NI Police Bill to go to Commons

Policing reforms are the focus of intense debate

Unionist calls for a moratorium on the Northern Ireland police bill in the House of Lords have failed.

Ulster Unionist Party peers had tabled a motion calling for a freeze to changes in the structure of the province's policing service, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, until "peace is assured".

It was one of a number of amendments to the controversial Bill during its passage through the UK's second parliamentary chamber.

The amendment was tabled during the third and final reading of the Bill in the House of Lords on Wednesday.

Other opposition amendments to the cap, badge and flag changes and so-called 50/50 recruitment of Catholics and Protestants were also narrowly defeated.

Voting

But a Unionist amendment to link the RUC widows and Disabled Officers associations to the George Cross Foundation was pushed through.

The bill now goes to the House of Commons for approval.

It is due to become law in a matter of weeks.

The voting on the recruitment rules for the reformed Northern Ireland police force that would ensure that half of those taken on were Catholic was 175 to 185, a government majority of 10

The decision followed an impassioned plea from leading Ulster Unionists and Conservative peers to the government to reject the move.

Former leader of the Ulster Unionists Lord Molyneaux proposed the amendment which would instead have ensured that the composition "is representative of the population of Northern Ireland."

Recruitment policy

It was supported by ex-SDLP MP Lord Fitt who said: "The IRA on the one hand and the loyalists on the other, will determine whether anyone will be accepted into the RUC, from the districts they at present control.

"Only today I listened to the news and heard Gerry Adams say that this Bill as it is at present constructed, is totally unacceptable to Sinn Fein and therefore the IRA.

"That means they are not going to permit, or call upon Roman Catholics to join the newly constructed police service."

Conservative ex-Leader of the Lords, Viscount Cranborne, urged the government to reject the 50/50 recruitment policy during the final third reading stage of the Bill.

Later, an attempt by Conservative and Unionist peers to force the government to retain the historic emblems of the RUC when the new force comes into being was defeated.

The move was seen off by Labour peers with Liberal Democrat support by 192 votes to 174, a government majority of 18.

Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Blair rejected a call from an Ulster Unionist MP for a moratorium on the policing reforms.

Mr Blair told the House of Commons: "It's important that these (Patten) reforms proceed."

His comment came in response to a question from Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson.