§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, from the evidence available to him, to what extent arms and ammunition reaching the Irish Republican Army are coming from Communist countries; and how high a percentage this represents.
§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsSome of the arms and ammunition captured by the security forces from the Provisional IRA are manufactured in Communist countries. The indications are that these reach the Provisional IRA indirectly. It is not possible to give an estimate of the proportion
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 Total Escaping from custody — 1 1 1 — 1 1 — 5 Armed robbery — 1 7 2 5 — — — 15 Murder — — 1 — — — — 1 2 Attempted murder — — 1 — — — — 1 2 Possession of firearms — — 1 — 1 — — — 2 Possession of explosives — — — — — 1 — — 1 Arson — — — — — 1 — — 1 Theft and associated offences 5 1 9 2 7 5 2 5 36 Dangerous driving 1 — — — — — — — 1 Grievous bodily harm — 1 — — — — 2 — 3 Drunken driving — — — — — 1 2 — 3 Assault — — — — — — — 1 1 TOTAL 6 4 20 5 13 9 7 8 72