§ 5. Mr. McWalterTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further steps he is taking to create a normal security environment in Northern Ireland. [141755]
§ Mr. MandelsonThe Chief Constable recently announced a number of further normalisation measures, including the demolition of the six Fermanagh patrol bases, the closure and demolition of Long Kesh Army base and, with effect from 1 October, the closure of Strand Road Holding Centre. Work on the demolition of the192W Fermanagh patrol bases is now under way. The demolition of Long Kesh Army base is due for completion this month.
It is our overall aspiration to reduce further the number of army bases to no more than 20 and reduce the number of soldiers permanently based in Northern Ireland to about 8,000. However, this very much depends on the level of threat from dissident republicans and continued progress towards a normal civil society.