There will not be an amnesty on-the-run republican paramilitaries, British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, warned today.
At question time in the Commons today, Northern Ireland-born former minister Ms Kate Hoey sought assurances that "double standards" would not be applied when dealing with the issue.
"Can you give me and the people of Northern Ireland an assurance that you will not enter, will not allow any deal to be entered into with the IRA which allows terrorists on the run to evade the criminal justice system," she added to cheers from all sides.
Mr Blair replied: "We've said that the issue of so-called on-the-runs has to be dealt with.
"We've said it should not be dealt with by way of an amnesty. We are looking at the right way of doing that.
"I hope you will also agree with me that, for all the difficulties, the Northern Ireland peace process over the last few years has yielded enormous benefits.
"The fact that we are actually talking about a situation where we can have a permanent end to violence in Northern Ireland is a huge tribute to everyone who has been involved in this process since 1997."
Earlier, Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy said that on--the-runs should be dealt with by the courts rather than being granted amnesty.
He stressed that acts of completion by the IRA were an "essential precondition" where OTRs were concerned.
Also in the Commons, the British government was again been urged to scrap the requirement that 50 per cent of new recruits to the PSNI be Catholic.
At Commons question time, Ulster Unionist the Rev Martin Smyth said the service was "haemorrhaging" constables and called for the scrapping of the system.
"The Chief Constable's desire to have more bodies out serving the people would be best achieved not by abolishing the Police Service of Northern Ireland band but by changing from 50/50 recruitment."
Chief Constable Hugh Orde is planning to scrap the band and return the constables to the streets to boost numbers.
Mr Smyth said some sectors of the PSNI were undersubscribed for training and none of the targets had yet been met.
But Northern Ireland Minister Jane Kennedy said: "It remains true that more than 530 recruits entered training in the first year, that is well in excess of Patten's figure of 370."
Since February 2001, 644 recruits had been appointed on a statutory 50% Catholic, 50% non-Catholic basis, she said.
PA