§ Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will institute an inquiry into charges of vandalism and the deliberate breaking of furniture by soldiers carrying out searches in Catholic schools and other buildings in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Johnson SmithNo. All troops are under strict instructions to cause no unnecessary damage when conducting search operations. I have received no complaints of vandalism or deliberate breaking of furniture from the principals or headmasters of any of the schools searched by the security forces. However, in the case of one school, a claim for damage has been received by the Ministry of Home Affairs and is being investigated in the normal way.