Oral Answers to Questions

Diana Johnson Excerpts

Wednesday 19th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Con)]

3. What recent assessment he has made of the threat posed by terrorist groups in Northern Ireland.

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

11. What recent assessment he has made of dissident activity in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr Owen Paterson)]

With permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer Questions 1, 3, 8 and 11 together.

The threat level in Northern Ireland remains at severe, and we continue to work closely with our partners in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government to counter that threat. We are not complacent, and this Government remain totally committed to ensuring that the Chief Constable has the necessary resources to deal with the threat posed by those terrorist groups.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Mr Patrick Mercer. Not here.

[Diana Johnson]

Is the security situation worse or better than it was a year ago?

[Mr Paterson]

I am very grateful to the hon. Lady for that question, and as she knows we have put in very significant extra resources, with £200 million going in over the next four years, backed by the Executive putting in a further £45 million. In discussions with the PSNI, we are determined to bear down on those groups, which are dangerous, and we are not complacent about them.

To answer the hon. Lady’s question directly, we have slowed down the increase in such activity which we saw when we came into office, but there is definitely more work to do, and none of us should underestimate the danger that that small number of people represent not just to the police, but to people going about their everyday business.