Karl McCartney
Main Page: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)Department Debates - View all Karl McCartney's debates with the Northern Ireland Office
(13 years, 4 months ago)
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Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)
6. What recent assessment he has made of the threat to security in Northern Ireland posed by residual terrorist groups.
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.
Mr Paterson
It is almost impossible to stress how closely we are now working. Last week, I met Eamon Gilmore, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and I had several discussions in the last week with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence. I also recently saw the Garda commissioner. The Garda is to be wholly congratulated on its recent raid at Hackballscross in County Louth, where a significant amount of lethal matériel was apprehended. I am delighted to confirm that the co-operation with the PSNI gets better from month to month.
Karl MᶜCartney
Does my right hon. Friend agree that at a time of such pressure on the public finances, the exceptional deal to the give the PSNI an extra £200 million over the next four years is a clear demonstration that this Government will always stand by Northern Ireland?
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.