Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the O'Loan report on her investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a person (details supplied) and related matters published in January 2007. [6814/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Over many years successive Irish Governments and others have raised serious concerns about collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and members of the security forces in Northern Ireland. The publication of the Police Ombudsman's report into the murder of Raymond McCord showed that these concerns were well-founded. Its findings are damning, particularly on the failings of RUC Special Branch in the 1990s. The Ombudsman found that RUC officers colluded in crimes by their failure to tackle the most serious activities of their informants — including murder.

The Government's position is clear: the Police Ombudsman's recommendations should be implemented in full; re-investigations should take place; prosecutions, where possible, should follow; and police officers implicated in wrongdoing should be held accountable for their actions. I have discussed the Ombudsman's findings with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, including most recently at the February meeting of the British-Irish Inter-governmental Conference. The Taoiseach also raised the McCord report with Prime Minister Blair at their Downing Street meeting on 30th January last.

The Taoiseach has met with Mr McCord and has commended his tireless efforts to bring these grievous failures to light. Officials in my own Department and that of the Taoiseach are in regular contact with Mr McCord and have assured him that we will be closely following all aspects of implementation of the Ombudsman's report.

In addition, we will continue to stress to the British authorities that the Police Ombudsman's office should be given the necessary funds to investigate other past cases, and that a means be found of addressing the past which meets the needs of families and victims in this and other such cases.