I wish to make it very clear that I reject criminality in all its forms. Would the Taoiseach be able to make that statement as clearly before the House? He has a neck trying to label any other political party with the criminality tag when one looks at the daily unfolding reality in respect of his political party.

I roundly reject the Taoiseach's repeated and baseless allegations against my party colleagues, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, that they had foreknowledge of the Northern Bank robbery in Belfast and acted in bad faith in the course of the talks last December. I totally reject that charge and call on the Taoiseach to provide the evidence for it given that he repeated it again today in the House. He should present the evidence to the Dáil. The responsibility is on the Taoiseach to substantiate the charge he has made but which he cannot. The reason I say with such certainty that he cannot is that I firmly and absolutely believe there is no foundation to it whatsoever. I reject it and I call on the Taoiseach to withdraw it immediately.

I have no doubt about it, but does the Taoiseach agree that the peace process has unquestionably been damaged by the Northern Bank raid in Belfast? Has he any idea of the serious damage done by his baseless allegation against Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and the broad Sinn Féin leadership? I do not believe the Taoiseach has any concept of the damage done.

Everybody knows that we represent competing parties not only in respect of general elections but of all other electoral endeavours in this State. It has become ever more apparent that with the realisation that Sinn Féin presents a real and substantial challenge to the Taoiseach's party at the polls in this State, he has moved increasingly to what I see as a situation where he seeks to misrepresent Sinn Féin intent and tries to re-draw the contemporary history of the achievement of a new political dispensation on this island, the end of armed hostilities, the peace process and all that has flowed and has yet to flow from it.

I do not believe for a moment that the Taoiseach's continual outbursts and allegations have anything to do with a bank robbery in Belfast but everything to do with votes in Ballybough and Ballyconnell and everywhere else throughout this jurisdiction.

Where is the Deputy's party getting the money to buy those votes? It is robbed money.

Allow Deputy Ó Caoláin speak without interruption.

With respect to the little whipper at the Taoiseach's side, we never interrupted you or any of the participants——

Robbed money.

The Minister should allow Deputy Ó Caoláin to speak.

Deputy O'Dea would serve his position and ministerial responsibilities better if he learned to behave himself in this House.

Is the Deputy threatening him?

The veil is dropping.

Robbed money.

The Chair has given some latitude with time to the other Members but Deputy Ó Caoláin is going well beyond the bounds of what is reasonable.

Does the Taoiseach not agree that in December we were closer to a comprehensive agreement than at any time previously? Does he accept and acknowledge that Sinn Féin, with the Irish Government and others, played a substantive part in the achievement of all that was to be delivered after 8 December? Does the Taoiseach recognise that a comprehensive agreement incorporated all the critical elements committed to by all the parties to the conflict and to the Good Friday Agreement negotiations? Does he not recognise this as the most important project for each and every one of us to address to ensure that we return, regroup and re-explore the potential to overcome the difficulties that presented themselves in the run-up to 8 December——

The Deputy should conclude as he has gone three minutes over time.

——and to ensure that the peace process is back on track and the two Governments and all parties continue with their commitment to see its full realisation?

Deputy Ó Caoláin and all other Members can be certain that all of us will continue to do all the positive actions he has mentioned. We will do our very best because the people voted for the Good Friday Agreement. It is the policy of everybody in this House to continue to do that.

I understand why Deputy Ó Caoláin is looking around for an angle, which in this case is that the reasons are to do with party politics. If I had wished to fight his political party in a party political way, I certainly would not have done what I have been doing in recent years, such as doing everything possible to bring his party into the centre by ignoring all kinds of things and by trying to convince the DUP recently and the UUP for years of the benefits of working with Sinn Féin. I have tried to convince them of the security of doing so. I have tried to convince Presidents Bush and Clinton and President Prodi and others to put money into Northern Ireland to help peace and reconciliation. If I had only been interested in a political fight, I would not have taken those actions. Before we began taking those actions, the Deputy's party was a party with 2% support, but now it has a strong political mandate because people on all sides of this House, from the Labour Party to Fine Gael to Fianna Fáil to the Progressive Democrats to the Green Party, all worked to try to bring Sinn Féin in.

Not at all.

We have done so because of our history.

The Deputy must understand that things must be equal. I refer to the kind of tactics in which some of his friends engage. In recent days a man was taken to a lay-by, shot in both hands and suffered a broken jaw. The reason for this assault is not known but it was carried out by the Provisional IRA. An 18 year old received gunshot wounds in both hands in an incident in Seaford Street in east Belfast, responsibility for which lies with the Provisional IRA. A punishment attack was carried out on a 19 year old man. He was shot in both hands and it is believed the Provisional IRA was responsible. The other day, a 19 year old man was shot in both ankles in an alley in Serbia Street, Lower Falls, and it is believed the Provisional IRA was responsible, and blah, blah, blah.

It is blah, blah, blah.

Allow the Taoiseach speak without interruption, please.

I will fight Deputy Kenny's party. We will fight tough and hard politically. I will fight Deputy Rabbitte's party. However, it is very hard to fight that to which I have referred. The Deputy refers to evidence.

What evidence?

Does the Deputy want me to name the individual? What would happen to him?

The Taoiseach is abusing his position without evidence.

I will defend the facts. I will not go on about this every day but neither will I take it. The Deputy asked where is the evidence. Before I said anything — I did not say much by the way——

The Taoiseach said more and should not have said it.

That is not the position. I spoke to Prime Minister Blair, I got a report on what British intelligence was, I got a report from Hugh Orde——

Is that what the Taoiseach is relying on?

I am answerable to something with which the Deputy's party has a difficulty. This is the difficulty. When I come into this House, I have to listen to what the Garda Síochána of this country says. Sometimes what it says is not suitable but I have to accept it. In this case, it said that its professional assessment is that it shares the view that the Northern Bank robbery was carried out by the Provisional IRA and that an operation of this scale could not have been undertaken without the knowledge of the leadership of the provisional movement. That is the position.

The Taoiseach is relying on British intelligence.

Yes, because I have to listen to it.

He does not have to listen to it.

Should I ignore the Garda?

Shame on the Taoiseach.

Allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.

Does the Garda not tell the truth either?

Does Deputy Ó Caoláin still seek to justify the murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe?