded from the provisions within the legislation.

“The Justice Minister, Naomi Long, didn`t sign a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) to ensure the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill was extended to cover Northern Ireland. As a result, I wrote to Chris Philp MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Westminster’s Ministry of Justice, outlining our concerns and asking him to direct that Northern Ireland should be included in the legislation. He replied to me to confirm that he would indeed be taking that course of action and today he confirmed this approach in a letter to the Assembly’s Justice Committee.

“As we stated previously, Counter Terrorism is not a devolved matter and the Ulster Unionist Party believes that Northern Ireland must remain in line with the rest of the UK to help future proof ourselves against domestic and international terrorism and ensure Northern Ireland does not become the soft underbelly of the UK.

“The Ulster Unionist Party therefore welcomes the confirmation that the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill will apply to Northern Ireland, but the Justice Minister needs to explain why she initially supported this bill, then tried to dilute it and finally sought to stop this happening.  

“Westminster stepped in and ensured the right result was achieved this time, but we may not always be so fortunate.”