We use Google Analytics to see which pages are read and how the site is used, so we know what to improve. This only runs if you accept. See our privacy notice for details.

Dáil
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Operation Greenwich legacy

Summary

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald returns to the Operation Greenwich report and its implications for collusion and British state involvement in the conflict. The Taoiseach agrees the legacy issue warrants broader discussion and refers to other inquiries and the wider historical context.

I will endeavour to. I want to return to the Police Ombudsman's report into Operation Greenwich, which my colleague has just raised. We have known for a long time that collusion between the British state and loyalist death squads was rife. Indeed, it was a central component of Britain's dirty war in Ireland, a concerted campaign of murder that targeted the nationalist community, its leaders, its human rights lawyers and Sinn Féin members and elected representatives. As the Taoiseach knows, the 19 killings and two attempted murders that this report deals with raise the most serious of questions yet the publication of this report so far was met by silence from both the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I am bothered with this. I would like to know when we will hear a full and complete response from the Taoiseach and the Government, and also if the Taoiseach has made contact with the British Prime Minister in light of this report.

Comment on this

As I said earlier, we could have a broader debate on legacy generally.

Collusion between British security forces and loyalism is, unfortunately, not new. We know about it, and there have been various investigations and inquiries. The panoply of intelligence operations in Northern Ireland, not just in loyalism but also in its relationship and engagement with republican paramilitaries, has been well-documented. Operation Kenova is ongoing. Many people lost their lives as a result of that level of activity and engagement by security forces with all paramilitaries. It is a murky and sordid narrative of collusion that resulted in the unlawful murder of many people. It is unacceptable.

Comment on this