Loyal order wants more information on leak of confidential details

It wants to know how republicans allegedly got hold of confidential details of its discussions with the parades body.

Apprentice Boys spokesman Tommy Cheevers said it boycotted a recent conflict resolution trip to South Africa - organised by the commission - because of its "failure to address its concerns".

"We are still going to wait for the Parades Commission to tell the world what exactly is going on and if there is going to be an investigation or not.

"Until the leak is plugged, it would be very unreasonable to expect us to go in and say things we think are said in confidence when they are not," he said.

Tommy Cheevers: "Leak must be plugged"

About 20 members of the loyal order and Protestant community workers were due to take part in a study visit to South Africa this month.

The trip was intended to promote dialogue between people involved in marching disputes and living in interface areas of Northern Ireland.

Neither the Orange Order nor the Apprentice Boys were due to be officially represented, but individual members had agreed to attend.

The Apprentice Boys said it had been told by the police that the personal details of some of its representatives contained in commission documents had fallen into the hands of the IRA.

The commission said it did not release minutes of its meetings to the government and has sought police advice and clarification about the alleged breaches of security.

'Intelligence gathering'

The Apprentice Boys called for the Parades Commission to be suspended over the allegations that commission documents were found during the police investigation into suspected IRA spying.

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

In a statement, the loyal order body said internal Parades Commission documentation was "a significant common factor in the source of IRA information".

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

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.