Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contingency plans his Department has to respond to a raised security threat level in Northern Ireland.

Mike Penning

Policing and security remains the responsibility of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Security Service. As with the rest of the UK, there are a number of standing contingency plans in place to provide Defence support in Northern Ireland beyond the capacity of the civil authorities and in times of crisis. I am withholding the detail of these contingency plans for the purpose of safeguarding national security and in order not to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Beyond this, as with the rest of the UK, Defence will consider requests for additional assistance on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that support provided is in line with Military Aid to the Civil Authorities principles.