asked the Minister for External Affairs if he has received representations from Mr. Harry Diamond, M.P., Belfast, on behalf of the Northern Ireland Amnesty Committee, regarding the imprisonment of a citizen of this State, Mr. David Fleming, who is on hunger strike in Belfast Jail; if he will state the nature of these representations, and what action he has taken in the matter; and, further, if he will state if any representations were made by him to the Northern Ireland or British authorities on this matter, and, if not, the reason why no action was taken.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prisoner's Hunger Strike in Belfast.
Mr. Diamond has written to me but not in the sense indicated by the Deputy. Mr. Diamond knows, of course, as well as the Deputy knows, that I could not make the representations suggested by the Deputy.
Mr. Diamond's request, as I understand it, was rather that we should release Seán McCaughey, who is on hunger strike here. This also, Mr. Diamond and the Deputy should know, we cannot do.
On at least two occasions in this House I have gone very fully into this matter of hunger striking to secure release from prison. I refer the Deputy, in particular, to the Dáil Debates of July 9th, 1943, columns 600-606, and those of 1st December, 1944, columns 1456-1462. On these occasions I explained at length what was involved, and made it quite clear that we could not permit prisoners to secure release by hunger strike. On the 9th July, 1943, I said that we could not release anybody who was on hunger strike, and added "that the decision was definite and final".
The issue in all these cases is whether we are to carry out our primary duty as a Government to protect the lives and property of the citizens, or permit citizens and servants of the State to be murdered with impunity; whether we are to endeavour intelligently to preserve the means of maintaining public order or revert to primitive anarchy by foolishly permitting to be taken from our hands the only method, short of capital punishment, known to civilised man for the restraint of the wrongdoer, namely, that of imprisonment.
If lives are to be saved here, as we earnestly desire they should, it is necessary that all should understand, without any shadow of doubt, that the Government's decision, announced in the definite terms I have indicated, stands, and is irrevocable. Those, and especially public representatives, who are endeavouring to weaken the Government in this matter, and are thereby inspiring the false hope that the Government can be forced to change its attitude, are leading directly to loss of lives. Those who are appealing to us should address themselves instead to the persons with whom the remedy lies, either to the prisoner who seeks to force his release by refusing to take his food, or to those groups who order or incite him to do so.
In view of the fact that a citizen of this State is on hunger strike in Belfast Jail, will the Taoiseach not consider, on humanitarian grounds, that, if a step is taken to give sympathetic consideration to the position in which Seán McCaughey is at Portlaoighise Jail, if a headline is given by the Taoiseach's Government, surely the Government of Northern Ireland will follow and thereby save the life of that Irish citizen? Will the Taoiseach, on humanitarian grounds, give some sympathetic consideration to the request of Mr. Diamond?
I have indicated very clearly to the Deputy, the House and the country, that our hands are tied in this matter; that there is no course which we can take, consistent with the public interest, only the course we have taken, and I have nothing further to add to that reply.
Surely the Constitution of this country offers a safeguard to every citizen? This man, Fleming, is interned and I am sure he is going to die in Belfast because he will not bow his knee to British Imperialism. Surely the Taoiseach and his Party are not going to stand for that—allowing a good Irishman to die in Belfast Jail?
The Deputy knows that I do not stand for Partition or anything that flows from Partition. Our first duty, however, is to preserve order in this State.
You will never preserve order as long as you have a secret service in this State. You have a certain number of men getting paid to convict other men.
Arising out of the Taoiseach's reply——
Question No. 3.