---

Direction given on 1 April 2005 by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, regarding Reduction of Financial Assistance

My Lords, I welcome the introduction of the direction tonight to make at least some point to Sinn   Fein and its supporters that their activities and behaviour over the past couple of years have been beyond the democratic pale. Many of us hoped that Sinn Fein would move towards being a party supported, backed and operated in a purely democratic way. We were frustrated in that rather naive wish. Recent events, including the Northern Bank robbery, have painted a nasty and unacceptable picture of Sinn Fein/IRA’s methods of fundraising through theft and money laundering. In the past few weeks, I have outlined to your Lordships’ House information about Sinn Fein/IRA’s activities, which are now becoming known as ““white-collar terrorism””. Money is of no object to Sinn Fein and its supporters. Four million US dollars were recently forthcoming from well meaning, if misguided, Irish Americans to what is widely believed to be Sinn Fein’s intelligence-gathering operation in the Irish Republic, the Centre for Public Inquiry. I note that the former High Court judge, Fergus Flood, is happy to allow his name to be associated with the organisation. Yet, he has refused to question the organisation’s chief executive on why he travelled to Colombia on false passports with a well-known IRA member to collect £2 million—a part payment to the   IRA by FARC terrorists for providing training and expertise on bomb making. Mr Flood’s silence is deafening and will not go unnoticed. I support the direction.