Early last year, the Taoiseach volunteered to bring forward an all-party Oireachtas motion in support of the Ballymurphy families and although we did not ask for this, I very much welcomed it. When I asked him about it some months later, because it had not been brought forward, on 1 July, he said the Government was working on a comprehensive motion which would be discussed with Deputies Martin and Adams shortly. Again, time passed but níor tharla rud ar bith ó shin. In February of this year, he said he would have it in March. It is now May and we still do not have this. I would like a debate on the North.

On 24 March of this year, the Taoiseach agreed to hold a debate on the North. As he should know, in recent weeks there has been a sustained and concerted attack on Sinn Féin representatives. There have been four attacks on the homes and property of Sinn Féin councillors and members. There have been seven death threats. The cars belonging to two Derry Sinn Féin councillors were destroyed last night outside their homes and the car of another activist, Sean McMonagle, was burned. The Taoiseach knows that Frank McCabe junior, son of a Sinn Féin member, Frank McCabe in south Armagh, was blinded in one eye by a booby trap bomb on the family property. The home of the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, was paint-bombed last week. There were death threats yesterday and bomb alerts at the homes of Martina Anderson MEP, and Raymond McCartney, MLA. This morning, when I was on my way to the 1916 commemoration at Arbour Hill, there was a bomb alert at my home. I got word that police sniffer dogs were there and they were checking out the precincts of the house.

We need to discuss all of these matters, particularly in the light of tomorrow’s election and its likely repercussions if the Tories get in because of their commitment to leave the EU but also their adherence to austerity and so on. Will the Taoiseach set a date for the debate as soon as possible so that we can discuss all of these very important issues? The silence on these attacks from the Government and others in this Chamber, who are sometimes very loud in making one-sided remarks about the North, is deafening. Will the Taoiseach let us know the Government’s position on these threats and attacks?

I condemn unreservedly these threats to members of all political parties where a number of people on the Government benches have received threats of one sort or another and several offices have been bombed, graffitied or damaged and, of course, in respect of the cases the Deputy mentioned. I deplore the paint-bombing of the home of the Deputy First Minister a couple of days ago, which I heard and read comment about, no more than the outrageous murder yesterday of a community worker on the streets of Belfast. These are not matters that should be carried out where politics is concerned. People can argue and have differences of opinion but democracy means that they can discuss these things and the electorate makes its decision. That is the Government’s position: we condemn these things unreservedly.

In respect of Ballymurphy, I spoke to the Deputy about this before and he will recall that I wanted to meet the people there and the relatives of those who were shot dead in order that I would hear their views of a potential all-party motion. The text is ready and I will circulate it to the party leaders for their consideration. If they agree with that, or can agree on changes to an all-party motion in respect of Ballymurphy, I will be happy to go with it. As soon as that is done we can arrange for a debate on Northern Ireland and the very serious issues arising from what is happening, and has happened in recent past there. Nobody wants to see a return to that sort of an era. There is a lot of opportunity and optimism opening up for Northern Ireland. Who knows what the outcome of the election will be tomorrow and, in respect of those elected from Northern Ireland, what place or position they may have following the outcome of the election. If the Deputy can work with us on the all-party motion, we can arrange with the Whips for a decent debate on Northern Ireland and all the issues that affect us North and South.