asked the Minister for Justice his policy with regard to the arrest by the Garda of people while they were attending funerals.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Arrests At Funerals.
103.
The exercise by the Garda of their powers of arrest is a matter for the Garda Síochána themselves whose responsibility it is to enforce the law and I do not interfere. The policy of the Government is to support them unequivocally in enforcing the law.
Is it now the policy of the Government that if a person with identifiable republican affiliations attends a funeral he will be automatically arrested by the police?
No. The only persons arrested by the Garda in the course of their duties are persons who are suspected of having committed breaches of the law.
The case I identify is one in which a person was arrested somewhere in Cavan. He comes from Lurgan and he may not go back there. If there is an alleged offence against this man it would not have been committed within the jurisdiction of this State. I am asking why he should have been arrested. Even if it is a matter for the Garda to enforce the law, as the Minister said, surely a funeral is scarcely the place to do it when the same man could have been apprehended in several other places over the past few months.
If the Deputy and I are thinking of the same person, I can assure him that the arrest took place several miles from the funeral cortege. May I say as a general policy that it is for the Garda to decide how to do their duty. In coming to their decisions they have the full support of the Government. I would expect that every Member of this House would want to give the Garda full support in a very difficult situation such as we have at the moment. Furthermore, if the Garda have to do their duty in difficult situations or in unusual circumstances, full allowance should be made for that.
Does the Minister not consider it very indiscreet and disrespectful and unChristian, and that we should not give the impression to the world that Irish people are disrespectful to the dead?
There is no question of being disrespectful to the dead. The Garda have a duty to arrest suspected criminals wherever they can come across them. If certain elements or organisations consider that funerals are proper vehicles for mounting political demonstrations, that shows gross disrespect to the dead and shows an altogether distressing lack of appreciation of the true nature of a funeral. If people want to flaunt themselves as such organisations in a criminal fashion, they can expect the consequences.
Surely a funeral is one of the corporal works of mercy irrespective of demonstrations and, for that reason, I do not think we should present a world image of being disrespectful to the dead.
I deprecate the practice of using funerals as political demonstrations.
Could I ask the Minister whether this unusual exercise of arresting a person in a funeral cortege, such as occurred in this complained of instance, was undertaken in order to discourage republican sympathisers from attending the funeral of the republican dead? Was that really why it was done?
Arrests are made by the Garda in pursuance of their duty which is to arrest persons suspected of criminal offences. The Garda do not arrest persons in pursuance of a policy of harassment which the Deputy is suggesting.
Discouragement.
Furthermore, if the Deputy listened to what I said earlier, he would know that if we are talking about the same person that person was not arrested in the funeral cortege.
I have been trying to ask a supplementary question.
The Deputy already asked a supplementary question.
I have been trying to get in for some time and I have given way to some Deputies. May I ask one question?
This will be the final one.
In view of the fact that the Ceann Comhairle turned down a question put down by me to the Taoiseach on 10th July in relation to the Taoiseach's discussions with Mr. Heath——
We cannot have a discussion.
——I cannot understand how this question could be allowed because it appears to me——
The Deputy is making a statement. He must resume his seat.
I should like to ask the Minister for Justice if it is true that we are now taking dictation from the British Government on this matter.
The Deputy may not pursue that.
The Deputy is making a fool of himself.
The Deputy can be quite certain that this is a matter for the Government and that the enforcement of law and order is a matter for the Government. The Government are entitled to the full support of every Deputy in this House and the Garda are entitled to that support. I am disappointed that any different suggestion should go out from this House.
Let us show that this is a sovereign State, which it was up to three months ago.
Deputy Lemass is quoting Fianna Fáil policy.
I am quoting Deputy Seán Treacy, the Ceann Comhairle. We are not allowed to talk about it. The Taoiseach is hiding behind the Chair.
The Deputy may not make a statement like that and will withdraw it.
I would prefer to withdraw from the House because it is quite apparent to me that questions are not allowed and disallowed impartially.
The Deputy may not withdraw from the House. The Deputy will withdraw the statement.
You may put me out so.
The Deputy will withdraw the statement.
I said I would withdraw from the House if the Chair so wishes.
If the Deputy will not obey the Chair he had better leave the House.
He wants to get a few lines in the Press. The questions he put down were stupid.
Put on your old record.
Grow up.
If the Deputy will not obey the Chair perhaps he will withdraw from the House.
I cannot withdraw the statement.
Deputy Lemass withdrew from the House.