19/01/2004
McGimpsey calls for resignations over ‘Stormontgate’ costs
Senior Ulster Unionist, Michael McGimpsey, has said “heads must roll” after he claimed that the alleged Stormont spy-ring could cost Northern Ireland’s public services up to £100 million.
Blaming "NIO mandarins" for the security lapses that enabled provisional IRA members to infiltrate and copy thousands of sensitive documents, Mr McGimpsey claimed that upwards of 20,000 documents could have been copied without anyone realizing the level of the security lapse.
Fourteen hundred prison officers, whose names had fallen into IRA hands, are entitled to personal security measures at £20,000 – the bill for this alone was a staggering £28 million, he claimed.
"This figure is just the tip of the iceberg – the real cost, according to well-placed sources, will be closer to £100 million. This does not, of course, take into account the emotional costs to the families of those whose names have been leaked."
He added: "Heads must roll. The people responsible for this security lapse should do the honourable thing and resign. If they won’t resign, they should be sacked. This is, after all, £100 million that could have gone into hospitals, schools and other vital public services that need urgent attention.”
However, East Antrim DUP MLA, Sammy Wilson, countered that the senior leadership of the UUP should in fact resign.
Mr Wilson said he was looking forward to the "imminent retirement from politics of Michael and his colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party leadership".
He said: “The UUP are as culpable for this situation as Sinn Fein/IRA. The DUP warned time and time again that Sinn Fein did not warrant a place in the Northern Ireland Executive, where they were free to wield unaccountable authority. The UUP actively assisted in elevating Sinn Fein to the forged status of democrats."
He concluded: “The UUP cannot expect the people to forget their part in putting terrorists in Northern Ireland’s government by pretending to play the political macho men now.”
(KMcA)
Blaming "NIO mandarins" for the security lapses that enabled provisional IRA members to infiltrate and copy thousands of sensitive documents, Mr McGimpsey claimed that upwards of 20,000 documents could have been copied without anyone realizing the level of the security lapse.
Fourteen hundred prison officers, whose names had fallen into IRA hands, are entitled to personal security measures at £20,000 – the bill for this alone was a staggering £28 million, he claimed.
"This figure is just the tip of the iceberg – the real cost, according to well-placed sources, will be closer to £100 million. This does not, of course, take into account the emotional costs to the families of those whose names have been leaked."
He added: "Heads must roll. The people responsible for this security lapse should do the honourable thing and resign. If they won’t resign, they should be sacked. This is, after all, £100 million that could have gone into hospitals, schools and other vital public services that need urgent attention.”
However, East Antrim DUP MLA, Sammy Wilson, countered that the senior leadership of the UUP should in fact resign.
Mr Wilson said he was looking forward to the "imminent retirement from politics of Michael and his colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party leadership".
He said: “The UUP are as culpable for this situation as Sinn Fein/IRA. The DUP warned time and time again that Sinn Fein did not warrant a place in the Northern Ireland Executive, where they were free to wield unaccountable authority. The UUP actively assisted in elevating Sinn Fein to the forged status of democrats."
He concluded: “The UUP cannot expect the people to forget their part in putting terrorists in Northern Ireland’s government by pretending to play the political macho men now.”
(KMcA)
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