asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if any complaint has been made to the British Government concerning the behaviour of the British Army in the Six Counties.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - British Army Behaviour.
36.
The Government are anxious to see progress towards a peaceful political settlement and deplore actions from any quarter which might militate against such progress. The British authorities are fully aware of our views in this respect.
I do not know if the Minister specifically answered Question No. 36 when he said that the British Government are fully aware of the views of the Irish Government on the matter. Does the Minister regard that as a specific answer to the question?
The Government and myself in particular are in constant and, at times daily, communication with the British Government on these and other matters which arise in the situation in the North. I do not wish to go beyond that in disclosing the content of the communications which we have with the British Government. This has not been the practice of this or, indeed, the previous Government.
I am not quarrelling with what the Minister says in that regard but the question is if any complaint has been made. I take it that the Minister means to imply "yes" to that but he has not said so.
The position is that that we are in constant communication and, as I said, at times in daily communication through the British Ambassador with the British Government on many aspects of the situation in the North. It is not the custom, and it was not the custom of the previous Government, to disclose the content of these discussions.