HC Deb 30 July 1974 vol 878 cc460-1
7. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the operations in Northern Ireland

Mr. Mason

Throughout Northern Ireland the Army is helping the RUC to maintain order and to bring men of violence to justice.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

With regard to Cyprus and other vital British commitments, may not the defence review have to result in National Service unless there is some expedited progress in Northern Ireland, where the emergency has gone on for a long time? Will the right hon. Gentleman consider with his colleagues in the Cabinet the need, in view of the failure of the Irish Republic to extradite terrorists, to seal the border? Should not serious thought be given to improving the security situation by military and political means?

Mr. Mason

I shall not rise to the bait and the spectre of National Service. I do not think that that is necessary. Despite the Cyprus requirements, we have managed to maintain 15,000 men in Northern Ireland. Although it is a strain on Her Majesty's Forces we are able to do it.

If the hon. Gentleman doubts whether our security forces are managing in Northern Ireland, I will tell him that since the beginning of this year 786 persons have been arrested and charged with terrorist offences, and 881 weapons, 106,844 rounds of ammunition and 33,496 lb. of explosive have been seized. Goodness knows what Northern Ireland would have been like if all that had been let loose as well.

Mr. Kilfedder

Will the right hon. Gentleman reply to the charge which is frequently made that the Special Air Service is operating in Northern Ireland? Secondly, with regard to the admission by the Army that the IRA has been listening in to Army telephone calls, can the right hon. Gentleman explain why so-called innocent calls were made with a scrambling device? Is this likely to occur again?

Mr. Mason

No units of the SAS are operating in Northern Ireland. I give the hon. Gentleman that assurance. There is no secure speech on telephones. The arrest of Brendan Hughes proved that the Provisionals' tapping of telephones was not very successful.