asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 March (WA 132), whether they have received any assurance from the leadership of Sinn Fein that the Irish Republican Army has ceased to exist. [HL2945]

I refer the noble Lord to my previous Answer dated 14 March 2007 (Official Report col. WA133) and wish to advise the noble Lord that the Government base their assessments on the Independent Monitoring Commission's reports.

In its statement of 28 July 2005, the Provisional Irish Republican Army ordered an end to the armed campaign and committed to an exclusively peaceful and political path.

This commitment has been borne out by the IMC's 14th report, which concludes that the Provisional IRA's “operational structures have been disbanded” and that it has abandoned terrorism and violence and is “firmly committed to the political path”.