Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

The murder of Mr. Denis Donaldson in Donegal last evening highlights the fact there are still political fanatics who pose as republicans. There are three points I would like to make on that appalling killing. First, I was quite surprised by the Government's initial reaction to the killing because it seemed to take at face value the statement issued by the IRA. We know the form of the IRA and that it has in the past issued statements that have been proven to be untrue. In many respects, the bigger the crime, the bigger the lie on the part of that organisation. I advise the Government to be a little more circumspect about this case before it replies in respect thereof. The killing has all the hallmarks of a similar murder in the late 1990s, that of Mr. Eamon Collins. Mr. Collins had been in Sinn Féin and became an informer.

Second, this is a particularly dangerous time. The criminal edifice of Sinn Féin-IRA, particularly along the Border, is now being dismantled piece by piece because of excellent work by the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Assets Recovery Agency in Northern Ireland. We should not underestimate the tensions that exist within the republican movement as a result of the fact that dodgy diesel, cheap cigarettes and a substantial portfolio of property in Manchester and elsewhere are now being rightly removed from that criminal organisation. I ask people to be mindful of this fact.

Third, the gruesome killing of Mr. Donaldson is a chilling reminder that there are people within our society and the republican movement who still believe the way forward is through intimidation and the use and threat of violence. We have a responsibility to hold our nerve at this time. The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister also have a responsibility to continue their work in Armagh tomorrow when they will attempt to breathe some life into this process. The Government should not take at face value an IRA statement. We know its form; in the past it has lied to us about a range of incidents. In the full light of day we should be much more circumspect now.