THE Taoiseach is to visit Northern Ireland "in the near future". However, Mr Bruton said he could not give details for security reasons.

He also told the House that he will visit the US over the St Patrick's Day period to meet key political and economic figures including President Clinton. "As on previous occasions, I will be seeking to renew and harness the unique fund of goodwill which exists there towards Ireland's economic and political interests."

Mr Bruton described the IRA's weekend statement as "profoundly depressing", adding that it showed a lack of political imagination on the part of the republican movement.

He was replying to the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, who said the IRA statement made it perfectly clear that it intended to continue to use violence to achieve its political ends. It was the pursuit of that terror campaign that continued to exclude Sinn Fein from the talks process.

Asked by Ms Harney what plans the Government had to inject "life" into the talks process, the Taoiseach said the existing talks represented the most comprehensive process in terms of their participation that had occurred on the island for the past 75 years.

He could understand fully that there were some concerns that the principal difficulty - the decommissioning of arms and when it should take place - had not yet been resolved. But he was well aware that both governments and the independent chairman, and the parties to varying degrees, were continuing to work intensively to overcome those difficulties.

He would look at any gap that might occur in the discussions in the future as an opportunity and not as a problem.

The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, said the deplorable continuation of the IRA's operations, endangering both life and peace, made a mockery of the alleged commitments to peace. He asked Mr Bruton if he was confident that the chairman, Senator George Mitchell, would sustain his effort. Would he only stay until the break-up of the talks, as had been stated.

Mr Bruton said he regarded Senator Mitchell's role as exceptionally positive, despite the many discouragements he had faced. "I think it is fair to say that he regards his involvement in the talks as a labour of love."

Mr Ahern urged the Taoiseach to express his full support and confidence in the United States ambassador to Ireland, Ms Jean Kennedy Smith, for her outstanding role and work when he visited Washington.

The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Sean Treacy, intervened to express concern that a reference was being made to a member of the diplomatic corps.

Mr Ahern referred to the work of the "dirty tricks brigade" relating to the US official, Ms Martha Pope. Obviously, he said, the same sources were used in the case of media reports relating to the American ambassador.

Mr Bruton said he did not pay attention to newspaper reports of the sort referred to by Mr Ahern.