Ford to meet parties in London over OTR legislation

9.24.50am GMT Wed 16th Nov 2005

Alliance Party Leader David Ford heads a delegation to London tomorrow [Wed 16th] to meet Westminster parliamentarians. They will discuss constructive amendments to the bill, focusing on three issues:

• the guaranteed safe return home of innocent exiles to their home

communities,

• the requirement that beneficiaries of the legislation appear before

court in person, and

• consideration of changes to current licensing arrangements for those

guilty of terrorist offences not serving their terms.

Among those meeting with Mr Ford are:

• Conservatives David Lidington (Shadow NI Secretary of State), Lord

Glentoran (Spokesman for NI in the Lords) and Sir Patrick Cormack (Chair

of the NI Affairs Select Committee at Westminster); and

• Liberal Democrats Lembit Opik and Lord Smith (spokesmen on NI is the

Commons and the Lords respectively).

Mr Ford plans to meet other parliamentarians and advisers too, including members of the Labour Party.