IMC expected to report on-going IRA intelligence-gathering

The body set up to review paramilitary ceasefires in the North is expected to conclude that the IRA has not fully lived up to its promise to cease all non-peaceful activity.

The organisation vowed last July to end all paramilitary and criminal activity, but the Independent Monitoring Commission's latest report is expected to say that republicans are still involved in intelligence-gathering.

The report, which is due to be presented to the Irish and British governments today, is also expected to say that IRA members are still involved in criminality, though this may not be sanctioned by the group's leadership.

The IMC is expected to be generally positive about a drastic fall in IRA activity since its promise of last July and is expected to say that the organisation is largely living up to its commitments.

However, this is not expected to be enough for the Democratic Unionist Party to enter talks on the restoration of power-sharing government.

The DUP has already said it will not even consider sharing power with Sinn Féin until unionists are convinced the IRA has gone out of business.