Memorandum submitted by the Northern Ireland
Office on behalf of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
AN UPDATE ON THE POLITICAL AND SECURITY SITUATION
IN NORTHERN IRELAND
THE POLITICAL
PROCESS
On 28 July, the IRA made a statement indicating
that its leadership had ordered an end to their armed campaign.
2. In a letter to all MPs dated 28 July,
the Secretary of State said that he welcomed the statement for
its clarity and lack of conditionality. He said that it was however
crucial that the IRA's words were carried through in actions and
independently verified. On 26 September, the Independent International
Commission on Decommissioning reported that the IRA had placed
its arms completely and verifiably beyond use.
3. On 19 October, the Secretary of State
published the 7th Report of the Independent Monitoring Commission
which indicated that early signs that the IRA had carried through
its commitments on the ground were "encouraging". As
this report covered only a period of weeks following the IRA's
28 July, the Secretary of State awaits the IMC's January report
so that he can assess further progress on the ground.
4. In view of the considerable progress
made by the IRA, both through its 28 July statement and the subsequent
act of decommissioning, the Secretary of State has decided to
restore Sinn Fein's Assembly allowances with effect from 1 November.
He has also announced that he intends to recommend to the House
of Commons, in due course, that the suspension of Sinn Fein's
Westminster Allowances be lifted.
5. Over the coming months, the Secretary
of State intends to do all he can to facilitate progress towards
restoration. He will further implement those aspects of the Belfast
Agreement where work is incomplete or ongoing. He will also begin
work on areas of the Joint Declaration of 2003 which were dependent
on acts of completion by the IRA. The Secretary of State appreciates
that this will be difficult for some people to accept, but he
notes that there are long standing commitments that certain developments
would follow on such acts.
6. Following the IRA statement, the Secretary
of State published an updated normalisation programme, on the
advice of the Chief Constable and the General Officer Commanding.
Safety and security of the people of Northern Ireland remains
the Secretary of State's first and over-riding priority, and that
of the Chief Constable and the GOC. The Secretary of State is
clear that normalisation steps will be taken only if there is
an enabling environment and he notes that all members of Northern
Ireland society will benefit from normalised security arrangements
when they are possible.
7. The Government also gave a commitment
that it would reinvigorate discussions with the political parties
on the shared goal of devolving criminal justice and policing.
The Secretary of State intends to explore the scope for doing
that over the months ahead. In the meantime he intends to bring
forward enabling legislation for later implementation, when there
is agreement among the parties in Northern Ireland.
8. The Secretary of State also intends to
bring forward legislation to deal with the position of individuals,
often categorised as on the runs, who are connected with paramilitary
crimes committed before the Belfast Agreement, as the Government
had committed to do. This is not an amnesty, although the Secretary
of State fully understands that the implementation of those proposals
will be painful for many people. The Government believes that
it is a necessary part of the process of closing the door on violence
forever.
9. The Secretary of State is aware that
there is more to be done in demonstrating that the IRA have put
paramilitary activity behind them for good. He hopes that the
January IMC report will demonstrate further progress and that
this will help build the trust and confidence needed for restoration
of the institutions. The Secretary of State believes that if the
report is positive, as he hopes, then the process can move forward
towards fully inclusive power sharing devolved government and
the full operation of the North/South arrangements.
THE SECURITY
SITUATION
10. We continue to see dramatic improvements
in the security situation compared to the height of the "troubles".
Paramilitary attacks also continue on a downward trend. However
this summer saw a murderous feud between two loyalist paramilitary
groups, vicious attacks on the police and army by loyalist paramilitaries,
nationalist attacks on two major orange parades in June and July,
and a variety of sectarian attacks. The UVF/LVF feud that took
place over the summer was completely unacceptable. The Secretary
of State has specified the UVF/Red Hand Commando and he wants
this to send a clear message that violence will not be tolerated.
11. The Secretary of State made a statement
to the Commons on 13 in which he made clear that he had decided
not to impose a financial penalty on the Progressive Unionist
Party at this time. The Secretary of State has noted that the
PUP have taken steps in the right direction and he wants to encourage
further transition to exclusively peaceful and democratic means.
12. The Secretary of State intends to watch
developments carefully over the coming months, in particular the
role that the PUP play in attempting to secure peace and stability
in the Loyalist community, and he will look very carefully at
what the IMC have to say in their January report.
13. The Secretary of State continues to
be committed to confronting organised crime in Northern Ireland.
The terrorist campaign over nearly 40 years created the environment
whereby paramilitary organisations have used their infrastructure
and expertise in organised crime to fund both individual lifestyles
and the organisations themselves and to coerce those communities
in which they operate.
The Whiterock parade
14. There is widespread belief in Loyalist
communities that they have been losing out to Nationalist/Republicans.
The Secretary of State has been clear that the disorder that broke
out on 10 September at the Whiterock Parade was unacceptable.
That violence quickly escalated and spread to other parts of Belfast
and beyond.
15. Almost all of the violence was directed
towards the police and their military colleagues who were there
in support. It was violence of the most vicious kind, intended
to maim and kill. The police estimate that 115 shots were fired
at police, 146 blast bombs were thrown and 116 vehicles were hijacked.
Of the police officers there, 81 sustained injuries. This required
preparation, co-ordination, the stockpiling of missiles, and the
deployment of guns. Paramilitary organisations—the UVF and
the UDA—played a key role in the orchestration of the violence
which continued for several days.
16. The fact that no policeman or soldier
was killed was pure good fortune and due to their approach to
joint training, tactical deployment and the quality of their public
order equipment. The Secretary of State endorses the comments
made by the Chief Constable: that no police force in Western Europe
or indeed the USA has had to face such a sustained and brutal
assault.
Loyalism
17. While the Secretary of State does not
accept that concerns in loyalist communities are cause for rioting,
he is committed to addressing legitimate concerns from wherever
they come. The Secretary of State and his Ministerial colleagues
have implemented a strategy to address loyalist concerns. This
has included the establishment of a Delivery Team to address the
needs of disadvantaged Loyalist communities; active engagement
with Unionist and Loyalist parties and a series of visits to Loyalist
heartlands.
18. The Secretary of State also remains
committed to seeing complete and verified decommission of weapons
held by loyalist groups.
VICTIMS
19. The Secretary of State is committed
to raising the profile of victims and survivors of the troubles
and to making sure that they are not forgotten. On 24 October,
the Secretary of State announced the appointment of Mrs Bertha
McDougall as Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors of
the Troubles. The Interim Commissioner will review arrangements
for service delivery and coordination of services for victims
and survivors across Departments and Agencies, identifying any
gaps in service provision. The Interim Commissioner will also
review how well the current funding arrangements in relation to
services and grants paid to victims and survivors groups and individual
victims and survivors are addressing need. At present around 50
groups are in receipt of Government grants. The Interim Commissioner
will also consider the modalities of establishing a Victims and
Survivors Forum.
SUMMARY
20. The Secretary of State believes that
huge progress has been made this summer. The IRA statement on
28 July and full decommissioning of their weapons are historic
events that open the prospect of a return to devolved government
in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is hopeful that, in
the event of a further positive IMC report in January 2006, the
process is on the right path towards fully inclusive devolved
Government in Northern Ireland, under which all traditions are
respected.
Northern Ireland Office
24 October 2005
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