§ Mr. Townsendasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the daily average of head-checks, random checks of people in the streets (P. checks), screening operations and searches carried out by the three brigades in Northern Ireland since the start of the truce; and if he will state what reductions in percentage terms each figure represents.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownAs has been made clear in the House on a number of occasions, there is no truce and the hon. Member is presumably referring to the ceasefire which the Provisional IRA496W announced on 10th February this year. Operations by the RUC and the Army, including the UDR, in each area of the Province are related to the level of violence and the needs of the situation at any given time in that area and comparisons of daily averages of particular categories of operation, where these could be calculated, would not be meaningful.