§ 10. Mr. Hal Millerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will review his policy on cross-border roads with a view to increasing the degree of control over the traffic using them.
§ The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr. Michael Alison)The Government are fully aware of the need to exercise a measure of control, in the interests of security, over cross-border traffic. The measures intended for this purpose are kept under constant review.
§ Mr. MillerIn the light of the concern about the use of cross-border routes will my hon. Friend look again at the position to see whether control could be improved either by moving police and Customs posts forward or by blocking roads as was done in 1961 and 1962?
§ Mr. AlisonThe number of closures of cross-border roads is kept under constant review. A substantial number of them are already closed and we keep the matter under exactly the kind of review asked for by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. MolyneauxWill the Minister of State pay particular attention to the point made by his hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove and Redditch (Mr. Miller) to the effect that all of these roads were, effectively, closed in the earlier campaign of 1956–1962? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that I shall be responding to the invitation of his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and will be furnishing him this very day with a list of those roads complete with map references?
§ Mr. AlisonThe right hon. Gentleman's list will, of course, be considered with great interest and sympathy. Decisions in this context are taken largely on the advice of those responsible for security, namely the police and the Army. We have to evaluate the balance of advantage and disadvantage that they lay before us.