§ 39. Mr. FlanneryTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the steps he is taking within the Province to combat the ability of terrorist groups to act outside the Province.
§ Mr. Tom KingThe Royal Ulster Constabulary and Garda Siochana maintain close liaison to combat terrorism. In particular the Chief Constable of the RUC, the Commissioner of the Garda Siochana and senior members of both forces have regular discussions on security matters under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish intergovernmental conference. There is also regular contact between the RUC and other law enforcement agencies in Britain, United States of America and Europe.
§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about Libya's sponsorship of IRA terrorism.
§ Mr. Tom KingWe have firm evidence that Libya has been responsible in the past for supplying substantial quantities of weapons and explosives to the Provisional IRA. This connection has been well illustrated during the last three years by recoveries of arms both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which can clearly be traced back to Libyan origins.
Both this Government and the Irish Government are committed to working together unremittingly to deny the terrorists and their weapons a hiding place anywhere in Ireland. It is also vital to maintain and increase
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Dwellings Antrim Borough Council Parkhall Estate 4 Stiles Estate 4 Armagh District Council Drumarg park 6 international co-operation in the fight against state-sponsored terrorism in our efforts to prevent further weapons of death and destruction reaching their destination in Ireland, or elsewhere.
It is a credit to the security forces on both sides of the border that a significant quantity of Libyan supplied arms and explosives have been recovered in recent years.