§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will increase efforts to counter Irish Republican Army propaganda overseas, in view of the organised campaign to undermine the good name of Her Majesty's security forces and particularly of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsI refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) on 24 May. [Vol. 967, c. 1213.] I have already met our ambassador-designate to Washington358W to discuss these matters. As far as the security forces are concerned I shall send the hon. Gentleman a copy of an article written by my hon. Friend the Minister of State to rebut serious allegations about the Royal Ulster Constabulary which appeared recently in a New York newspaper. In the light of subsequent comments about the RUC by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the hon. Thomas O'Neill, Her Majesty's ambassador in Washington was instructed to call on him and express the British Government's surprise and regret.