Taoiseach Enda Kenny has described as “outrageous” the call by Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald for the abolition of the Special Criminal Court.

“What’s at stake here is the security of our State”, Mr Kenny said in a question and answer session with reporters in Ballina, Co. Mayo.

At the launch of Mayo Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin’s election campaign, the Taoiseach was asked for a response to Ms McDonald’s demand. He was also asked, as part of the same question, if Sinn Féin were fit for government.

“They’re not”, Mr. Kenny said in reply to the latter question. He went on to refer to the shooting at Dublin’s Regency Hotel. “The people who carried out this absolutely appalling crime in the Regency Hotel in a well planned, professional, hit, have no regard for the laws of our democracy.

“Sinn Féin want the Special Criminal Court abolished. I have just spoken to the Minister for Justice. The situation is that the administrative work is being completed in terms of setting up a second Special Criminal Court and the reason for that is that there has been gross intimidation of jurors and witnesses who are to give evidence in cases like this.

“What is at stake here is the security of our State and I will not stand for a position where a political party want to abolish the Special Criminal Court and want to hold on to something like the USC (universall social charge).

Shootings

The Taoiseach said that the first Garda patrol car was despatched to the Regency within thirty seconds of the call coming in from two local stations – Santry and Ballymun. After the shootings, the stations involved had been ‘inundated’ with calls from the public, he continued.

The Taoiseach was also asked if he had any response to make to Sinn Féin’s poster campaign showing hospital trollies and carrying the message: “Fine Gael is bad for your health”.

“I don’t have any belief in any of the Sinn Féin policies. They are entitled as a political party to put their view forward. I don’t accept it for an instant”.

Mr Kenny declined to comment on the latest opinion polls but did say he was “encouraged” by conversations with public representatives around the country which suggested that the electorate was responding clearly and strongly to the Coalition message.

Questioned further, the Taoiseach denied the Coalition had got off to a bad start in their election campaign describing the alliance as “a happy family” working together in the best interests of the country.