Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

Many of my words will echo the remarks of previous speakers and the Minister. It is absolutely fitting that the motion before us is an all-party motion which every party in the House fully supports. The decommissioning of IRA weapons must be welcomed by all right-thinking people. It was long overdue and hopefully the IRA and Sinn Féin will abandon, along with the weapons and explosives, the other criminal activities which have wreaked much misery and hardship on families, individuals and communities north and south of the Border.

We must be absolutely sure that paramilitary groups know that there is so much more to normalizing conditions in the North and elsewhere than declaring a ceasefire and abandoning weapons. Unfortunately, many IRA members have lost sight of their political goal and became more concerned with the type of illegal activity that has seen banks robbed, shops vandalised, families from all communities threatened and intimidated, punishment beatings, abductions and, most tragically, murders and executions.

Many of the families of these victims of murder were further tortured by never seeing their loved ones again, as men in balaclavas shattered the peace in their homes. They stole husbands from their wives, mothers from their children and brothers from their sisters. The disappeared were a harsh reminder of the cruel, callous and wholly ruthless attitude of the IRA towards its victims. Despite the fact that republican political leaders refused to condemn such activities and denied any responsibility, they claimed that the IRA had ended its campaign of violence. It is time that the republican leaders realised that this kind of activity is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by ordinary Irish people.

A very public example of this was when the IRA walked into a public house in Belfast in January and stabbed a 33 year old father, Robert McCartney. For months, the IRA and Sinn Féin leadership denied any involvement of their members in the killing, hollowly calling for anyone with information to come forward and aid the investigation although they stopped short of telling people to go to the PSNI. It was only through the dogged determination of Robert McCartney's sisters, who were not afraid to expose the murderers for what they were and who never desisted in their search for their brother's murderers, that Sinn Féin finally, in a somewhat empty gesture, expelled some members from the organisation in April.

Despite the insistent claims of the Sinn Féin leadership that none of its members would be involved in such activity, it was finally revealed that a criminal element within republicanism was not just alive and well but was active and prowling the streets of our towns and cities, distributing its own brand of vigilante punishments to those it felt deserved it. Ultimately, these people were shown up for what they were — nothing more than thugs and bullies who think they have the right to behave in that fashion.

At the same time that Sinn Féin was expelling members for their involvement in Robert McCartney's murder, 28 year old Joseph Rafferty was vindictively shot dead by a gunman as he left his family home on 12 April. As with Robert McCartney, when Joseph Rafferty's family pointed the finger at the IRA, the usual platitudes were trotted out about how republicanism would not be involved in such a murder and how it was no longer involved in paramilitary activity. Some of its members have strongly denied that the man suspected of Mr. Rafferty's murder is in the IRA and some Sinn Féin members of Dublin City Council stated that they would resign if the killer proved to be an active member of Sinn Féin. All the while, Mr. Rafferty's family suffered intimidation and a stonewalling silence from the Sinn Féin leadership when they went looking for answers. Does Sinn Féin think that anyone will believe it was not involved simply because it says so? We have heard it all before and now we want action from Sinn Féin, not simply empty commitments and promises.

The Garda has stated that its suspect is a former member of the IRA who retains close links to the organisation. The Minister has said something similar in this House this evening. Let us not beat around the bush. I call for Sinn Féin to come clean for once and to give the Garda the information it has concerning this man, irrespective of whether he is a current, former, occasional or visiting member of Sinn Féin or indeed the IRA. Ultimately, the murder of Joseph Rafferty bears uncanny similarities to that of Robert McCartney. Thus far, there has been little or no support for the family from the leadership of Sinn Féin. It is about time this changed. Mr. Rafferty's family has the right to see justice done and I call upon Sinn Féin this evening — and anyone else who may have information — to do what they can to ensure the murder is solved and the guilty party is brought to justice.