§ 7. Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to impose a curfew in the border area.
§ Mr. MoyleNo, Sir. The advantages of a curfew are limited, and in the opinion of the security authorities are judged to be outweighed by the disadvantages. However, the possibility is kept under constant review.
§ Mr. WallIs the Minister aware that many people consider that the border is far too open? If he will not introduce authorised crossing places or identity cards, will he consider keeping under review the possibility of a night curfew to restrict movement across the border at night?
§ Mr. MoyleThe consideration here is the commitment of forces required to enforce the suggestion, plus the fact that at any given moment the persons using the border crossings are overwhelmingly innocent parties, using them for innocent purposes. As a result, this might have a counter-productive effect.