Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Northern Ireland Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Lady Hermon Excerpts
Wednesday 23rd March 2011

(13 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Owen Paterson Portrait Mr Paterson
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to the role that the public can play. The PSNI now has broad support across the community, and as Robert Peel said, the police are citizens in uniform. If the Antrim road bomb had gone off, members of the public would have been maimed by a device put on a bicycle.

Lady Hermon Portrait Lady Hermon (North Down) (Ind)
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I thank Members for their silence.

Given that during the troubles terrorist organisations murdered 102 members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve, and that the Secretary of State could not attend a thanksgiving service for the reserve at St Anne’s cathedral on Sunday, will he please take this opportunity to put on record his appreciation of the outstanding courage and enormous sacrifice of the RUC reserve?