§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were arrested as a result of the Stevens inquiry; how many are (1) male and (2) female; how many have been charged with(a) murder, (b) attempted murder, (c) possession of arms and/or ammunition, (d) explosives, (e) membership of an illegal organisation, (f) collection of, or being in possession of, information relating to known or suspected terrorists and (g) collection of, or being in possession of, information which might be of use to a terrorist organisation.
§ Mr. CopeAs a result of the inquiry led by DCC Stevens, 94 persons have been arrested, of whom 59 have either been charged or reported for offences. This includes two females. The requested information on charges is as follows:
Charge Number of persons Murder Nil Attempted murder Nil Possession of arms and/or ammunition 9 Explosives Nil Membership of an illegal organisation Nil Collection, recording or possession of information likely to be useful to terrorists 29 No specific offence exists of collection of or being in possession of information relating to known or suspected terrorists. Where persons were found to be in possession of photographs and so on of known or suspected terrorists they have been charged under section 22(1) of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978.
It should be noted that two of the nine persons charged with possession of arms and/or ammunition are also included in the 29 charged with the collection, recording or possession of information likely to be useful to terrorists.