Terrorism (Northern Ireland) Act 2006 (Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2007

I, too, thank the Minister for the clarity with which he has brought the order before us. Along with other noble Lords, I welcome the order in so far as it is further evidence of a move towards normalisation in Northern Ireland. I choose my words wisely when I talk about a move towards normalisation. The Minister and other noble Lords who know Northern Ireland will understand that a threat, albeit at a very low level, still remains from dissidents, probably within both traditions. Many areas of normalisation have still to be completed, not least loyalist decommissioning. I am not up to date and do not know the extent to which the Real IRA and Continuity IRA are able to increase their current level of activity. One carry-over from terrorism in Northern Ireland is the extent to which organised criminality exists and to which organised criminals are still able to dominate certain areas. There is always a problem in bringing a big player within the criminal world before a jury trial; there is always the possibility of intimidation of juries. I hope that the normal—if I can call it that—law to which we are all subject will be implemented speedily, not something we are not used to in Northern Ireland, where the law moves so slowly that its effect is not properly felt or appreciated. The ordinary, law-abiding citizen may see something wrong happening today but the process ends somewhere in the distant future. If we are going to discourage those who may be tempted to continue to disrupt the life of ordinary people in Northern Ireland, then, together with normalisation, the law that serves our community must be implemented much more speedily. I hope the Minister can give an assurance on that.