Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Government received the 21st report of the Independent Monitoring Commission on 1 May last. It clearly stated that the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA were particularly active in recruiting and carrying out their activities. This resulted in a concentrated period of attempts to disrupt the state, North and South, and were it not for the vigilance of the police, both North and South, matters could have been much worse. The report also notes, as the Taoiseach will be aware, that the dissidents themselves were hoping that from this period of concentrated activity there might well be an overreaction from authorities, North or South, which would play into their hands from a publicity point of view. Does the Taoiseach have any reflections on the report?

I happened to be visiting the Border areas in the past few days on other activities in which the Taoiseach was engaged in different places. It was evident in some of the towns in Leitrim and north Roscommon that many of the retail shops are being wiped out. I am aware of the impact of the difference between sterling and euro, but what I refer to came about because of the perception that the increase in VAT here and the reduction in VAT by the British Government would lead to real consumer bargains. If one stands in an electrical shop in Boyle, Manorhamilton or Carrick-on-Shannon,-----

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