The Good Friday Agreement had this hope and commitment at its core. Hundreds of men, some guilty of the most heinous and brutal crimes, have been released, many with years of their sentences still to serve. Deputy Keaveney and I are not arguing that Mark Wright and James Fisher should be returned to prison. They have their freedom and, in the circumstances of the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement, that is their entitlement. However, being allowed back into the British Army to carry guns and be put back into the position where they committed murder in the past is a different matter.
Scottish regiments serve in Northern Ireland.
We hope the day will soon come when they will no longer be with us. The success of the peace process will ensure that men with arms will no longer be part of the scene in Northern Ireland but that day, unfortunately, is not yet. Apart from Northern Ireland, there are other parts of the world where British troops interface with local populations in places such as the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, Africa and elsewhere and possibly even side by side with our soldiers in the new European rapid reaction force. There is the question of sensitivity. That is a crucial issue and I hope this decision will be revisited.