The Protestant Apprentice Boys have called for the suspension of the Parades Commission over allegations that commission documents were found during the police investigation into alleged IRA spying.

Last year, the PSNI said it had broken up a major IRA intelligence gathering operation in Belfast.

Several people were arrested and charged in connection with the police operation.

At the moment, it's just a very unsettling situation David Hoey, Apprentice Boys spokesperson

Thousands of documents and hundreds of computer disks were taken away for examination by detectives.

The Apprentice Boys said that leading members were warned by police before Christmas that the IRA had obtained their details.

They said in a statement that internal Parades Commission documentation was "a significant common factor in the source of IRA information".

They accused the commission of being "completely compromised" and called for its suspension pending the outcome of the police investigation.

'Unsettling' situation

Spokesman David Hoey said the Apprentice Boys would not be taking part in further dialogue on the parades issue until they received a full explanation.

"At the moment, it's just a very unsettling situation," he said.

The government established the Parades Commission in 1998 to make decisions on whether controversial parades should be restricted.

Commission rulings restricting marches by the Protestant loyal orders, which are opposed by nationalist residents, have led to calls by unionist politicians for the body to be scrapped.

On Monday, Protestant community workers in Belfast broke off contact with certain republican groups after allegations of spying.

In a statement released to the republican newspaper An Phoblacht, the IRA described the threats as "bogus".

"These allegations are bogus and mischievous and are being exploited in an effort to undermine public confidence," the statement said.

Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive was suspended on 14 October following a row over allegations of IRA spying within the Northern Ireland Office.