Sinn Féin says a new assessment of the status of the Provisional IRA will prove it no longer exists as an organisation.

The party said it welcomed the move, ordered by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, but accused Tánaiste Joan Burton of using the murder of republican Kevin McGuigan to increase the popularity of the Labour Party.

Ms Fitzgerald has asked Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan to “liaise closely with the PSNI and carry out a fresh assessment of the status of PIRA in the light of any new evidence emerging during the PSNI investigation into the death of Mr McGuigan”.

In response, Sinn Féin Laois-Offaly TD Brian Stanley said the party has “no problem” with such an assessment.

“We have no problem with that, we welcome that. It will show that the army was stood down ten years ago, that it doesn’t exist. That the mainstream of republicanism became involved totally in the republican process and that’s where it’s going and that’s what people are busy doing within Sinn Féin.”

However, Mr Stanley criticised Ms Burton for a statement she made in which she said the IRA was still linked to “murdering and racketeering” and that Sinn Féin cannot deny all knowledge of its criminality or existence.

He said Ms Burton is using the “silly season” and the killing of two people to criticise Sinn Féin.

“She’d be better off dealing with the crisis on her own doorstep: the crisis in housing, health and water charges.

“The Tánaiste would better employ her time actually trying to help move that process forward. She hasn’t been very helpful to date. In fact she played no role in the Stormont House talks last winter. She has made negative comments about them since and about Sinn Féin.”

Mr Fitzgerald also asked if Gerry Adams - who Mr Stanley said is on holiday - would "apologise for the dreadful legacy of crime and lawlessness left in the wake of the brutal campaign which PIRA waged and say what steps he takes to ensure there is no place in Sinn Féin for people who engage in serious crime?"

Mr Stanley said Mr Adams had already apologised and claimed Ms Fitzgerald would do well to apologise” for what the Government has “done to the Irish people”.

“We have addressed this issue. The public out there know there were two ceasefires in the 1990s, it was 20 years ago now the second ceasefire. They also know the IRA decommissioned its weapons. They will also be aware that the IRA stood down. That is the fact of the matter.

“There may be some other groups out there masquerading as some kind of IRA or some other type of organisation, such as the real IRA, so-called real IRA or the continuity IRA or whatever they like to call themselves.

“But what I would say to those people as an elected representative of Sinn Féin is that they should disband, they should go away, they have no contribution they have to make to society.

“There will be people who have belonged to different organisations at times. But what I would say is this: We have brought the mainstream of republicanism with us. Criminality isn’t republicanism. We are involved in republican activity. That’s building politics and building for the future on this island.”