Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Will the Minister, the Taoiseach and Government officials remind the DUP in particular of its responsibility to tackle the sectarianism rampant in the communities it represents and within the party? An illustration of that sectarianism is the disgraceful comment by Ballymena Council leader, DUP councillor Roy Gillespie, before Michael McIlveen's funeral. He said:

The Pope is the Antichrist and the head of the Catholic church, which is not a true church or faith. As a Catholic, Michael McIlveen won't get into heaven unless he is saved. Catholics are not acceptable in heaven.

Does the Minister of State agree that the killing of Michael McIlveen in Ballymena did not happen in isolation? Last summer I circulated a dossier to Deputies with facts on more than 100 sectarian attacks by Unionist paramilitaries on Catholic Nationalists during last summer. The Minister of State alluded to the actions taken by the Government in that regard.

In the wake of this killing, will the Government explore with the British Government ways of increasing the resources available for projects which bring young people together in a spirit of anti-sectarianism, such as those who came together at the funeral of Michael McIlveen? Does the Minister of State share the view that this type of killing is at the end of the scale that begins with the refusal of political Unionism to engage with Nationalists and republicans on the basis of respect and equality, as promised under the Good Friday Agreement?

See this speech in context