§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons have been detained by the Army or the Ulster Defence Regiment uder section 14 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 between 1 June 1980 and 31 May 1981; how many of these have been charged as a result; with what offences they have been charged; whether it is normal for the Army to carry out the interrogation of such suspects; how many of such suspects were transferred into the custody of the Royal Ulster Constabulary; and whether the Army maintains detailed records of arrests and interrogations carried out under section 14 of the 1978 Act.
§ Mr. WigginDuring the period 1 June 1980 to 31 May 1981, 1, 503 persons were arrested by members of Her Majesty's forces in Northern Ireland. Of these 418 were subsequently transferred into the custody of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The Army's records do not indicate how many of these were subsequently charged, nor the offences with which they were charged.
Persons arrested by members of Her Majesty's forces under section 14 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 may be detained for not more than four hours. During this time it is normal for them to be asked questions relating to their identity and to the offence which they are suspected of committing, having committed or being about to commit.
The Army maintains brief records of arrests and of the questions asked during the time persons are in its custody.
§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State fen Defence how many occupied dwellings have been searched by the Army or Ulster Defence Regiment from 1 June 1980 to 31 May 1981 under section 19(1) and 15(2) of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978; how many occupied dwellings have been searched by the Army or Ulster Defence Regiment under a warrant in the same period; how many of those searched resulted in (a) arms or explosive finds and (b) arrests; how many of these searches resulted in claims for compensation; how many of these claims have been settled; and how much money has been paid out so far on these claims.
§ Mr. WigginDuring the period 1 June 1980 to 31 May 1981 a total of 1, 226 occupied dwellings were searched by members of Her Majesty's forces in Northern Ireland. The records are not kept in such a way as to show the number carried out under the powers of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 as opposed to the number carried out under a warrant. Similarly, the records do not show how many searches resulted in finds of arms or explosives, arrests or claims for compensation.