Vol. 411 No. 4
18 Mr. S. Barrett asked the Minister for Justice if he will arrange to have a free confidential telephone line made available to the public in order to encourage the public to report terrorist activities to the Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
At present there are facilities which enable the public to contact the Garda on the basis of total confidentiality. These include the setting up, where necessary, of specific telephone lines for the receipt of confidential calls in the aftermath of particularly serious crimes.
Recently at my request the Garda Commissioner has reviewed the desirability of providing a general free Garda confidential telephone service to further facilitate the public in passing on information to the gardaí. Following that review it has now been decided that such a service should be provided. The commissioner is at present considering the detailed arrangements to be made for the provision of this service.
When the arrangements have been finalised a public announcement will be made about the particulars of this important new service.
I thank the Minister for his positive reply. Last July, following the horrific murder of Tom Oliver by the Provisional IRA — who claimed that he was an informer — I issued a statement calling for the immediate installation of a confidential telephone line. Will the Minister agree that the IRA, in using a word like "informer" seem to think they can intimidate people into not co-operating with the Garda Síochána? They taint those who are behaving legitimately and honourably and label good and honest people with the tag from the past, one with a meaning which has no place in a free and democratic society. I sincerely hope, with the Minister's co-operation today, that the use of the telephone line will once and for all bury the ancient word "informer" which has been made so dishonourable by the Provisional IRA.
I thank the Deputy for his words of welcome for the service which will be provided. Of course, as I have already said, even without that service there are facilities at present which enable the public to contact the Garda on the basis of total confidentiality. I have no hesitation in joining Deputy Barrett in his condemnation of the Provisional IRA who try to prevent members of the general public from co-operating with the forces of law and order, particularly with the Garda. I totally reject the word "informer" attributed to a citizen doing his or her duty in making contact with the Garda when any wrongdoing comes to their notice. To use the Deputy's phrase, they are acting legitimately and honourably when they do that; we pride ourselves on having a community based Garda Force which has the support of the community. That is the way it has been and the way we want to see it in the future. For murderers such as the Porvisional IRA to talk in terms of "informer" is, to say the least, unacceptable.
