FSB call on NIO to publish Goldstock Report

The Federation of Small Businesses has today urged NI Secretary of State Paul Murphy to publish the report authored by Professor Ronald Goldstock into organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Wilfred Mitchell, NI FSB Policy Chair said: “Professor Goldstock has said today that he wants the business community and the wider community to take a stand on organised crime. Many of our members are being crippled by paramilitary racketing across all Northern Ireland, resulting in closure and loss of jobs.

“However, unless the Goldstock Report contains security sensitive information, the Secretary of State should make the report public to allow the business community to draw its own conclusions from it and begin the hard work of tackling this problem.

“We believe this problem will only be tackled with a partnership approach between PSNI, Organised Crime Taskforce, the business community and other key players in civic society.”

Earlier, Mr Murphy paid tribute to Professor Goldstock's thoroughness in the preparation of the report, which he said had made an "important contribution to the fight against organised crime in Northern Ireland."

A former director of the New York State Organised Crime Task Force, Professor Goldstock, was appointed in March 2002 by the then Secretary of State Dr John Reid to act as an independent expert and to provide an international perspective on the problem of organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the report Mr Murphy said there was "food for thought in the initiatives he recommends". These are understood to include methods to reduce extortion.

However, the Government do not intend to make public the details contained in the report.

(SP/GB)