Security (Hansard, 26 May 1988)

§ 10. Mr. Molyneaux
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation.

§ 11. Mr. Livingstone
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current security situation.

§ Mr. Tom King
Since I last answered questions in the House, one soldier has been killed and four civilians have been murdered in sectarian attacks. Three of the civilians were murdered and nine were injured in a brutal and indiscriminate gun attack in a bar close to Belfast city centre. The period has also seen a continuation of particularly vicious punishment attacks.
The efforts of the security forces are continuing to yield encouraging results. Since the beginning of the year a total of 140 people have been charged with serious offences, including five with murder and nine with attempted murder. Some 300 weapons, approximately 70,000 rounds of ammunition, and about 4,100 lb of explosives have been recovered in Northern Ireland. I understand that the Garda Siochana has recovered some 200 weapons, almost 139,000 rounds of ammunition, and 600 lb of commercial explosives.

§ Mr. Molyneaux
Bearing in mind the massive car bomb that was defused at the Strand road Royal Ulster Constabulary station in Londonderry, that one of the vehicles was stolen in Dublin, that another was stolen in Kerry, and that the explosives came from a source in the Irish Republic, what has happened to the promise of close security co-operation, and who is to blame for the breakdown?

§ Mr. King
The right hon. Gentleman knows the importance that we attach to improving cross-border security co-operation. The incident that he described precisely underlines why it is so important that we develop and progressively make cross-border security co-operation more effective. The right hon. Gentleman referred to one massive car bomb. There was another bomb, of which the right hon. Member will be aware, in Armagh. It was also defused. There is no doubt that at present we face what I warned the House is a serious threat. The right hon. Gentleman would wish to pay tribute to the vigilance of the security forces that ensured that both bombs were successfully defused.

§ Rev. William McCrea
Bearing in mind the recent murder of a young UDR member in my constituency and another brutal attack on the RUC in Cookstown the other evening, does the Secretary of State agree that it is essential to have an aggressive security policy to defeat terrorism? Will he tell the House of the new measures that he is considering to bring the terrorist campaign to its conclusion?

§ Mr. King
Of course I am aware of both incidents. The attack at Cookstown could have been most serious. The hon. Gentleman will know something of the steps that we have recently taken to improve the effectiveness of the security forces. From his knowledge of the subject, the hon. Gentleman will equally well understand why I am not able in the House to go into the full detail of some of the measures that we are taking to seek to ensure the full availability of the resources that we deploy and that they are used as effectively as possible.

§ Mr. Mallon
The Secretary of State may be aware of speculation that the Royal Irish Rangers may be deployed in the North of Ireland. Does he agree that the deployment of a Northern Irish regiment would add further tensions and friction to an already volatile situation? Will he take 512 the opportunity to assure the House that Northern Irish regiments will not be deployed in Northern Ireland in the foreseeable future?

§ Mr. King
Obviously, I am not able to comment. It is a matter for the Ministry of Defence to make any announcements about deployments. The hon. Gentleman will know that, if they were to be deployed, the Royal Irish Rangers would not be the first Northern Irish regiment to be deployed since the start of the troubles. The British Army has a high reputation throughout the Province for the way in which it seeks to discharge its responsibilities, regardless of where its members are recruited. I have no doubt that, were the Royal Irish Rangers to serve in Northern Ireland, they would continue to maintain that high reputation.

§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson
Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the security forces have adequate helicopter coverage? In particular, does he think that the RUC should have a helicopter flight of its own?

§ Mr. King
As my hon. Friend will know, we have made and are making additional helicopter resources available. I have no proposition before me for the RUC to have a helicopter flight of its own, but the co-operation between the Army, the RAF and the RUC is excellent, and the RUC is extremely grateful for the service that it gets.

§ Ms. Mowlam
Does the Secretary of State accept that the recent events in Gibraltar have had a negative impact on security in Northern Ireland, and that many of the major issues that are causing public disquiet cannot be answered by an inquest? If so, will he support the call for an inquiry after the inquest?

§ Mr. King
There would have been a much more disquieting impact on everybody if the terrorist attack in Gibraltar had been successful, because it could have led to the most horrific suffering and tragedy of any terrorist attack in our experience of the IRA campaign. The process that now has to be pursued will lead to an inquest in Gibraltar, and it would help if people would support the due process of that inquiry and not seek to stir up concern in the way that many have sought to do.