§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence (1) under what circumstances an Army patrol was attacked by gun-fire on the Armagh-Monaghan border of Northern Ireland early on Tuesday, 11th May; what sort of gun was used; how many shots were fired; what damage was done; what number of soldiers was involved; whether they returned the fire; and what arrests were made;
(2) what was the result of the Army search which took place after the attack on the Army patrol at the Armagh-Monaghan border early on Tuesday, 11th May; what number of guns and what amount of ammunition and explosives were discovered; and what arrests were made.
§ Mr. KirkAt 2 a.m. on 11th May two Army landrovers were fired on from a ditch near a customs post at Cullaville on the Armagh-Monaghan border. An automatic weapon was used and approximately 12 shots were fired. One of the landrovers was hit, but the only damage was a burst tyre. Eight soldiers were involved, none of whom was hurt. There was no opportunity to return fire but immediately after the attack a search was made, and a road block erected. A further search of the area was made in daylight. No weapons, ammunition, or explosives were found, and no arrests were made.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement about the bombing of an Army Bailey bridge spanning the LisburnAldergrove Road at Dundrod in the early hours of Sunday, 9th May, 1971.
§ Mr. KirkAt 1.30 a.m. on Sunday, 9th May the Army Bailey bridge spanning the Lisburn-Aldergrove Road at Dundrod was damaged by two explosive charges. The damage rendered the bridge temporarily impassable to traffic, but repairs were completed by the Army by 12.30 p.m. on 9th May.