Dr. Stephen Farry:

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chathaoirleach and I wish all our witnesses a good afternoon. I apologise if my voice sounds croaky as I am isolating with Covid. Hopefully, I am on the mend. I want to make two broad observations on the two topics that have been discussed by Mr. McCord and his colleagues, namely, legacy and the effect of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland. Those two topics are closely related to one another.

On legacy, my party's views are clear in that we are opposed to the UK Government's proposals on the amnesty and we will do all we can to oppose it if and when it comes through Westminster. I want to put on the radar what may be the next milestone in this process. A speech by the British Queen is expected in the UK Parliament on 10 May and it is likely we will hear a pronouncement at that stage on the situation with the legislation, either a firm commitment to a Bill or something looser in language. This will move up the agenda quickly in May and June, whenever we hear what will be said in that statement.

I will say a few more things about paramilitarism in Northern Ireland, which is an ongoing scourge. I would encourage the committee to look at it in more detail. There is a locus in the fact that the Independent Reporting Commission has an Irish Government appointee in the form of the former civil servant, Tim O'Connor. That gives a clear locus for us to take a look at that work. If I am permitted to cross over to what is happening in London I would also draw the attention of Mr. McCord and his colleagues to the fact that the UK's Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is undertaking an inquiry into paramilitarism. I would encourage Mr. McCord to submit some written evidence to that and I would highlight to anyone else who is listening to do likewise. This comes in the context where there is a commitment to an anti-paramilitarism strategy in Northern Ireland, which has been delivered in parts and has had some mixed results.

Clearly paramilitarism is still a major problem in our society and it is not just the big headline issue around what you would term "terrorist attacks" or even the more covert crimes. It is the coercive control that smothers communities where voices are not allowed to come forward. In particular, women's voices are often suppressed and I would be interested to hear the views in that regard. In policy terms, a clear distinction has to be made between investing in the communities that have been affected by paramilitaries as opposed to investing in paramilitaries themselves. I am sceptical of that concept of transition more than 20 years on from the Good Friday Agreement and we have had the wool pulled over our eyes in that regard.

What happened in north Belfast last month - the UVF's hoax bomb attack - proves the fallacy in the suggestion that faith has been placed in the transition.

There is a significant challenge for state institutions in walking a careful line and engaging with what are euphemistically called "stakeholders" or "community workers" in some of those communities. Often, the easiest route for people to address their problems is to talk to the loudest or most prominent voices, but that has the effect of bolstering those unofficial control structures in communities instead of allowing different and more democratic paths to emerge. An aspect of the paramilitary strategy that is important to focus on is the putting in place of a protocol for government agencies and their staff on how they work in those communities and avoid some of the bear traps that sometimes lead to the state inadvertently giving a sense of legitimacy to the people in question.

To put this in context, I remember when a new police commander came to my own community many years ago. In his first days in office, he had his photograph taken with people who were seen as being associated with, or previously associated with, paramilitarism. That probably sent a negative message in terms of trying to encourage alternative voices to come forward. We must be careful not to send that type of signal or give the wrong impression. It is important that we focus on ensuring that government policy is correct and investment is made, particularly in education, skills and housing – cross-community work is also important – to try to work around some of those structures.

These are just some of my thoughts. I would be happy to hear reactions and comments from our witnesses.