Watchdog 'not required over IRA'

Martin McGuinness has said he does not believe the IMC has a role to play with regards to the existence of the IRA army council.

It comes after it emerged the body that monitors Northern Ireland's paramilitary groups is to carry out such an assessment.

The deputy first minister was speaking at a public debate in west Belfast.

"The IRA have clearly gone off the stage and have done so since 2005," said Mr McGuinness.

"But there's still attempts being made by some people to drag them back on and I think that's silly."

Mr McGuinness also accused the PUP leader, Dawn Purvis, of "rank hypocrisy" after she said there was absolutely no debate in the loyalist community about weapons, a remark she later clarified.

"If we're trying to build a normal, modern, democratic, European society, there is no excuse for holding onto weapons and I've already started that debate," she said.

The DUP MLA Nelson McCausland said he thought the IRA Army Council was still in existence and that its removal would be a "significant step".