David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I, too, would welcome a debate on the North. We debated the matter in this Chamber a number of weeks ago. On that occasion the contributions made by most of the Senators were comprised of a long list of political charges against Sinn Féin. Nothing constructive was offered on how to solve the problems with the peace process or successfully conclude the talks.

I wish to respond directly to Senator MacSharry who asked about the claims made by MI5 in a report that has been published. I recommend that people read the report in full and to not take their cue from headlines broadcast by the media or from anywhere else. I urge people to read what the report actually says. In the report MI5 shared its view that some members of the IRA believe or believed that the army council had a direction in regard to Sinn Féin. I wish to state that is untrue. I have been an elected member of the Ard Chomhairle of Sinn Féin for the past three years and I was elected on the floor of the Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis. The media comes to my party's Ard-Fheis every year. I am elected democratically by the membership of my party because that is how my party works.

Senator MacSharry wants to talk about criminality. I can tell him that the only political party that I am aware of that had, in its ranks, people who were convicted of criminality and for taking brown envelopes of cash and stuffing them into their pockets, is his own party. These acts went to the very highest level of his party. If he wants to have that debate then my party will have it with him. As I said in this Chamber a number of weeks ago when we debated crime, it does not matter to me who is involved in criminality. If some former members of the IRA are involved in crime then I believe they should be ruthlessly pursued by the authorities in the North and South. Yesterday in the Dáil, my party's justice spokesperson, of whom the Senator spoke about earlier, supported stronger cross-Border initiatives to bring these people to justice. Sinn Féin wants such people brought before the courts and convicted.

Sinn Féin and its members have put their lives on the line by standing up to such individuals who are involved in criminality in the Border areas and in the North. I contrast the leadership given by Martin McGuinness on all of these issues with the leadership of the Fianna Fáil Party that has, for political and electoral reasons, taken a harder line than that of the DUP. Let us contrast all of that with what Peter Robinson, MLA, said and did yesterday. He is now back in the talks and he wants the DUP back in the Executive. That is what we should focus on.

I would welcome a constructive debate. I hope that we look at the real issues and not at contrived crises which happens all of the time for political and electoral purposes. We must identify the real issues of the peace process in the North that need to be addressed in the same spirit that was applied to the process which was supported by people like Bertie Ahern, Tony Blair, Martin McGuinness, MLA, Deputy Gerry Adams and Albert Reynolds. All of those people were part of a constructive peace process. Let us get back to that type of politics. We must ensure that we make the agreements work, that institutions stay in place and that we have institutions in the North that work in the best interests of all communities. I would welcome the debate and hope that the Leader can arrange it as soon as possible.