Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I wish to take issue with the manner in which the Taoiseach has grouped these questions together. Leaving everything else aside, the issue of the Pat Finucane inquiry should have been dealt with separately. We do not have much time so I will not ask supplementary questions about the other questions but instead concentrate on the issue of Pat Finucane.

There was an agreement between the two Governments at Weston Park and it is called the Weston Park Agreement. The British Government has now broken that agreement. I welcome the fact the Taoiseach raised the issue of Pat Finucane's killing with Mr. Cameron on Sunday. That is good. However, if I understand properly what the Taoiseach told us previously, when he talked to the British Prime Minister on the day he was to meet with the Finucane family, it was the Prime Minister who telephoned the Taoiseach. Was that the first time the British Government told the Taoiseach - just an hour or two before it met the family - that it was not going to go ahead with an inquiry? What about all the contact between the officials, the Tánaiste and the British at Downing Street?

The last time the Taoiseach spoke about this was when the British Queen was here. While I accept entirely that the Taoiseach supports the family, this is a case on which the Government must be very proactive. With respect, I know how this works. I know how the British work and I know how the Government works. The Taoiseach must take this as a personal mission. Sometimes there is a lot of talk here about the North and sometimes the Taoiseach speaks about things he knows better. However, this is an issue he, as Taoiseach, needs to take on as a personal mission. He must say to Mr. Cameron that this is an agreement between two sovereign governments and that we want him to honour it. Even if there had not been a Dáil motion or any of the other issues involved, he must point out to Mr. Cameron that this is an agreement between two sovereign governments and that he is in breach of it. The Taoiseach needs to catch his attention. We will support him in whatever he does on this issue. It is not an issue on which to be passive, but one on which the Taoiseach must be proactive.

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