Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

There is no difference between my reply to certain parliamentary questions on 12 April 2005 and the factual position on this matter vis-À-vis the British authorities. On 12 April last, I stated in this House that outstanding issues relate to the awaited results of a mutual assistance request to the British authorities and certain police-to-police inquiries with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. However, an administrative difficulty has subsequently emerged relating to the processing of the original mutual assistance request. We made the request and it was sent by registered post. Unfortunately, the request when posted was apparently mislaid on the other side of the fence, not on the Irish side. The original letter of request was forwarded by my Department by registered post on 8 December 2004 to the judicial co-operation unit at the Home Office, which acts as the central authority for such requests in respect of Britain and Northern Ireland. As no response was received, a number of reminder letters issued from my Department to that unit.

In response to these reminders, a fax message was received from the Northern Ireland Office, London, on 15 April 2005, three days after I made those remarks in the House, stating that neither that office nor the judicial co-operation unit had any record of receiving a mutual assistance letter of request in the matter. In reply, on the same day, my Department forwarded by registered post and by fax a copy of the original letter of request, together with copies of reminder letters, directly to the Northern Ireland Office, London. My Department asked that the request be executed as soon as possible.

I confirm that in a fax message received on 6 May last from the Northern Ireland Office the Assistant Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland stated that our request is under consideration. With regard to the separate police-to-police inquiries, I am informed by the Garda authorities that the results of these inquiries are still awaited. In summary, it appears that my Department's original mutual assistance request somehow, regrettably, went astray on the other side but that our resubmitted request is now under consideration by the British authorities. The separate police-to-police inquiries remain outstanding.

As I previously stated, no final conclusions can be made about the inquiry until such time as the British and Northern Ireland authorities' responses are received, evaluated and acted upon, as appropriate, by the Garda Síochána.

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