Peter Barry
Ceist:3 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has raised with the United Kingdom Government the charge by John Stalker regarding the circumstances under which he was removed from the Northern Ireland investigation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Stalker Affair.
The latest events regarding Mr. Stalker have been raised with the British authorities. These developments, notably the collapse of the trial of Mr. Taylor, have again highlighted the negative impact which the Stalker affair continues to have on public confidence. I am sure the Deputy will have noted the decision of the Manchester Police Authority to initiate their own inquiry into the affair, and the call made by the British Director of Public Prosecutions for the Chief Constable of Manchester to conduct an investigation into the matter. The Government welcome these latter developments.
I thank the Minister for that reply with which I agree. In regard to the Colin Wallace affair that has come to light in the last 10 days or so, I want to ask the Minister to impress on his UK co-chairman of the Anglo-Irish Conference the difficulties this places on the way of our telling the Nationalists in the North that they must have confidence in the security forces there; and how essential it is that there be a security force in the North in which all sections of the community can have full confidence. I regret that these two incidents I have just referred to have diminished that confidence and our ability to rebuild it down here.
I am grateful to Deputy Barry for the comments he has just made. I agree wholeheartedly with him. I recognise that the incident mentioned in the question is only one of a number of incidents that have seriously interfered with the confidence of the minority population that the security forces will administer law and order in the North in an even-handed way.
I have availed of every opportunity to impress on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and other members of the UK Government with whom I have an opportunity on occasions to discuss matters like this that if that confidence, which Deputy Barry and I believe to be essential, is not there there will be no political progress. If there is no confidence in the evenhandedness of the security forces, how can the people believe they will be given the type of protection they need for their own safety and that of their families? If that confidence is not there it is replaced by fear. That fear is the best breeding ground for the IRA who will move into that vacuum, and that is something we must try to prevent at all costs.
I accept totally the comments made by Deputy Barry and thank him for them. I assure the Deputy and the House that at every opportunity I try as hard as anybody can to get the British side to understand that, irrespective of whatever difficult decisions they must make, the question of confidence in the security forces is vital. This came very much to the fore in recent times with the allegation of collusion against the UDR, a matter which still has to be addressed and which will be addressed as soon as we have the report from the Stevens committee.
I have to remind the House that we are dealing now with Priority Questions to which a rigid time limit applies and the Chair is anxious to dispose of the five questions involved, with your co-operation.
I do not intend to prolong this. I am satisfied with the Minister's reply and the seriousness with which he is taking this issue. I would like to extend what he has said here. I am happy that he will ensure that the comments made here will be brought to the attention of the British Government. Besides the fear that these incidents send through the hearts of Nationalists in the North, they also send a chill through those of us down here who believe in democracy and in the solution of problems, not by way of violence but by way of political means. It is essential that we be helped in our commitment to bring about a just political solution to the problems in the North.
I accept what the Deputy says. Again I say to him that at every opportunity I will proceed as I have done because I, too, genuinely believe that when confidence is replaced by fear the obvious logical development is that the vacuum created by the fear is filled by those involved in terrorism and violence.