Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on recent threats of violence against a Sunday World journalist.

Journalists play a vital role in our society. It is unacceptable that they should find themselves threatened for doing their job.

I meet regularly with the Chief Constable and his senior team regarding national security and discuss a range of issues. I commend the PSNI on the progress they have made to address journalist safety in Northern Ireland. Two Journalist Safety Officers have been appointed and are notified of all reports of threats to journalists. An internal Journalist Safety Group has also been established.