APPENDIX
CORRESPONDENCE WITH GRAND LODGE CONCERNING
ALLEGED DISCLOSURES OF INFORMATION
Note by the Clerk
When witnesses representing the Grand Orange Lodge
of Ireland gave oral evidence on 15 November 2000, it was claimed,
at Q123, that Grand Lodge had evidence that "in 1998/99"
information on a Form 11/1 had been disclosed by the Parades Commission
to "IRA activists in Portadown" and that "as a
result, members of the Institution in Portadown were put under
threat and had to move from the house because they were identified".
In written evidence submitted on 27 February 2001, the Parades
Commission commented that it had "no knowledge of the incident
referred to". In the light of this comment, I wrote on 7
March, on behalf of the Committee, to the Executive Officer of
Grand Lodge, seeking further information about the assertions
made in that answer, with a view to clarifying the position before
the Committee reported to the House. He replied on 8 March, informing
me that the witness who made the allegation was currently abroad,
but that he would relay the request to him on his return the following
week.
No further information was received before the Committee
agreed its Report on 28 March. It therefore recorded, at paragraph
85, that the information was still awaited. I wrote again to Grand
Lodge on 24 April, inquiring when I could expect to receive the
further details requested in my letter of 7 March. In his response
of 27 April, the Executive Officer stated that the witness had
contacted Portadown District L. O. L. on his return. The District
had confirmed that the incident took place, but documentary confirmation,
including the specific date, was still awaited. That remains the
position.
From a further exchange of correspondence with the
Executive Officer, it appears that, two years ago, a press article
written by a representative of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition
included personal information relating to persons involved in
a parade in Portadown. From the nature of the information, and
the identity of the author, the inference was apparently drawn
by some that he had obtained this information from an official
of the Parades Commission who in turn had access to the Form 11/1
relating to this parade. I have not received any information about
which paper carried the article in question, nor have I been sent
a copy, but it appears that this article may have been the underlying
basis for the assertion made by the Grand Lodge witness.
The layout and content of Form 11/1 is prescribed
by the Public Order (Prescribed Forms) Regulations 2000. The personal
information it requires is the name, home address and telephone
numbers of the person organising the parade, the names of the
parade marshals and stewards, and, in respect of each accompanying
band, besides its name and town of origin, the name and address
of the person in charge of the band. The Parades Commission has
confirmed that, to the extent that an Authorised Officer needs
access to any of these personal details to discharge his or her
duties, and only to that extent, these are passed to them, but
they do not receive a copy of the completed Form 11/1.
9 May 2001
EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
RELATING TO DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
WEDNESDAY 8 MARCH 2000
Mr Roy Beggs, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson and Mr Andrew
Hunter declared non-pecuniary interests in relation to the proposed
inquiry into the Parades Commission as members of the Orange Order.
WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2000
Mr William Thompson declared a non-pecuniary interest
in relation to the inquiry into the Parades Commission as a member
of the Orange Order.
|
