§ Mr. MaginnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the amount estimated by the Government and the Government of the Irish Republic to be the total provision of Libyan arms and explosives to the IRA; and what amount of the IRA's Libyan arms and explosives cache have, to date, been(a) expended and (b) captured.
§ Dr. Mawhinney[holding answer 17 December 1991]: Substantial quantities of Libyan arms and explosives reached the Provisional IRA in the mid-1980s. Their recovery has been the objective of a sustained programme of intensive searching by the Garda in the Republic of Ireland and by the police and Army in Northern Ireland. 491W This has had some success, although such arms and weapons continue to be used by PIRA in its terrorist campaigns. For operational reasons it would not be appropriate to give details of the amount of arms and explosives expended and recovered.