§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officers currently serve in(a) the Special Branch and (b) the Criminal Investigation Department of the RUC. [107819]
§ Mr. IngramAt 1 February 2000, 684 officers were serving in the Special Branch and 809 in the Criminal Investigation Department of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to make the Chief Constable of the RUC responsible for assessing the security situation; how often he will be required to make this assessment; and in what form his findings will be made public. [107808]
§ Mr. IngramThe Chief Constable has been and continues to be the Secretary of State's principal security adviser. The Chief Constable gives his assessment to the Secretary of State on a regular and confidential basis.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1999,Official Report, column 410W, what communication he has received from bodies other than the US Congress about US-sponsored training and exchange programmes; and what response the RUC will make to fulfil conditions that will be imposed upon joint training and exchange programmes. [107822]
240W
§ Mr. IngramI have received no communication from other bodies about US sponsored training and exchange programmes. The Royal Ulster Constabulary will make every effort to fulfil any conditions that may be imposed upon US joint training and exchange. It is the RUC's policy that officers are selected solely on the eligibility criteria applicable to any proposed training/exchange programme. In keeping with the Royal Ulster Constabulary equal opportunities policy, officers are selected purely on merit.