HC Deb 20 December 2000 vol 360 c194W
16. Sir Teddy Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the funding of terrorist groups. [141769]

Mr. Ingram

Terrorism relies in part on the availability of funding. Successive Governments have made provision in counter terrorist law to enable the police to tackle this funding. The Terrorism Act, which is due to come into force early next year, carries forward that regime which includes an offense of inviting another to support a terrorist organisation with money or property. It is also an offence to receive or provide money or property for that purpose. Under the Act, the police can also apply for an order of the court to trace terrorist property by seeking customer information from financial institutions.

In addition, the Secretary of State announced on 25 September the establishment of a new multi agency approach to tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland. We are determined to tackle all manifestations of organised crime, whatever its source.