Irish Citizens (Recruitment)

HC Deb 17 November 1954 vol 533 c396

50. Mr. Callaghan

asked the Minister of Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that no Irish Republican Army members are allowed to serve in British Forces in Northern Ireland.

Mr. H. Macmillan

Citizens of the Republic of Ireland are not aliens for the purpose of the recruiting Regulations. If questions of security arise, each case is judged on its merits.

Mr. Callaghan

Has the Minister taken any special security precautions or made any investigations into the matter recently? Does he know that there is a widely-spread allegation that I.R.A. instructors join the Territorial Army because it provides the best training they can get?

Mr. Macmillan

The British Forces have recruited very well from Ireland in the past, from both the North and the South, and we like men of good fighting qualities, so long as their efforts are well directed.