Vol. 395 No. 5
48 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received a reply from the Northern Ireland Office arising out of representations made by Deputy Austin Currie (details supplied) concerning named members of the UDR in County Fermanagh being involved in putting up posters reading Support the Paris Three, Join Ulster Resistance; if so, the action he has taken to rid the UDR of these undesirables; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
In response to representations made in this case through the Anglo-Irish Secretariat in Belfast, the British authorities informed us that the matter had been investigated but that, on the basis of the information supplied, no further action was envisaged.
However, the matter raised by the Deputy remains of concern and I have, therefore, requested the British authorities to look further into it. I believe, for example, that the issue is one which could usefully be referred to the new screening unit for the UDR. As the Deputy is aware, a new unit to screen UDR recruits, and to implement follow-up action such as revetting existing personnel, formed part of a series of measures which were announced in the communiqué issued after the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference held on 18 October 1989.
49 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will obtain an explanation from the Northern Ireland Office for the presence of a UDR patrol in direct contact with the community and without a police presence at the Deanery, Clogher, County Tyrone at 9 a.m. on 31 January 1990.
50 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will obtain an explanation from the Northern Ireland Office for the presence of a UDR patrol in direct contact with the community and without a police presence one mile on the Clogher side of Fivemilestown, County Tyrone at 9 a.m. on 3 January 1990; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
51 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the explanation he has received from the Northern Ireland Office for the presence of a UDR patrol in direct contact with the community and without a police presence on 7 September 1989 at 5 p.m. on the Armagh to Benburb Road approximately one mile from Armagh and on 22 September 1989 at 10.30 a.m. on the Enniskillen to Florencourt Road on the outskirts of Enniskillen; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 49, 50 and 51 together.
In response to my earlier representations regarding the two unaccompanied UDR patrols on 7 and 22 September 1989, I have been informed through the Anglo-Irish Secretariat that the British authorities have admitted that both patrols were unaccompanied owing to the fact that police resources were unavailable at the time to allow for these two patrols to be accompanied by the police.
