Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will place in the Library a list of the members of the IRA who have been beneficiaries of the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Based on an assessment of the records held by my department, the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) was granted in Northern Ireland365 times between 1979 and 2002, but this total does not include the period between 1987 and 1997 for which records cannot currently be found. The department does not hold information which specifically confirms whether individuals who received the RPM were members of prescribed groups. There are no cases where the RPM has been granted since the current Government came to office in May 2010, and the records indicate that there are no instances where the RPM was granted after 2002.