Oral Answers to Questions

Glyn Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 6th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)]

7. What recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

8. What recent assessment he has made of the threat to security in Northern Ireland posed by residual terrorist groups.

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

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I believe that the House will want to pay tribute to Sir Oliver Napier, whose funeral was held yesterday. He was a founding father and leader of the Alliance party, and a member of the power-sharing Executive in 1974. He led the way towards inclusive politics, and was widely respected across the entire community. He will be much missed.

The threat level in Northern Ireland remains at severe. Despite the overwhelming community rejection of violence, the terrorist groups continue to pose an indiscriminate threat to the safety of police officers and the general public, who want their lives to be free of fear, disruption and intimidation.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Paterson]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving me the chance to remind the House that we endorsed £50 million last year and a further unprecedented £200 million over the next four years. We are absolutely determined to bear down on the current threat, and I am delighted that Matt Baggot, the Chief Constable, to whom I spoke this morning, confirmed that we

“have the resources, the resilience and…the commitment”

to meet that threat.

[Glyn Davies]

All of us in the House are concerned about the recent violence in east Belfast and acknowledge the challenges facing the PSNI. Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is a very significant role for the Northern Ireland Executive in tackling the underlying causes that fuel that violence?

[Mr Paterson]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for his question. The problem cannot be contained by security activity alone, however well co-ordinated and well funded by the PSNI and the Garda. Ultimately, this must be sorted out on the ground, by local politicians working with local people. That was confirmed in the Independent Monitoring Commission report that said:

“The main responsibility for dealing with these challenges rests with the Assembly, the Executive and local politicians, working in conjunction with community leaders, churches, the law enforcement and other public institutions, and ultimately, with the…whole community”.