Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

Does the Taoiseach share my total frustration and annoyance, and that of many people on this island, at the delaying tactics of the DUP, especially in recent days? Yesterday the sub-committee on the Barron report met victims, including Stephen Travers of the Miami showband massacre, the Dundalk families and others who gave evidence and made oral submissions. We heard of their grief and hurt and their serious allegations of collusion at the time. Will the Taoiseach strongly raise these issues with the British Government? Many of these victims are very concerned that the same mistakes will be made again whereby everybody retreats into a cushy silence and there is no movement from certain quarters in the North in respect of these talks. This is a very important issue.

I wish to raise very strongly the recent incident of the intimidation of an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the North, who I believe was doing much valuable work assisting people in Unionist communities. I ask the Taoiseach to point out that this is not acceptable to anybody on this island, especially when it happens to one of our own civil servants. What is the exact situation in regard to that?

I attended the sub-committee on the Barron report this morning and, as Deputy Ó Caoláin mentioned earlier, new information is coming forward about information the Garda had at the time of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. I urge the Taoiseach to raise these issues with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and with the British Government. If the November deadline is blocked by the DUP and not reached, will the Taoiseach consider the sensible proposal, which many Members of this House, notwithstanding some cynics, support, of allowing Northern Irish elected representatives to sit and participate in debates in this House?

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