Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

May I return to the ghoulish murder of Robert McCartney? The Taoiseach seemed to suggest that although the information in the public domain is that this savage killing was carried out by members of the republican movement, they were not on a mission sanctioned by the republican movement. Is that not the point, that this type of thuggish behaviour is being used to control communities in Northern Ireland? It is at least as offensive to me as robbing the Northern Bank that domination and sway is held over certain communities by sheer intimidation. In these circumstances, according to what is in the public domain, a number of people went back to the pub, took out the video tape that might be of use in prosecuting these terrible offences — Brendan Devine was also seriously injured in the circumstances — and cleaned the place forensically, as adverted to by Deputy Kenny. Is this Tony Soprano style killing not sufficient reason alone for the democratic parties and the two Governments to break the power of the republican movement in controlling paramilitary activity, even when not on an officially sanctioned job?

I also wish to ask the Taoiseach about the story that appeared in The Star. It was reported that the wife of one of the prisoners convicted for the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, apparently a councillor in County Cavan, said, more or less, that the Taoiseach did not know what he was talking about and that she was satisfied that her husband would be released early. Will the Taoiseach address that?

Is the provision the Taoiseach announced previously in terms of the side agreements with Sinn Féin and representation in the Oireachtas also off the table in the current context?

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