Lord (James) Molyneaux last night entered the controversy over leaked papers from the Department of Foreign Affairs - claiming some contained sensitive UK security information, and that "at least four files have been passed direct to the IRA Army Council".
But Lord Molyneaux's claims were dismissed by British and Irish sources. A spokesman for 10 Downing Street said it understood the leaked papers "refer to the 1994 Anglo-Irish Conference business, and do not relate to any national security matters".
Irish sources confirmed that assessment, and said material finding its way into the so-called "Green Box" was essentially political. While security matters discussed at Inter-Governmental Conference meetings would be referred to, "sensitive security information" would normally be dealt with on an "eyes only" basis.
The Irish Times was told that, if the Government had cause to believe that any sensitive security information had leaked at any time, that would be communicated to the British government as a matter of course.
Speaking during a House of Lords debate on Northern Ireland, Lord Molyneaux alleged that some of the leaked papers had "originated" in the joint Anglo-Irish Secretariat at Maryfield.
He claimed that "several of those already examined contain sensitive security information, which could not be disclosed to senior Privy Counsellors except those in the need-to-know category".
And he charged: "Such is the treacherous nature of some in the Joint Secretariat that United Kingdom national security information is now being peddled in the back streets of Dublin and at least four files have been passed direct to the IRA Army Council".
Warning of "dangers impending", Lord Molyneaux urged Mr Tony Blair to "withdraw the British element from the Joint Secretariat with immediate effect".
Replying to Lord Molyneaux, the Northern Ireland Minister, Lord Dubs, said: "The Secretariat at Maryfield exists to exchange information, some of it sensitive and necessarily so, in our attempts to resist terrorism. There is a good record of exchanges despite recent leaks. And we have no reason to believe that this channel has been compromised."