The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said he had raised the problem of the "exiled" when he met the Sinn Féin President, Mr Gerry Adams.
"That is also a big issue. I refer to people who were exiled to the Republic or exiled off the island completely."
He was asked by the Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, if "exiled" was a euphemism "for being threatened with having one's life take if one did not agree to leave."
Mr Ahern replied: "It is usually 24 hours. The question of exiles is an outstanding issue on which there have been representations from many of those people who still have relatives North and South."
Replying to questions relating to his visit to Downing Street last Monday, Mr Ahern said: "In addition to the need for further decommissioning, which remains an indispensable part of implementing the Belfast Agreement, we discussed the appointment of a judge of international standing to undertake a thorough investigation of allegations of collusion by the security forces in a number of serious cases, including the murders of Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson.
"And we also discussed progress in the area of policing and the encouraging of work to date of the Policing Board," Mr Ahern added.
