asked the Taoiseach if he intends to convey to the British prime minister the fact that Irish public opinion deplores remarks recently made by successive politicians in the United Kingdom which have contributed to the atmosphere in which innocent people have been killed in Northern Ireland.

I would refer the Deputy to the statement I issued on 13 February following the murder of Mr. Patrick Finucane. My views were conveyed to the British government.

May I ask the Taoiseach if that statement was the only way in which he conveyed his views to the British government?

No, our Ambassador took the matter up with the British authorities in London.

May I ask the Taoiseach if there has been any reaction from the British government? Does the Taoiseach feel that his statement has hit the mark in any sense?

I hope it was taken note of. It was a very unhappy incident and I felt it necessary to underline the seriousness of anything any of us say in a Northern Ireland context. I hope it had the necessary impact.

May I ask the Taoiseach if he intends to have this matter raised specifically and explicitly at a meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference because I suggest it is a channel through which sensitivities can be fully explored and explained.

That is one of the aspects of the conference that is of some importance. The matter had already been raised by us through the Anglo-Irish Secretariat before the killing of Patrick Finucane.