The Ulster Unionist Party’s South Antrim MP Danny Kinahan is seeking clarification from the Government with regard to which ‘Departments’ of the IRA are still in existence, following reference made to them by the Secretary of State in her Statement on 20 October.
Mr Kinahan said:
“Following the Secretary of State’s Statement to the House of Commons, I tabled a question asking what was meant by her reference in the section on the structure of the Provisional IRA, to ‘departments’.
I am extremely disappointed by the response I have received, which was as follows:
‘The independently reviewed assessment of paramilitary organisations states that PIRA retains "some departments with specific responsibilities". It is only the policy of her Majesty’s Government to publish the report. It is a long held convention of Government not to discuss or disclose detailed intelligence.’
“I am hardly asking about detailed intelligence. Our sources have identified eight departments in the Provisional IRA - namely Armoury, Finance, Engineering, Training, Intelligence, Publicity, Operations and Security.
“I am not alone in being keen to know which ‘departments’ still exist, given that the old ‘engineering’ department was responsible for bomb making, whilst armoury, training and intelligence speak for themselves. I therefore ask again, just what does the Secretary of State mean by ‘departments’?
“My Party Leader Mike Nesbitt MLA, was stonewalled when he asked if a member of the Provisional IRA Army Council had participated in the Stormont House talks. We have a right to know and so do the public.”