Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----and Progress Democrats politicians. In this instance the Taoiseach rightly said that he would not prejudge but in respect of these cases he has made a judgment and made up his mind.

There has been miles of column inches and acres of outrage about how the IRA dealt with offenders in the community in the North. As I have said before, this was well known. There has been tonnes of media commentary, programmes and, indeed, campaigns against those actions. Martin McGuinness and myself are on the public record of calling in the 1980s for an end to all IRA punishments. For Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour Party politicians to feign surprise or to express bogus outrage at these actions, years after they occurred, exposes their lack of honesty or sincerity.

After decades of abandoning people in the North, today their main worry is electoralism. The real focus of all of this is on the outcome of the next general election so as well as listening to what the Government has had to say on this matter, let us look at what it has done on these issues.

In his eagerness to exploit this issue and to smear me and Sinn Féin, the Taoiseach claims that sex offenders were moved to Dublin, Donegal and Louth. I have no knowledge of these claims. Has the Taoiseach given whatever information he has - he makes the charge - to the Garda? Has an Teachta Martin done so?

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