Earlier in the day, two people were arrested as loyalists scuffled with security forces on the last day of school before a Halloween break which mediators are hoping will provide crucial breathing space to resolve the crisis. Ulster Unionist Assembly member Pauline Armitage indicated that she was not ready to accept the IRA's move on decommissioning as sufficient. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I had a meeting with David Trimble yesterday. I accept arms were destroyed, but we have no idea of the numbers. "I said to Mr Trimble, 'Do we now have a programme for the continuation of the destruction of weapons?' and he said 'No'.

"I would have thought if weapons are finally to be removed from Northern Ireland by February 2002, we should have had a programme. That is what we need to put confidence back into those people living in north Belfast. "We have a programme for every other part of the Belfast Agreement and yet the most important part to the Unionist community, to bring back confidence, is decommissioning, and we have no programme "I have to accept Gerry Adams' and Martin McGuinness's word I don't have that faith or confidence in Sinn Fein/IRA.". Nicholas Soames, the former defence minister, led MPs in a call for greater deployment of British forces in Afghanistan to accelerate the military action.

Nicholas Soames, the former defence minister, led MPs in a call for greater deployment of British forces in Afghanistan to accelerate the military action. He questioned Britain's commitment to stepping up the campaign after Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces Minister, announced that only 200 of the 600 Marine commandos currently in the Persian Gulf would be used to aid military operations in Afghanistan.Mr Ingram told MPs that the deployment of ground troops was a "grave step" but that it was "a concrete demonstration of our resolve to see the campaign against international terrorism to the end."Mr Soames disagreed: "What possible military use could all of 200 men in the lead force of HMS Fearless be when the main component of the force is back at home base? Surely this is not evidence of any great desire to step up the campaign, which is what needs to be done. Most of us had hoped you might announce a significant stepping up in the tempo of operations and, indeed, quite possibly the deployment of forces on the ground."John Wilkinson, the Tory MP for Ruislip Northwood, said: "It is much better to employ more troops fast, now, than to have to make a build-up later because the mission has not been accomplished as swiftly or successfully as desired."Bernard Jenkin, the Tory's defence spokesman, said the Opposition supported the Government. "To falter would be a fatal signal of encouragement to the terrorists and to those who sustain them, not just in Afghanistan but around the world," he said.He called for confirmation that no decision had been taken about deploying large numbers of ground troops in Afghanistan and asked that "any such decisions to commit to ground operations will be based on concrete intelligence and clear and achievable objectives to enable them to define and to maintain clear operational aims."Stuart Bell, Labour MP for Middlesborough, said: "Whilst there may be dissident and siren voices who are entitled to be heard, they should be washed out in the clamour of support for our armed services."But some Labour backbenchers joined Liberal Democrat MPs in calling for troops to be assigned to the humanitarian effort in Afghanistan.Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MP for Islington North, asked: "What assistance is this increased deployment in the area to making sure that food aid gets through to those people who are desperately hungry and starving?"Mr Ingram insisted that Mr Corbyn "does not have a monopoly on compassion."Tam Dalyell, the Father of the House, called for attacks to cease during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts next month. "It would be folly in terms of the Islamic and Arab world if we were to conduct military operations during Ramadan," he said.Jenny Tonge, the Liberal Democrat international development spokesman, said: "There are 5 million people at risk of starvation over the winter in Afghanistan." She asked Mr Ingram: "Does he have any plans at all for military personnel to assist in the distribution of aid, either by changing the nature of the bombing or by forming safe corridors?"Mr Ingram replied that if Ms Tonge was trying to suggest that the Government did not care about aid, "then I don't think she lives in the world in which I live".. The Government has not set a date for a referendum on the euro and has no secret agenda to hold an early vote, the Minister for Europe insisted.

The Government has not set a date for a referendum on the euro and has no secret agenda to hold an early vote, the Minister for Europe insisted. Peter Hain was acting to scotch reports that the Government is preparing for a vote on the single currency in 18 months' time. His comments contradicted claims from a senior Downing Street adviser that Tony Blair had set a target date. Roger Liddle was overheard telling MEPs at a private dinner that Labour was preparing for a referendum on the euro in spring 2003.Conflicting signals have been emerging from the Government about the Euro since the election. The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has taken a cautious approach to joining the single currency but Mr Blair's aides have said there could be a "window of opportunity" to call a referendum as early as the autumn of next year.Ed Balls, the Treasury's chief economic adviser, has suggested that a referendum would be divisive for Labour and should be delayed while the party delivers its promised improvements to public services.Mr Hain strenuously denied yesterday that a date had been set. "As Europe minister, I think I would know if some deadline had been set, if some date had been set to target for a referendum, and I can tell you flatly that that is not the case," he told BBC Radio 4."There is no target date and nor could there be, because this is a decision that has to be made in Britain's economic interest. How could you set an artificial deadline and then discover whether Britain's economic interests happen to coincide with that deadline – that's not the way to go about this."Mr Hain, who yesterday began a tour of Britain to promote the benefits of membership of the European Union, risked infuriating Tories by claiming that failure to support UK membership of the EU was "unpatriotic."The minister, at a conference in Cardiff, claimed that "so called Eurosceptics" were "fundamentally unpatriotic". He said the "patriotic approach" was for Britain to be at the heart of Europe, "engaging with confidence".

He accused Eurosceptics of peddling "myths and stories" about Brussels and said people were being turned off Europe because they were "blinded by Euro-gobbledygook." Mr Hain met business people and students on the first leg of his "patriotism tour", designed to promote pro-European sentiment in Britain. In Cardiff, Mr Hain argued that membership of the EU had brought greater prosperity to Britain, created jobs and had ensured that war with our European partners was "unthinkable."He produced figures for EU investment in Wales, including £1.2bn a year of European grants for redevelopment, to try to counter anti-European propaganda. At the Labour Party conference the Prime Minister gave his strongest indication yet that the Government is planning a referendum during this parliament.But Mr Hain said yesterday that the party's position had not changed since Tony Blair's speech earlier this month. "The Prime Minister said at conference that if the economic conditions were met then we should have the courage to put the decision to the British people who will make the final decision, not the Government," he said "That hasn't changed.".