The Minister has dealt with a number of matters in his reply but I wish to focus on two issues and to ask the Minister specifically about them. I am concerned in my question about supergrass trials and the strip-searching of prisoners. Apart altogether from any attempt to build confidence in the system of administration of justice in Northern Ireland, will the Minister accept that both these practices are undesirable in themselves? For instance, will he not agree that the system of supergrass trials is an affront to our whole parliamentary democratic way of life and the proper principles of the administration of the system of justice? In that connection is he not concerned that the British Government apparently are not prepared to indicate that these type of trials will be terminated?

With regard to strip-searching, will he not agree this is something that is unacceptable in itself, apart altogether from any implications it may have in inspiring or not inspiring confidence in the system of justice, and that it is not something over which a humane or humanitarian administration can stand? Will he not indicate clearly to the House that he condemns both these practices, the supergrass trials and strip-searching, and that he will do everything in his power to have both of them discontinued?

I have no difficulty in agreeing with virtually everything the Deputy said. I indicated my attitude to the supergrass trials and strip-searching long before the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed and the conference established. I presume that, when the Deputy spoke about the British Government giving no indication with regard to supergrass trials, he was referring to the reply given by the British Attorney General in the House of Commons some months ago. What he indicated there was that there is a belief that there is a difference is the system of law in the North of Ireland and in Britain and that objections were taken to this and he indicated this was not so and that the same law applies. My point when I drew attention to supergrass trials was the large number of defendants who appear before a single judge without a jury — even though that judge may go through the process of advising himself that he must be careful of the evidence — the dubious character of some of these supergrass witnesses, which was referred to by a number of justices on a number of occasions, and also the fact that it takes so long to process the whole system of trial. Many of the cases have not been completed after three or four years and that is very undesirable in a system of law.