Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the statement of 13 February 2020 made by Chief Constable of the PSNI at the NI Assembly Justice Committee, whether the role of determining the status of the Provisional IRA resides with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

In 2015, the UK Government commissioned the Assessment of Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland in order to provide a factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the PSNI on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.

As the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, made clear at the time, this assessment was specifically intended to inform then ongoing cross-party talks. The IRA, including the Provisional IRA, remains a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000.