§ 60. Mr. McManusasked the Minister of State for Defence if his Department will publish lists of serial numbers of all 155W guns found as a result of arms searches in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. G. Johnson SmithThis information is not held by the Army authorities
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence (1) what action the Army had to take in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, on Sunday, 25th July, against rioters; what section of the community attacked the security forces; what damage they did; and how many were arrested;
(2) what action the Army had to take in or around Friday and Saturday, 23rd and 24th July, in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, against rioters; what section of the community were involved in clashes with the security forces; what damage was done; what counter-measures were put into operation; and how many arrests were made.
§ Mr. KirkThere was minor rioting by the hooligan section of the community in Lurgan in the period 23rd to 26th July. An assessment of the damage caused is a matter for the civil authorities. Counter-measures taken by the Army included the firing of baton rounds. The security forces made some 30 arrests.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence under what circumstances the Army were called to the offices of Castlederg Rural District Council, Northern Ireland, after an Irish Republican Army bomb explosion in or around 25th July; what were the results of its investigations; what type of bomb was used; how it was detonated; what amount of damage was caused; if the area was sealed off; what searches were carried out; and what arrests were made.
§ Mr. KirkShortly before 3 a.m. on 25th July an explosion partially demolished the Castlederg Rural District Council building in Strabane Road. An Army ammunition technical officer carried out normal checks for evidence and to ensure that the immediate area, which had first been cleared, was free from explosives. He concluded that three linked charges, totalling some 50 lbs of explosive, were used. The means of detonation has not yet been established. No arrests were made by the Army at the time.
156W
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence under what circumstances the Army were called to an electricity transformer outside the city of Londonderry in or around 25th July after it had been blasted by an Irish Republican Army bomb explosion; what were the results of its investigations; what type of bomb was used; how it was detonated; what amount of damage was caused; if the area was sealed off; what searches were carried out; and what arrests were made.
§ Mr. KirkIn the early hours of 26th July an explosion occurred at an electricity sub-station at Culmore Road, Londonderry, causing extensive damage to the fuse cabinet and concrete plinth. The Army ammunition technical officer made the normal searches for evidence and to ensure that the immediate area which had just been cleared was free from further explosive. He estimated that some 10 to 20 lbs of explosive had been used; the means of initiation had not been established. No arrests were made by the Army at the time.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence what searches for arms, etc., have been carried out by the Army in Northern Ireland from Friday, 23rd July, to Monday, 26th July; and what were the results of these searches.
§ Mr. KirkThe series of searches which began on Friday, 23rd July, was not concerned primarily with the capture of arms but with the disruption of terrorist activity. Several arrests have been made and quantities of equipment, including some arms and ammunition, together with other material, have been seized. In view of the nature of the operation it would be inopportune to make any fuller statement about its results.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence what were the circumstances which started the rioting in Londonderry on Saturday, 24th July; how many troops were involved; what attacks were made on them; what damage was done to Army property; what measures the troops adopted to quell the riots; and what arrests were made.
§ Mr. KirkRioting began in Londonderry shortly before midnight on 24th July and continued for about four hours.
157WBaton rounds were fired and three arrests made. Earlier in the evening some isolated petrol bomb attacks had occurred. About noon on that day a boy had been killed in a tragic accident when an Army lorry skidded. The lorry was later seized and set on fire by a crowd but at this time the Army was not subjected to any concerted attacks. The number of troops involved in these incidents varied.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence (1) what action the Army has taken against terrorists who threatened Protestants living in Malt Street, Belfast; and how many arrests have been made;
(2) under what circumstances the Army was called to Malt Street, Belfast on or around Friday, 23rd July, after Protestants living there were threatened by Irish Republican Army terrorists; what representations these residents made to the Army and what protection did they request; what other representations were made to the Army on their behalf; why these residents had to evacuate because of inadequate Army protection; and what steps are now being taken to give further protection to Protestants living in this area.