IRA WEAPONS

Early day motion 194, tabled 18 January 1999 by Harry Barnes (Labour). Signed by 31 members.

That this House notes recent reports in the Irish media that the armed but fortunately abortive raid on a security van in Dalkey, County Dublin, was the work of the dissident paramilitary group, the Continuity IRA; further notes that a passer by, whose car was hijacked by the gang, suffered a minor gun-shot wound although the shot was aimed at his head; expresses its relief that the gang was forced to abandon the bulk of the security van's ú1.2 million load as this money was undoubtedly destined to buy guns and carry out further terrorist attacks; further notes that weapons and ammunition used in the raid are reported to have originated from Provisional IRA arsenals in similar ways to the detonators used by the Real IRA at the Omagh atrocity in August 1998 also originated in Provisional IRA arsenals; and believes that this undermines the argument that Provisional IRA arms dumps are safe and massively reinforces democratic arguments for the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons as a matter of urgency.

Signatures by party: Labour 13, Liberal Democrat 11, Conservative 4, UUP 3.