Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Last night, "Prime Time Investigates" was about the extent of the involvement of Irish criminals in the international illegal drugs market, including Colombia, where FARC is heavily involved. Arising from the clear statement by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform about the involvement of the IRA with FARC, will the Taoiseach indicate the current position on the request to deal with the Colombia Three?

Mr. Mitchell Reiss, the US special envoy for Northern Ireland, has said that in his opinion, as in the opinion of many others, there is no reason Sinn Féin could not join the Policing Board and support the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In his contacts with Northern political parties, has the Taoiseach discussed policing? In particular, following those discussions, does he believe Sinn Féin will move to join the Northern Ireland Policing Board? The Taoiseach obviously hopes that the 24 November deadline will see the re-emergence of the Assembly in its own right. What are his views on that?

On 10 March 2006, a lorry containing spirits worth millions of euro was hijacked in County Meath. Of the men arrested in connection with the crime, two were known to have been members of the Provisional IRA, and one had been released early from prison under the Good Friday Agreement. Everyone in the House will agree that people were not released early in order to conduct such activities.

In its tenth report, the International Monitoring Commission said there were indications that some members of the IRA, including senior ones, were still involved in crime, including offences such as fuel-laundering, money-laundering, extortion, tax evasion and smuggling. It also stated that it saw no reason to revise its view that money as a strategic asset was central to the organisation's activities and that the long-term exploitation of discreetly laundered assets gained illegally was continuing here. That IMC statement must obviously be taken very seriously. Previously, it had noted that the Northern Bank robbery was conducted by the IRA, a heist planned alongside sensitive political negotiations taking place at the time. What is the Taoiseach's information regarding the hijack of the lorry and the resolution of the Northern Bank raid?

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