Committee launch Administrative scheme for "on-the-runs" inquiry

• Send a written submission to the committee
• Inquiry: Administrative scheme for "on-the-runs"
• Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

Terms of Reference

The Committee invites written evidence on its new inquiry Administrative Scheme for "on-the-runs". Submissions are invited, the Committee will be looking in particular:

• Background to, and origins of, the scheme, and what was the purpose and intended effect of the scheme
• The scheme itself, including the determination of who constitutes “on-the-runs”
• The legal status and legal implications of the scheme
• Involvement by HM Government, other Governments, the Attorney General’s Office, the Armed Forces, Police services, The Public Prosecution Service for NI, and any others, and any advice sought by them
• Accountability to Parliament about the scheme, and the political implications of the scheme
• People on the scheme
• The letters themselves, including their contents and their legal standing; can holders of such letters still be prosecuted if the relevant authorities deem such action to be appropriate
• The Royal Prerogative of Mercy
• Errors made under the scheme
• The impact of the scheme on victims and relatives
• Devolution of policing and justice
• The current situation regarding the scheme and “on-the-runs”
• What effect does the scheme have on existing Human Rights and/or Equalities legislation
• The future regarding “on-the-runs” and others
• Any other related matters

Written evidence submissions

Submissions should a self-contained memorandum in Word or Rich Text Format (not pdfs). Submissions must state clearly who the submission is from e.g. ‘written evidence submitted by xxxx’ and be no more than 3,000 words. Where possible the submission should begin with a short summary and have numbered paragraphs.
Committees publish most of the written evidence they receive on the internet (where it will be accessible to search engines); any that relates to a witness’s oral evidence may also be printed with the Committee’s report at the end of an inquiry.

If you do not wish your submission to be published, you must clearly say so and explain your reasons for not wishing its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish the evidence. If you wish to include private or confidential information in your submission to the Committee, please contact the Clerk of the Committee to discuss this.

A Committee is not obliged to accept your submission as evidence, nor to publish any or all of the submission even if it has been accepted as evidence.

Committees do not normally investigate individual cases of complaint or allegations of maladministration.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select Committees
• Visiting Parliament: watch Committees