Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach knows, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Marie Anderson, issued a 344-page report last week on a number of loyalist paramilitary killings in the 1990s, including the massacre at Sean Graham's bookmakers on the Ormeau Road in February 1992. The report makes for shocking reading. The ombudsman found that there was collusive behaviour between the RUC, the UDA and the UFF. The report outlines how the police provided weapons to these paramilitary organisations. It highlights how records regarding loyalist informants were destroyed and shows how warnings were not passed on to those known to be under threat, such as in the case of Jim Clinton and his wife and family. The term "collusive behaviour" was used by the ombudsman for legal reasons but it certainly means collusion in any language. Yet again, the issue of legacy arises from this report. Will the Taoiseach continue to press the British Government to play its part in implementing the provisions of New Decade, New Approach as regards legacy and urge it to drop its proposed legislation for a statute of limitations ending criminal investigations and prosecutions for Troubles-related incidents, as well as inquests and civil litigation?

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