Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I had intended to move an amendment to the Order of Business but I will not do so on the basis of the reassurances given by the Leader that the Travers report will be discussed tomorrow. Most of us have only had sight of the report over the past hour. It is an interesting report but I would like to study it in greater detail. One pertinent issue emerging from the report is the serious criticism of the Department of Health and Children, particularly at senior level. We will closely follow what happens in this regard. Another serious issue concerns the responsibilities of Ministers and Ministers of State and, in particular, special advisers, of whom there are many. They usually act as a conduit between Ministers and the Department. Special advisers are criticised in the report regarding whether they could have informed Ministers in greater detail about what was happening.

According to the account of the famous December 2003 meeting attended by three Ministers, all briefing documents were sent to them in advance and, therefore, it is remarkable and surprising that they should deny knowledge of the content of the meeting or that people left the meeting. However, we will debate this tomorrow and I will be interested in the Tánaiste's comments.

Anybody who read today's Irish Examiner could not have been but appalled by the arrogance of P. O'Neill and the IRA's statement, which is published on the front page. The IRA has sunk to an all-time low in the context of Northern Ireland issues by approaching the McCartney family and threatening to assassinate its own members and other individuals to resolve the current problems. They were going to set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner in the process. I wonder where we have been over the past two years in discussing the Good Friday Agreement, the implementation of which has gone on since 1998, to have such a statement emerge in early 2005. It is time people got real regarding the backdrop and undercurrent of republicanism masquerading as mafia activity. We cannot countenance that situation continuing and serious questions must be asked of the Sinn Féin leadership. Ultimately, people rely on them regarding the IRA. Let us get this peace process back on track.

I respect the fact that we have insisted on an end to criminality. If we wanted reassurance of its necessity, we see it in the context of this statement, which I read with horror and contempt. Any true person in the State would have to deplore the fact that anyone could make such a statement and hail himself or herself as a republican. The McCartney family have confronted the IRA and Sinn Féin in their natural territory up there, winning respect for the fact that, since the case emerged, much has come out regarding what goes on in the North of Ireland that we would not otherwise have known.