The British Ambassador to Ireland has appeared at the Special Criminal Court to give evidence relating to documents due to be produced in the trial of the alleged leader of the "Real IRA".
Mr Michael McKevitt (51), from Dundalk, Co Louth is the first person to be charged in the Republic with directing terrorism and has also been accused of being a member of an illegal organisation. His trial is expected to start in February.
Sir Ivor Roberts was questioned by defence counsel Mr Hugh Hartnett about an affidavit he provided in relation to documents submitted by the prosecution.
He said certain papers could not be handed over "in essence because of the desire to avoid putting lives at risk and prevent the undermining of efforts to prevent and disrupt terrorism."
He had read several hundred of the 2,300 pages of documentation given to him by the British security services, which also advised him, and that had amounted to a "wide representative section." It was, he added, a reasonable inference that the documents had come from a file.
Mr Roberts told Mr George Birmingham SC, prosecuting, that he knew the importance in the Irish legal system of an accused person obtaining a fair trial - that was why the British government had made the documents available.
Earlier, Mr Hartnett raised the question of cash that was paid to the protected chief witness at the approaching trial, American citizen Mr David Rupert.
Mr Rupert was recruited to infiltrate the "Real IRA" on behalf of both the FBI and the British intelligence services.
Mr Hartnett made it clear then that major questions would be raised over the credibility of Mr Rupert, and referred to investigations about him in the US.
He said today that there was evidence that Mr Rupert wanted to be paid two million dollars over 15 years to testify. He also alleged that Mr Rupert had been described by a New York police officer as "an extremely street-smart criminal, who let others take the risks and would do anything for money".