The Ulster Unionist Party welcomes the fact the Smithwick Report has officially accepted that there was collusion between members of the Irish police force and the Provisional IRA.

Justice spokesperson, Tom Elliott MLA, said: “We pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan as RUC officers and our thoughts are with their families at this time.

“The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs said in a recent speech in Cambridge that the Irish Government had to address the perception among unionists that successive Irish governments did not do enough to stop the IRA. We welcomed that statement as a useful first step. Judge Smithwick’s confirmation that it is more than a perception will require the Taoiseach to take the next step to address unionist concerns.

“It is encouraging that a number of Garda officers came forward to provide evidence for the Tribunal, which is also reflected in the current work of the service against Republican terrorists. What is most telling in the context of the current Haass talks on Dealing with the Past is that Judge Smithwick clearly did not believe a word he was told by the former IRA men who gave evidence. I refer to his conclusion that the preponderance of evidence points to the fact they specifically targeted Chief Superintendent Breen, despite the IRA personnel denying this fact.

“Combine this with Martin McGuinness confirming to the Saville Inquiry that there were matters regarding his involvement with PIRA he would not discuss ‘under any circumstances’ and the IRA have delivered the death knell to the credibility of any Truth Commission.”