asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he has taken, or proposes to take, in order to bring an end to the treatment of political prisoners in H-Block in Long Kesh Prison Camp.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Long Kesh Prisoners
2.
Since the prisoners in question have been convicted of a variety of criminal offences, many of them very serious ones, I cannot accept the inference in the Deputy's question that they can appropriately be described as political prisoners.
I will continue to use all the channels open to me to keep myself as informed as is possible on the situation in the prison at Long Kesh which is obviously a cause for concern from a humanitarian point of view. I must, however, point out that a major obstacle to any attempt to have conditions in the prison improved is the fact that, apart from those motivated by humanitarian considerations, many of those associated with the protest and in a position to influence the situation have shown themselves only too ready to exploit the condition of the prisoners and the anguish of their families in a cynical pursuit of propaganda material.
Nothing more cynical could, I think, be perpetrated than what the Minister has just said. In the name of humanity, would the Minister get moving on this deplorable situation which exists and which will produce corpses before Christmas arrives? I think this is known to the Minister and has been put to him by well meaning people, people who have been with him within even the last 48 hours.
The Deputy will be well aware that I made a very definite distinction between those concerned for humanitarian reasons and those who are, and I repeat, cynically using this for propaganda purposes. If the Deputy finds that cynical then I shall have to record my disagreement with him. I can assure the Deputy that I have been at all times and at all levels in constant communication because of our concern for humanitarian conditions. Let not that, however, be misunderstood as connoting any support for those who use the conditions of these prisoners for propaganda material. May I remind the Deputy, too, that even while this campaign is being promoted those who use it for propaganda purposes have shown a total disregard for the most fundamental human rights. We have seen evidence of that on more than one occasion recently, and that is what I mean when I talk about a cynical pursuit of propaganda material.
Might I ask the Minister to cease to confuse the efforts of those who would exploit the situation, if it can be described as exploitation, to try to bring to light what is being suppressed by this Government and the other Government concerned, and to ask him also what steps he has taken, or proposes to take, to bring a cessation to the situation in H Block, particularly Unit 3, where, as I said, there will be a loss of life in the very near future? What steps has he taken, or does he propose to take, to rectify this dreadful, horrific situation?
That is the question the Minister has answered.
He has not.
Let me assure the Deputy that I do distinguish and will distinguish between those who are concerned for humanitarian reasons and the arms of the IRA, and those who propagandise for them, who are using this for propaganda purposes. Let me also assure the Deputy that I and my Department have been in constant contact with the appropriate authorities at every level on this matter and I will welcome any further information which will enable me to express the concern of the Government on humanitarian grounds. But let me repeat again that those who are using this for propaganda purposes are cynically using the prisoners and their families and are proving both by their words and their actions that they are not concerned about conditions about which humanitarian people are concerned.
Finally——
We cannot have a debate on this.
——what more damning indictment of the situation in Long Kesh could have been publicised other than that of the visit of our Archbishop in Armagh, Dr. Ó Fiach, and what has been done on foot of that and what more evidence does the Minister require?
We cannot have an argument.
Surely to God, he is not going to wait until they are carried out dead. The conditions are absolutely abominable, a disgrace to humanity, and we are the cynics sitting down here trying to suppress the information lest the world might know about it.
We are not trying to suppress any information given to us. Far from it. We are conveying that with our level of concern at every level. I want to repudiate the suggestion that seems to be implied in the Deputy's question that we have any direct control or responsibility in the matter. Of course we do not. When he asks what we are doing to stop it, it is a matter, as I said, in the first instance in the hands of those who are quite deliberately——
Not so.
——propagandising this thing on a cynical basis and showing no regard for human rights. If they would stop their terrible deeds they might allow some better understanding to develop and some progress to be made.
Hear, hear.
In other words, Croppies lie down. That is the answer here.
That is not what I said.
As far as suppression is concerned, is it not a fact that on two or three occasions since the beginning of October this particular question has been disallowed by you—I am not suggesting wrongfully—but I have endeavoured time and again to get it down to the Taoiseach as early and as urgently as possible because of the delay in hearing the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
I have no reluctance, I assure the Deputy, and the Taoiseach has no reluctance, in stating our position as clearly as I have stated it, and we will show no reluctance in the future.
The Minister certainly has a queer way of showing it.