§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence what consultation there was with the Northern Ireland Government before the removal of 500 troops from Northern Ireland in September; why this decision was altered and the number of troops increased to 1,750 in October; and what steps are being taken to rationalise and co-ordinate troop movements.
§ Mr. LambtonForce levels in Northern Ireland are kept under constant review with the Northern Ireland Government through the Joint Security Committee; and vary in accordance with the needs of the situation. The recent reinforcements were provided to facilitate, among other things, a closer control of the border and the following up of the increasing amount of information being obtained.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the attacks on school children in Belfast, and in particular on the Crumlin Road, Oldpark Road, Cliftonville Road and Antrim Road; and what proposals he has to stop this interference.
§ Mr. LambtonI have received no specific reports of any attacks, although I understand that groups of unsupervised young children have on occasions thrown stones, etc., at each other when their routes to and from school have crossed. The supervision of young children is not normally a task for the Army; but patrols will continue to keep an eye on the situation whenever possible.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence how much explosive 108W material has been found intact in each of the last six months; and if he will indicate what percentage appears to have been manufactured in the Republic of Ireland.
§ Mr. LambtonAmounts of explosive material found intact and for which no satisfactory lawful explanation has been forthcoming have been:
April 1971 358 lbs. May 1971 46 lbs. June 1971 261 lbs. July 1971 423 lbs. August 1971 309 lbs. September 1971 494 lbs. 1,891 lbs. Of this total, 59 per cent. appears to have been manufactured in the Republic of Ireland, as is much of the explosive legally imported into Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the explosion in the Four Step Inn, Shankill Road, Belfast; and what proposals he has to prevent further incidents of this type.
§ Mr. LambtonAt approximately 10.30 p.m. on 29th September a bomb, believed to have contained 50–100 lbs. of explosive, caused extensive damage to the Four Steps Inn. Two civilians were killed and twenty-seven injured.
The security forces are mounting road blocks and special patrols to deter or catch bombers, and more and more searches for explosives are being conducted as information becomes available.