Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Given that it is now three months since Mr. Gerry Adams made his statement to the IRA, has the Government any factual information on when a definitive response from the IRA can be expected? Given that the impact is that everything else is on hold awaiting the IRA's response, does the Taoiseach acknowledge how frustrating this is for the democratic parties which cannot proceed with normal business until we have the IRA statement? Will he outline the minimum requirement of the two Governments in terms of what they are demanding from the IRA and what is their bottom line in respect of any statement considered to be imminent? Does he understand the extent to which many members of the public are repelled by statements, most latterly attributed to himself, that the IRA should become some kind of commemorative organisation and the implications of such a statement in terms of the 1,700 odd murdered by the IRA? What would be the reaction of the Nationalist people if we had similar statements about loyalist paramilitary organisations reconstituting themselves as some kind of commemorative organisations? Does the Taoiseach agree the demoractic parties and the two Governments ought not be a party to the rewriting of history that seeks to paint either the loyalists gangs or the IRA as having been involved in anything but a vicious sectarian conflict and that any attempt to rewrite this is repulsive to the average citizen?

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