Call to minister over paramilitary ceasefires

Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy was today urged to look rigorously at the quality of all paramilitary ceasefires as he prepared to brief MPs on the £26.5m (€38m) Northern Bank raid.

As the British government prepared to spell out the consequences for political talks of the IRA being blamed for the robbery, Democratic Unionist deputy leader Peter Robinson noted there were concerns about the state of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association’s ceasefire as well as that of the Provisionals.