§ 13. David TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment has been made of the(a) value and (b) effectiveness of the decommissioning process. [187655]
§ Mr. PearsonIn 1998 the Loyalist Volunteer Force carried out an act of decommissioning in Northern Ireland. The IRA have carried out three acts of decommissioning (2001, 2002 and 2003). In the latest act of decommissioning by the IRA (2003) the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning reported that the arms comprised light, medium and heavy ordnance and associated munitions. They included automatic weapons, ammunition, explosives and explosive material.
These acts of decommissioning have put arms beyond use which otherwise could have been used in acts of terrorism. This is the start of a process that will ultimately result in all paramilitary weaponry being put beyond use and return Northern Ireland to a normal democratic society.