1 INTRODUCTION
1. In August 2001, following discussions between
the British and Irish governments and Northern Ireland political
parties at Weston Park[2],
the government decided to set up a review of the Parades Commission.
In November 2001, Sir George Quigley was appointed to review the
operation of the Commission and the Public Processions (Northern
Ireland) Act 1998 ('the 1998 Act') and to consider whether there
were changes which could promote further public confidence on
all sides.[3] He reported
in September 2002.
2. The report was issued for public consultation
on 7 November 2002. This was intended to run until 31 January
2003, but the government extended the process until the end of
April 2003 and then decided to leave the process open. The significant
delay by the government in responding to the review was one reason
for our decision to hold this inquiry.
3. The committee announced the terms of reference
of this inquiry on 13 September 2003:
- The response by government
and other interested parties to the Quigley review
- The case for implementing key recommendations
of the Quigley review, and
- The legislative (or other) steps necessary to
implement such recommendations, if appropriate.
4. We took oral evidence on six occasions and are
grateful to all those who provided evidence to us.
2 The Weston Park talks took place in an attempt to
move the peace process forward. The focus of the discussions was
on resolving outstanding issues, including policing, security
normalisation, decommissioning, and the stability of the devolved
institutions Back
3
Review of the Parades Commission and Public Processions (Northern
Ireland) Act 1998, Sir George Quigley, p 38 Back
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