§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the guidelines issued to the Royal Ulster Constabulary on the use of plastic bullets.
§ Mr. PriorIt is not the Government's practice to disclose detailed operational instructions given to the police in Northern Ireland. In broad terms plastic baton rounds are to be used only where other methods of maintaining law and order are unlikely to succeed and where there is a risk of loss of life or serious injury or widespread damage to property. The police are accountable to the law which in this area is the same in Northern Ireland as in England and Wales. Their operational instructions are designed to minimise the possibility of injury.
§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he proposes to review the use of plastic bullets in the light of the death of Steven McConomy hit by a plastic bullet in Londonderry on Friday 16 April.
§ Mr. PriorThe use of plastic baton rounds in Northern Ireland is kept under review. But there are no plans to withdraw or suspend the use of plastic baton rounds in Northern Ireland at present.