Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will take steps to commission a report on paramilitary influence in Northern Ireland.

The ‘Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland’ report was published in 2015 by the UK Government in order to provide a one-off factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland. This public assessment, which was intended to inform the then ongoing cross-party talks, has not been repeated.

This Government is committed to making streets across the United Kingdom safer, and we want to see a safer Northern Ireland, where terrorist and paramilitary groups are no longer able to cause harm to communities. Where any criminality exists, it should be dealt with fully by the police.

The effort to tackle paramilitarism is led by the NI Executive in particular through its Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC), which was established after the Fresh Start Agreement. The Programme is working to tackle the presence of paramilitaries through evidence-based early interventions, targeted law enforcement measures and initiatives that provide direct support to help build safer communities resilient to paramilitarism. The UK Government provides 50% of the funding for the Programme - currently £8m per year through to March 2026.

The Programme has tracked changes in public perceptions of paramilitary influence since 2017 through the Northern Ireland Life & Times (NILT) Survey. This information can be accessed here: https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/publications/perceptions-paramilitarism-northern-ireland-findings-northern-ireland-life-and-times-survey-2017

The Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) which was established in 2017 reports annually on progress towards ending paramilitary activity connected with Northern Ireland. The IRC’s most recent report, the Sixth Report, was published in December 2023, with the latest report due to be published in Winter 2024.