asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, if he will request the British Government to investigate immediately a sworn statement made in a court hearing in Belfast that on a certain night in December 1982 members of an undercover unit of the RUC special Branch were operating south of the Border; and if he will report back to Dáil Éireann as soon as he has received a reply.

18.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is concerned at the statements made in the course of the trial Séamus Grew and Roddy Carroll that a unit of the RUC known as E4 operates within the Twenty-six Counties; the action he intends to take on these matters; if he will outline the Government's attitude to the view expressed by leaders of the nationalist community in the North that there is no justice for them there; and specifically in the light of these events whether the Government's policy of extradition will be reviewed.

I propose to answer Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together.

Deputies will be aware that the Government Information Services issued a statement on the evening of 5 April last on behalf of the Government following the Taoiseach's meeting with the British Ambassador earlier that evening. A further comprehensive statement was made by the Taoiseach in the Dáil on 10 April which answers all but one of the points raised by Deputies Collins and Gregory.

On that final point raised by Deputy Gregory concerning extradition, I would point out that the Government's actions on extradition are determined by the 1965 Extradition Act and its interpretation by the courts. That will continue to be the case.

Is the Minister aware that, since the Robinson affair was discussed in Dáil Éireann, reports have been published in the New Statesman showing that during the Coalition term of office in the seventies when the Taoiseach was Minister for Foreign Affairs there were regular incursions with a view to the commission of crime by members of the SAS and RUC special branch? Has the Minister had any contact with the British Government about these allegations? Has he sought an explanation and is he aware that these allegations link an officer of the SAS not merely with the murder of a civilian in County Monaghan but also with vicious, sectarian murders, in particular the Miami Showband massacre carried out by the UVF.

The questions on the Order Paper relate to 1982.

That question is down for answer next week.

There is a question coming up next week but the questions on today's Order Paper deal with comparatively recent happenings.

Does the Minister agree that the outcome of the trial referred to in the question clearly illustrates that the system of justice for members of the nationalist community in the North is suspect, to say the least, so much so that the leaders of the nationalist community there have stated publicly that there is no justice for them in the North. Is this not particularly relevant at this point? Does it not call into question the policy of the Government in extraditing or handing over persons to security forces whose members are involved in such killings as are outlined in the question and to courts who justify and in the case of this trial——

A question, Deputy. You cannot make a speech.

——applaud such killings?

The question is based on a false premise. The Deputy is saying the Government are the people who extradite. The Government do not. The attitude of the Government is determined by the 1965 Extradition Act. It is the courts who interpret. Applications are made to the courts for extradition and they decide whether they will or will not, not the Government.

Does the Minister feel that the policy on extradition should be reviewed at this point?

That is another question.

It arises directly out of the question on the Order Paper which refers specifically to the policy of extradition.

I have answered it.

Does the Minister not feel that, given the circumstances of this trial and the killing which brought about the trial, this brings into question the policy on extradition and does he not feel that the Government should review that policy at this stage?

I answered that when I said I would point out that the Government's actions on extradition are determined by the 1965 Extradition Act and its interpretation by the courts. That will continue to be the case.