---

Saville Inquiry

5. Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Saville inquiry has cost to date. [145478]

Mr. George Howarth: Up until 31 December 2000, the cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry amounted to £33,834,904.

Crime

6. Mr. Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on what steps are being taken to tackle organised crime in Northern Ireland. [145479]

10. Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on steps he is taking to prevent criminals from profiting from unlawful activities in Northern Ireland. [145483]

Mr. Ingram: On 25 September, the Secretary of State announced the establishment of a multi-agency task force in Northern Ireland to tackle organised crime. The task force and its subgroups continue to meet to prepare a

24 Jan 2001 : Column: 640W

Northern Ireland organised crime strategy for 2001-02. I should also mention that the police and other agencies in Northern Ireland continue with successful operations against organised criminals. In answer to a question on 20 December, I gave just two examples. Customs and Excise had seized 45 million illegal cigarettes in the first three quarters of this financial year; and had closed 13 fuel plants, thereby preventing some 40 million litres of illicit fuel entering the Northern Ireland economy.

8. Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Government's policy is for reducing violent crime in Northern Ireland. [145481]

Mr. Ingram: The Government have set a specific target within the current policing plan for 2000-01 to achieve a detection rate for violent crimes of at least 50 per cent. Provisional figures for the period April 2000 to September 2000 indicate a clearance rate of 53.6 per cent.

Decommissioning

11. Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many illegal weapons have been decommissioned by each of the terrorist organisations in Northern Ireland since the Belfast agreement. [145484]

Mr. Ingram: Since the signing of the Belfast agreement, the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning has reported carrying out one decommissioning event.

Nine weapons were included in the list of items belonging to the Loyalist Volunteer Force that was decommissioned in accordance with commission procedures on 18 December 1998.

Also included was a quantity of ammunition, five detonators, two pipe bombs, two weapons stocks, and assorted magazines.

14. Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the decommissioning of illegally held arms and explosives in Northern Ireland. [145487]

20. Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on decommissioning of arms in Northern Ireland. [145493]

21. Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress made concerning the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. [145494]

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress there has been towards arms decommissioning; and if he will make a statement. [145492]

Mr. Ingram: Mr. Ramaphosa and Mr. Ahtisaari have reported that they have completed their second inspection of several IRA arms dumps. It represents further progress and an honouring of commitments given at the beginning of May. I am confident the inspectors will report any further progress that has been made when they deem it appropriate to do so.

Further progress still needs to be made by both Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries to meet their commitments to bring a lasting peace to Northern Ireland.

24 Jan 2001 : Column: 641W

15. Mr. Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further discussions have been held with General John de Chastelain about the decommissioning of illegally held weapons in Northern Ireland. [145488]

Mr. Ingram: Under the Good Friday agreement, the Decommissioning Commission operates as an independent body to resolve the decommissioning issue. The commission has provided written reports on progress on a number of occasions.

Mr. Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the prospects for removing illegally held weapons in Northern Ireland. [145473]

Mr. Ingram: Efforts are still continuing to seek a way forward to enable decommissioning to occur as soon as possible.

For their part, the Government are continuing to meet their commitments as agreed with the Irish Government to take the steps necessary for full implementation of the Belfast agreement by June 2001.

Police Reform

12. Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000. [145485]

13. Mr. Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on reform of policing in Northern Ireland. [145486]

28. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he is making in reforming the police service in Northern Ireland. [145501]

Mr. Ingram: The Government remain committed to the new beginning in policing in Northern Ireland. This requires the implementation of the Police Act and a wide range of other changes. A revised, detailed implementation plan setting out the position on the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland, including the extensive progress that has already been made, will be published shortly.

Security Situation

16. Mr. Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further steps he is taking to create a normal security environment in Northern Ireland. [145489]

Mr. Ingram: The Chief Constable recently announced a number of further normalisation measures including the demolition of the six Fermanagh patrol bases, the closure and demolition of Long Kesh army base and the closure of Strand road holding centre. Three of the Fermanagh patrol bases have been demolished and work has begun on the remaining three.

In the longer term, the number of army bases will reduce to no more than 20. This includes sites in Londonderry, Belfast, Coleraine and Dungannon.

24 Jan 2001 : Column: 642W

However, these further measures will very much depend on the removal of the threat from dissident republicans and continued progress towards a normal civil society.

Provisional IRA

18. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of Provisional IRA involvement in recent terrorist incidents. [145491]

Mr. Ingram: The Secretary of State keeps the status of all ceasefires under continual review. We receive regular briefings on the security situation from the Chief Constable and senior security advisers. He will not hesitate to act against any organisation not observing a complete and unequivocal ceasefire.

Inward Investment

23. Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of the peace process on inward investment in Northern Ireland. [145496]

Mr. Mandelson: Responsibility for this subject has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and is therefore no longer a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

On-street Violence

24. Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he plans to hold with the Chief Constable concerning the level of on-street violence in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [145497]

Mr. Ingram: The Secretary of State regularly discusses a range of issues with the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The Secretary of State is confident that the Chief Constable is doing everything possible, within the resources he has available, to tackle incidents of violent crime in the Province.

Parades

25. Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to help achieve agreement between interested parties which will enable previously controversial parades to proceed without causing public disorder in future. [145498]

Mr. Ingram: The Government are still firmly of the opinion that the most satisfactory resolution to problem parades is agreement at local level. If all sides work constructively together on the last initiative led by Mr. Currin, there may be hope for a successful outcome in the future.

We will, of course, support the Parades Commission on any efforts they may have on finding a solution to this issue.

---