Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 (Renewal of Temporary Provisions) Order 2007

Yet again, I find myself on a hiding to nothing when dealing with Northern Ireland orders. I thank the Minister for introducing the order. We recognise that since the provisions were introduced in 2001, there has been a significant increase in the number of Catholics applying for the police. The Chief Constable’s annual report for 2005-06 states that on average, since the provisions were introduced, 36 per cent of applications come from Catholics, compared with a high of 22 per cent before Patten. I am particularly pleased that 37 per cent of applicants are women. As the Minister has said, the number of those who go on to become officers has increased from 12 per cent in 2001 to over 21 per cent now. That is excellent progress. We have heard anecdotal evidence in the past of ethnic minority groups feeling that the 50:50 quotas had discouraged them from applying for the police. Because of the way the legislation is worded, candidates from ethnic minorities are considered in the non-Catholic pool of applicants, which is still larger in number than the Catholic pool. Some of those from ethnic minority backgrounds are reluctant to report hate crimes. They believe, rightly or wrongly, that the officer dealing with them may not fully understand or empathise with their situation and would feel more comfortable taking to an officer from a similar background to themselves. Returning to the provisions of the order, which deals specifically with the recruitment of Catholic officers, we were pleased to see from the Chief Constable’s report that the police service is on target to increase the representation of officers from a Catholic background in the regular service to 30 per cent by 2011. As of 1 April 2006, 19.59 per cent of the regular force is from a Catholic background, compared with 8.28 per cent in November 2001. That is significant in any measure. Given the recent declaration of support for the police in Northern Ireland by Sinn Fein at the Ard Fheis, we hope to see the number of applications and recruits from those of a Catholic background increase even further in the three-year period that this order covers. As we have heard, the Patten report envisaged that these special measures should be exactly what they are called in the legislation and in this order: temporary. The report envisaged a 10-year model to increase Catholic representation in the police to 30 per cent. This must be the last time we expect to renew these provisions for a three-year period. We firmly believe that as the time frame established in the order comes to an end, the Government must seriously investigate whether it is necessary to renew the provisions or whether the goal of a police service that is representative of the community should continue to develop naturally. We are putting this as a clear marker for the Government: if, in three years’ time, they propose to renew these provisions for yet another three years, we will not accept it. We accept the renewal of these provisions only up to the 10 years envisaged in the Patten report. I have one further question. In his opening remarks, the Minister mentioned lateral entry. Does he know if any Catholic police officers from Northern Ireland, especially any senior officers, have applied to return to Northern Ireland to become officers in the PSNI? If he is not able to answer that today, I will obviously accept a letter from him. Even though we accept a great deal of the concern that has been expressed about the 50:50 recruitment process, we will support this order today.