Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 172: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the recent attacks on the cars and homes of Catholics in North Belfast which appear to have been co-ordinated and carried out by unionist paramilitaries and intended to intimidate residents and increase tensions in advance of the marching season; his communications with the British Government on this issue; if he is seeking public repudiation of these attacks by prominent Unionist politicians; and the steps he is taking to ensure that this is not the start of another anti-Catholic campaign in north Belfast over the summer months. [18880/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is concerned about the ongoing attacks against the homes of residents in the Sommerdale Park, Ligoniel Road and Ballysillan areas of north Belfast. These attacks have been of a highly intimidating nature, with paint and petrol bombs thrown at cars, houses attacked and damaged, windows broken and ordinary families terrorised in their own homes. The Government raised its concerns about these incidents through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat on 15 May and again in the wake of the attacks that occurred over the weekend of 20-21 May. Officials from my Department have met community leaders in north Belfast to discuss the situation and will continue to closely monitor the situation there as the summer progresses. The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference at the end of June will afford me the opportunity to again raise the matter and I will continue to seek reassurances that appropriate security measures are in place to ensure the safety of all the residents of north Belfast. The Government consistently impresses on all community leaders, including the leadership of the political parties, the desirability of increased efforts to ease tensions and help ensure that the marching season passes off peacefully.