Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill

I have added my name to this amendment. The amendments in this group place further safeguards on when the DPP can issue a certificate. We support the principle here. They make the judgment of whether there is a risk to justice more objective; they raise the bar from a risk to a substantial risk, and require the DPP to consider other means of addressing that risk before issuing a certificate. We still have grave doubts about the appropriateness of the DPP issuing a certificate. These amendments go some way to ensuring that the natural partiality of his post will not influence his decision. The relevant conditions that must be met for a certificate to be issued should be clear and the DPP should be able to show that they have been met objectively.