Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I refer the Taoiseach to the programme for Government which states: "In so far as it lies within our power, we will strive to create and maintain a secure environment for political progress and bring about, both through the application of law and by persuasion, a complete and lasting cessation of all paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland and throughout these islands, including punishment beatings and shootings, and the transformation of movements linked to paramilitary organisations into exclusively democratic organisations and completion of the process of putting arms beyond use". Does the Taoiseach accept that this aspiration in the programme for Government has been defeated? I am not seeking to allocate any blame to the Government for that but half way through the lifetime of the Government, is that not the only realistic if sad conclusion we can arrive at? Does the Taoiseach see any prospect of breaking the impasse in circumstances where paramilitary activity is taking place, including a young boxer being shot through the hands, the savage stabbing to death of Robert McCartney and those type of events, to dominate and control communities on the nationalist side? Does the Taoiseach believe there is any hope of breaking the impasse?

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