To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Police Service Northern Ireland officer-time has been spent on historical inquiries in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. (150934)

The PSNI is committed to providing all material in its possession to assist the inquiries to carry out their legal obligations. To deliver on this commitment, the organisation has sought to maximise the role of PSNI support staff in order to maintain the operational effectiveness of its police officers. To achieve this, PSNI has committed resources to dedicated units and teams such as:

Historic Enquiries Team (HET)

Retrospective Murder Review Unit (RMRU)

Public Inquiry Unit (PIU)

Stevens Enquiry Team

Police Ombudsman (NI) liaison

Murder Archive/Exhibit Store

Rosemary Nelson Murder Inquiry team

These units and teams currently employ 288 staff, the majority of whom are support staff. 19.5 PSNI officers have dedicated roles within these teams which interact directly with colleagues across the organisation on a regular basis.

There is no straightforward way to establish the percentage of time spent on historical inquiries. Providing an accurate response to the question asked would entail disproportionate time and resources.