§ 19. Mr. McMasterasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what grounds he is satisfied that 17 battalions of British troops are adequate to achieve law and order in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitelawI do not believe law and order in Northern Ireland can be restored by military means alone. A combination of political action to bring about reconciliation within the community and of effective military action against the terrorists is required. The number of troops needed in Northern Ireland is decided upon in the light of the security situation and is kept under constant review.
§ Mr. McMasterDoes my right hon. Friend agree that in view of the very large number of bomb and shooting incidents and the heavy casualty roll in Northern Ireland, and also the fact that many police are tied up on guard duties which could be much better performed by the units of the Army which are trained to do this, it would be much better to draft in more soldiers to take over these guard duties and thus release the police to carry out patrols in every part of Northern Ireland?
§ Mr. WhitelawNo one would be more pleased than I if the police patrols were restored in all parts of Northern Ireland, because that would mean a normal law and order situation in any country. That is what I would like to see. If more troops are needed in the short term, and if I believe in consultation with my colleagues that they are necessary, they will be provided.
§ Mr. McNamaraThe Secretary of State has made the important point that this is a question of reconciliation. With this point in mind, can he assure the House that he will consider the claims of those who allege that they are political pri- 692 soners, from both communities? In the meantime will he assure the House that those who are at present on hunger strike and whose relatives are concerned, very properly, for their health will have adequate access to their relatives and also that their relatives will have the opportunity to state to the responsible authorities the particular points which they think need attention while the men are in this situation, without even considering any particular claim?
§ Mr. WhitelawThis goes rather wide of the Question but it is important and I would wish to answer it. On the first point, above everything else it has to be borne in mind that once any person has been to a court of law and convicted and is in prison he is a prisoner because he has been convicted in a court of law. One has to face that fact in these very difficult cases. As for the question of the hunger strike, I will certainly consider the point the hon. Gentleman makes about families. I can assure the House that the people concerned are being kept under very careful medical supervision and I will see that consultants are enabled to see them as often as possible.
§ Rev. Ian PaisleyCan the righthon. Gentleman tell the House whether military personnel allowed the prisoner who was on hunger strike to escape from the Mater Hospital? Can he tell us whether he will open an investigation into this matter? It is causing great concern because this was not a detainee or internee, but was a man who had been convicted of a crime in a court of law and had had a prison sentence imposed on him.
§ Mr. WhitelawI am investigating this very serious case. I should point out to the House that it was a medical consultant who looked at this man in the prison and it was on medical advice that he was transferred to a hospital. I understand that in cases where this is done the decision is a medical one and naturally it was taken on medical advice. I will certainly investigate the subsequent events and find out exactly what went wrong.