§ 69. Mr. McMasterasked the Minister of State for Defence what steps he is taking through the Armed Forces there to deal more rapidly and effectively with incidents in Northern Ireland such as occurred on the night of 27th-28th June to maintain the peace and to detect and apprehend those responsible for murder, arson and rioting in the city streets.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourFollowing the events of 27th-28th June, steps were immediately taken to accelerate the substantial troop reinforcements already planned for the period of the July marches. New weapons and tactics to assist in security operations are always under review.
§ 70. Mr. McMasterasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will set up an immediate inquiry into the failure of the Armed Forces to prevent the rioting, murder and grievous bodily harm caused in Belfast on the nights of 27th-28th June and 3rd-4th July.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourI do not accept that the word "failure" can be applied to the operations of the Armed Forces on the nights in question. As is normal, however, after any major disturbances, the security forces have reviewed the conduct of the operations to discover whether there are any lessons to be learned. No additional inquiry is considered necessary.