§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the amounts of(a) weapons and (b) explosives possessed by the Irish Republican Army (i) now, and (ii) in April 1998; and if he will make a statement. [131917]
§ Jane KennedyEstimates of the amount of weaponry held by paramilitary organisations are an intelligence matter on which it would be inappropriate to comment. The Government has consistently made clear that paramilitary groups must end all forms of terrorist activity and decommissioning should be carried out through the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning appointed by the Government for this purpose.