A senior Northern Ireland MP has demanded an urgent response from the Irish Government over claims by a former Irish justice minister of a top-level decision not to pursue IRA killers in the republic.

Former Northern Ireland first minister Lord Trimble is to brief MPs about the sending of letters to republican fugitives which assured them they were not wanted by police.

The UK government has been challenged to immediately stop consideration of five active cases involving on-the-run IRA terror suspects who have asked for assurances they are not wanted by police.