Oral Answers to Questions

Patrick Mercer Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Paterson]

I wholeheartedly endorse the hon. Lady’s comments. Unfortunately, the Minister of State and I had long-standing commitments that we could not break, but we were ably represented by my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth West (Conor Burns), who stood in for us, and who will have visited several people there and expressed the same opinions we would have expressed had we been in his place.

[Patrick Mercer (Newark) (Con)]

11. What assessment he has made of trends in the level of dissident activity in Northern Ireland.

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

Terrorists remain active and the threat level remains at severe.

[Patrick Mercer]

Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the Garda on the outstanding co-operation over the past few weeks, particularly over the arrest of several dissidents just south of the border?

[Mr Paterson]

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for his continued interest in Northern Ireland, and we value his experience. I wholeheartedly wish to place on the record our tribute to the Garda for the work that they have done. We have an unprecedented level of co-operation with them: I have met Martin Callinan, the new commissioner; I met the Taoiseach in Washington last week; and I will be visiting Dublin soon to follow up my recent discussions with the new Tanaiste and Justice Minister. We are indebted to the work that the Garda have done and by working with them we will bear down on these unrepresentative dangerous terrorists.