Mr. J. Enoch Powellasked the Prime Minister what was the date and place of the meeting in the first half of October 1979 between officials of Her Majesty's Government and of the Government of the Republic of Ireland; and what decisions were taken at it.
§ The Prime MinisterThere was a meeting between the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland my right hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Atkins) and the Irish Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Justice in London on 5 October 1979 at which officials were present. The meeting was held in the aftermath of the murder of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and was largely devoted to security matters. A copy of the communiqué issued after it has been placed in the Library of the House.