§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence under what circumstances was Guardsman George Hamilton shot dead in the Roman Catholic Ballymurphy area of Belfast on Sunday, 17th October; what sort of bullet was used; whether the fire was returned; and what arrests were made.
§ Mr. LambtonAt approximately 2.30 p.m. on 17th October Guardsman Hamilton was shot in the back while on foot patrol in Glenalina Park, Belfast, by a bullet from a Thompson machine gun. Other members of his patrol returned three shots. No arrest was made by the Army at the time.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will list the number and names of the unapproved roads on the border of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic which the Army have cratered by explosives.
§ Mr. LambtonUp to 8.00 p.m. on 19th October, 61 unapproved crossings had been cratered or spiked by the Army. Only three of these crossings are numbered roads—the B32, B45 and B136. The remainder are un-numbered minor roads and tracks.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence what counter-measures he proposes to take to stop the Irish Republican Army supporters filling in the craters made by the Army in unapproved roads on the border of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
§ Mr. LambtonAdditional patrols are being introduced into the border area.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of State for Defence what changes he proposes to make in the organisation of the Ulster Defence Reserve so that local units can operate locally even when subversive activity and rioting occur in their areas.
§ Mr. LambtonUnder the plans for expanding the Ulster Defence Regiment, there are immediate proposals for creating three additional battalions, five new companies and 32 new platoons, and, as the strength increases, further changes in148W organisation will be necessary. This will allow greater opportunity for men to serve closer to their homes than hitherto. The rôle of the Regiment remains as stated in Command Paper 4188 of November, 1969. The precise tasks on which U.D.R. units and sub-units are employed are decided by the local Commanders in the light of requirements at the time.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will state the whereabouts of Mr. William A. Shannon who was arrested by the Army in Belfast on 9th October.
§ Mr. LambtonMr. Shannon, who was arrested by the Army in Belfast at 12.15 a.m. on 10th October, was handed over to the R.U.C. straight away. From then onwards his custody became a matter for the Northern Ireland Government.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will state the whereabouts of Mr. Liam D. Rogers who was arrested by the Army in Belfast on 11th October.
§ Mr. LambtonMr. Rogers, who was arrested by the Army in Belfast at 4.45 p.m. on 11th October, was handed over to the R.U.C. straight away. His custody thereafter became a matter for the Northern Ireland Government.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence what plans he has to enable the security authorities to trace the source of gelignite, fuses and detonators used in Northern Ireland to establish their source of origin and thereby tighten up the use of these items.
§ Mr. LambtonStudies are in hand on the marking and detection of explosive material as a means of assisting its identification and tracing sources from which terrorists are acquiring supplies.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence what consultation there was with the Northern Ireland Government before troops were withdrawn from guarding key electricity points.
§ Mr. LambtonThe list of key electricity points guarded by the Army is kept under review with the Northern Ireland Government through the Key Points Committee.
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§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence how many soldiers have been killed and wounded in each month since August, 1969.
§ Mr. LambtonIf, as I assume, my hon. Friend is referring to soldiers involved in operations in Northern Ireland, the information is as follows:
Year Month Soldiers Killed Soldiers Wounded 1969 August nil nil September nil 2 October nil 21 November nil nil December nil nil 1970 January nil nil February nil 2 March nil 3 April nil 4 May nil 3 June nil 16 July nil 20 August nil 16 September nil 7 October nil 15 November nil 2 December nil nil 1971 January nil 9 February 2 23 March 4 3 April nil 6 May 2 6 June nil 5 July 2 15 August 7* 45 September 7* 41 October (to date) 6 6 30 270 Figures for those wounded refer to those admitted to hospital as a result of security operations. The figures marked* to include one member of the Ulster Defence Regiment.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence why Army guards were withdrawn from Royal Ulster Constabulary stations; how many stations were involved; if he will indicate how many stations Army guards have now been returned to; and what steps he is taking to co-ordinate such activity.
§ Mr. LambtonGuards are provided at a number of R.U.C. stations by units of the Regular Army and U.D.R. in the light of the current situation at each station as assessed in consultation with the R.U.C. on a daily basis at local level. The number of stations guarded fluctuates according to circumstances, and central records150W are not normally maintained by the Army. However, since 9th October the Army has been guarding 61 stations, some full time and some part time; the number in early September was over 70.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Minister of State for Defence on what date the Northern Ireland Government originally requested him to make arrangements to crater roads in the border areas of Northern Ireland; on what date this work was done; how many roads have been so dealt with; and how many are still open.
§ Mr. LambtonThe present programme of closing unapproved crossings was first considered in detail by the Joint Security Committee on 2nd September. Following the necessary consultations with the County Surveyors and a detailed reconnaissance of the crossings, work began on 13th October. By 8 a.m. on 19th October a total of 61 unapproved crossings had been cratered or spiked. The operation is continuing but it would be contrary to the public interest to reveal its planned extent at this stage.