Apprentice Boys join Orange Order in boycott

The Apprentice Boys have joined the Orange Order in boycotting meetings with the Parades Commission over allegations that confidential information was passed to the IRA.

The Apprentice Boys have called on the Northern Secretary, Paul Murphy, to suspend the Commission pending an inquiry that the documents found their way to the IRA.

They say leading members of the organisation were visited before Christmas and told their details were in the hands of the IRA.

The Boys' spokesman, David Hoey, said it was a matter of trust and they needed to know the source of the information and it was a very unsettling situation.