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<p>It is assumed that by ‘letters of comfort’ my Noble Friend means those letters
issued under the administrative scheme introduced by the previous Labour Government
which were intended to inform individuals that, as at the date of the letter, the
recipient was ‘not wanted’ for questioning or prosecution in Northern Ireland or the
rest of the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to 10 April 1998, no such letters were issued.
The first such letters were signed by Mr Jonathan Powell (the then Prime Minister’s
Chief of Staff) and were sent to Sinn Féin on 15 June 2000. A total of 156 individual
such letters were issued during the scheme, 144 were issued prior to 12 April 2010.</p><p>
</p><p>The following table provides more detail of all letters that were issued.</p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> 2000 </strong></p></td><td><p>During the year:
(a) 2 individuals received the above mentioned letters from Jonathan Powell, the Prime
Minister’s Chief of Staff; (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland
Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned
to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2001</strong></p></td><td><p>During
the year: (a) 16 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern
Ireland Office; (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office
via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern
Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2002</strong></p></td><td><p>During the
year: (a) 17 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland
Office; (b) 19 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via
Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern
Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2003</strong></p></td><td><p>During the
year: (a) 9 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland
Office; (b) 23 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via
Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern
Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2004</strong></p></td><td><p>During the
year: (a) 0 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland
Office; (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn
Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>
2005</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 4 individuals received the above
mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (1 of whom had previously been
informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 17 individuals informed in writing by the Northern
Ireland Office via Sinn Féin for the first time that they “would face arrest and questioning
if they returned to Northern Ireland” (in the cases of 12 of those individuals it
appears that Sinn Féin had already been notified of that fact at a meeting). A further
46 are similarly informed during the year and had been also advised as such at an
earlier time by the Northern Ireland Office.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2006</strong></p></td><td><p>During
the year: (a) 8 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern
Ireland Office (2 of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b)
5 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that
they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>
2007</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 58 individuals received the above
mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (35 of whom had previously been
informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern
Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they
returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2008</strong></p></td><td><p>During
the year: (a) 6 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern
Ireland Office (2 of them were on the Irish Government List and 1 had previously been
informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 1 individual informed in writing for the first
time by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and
questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”; a further 7 individuals are similarly
informed during the year and had also been advised as such at an earlier time by the
Northern Ireland Office.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2009</strong></p></td><td><p>During
the year: (a) 21 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern
Ireland Office (2 of whom receive the same letter on two separate occasions, and 10
others of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 5 individuals
informed by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest
and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>
2010</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 11 individuals received the above
mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (4 of whom had previously been
informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 5 individuals informed in writing by the Northern
Ireland Office via Sinn Féin for the first time that they “would face arrest and questioning
if they returned to Northern Ireland”. A further 29 individuals are similarly informed
during the year and had also been advised as such at an earlier time by the Northern
Ireland Office. In addition, 4 individuals are informed in writing by the Northern
Ireland Office via Sinn Féin for the first time that they were “wanted for return
to prison in Northern Ireland” but were “eligible to apply to the Sentence Review
Commissioners for early release”. 2 of those 4 individuals had previously been informed
that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>
2011</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 1 individual received an above mentioned
letter from the Northern Ireland Office (the individual had previously been informed
that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 1 individual informed in writing by the Northern Ireland
Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned
to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2012</strong></p></td><td><p>During
the year: (a) 3 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern
Ireland Office (1 of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b)
0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that
they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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