Mr Harold McCusker: Will the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that in his discussions with the various political parties in Northern Ireland he will tell them all, particularly the SDLP, that he considers as an absolute prerequisite to any form of power sharing a declaration of unequivocal support for the security forces in their fight against terrorism?
Mr Harold McCusker: The prison in Armagh is in what is known as a Loyalist area of the town, and for the past five years it has been the focal point of a steady stream of protests and demonstrations which has led to riot situations between inhabitants and security forces—
Mr Harold McCusker: My constituents would not welcome the transfer of the Price sisters, because this would result in an unending stream of protest. Will the right hon. Gentleman consider opening a high security wing at the Maze or Magilligan Camp?
Mr Harold McCusker: asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on Royal Ulster Constabulary recruitment.
Mr Harold McCusker: Does the right hon. Gentleman agree with the Secretary of State that for any appreciable increase to take place in the RUC, recruitment must come from the Roman Catholic population of Northern Ireland? What is the right hon. Gentleman doing to ensure that such recruitment takes place?
Mr Harold McCusker: I thank the hon. Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell) for his generous comments not only to me but to the people of Northern Ireland and the teachers in schools there. I also thank the hon. Member for Accrington (Mr. Davidson) for his generous comments. Do not let us be surprised when we see normality. As the Secretary of State has told the House many times, there are vast areas of Northern...
Mr Harold McCusker: asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement regarding the policy of the security forces on the closing of border roads.
Mr Harold McCusker: Is the Minister aware that there are approximately 80 frontier crossings along the South Armagh border, of which the majority are unapproved and, therefore, should not be used by regular traffic? What is the status of the Flagstaff Road between Newry and Omeath, which was closed at great expense both in time and manpower by the Army because it was obviously considered a big security risk?...
Mr Harold McCusker: Does not the Secretary of State agree that the conditions which prevailed in that aniquated building commonly known as Armagh Gaol probably contributed to the situation which developed? Can he assure us that in his forthcoming statement he will indicate what provisions are being made to provide a proper, secure, modern prison service for women in Northern Ireland?
Mr Harold McCusker: I welcome the opening statement of the hon. Member for Belfast, West (Mr. Fitt) in which he reaffirmed his belief in his British citizenship. It is a pity, therefore, that he would not change his passport. Many of us here would like to see most of the legislation applying to Northern Ireland in line with that for the rest of the United Kingdom. We welcome the fact that occasionally there are...
Mr Harold McCusker: An 18-year-old soldier is normally told what to do and does not have to use much discretion in the matter. With regard to elections, an 18-year-old in my constituency is one of 90,000. On a jury he would be one of 12, and when majority decisions are the order of the day to some extent that casts a further degree of responsibility upon him. Therefore, the case made by my hon. Friend the...
Mr Harold McCusker: Will the right hon. Gentleman tell us the views of the Secretary of State, who visited Armagh Prison this week, about the state of that prison with regard to adequate security for the type of woman prisoner that we have to deal with in Northern Ireland at present?
Mr Harold McCusker: Does the Minister accept that the house building record of the Housing Executive has been deplorable over the past two years? Does he accept that there is general criticism of the executive by all the political parties—criticism regarding allocation and general maladministration? Will the Minister give an assurance that he will do all in his power to restore some sense of local identity and...
Mr Harold McCusker: Do not the statistics in this housing report show that 52 per cent. of the population of Northern Ireland is housed in modern council housing built since the war and that the major problem is in the private sector?
Mr Harold McCusker: Is my hon. Friend aware that lack of money is not the obstacle? The obstacle is the sheer inability of the housing executive to build houses. The Government can pour all the money they like into the housing executive, but unless the executive starts to improve we shall not get more houses.
Mr Harold McCusker: My hon. Friends and I view the order with grave reservations. We treat all of it very seriously. It was interesting that in the opening portion of his speech the Minister was prepared to state for the first time his true reasons for the destruction of the Youth Employment Service in Northern Ireland. I am sure that some of the members of the service will read his comments with interest. This...
Mr Harold McCusker: I was a Member of the House in March, as were all my colleagues. Some of my colleagues are not members of the Assembly. We should at least have been supplied with a copy of the order. In making that comment I must point out that the relevant documents which we required to make a study of the order were not available to us. For example, the Employment Service Development Plan for Northern...
Mr Harold McCusker: Representations have been made to me during the past week by three groups of people—the association representing the careers teachers in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland branch of the Institute of Careers Officers, and individual members of the Youth Employment Service. Everyone in the three groups representing the people most intimately concerned and involved in the most detailed way...
Mr Harold McCusker: I may have given the impression of speaking against the order. Perhaps I was motivated by some of the other factors about which we have spoken. I take the attitude that has been taken by most Members who have participated in the debate—namely, that within the overall plan there is something attractive, something good and something that can be built upon. We want to know that sufficient...
Mr Harold McCusker: Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that the Army is at present unable to reply to attacks by mortars and so on if the enemy is operating from concealed or hidden positions? Is there any possibility of relaxation of this practice so that the Army can reply in kind to terrorists?
