§ 16. Sir John Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the working of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
§ Mr. Tom KingI refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to a question by the right hon. and learned Member for Warley, West (Mr. Archer) earlier today.
§ Sir John Biggs-DavisonWas it at the Intergovernmental Conference that Mr. Peter Barry was helpful enough to recommend enlistment for the RUC? Was it not then deplorable for the SDLP to give contrary advice? Does not the Anglo-Irish Agreement please it, either?
§ Mr. KingIt was in a public broadcast that the Irish Foreign Minister made absolutely clear his support, not only for the Catholic minority community joining the RUC, but for supporting the institutions of government in the Province. I very much welcomed that statement, and, as I made clear in an earlier answer, I very much hope that the SDLP will support it as well.
§ Mr. HumeDoes the Secretary of State accept that a considerable factor in the violence over the past 12 months has been a deliberate campaign organised by elements of the Loyalist community to blackmail the Government to back down from decisions which have overwhelmingly been endorsed in the House?
§ Mr. KingI am certainly aware of the attempts of certain people to intimidate the Government and the security forces. I am also aware of the outstanding role that the RUC has played in defending minority communities against violence. It is scant recompense for the RUC not to receive the support and approval of the SDLP.