Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Wednesday, 22 April 2009 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Dissident Republican Groups

Question: May I associate those of us on the Liberal Democrat Benches with the comments made earlier about the ending of Sir Hugh Orde's tenure? He was always vigorous in making the case for the proper resourcing of the PSNI. I hope that the Secretary of State and the Treasury will not see his moving on as an opportunity to diminish the resources given to policing and, in particular, to community safety partnerships in tackling the recruitment of young people to dissident republican groups. Does the Secretary of State agree that community safety partnerships have a particularly important role, as do all parties in all communities in Northern Ireland?

Answer: Of course community safety partnerships have an extremely important role to play, both in the context of the resources in the original comprehensive spending review settlement for the PSNI and crucially, as the hon. Gentleman will see from what my right hon. Friend the Chancellor may have to say later today, in relation to the police service and the resources required in Northern Ireland to meet the current criminal threats that are operating there. The hon. Gentleman will see that the Government are indeed a staunch friend of law and order in Northern Ireland.

Secondary information