§ 9. David BurnsideTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the present(a) Republican and (b) Loyalist terrorist threat in the Province. [187651]
§ Mr. PearsonDissident republicans are a threat, although many of their activities have been thwarted, intercepted or nullified by the security forces. We remain concerned at the level of paramilitary activity and control exercised within communities by both Republican and Loyalist paramilitary organisations. The Independent Monitoring Commission will report again on this area next month.