Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Earlier, the Taoiseach described the latest report of the Police Ombudsman as deeply concerning. It is indeed shocking and sheds light on the activities of British state agents and on their connection to 27 loyalist murders and attempted murders in south Belfast between 1990 and 1998. As he will know, this is just the latest report setting out the nature of the relationship between the British state and loyalist paramilitary gangs.

As the Taoiseach knows, collusion was a reality for nationalists in the North. Britain can have no hiding place from the deliberate, calculated policy of arming, directing and controlling death squads in Ireland. When will the Taoiseach give a full and comprehensive response to this series of damning reports? What contact has he had, or does he intend to have, with the British Government and particularly the British Prime Minister regarding this issue? Ad-libbing in response to a question posed on the floor of the House is not a sufficient response to the scale of Britain’s dirty war in Ireland, which is now, report by report, coming to light.

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