Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the (a) Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and (b) security services on levels of firearms available to dissident republicans.

I regularly engage with the Chief Constable and UK security partners whose responsibility it is to assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and serious organised crime groups, and to use this information to inform their operational response. It is right that this sensitive information is not made public.

The Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) in Northern Ireland threat level remains SUBSTANTIAL, following its reduction in March 2024.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre keeps the Threat Level from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism in Northern Ireland under constant review and formally reviews it twice a year.

The national security threat from NIRT in Northern Ireland is wholly driven by violent Dissident Republicans who reject the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), and not by Groups that support the GFA. However, all criminality should be dealt with fully by the police.