Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On Sinn Féin's instructions, the Northern Ireland Executive was collapsed to cause chaos. There is no leadership there now. Does Deputy Adams want to do the same thing down here? Sinn Féin has tabled a motion of no confidence in the Government simply because it wants to cause chaos down here as well. Allegations, rumour and hearsay do not count in our dictionary here but truth does. Sergeant Maurice McCabe and his family deserve, as do others, the fairness and justice that will come from a tribunal of inquiry under the 1921 Act. Deputy Adams should not come in here and try to determine what the outcome of that might be before it is even set up. We have had all of Sinn Féin's stuff over the years - run away and deny everything. Sinn Féin's deputy leader says "sure Gerry couldn't be wrong". That is the way it is. When our Tánaiste received these two protected disclosures, they were given to a judge within four days and the judge took an extra six weeks to examine them. The important point made by Deputy Micheál Martin and others, including myself, is that the central issue here is that Sergeant McCabe has made the case that there was a deliberate smear against him to denigrate and do him down. The only way we can deal with that is by getting at the truth. The way you can determine that truth is by having compellability, cross examination, publication and everybody understanding what went on here so that the central question can be answered. What Deputy Adams wants to do is bring down the Government so that this cannot happen. It is the same old story from Sinn Féin. This is a very sensitive personal issue for this family. It is also an issue for the Garda Commissioner and the previous Commissioner. This is why there must be fairness and a recognition of innocence until proven otherwise. Under our legal system, we do not jump to conclusions or have kangaroo courts as happens in some other places.

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