§ Q3. Mr. Litterickasked the Prime Minister if he will pay a visit to Belfast.
§ The Prime MinisterSuch visits are not announced in advance.
§ Mr. LitterickIs my right hon. Friend aware that, according to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, there are now 32,000 armed men who are vainly attempting to make Northern Ireland governable? In this the ninth year of the present conflict in the Province, does he agree that that figure is evidence of the failure of all political initiatives by both Labour and Conservative Governments, and will he therefore consider seriously the ending of British sovereignty in Northern Ireland?
§ The Prime MinisterIt is much easier to attack what is being done than to propose a solution to end the violence. I do not think for one moment that any suggestion that we should withdraw from Northern Ireland would do anything but increase to a savage extent the violence in the Province.
§ Mr. PowellWhen the Prime Minister comes again to Northern Ireland—and he is always welcome there—will he note that the latest bout of terror has left the people of Northern Ireland as unshaken and determined as ever? Is he aware that the only effect of IRA violence in the past eight years has been to strengthen the Union? Will he see that that message gets across to the IRA?
§ The Prime MinisterI also suggest to the right hon. Member for Down, South (Mr. Powell) that the violence has had the effect of separating a great many of the minority population from what would seem to be the aspirations of the old IRA and the existing PIRA. My own experience of Northern Ireland—which is far less than that of the right hon. Member and his colleagues—is that an overwhelming proportion of Catholics and minority groups strongly dissociate themselves from the violence that has taken place. We should all pay tribute to that.