Peter Barry
Ceist:1 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on a recent report (details supplied) that the Government have agreed that members of the Secretariat at Maryfield are to be withdrawn.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Maryfield (Northern Ireland) Secretariat.
The reply which was given to a question by the Deputy in the Dáil on 8 May made it clear that the removal of the Secretariat was not in question. That remains the position.
The Taoiseach will appreciate that I put down this question as a result of a newspaper report and now I am glad he has taken this opportunity to help maintain the confidence of the Nationalist community in the North. Does he agree with me that the Secretariat are an important part of that confidence building measure?
Yes, I fully agree.
Also will he explore other ways of increasing the confidence of the Nationalist community in the North, for instance by engaging in a course of consultations with other European parliaments to see what we can do to take the Provisional IRA off the backs of the people of Northern Ireland and stop them engaging in these horrific crimes of shooting Australian tourists, British soldiers and their wives, and most recently this week, bombing a car in which a retired 60 year old UDR man——
The Deputy is extending the scope of the question which deals essentially with the Secretariat at Maryfield.
I am talking about the extension of the Secretariat.
It is a wide extension of the subject matter. It is not in order.
I understand that, but I was hoping the Taoiseach might wish to take this opportunity of joining with me in condemning those acts and saying they have no base in the future for finding a political solution to the North of Ireland problems.
I gladly join with the Deputy in that condemnation. Let me add a couple of points. On the murder of the Australian citizens, I conveyed my personal sympathy to the Australian Prime Minister on that incident. There is a memorial service in Roermond at which we will be represented. I am not sure if it has taken place but anyway we will be represented at it. Also, of course, we condemn strongly, and avail of every opportunity to do so, the other acts of outrage and violence. I know the Deputy will also agree with me that if we can achieve political progress as a result of the initiative of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at present, it would do a considerable amount to make these acts of violence in this campaign even more meaningless and irrelevant than they are at present.
I have no hesitation in agreeing with the Taoiseach about that. We should avail ourselves in this House of every opportunity we can to assure all the people of Europe that the people who perpetrate these acts have no authority or mandate at all from any part of this country, North or South, Nationalist or Unionist.
Perhaps I should have mentioned that, as the Deputy knows, Ministers for Justice are meeting in Dublin Castle today and they will be dealing with drugs and terrorism in an international context. Our Minister for Justice will make our position clear there to the other Ministers involved.
Will the Taoiseach in the context of his confidence building measures which are necessary, update the figures on the cost of violence that were contained in the Forum report of 1984? It would be no harm to bring home to people all over this island how much this violence is costing both in——
This is an extension of the subject matter before me.
I have three priority questions down and I was hoping to give the Government an opportunity to join with me in that condemnation under those priority questions. I am glad the Taoiseach accepted the opportunity.
We are having an extension out of all proportion in respect of the subject matter of Question No. 1.