asked the Taoiseach (a) whether, as reported in the media (details supplied), he was invited to give advice to the Nationalist population of Northern Ireland in relation to the election to the new Assembly; (b) if so, whether he offered any such advice; (c) whether this advice was offered on the Government's behalf; and (d) what this advice consisted of.

In a series of questions submitted to me by the Irish News, I was asked if I had any advice to offer Nationalist voters or the Northern Ireland electorate as a whole in relation to the election there. My reply was as reported in the newspaper article to which the Deputy refers.

Would the Taoiseach not agree, in the context of his having been invited to advise Nationalist voters, that since he was speaking on the Government's behalf it would have been appropriate for him to indicate a preference for the party who over the years have manfully stood up against violence by contrast with the party who have made excuses for it, tried to make it look pretty and sought to justify it?

I considered that very carefully and I accept that there is an argument in what the Deputy suggests. On the other hand, on advice from the party to which the Deputy refers in terms with which I agree, the SDLP, I phrased my advice to the electorate in the way I did. I believe if I had offered any further advice to the electorate it might well have been counter-productive.

Is the House to take it from that that the Taoiseach was formally advised by the SDLP that they did not wish him to indicate a preference for their party by comparison with the Provisional Sinn Féin?

Yes, the Deputy can accept that. I discussed it with the Leader of the SDLP and I ascertained his view. His concern was that I should say something which would help to counteract any tendency there might be among Nationalist voters in particular to abstain.

In view of the fact that the electorate we are talking about are, in the eyes of the law of this State, virtually all Irish citizens, however little some of them may relish that status, and in view of the fact that the Taoiseach is temporarily a national leader, would it not have been appropriate for him in at least general terms to indicate the virtual unanimous abhorrence of this House for all forms of murder and violence and, therefore, implicitly to invite and advise those Irish citizens who are not ashamed of the designation but live north of the Border to vote against it?

What the Deputy says was implicit in what I did and said. If the Deputy takes my speech at Bodenstown in conjunction with the advice I gave to the Irish News I do not believe he can find any quarrel with the course of action I took.