Program: BBC Newsline
Date and time 19.8.03
Subject Ex-prisoner criminal records

(This transcript is courtesy of the Northern Ireland Information Service)

BRIAN ROWAN

The emptying of this jail as part of the Good Friday Agreement has not closed the prisoners issue. Hundreds of republicans and loyalists were freed from the Maze, then a mechanism was agreed to deal with paramilitary suspects still on the run. But now another issue has come back to haunt the political process. This time the scrapping of prisoners' records.

MICHAEL FERGUSON, SINN FEIN

We can't tell a huge section of people within the North of Ireland that they have no right to employment, they have no right to insurance, compensation and travel. So this is an issue that needs to be dealt with. These records need to be scrapped.

BRIAN ROWAN

So as far as Sinn Fein is concerned is it a must that this issue is settled as some stage?

MICHAEL FERGUSON

Well of course. We cannot tell thousands of people within our communities that they have no right to employment, that they are going to be treated like second class citizens because of the failed politics of the last 30 years. We are talking about all of those who were in prison as a result of the conflict.

BRIAN ROWAN

And on the loyalist side the demand is supported by the ex-prisoners project, known as Epic.

WILLIAM SMITH, FORMER LOYALIST PRISONER

I mean we don't expect that ex-prisoners should be allowed to join the Police Force, but we do expect that our children can be allowed to join to the Police Force. So there is a difference. We bear in mind the victims, etc, and we bear in the mind the fact that we will not get 100% of what we want, but we do want these discriminations removed from, so that we can have a level playing field and get on with our lives.

BRIAN ROWAN

The demands on the prisoner issue have been written on the wall for some time now, but there's nothing to suggest that serious consideration has been given to them. Indeed the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, said he would be astonished if the Government went down this road. But those involved with ex-prisoner projects continue to make their case.

MICHAEL RITCHIE

In our view ex-prisoners have been released and have been recognised as different from ordinary criminals. It's our view now that any remaining barriers to full participation in society should be taken away, and this criminal record is the main reason why people fail to find employment, fail to be able to find access to mortgages, insurance, fail to find access to loans from banks so that they can set up their own businesses and so on and so forth. So we believe it needs to go.

BRIAN ROWAN

There's nothing to suggest that the records are about to go, but equally there's nothing to suggest that those most directly involved with ex-prisoners are prepared to let this highly controversial matter drop.