Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill

If that amendment is pressed to a Division, I make it clear that we will support the Government. The Minister might look a little surprised by that, but he should not. Let me explain some of the reasons behind our position. Lying behind the debate is the implication that if a decision is taken to issue a certificate so that a case will be considered by a non-jury court—I think that this is the point that the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) was trying to get at—a defendant will somehow or other have to face a lesser standard of justice than that available in a jury court. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although the hon. Lady challenged the hon. Member for Foyle (Mark Durkan) twice, I noticed that he studiously avoided answering her question because he knew that he could not stand by any claim that a non-jury court gives a defendant a lesser standard of justice than a jury court.