The governor of the Apprentice Boys of Derry has described as "deeply and seriously worrying" a warning to members of the loyal order that their names have been found on an alleged IRA list.
Mr William Allen said the fact that the list originated from the offices of the Parades Commission, proved that the commission had been compromised and he called for the body to immediately stand down pending a police investigation.
"My members and their families are naturally extremely concerned for their safety. They were visited by the police just before Christmas and given the chilling news that their names and other information about them were on what is effectively an IRA death list", said Mr Allen.
"There is great concern among all members of the association. The matter must be fully investigated by the police. Something has to be done. The fault lies within the Parades Commission and it makes sense for the commission to stand down until the results of the investigation are known.
"There is obviously something wrong within the office of the commission. They have certain information on record and obviously someone or some organisation has been able to retrieve that information.
"It seems that the names are on the list simply because my members are Apprentice Boys and Protestants and it is a sad day when peoples' names are put on such a death list because of their heritage", he said.
The Parades Commission said yesterday it was "deeply concerned" commission documents containing personal details of individuals had been discovered.