Vol. 330 No. 10
asked the Taoiseach whether in his recent talks with the British Prime Minister the expressed decision of the two Northern Unionists parties to boycott any proposed Anglo-Irish Council was considered; and whether any agreement was reached on ending this power of veto on Anglo-Irish affairs.
2.
asked the Taoiseach whether in his recent discussions with the British Prime Minister in relation to any joint Anglo-Irish approach to the Northern problem, the probability of unlawful action on the part of a section of the majority in the North, such as the Workers' Council strike, was adverted to; and whether Mrs. Thatcher gave any indication that, in such an event, her Government would deal with such action and impartially administer law and order in the Six Counties.
3.
asked the Taoiseach whether in his recent talks with the Brit- ish Prime Minister he raised the question of the disproportionate cost to the Irish taxpayer of maintaining Border security; and whether he agrees that an equitable share of this should be borne by the British Exchequer.
4.
asked the Taoiseach whether in his recent talks with the British Prime Minister he raised the question of discrimination by the British authorities against Republican prisoners held in British jails who, although British soldiers convicted of criminal offences in the Six Counties are given the option of serving sentences in British prisons, are denied their wish to be transferred to prisons in the Six Counties on humanitarian grounds, thus reducing the heavy penal costs of travel on their families who wish to visit them.
5.
asked the Taoiseach whether the question of the extradition of persons accused of political offences was discussed in his recent talks with the British Prime Minister; and, if so, the outcome.
6.
asked the Taoiseach whether in his recent discussions with the British Prime Minister there was any indication that the Westminster Government yet accept that withdrawal of their undertaking that a majority in the Six Counties must first agree to any solution in an all-Ireland context to the Northern problem and withdrawal by Britain from Ireland are fundamental to any such solution.
7.
asked the Taoiseach what the British Government have offered in return for his proposal for setting up an all-Ireland court.
8.
asked the Taoiseach if, in view of his expressed wish for more open discussions on Anglo-Irish relations, he will make a statement outlining the discussions he had with the British Prime Minister on Friday last.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle. I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8 inclusive, together.
I would refer the Deputy to the statement I made in the Dáil yesterday on my meeting with the British Prime Minister. I have nothing to add to that statement.
I appreciate that the Taoiseach made a long statement yesterday on the talks but having gone through that statement carefully I have failed to find anything in it that would answer the questions I have tabled for today. Consequently, I would ask the Taoiseach to refer to the specific items on which I have asked for information. These are in Questions Nos. 1, 3 and, in particular, No. 4 which contains three different questions.
It has been the practice to regard as confidential details of discussions at Prime Minister level. My predecessor made that very point in reply to a question from Deputy O'Keeffe on 29 April 1980 in relation to the meeting in Luxembourg with the British Prime Minister. Regarding Question No. 4 I understand that the Deputy has a question down on the same lines to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and he will be replying to that question in due course.
Regarding Question No. 1, what is it that could be confidential about the veto to which I have referred? Also, what is particularly confidential in regard to answering the question about the Workers' Council strike and the likelihood of such a tactic being invoked again? In regard to Question No. 4 what is there that cannot be answered by a "yes" or a "no" on the question of Republican prisoners both in Irish and in British jails in the context of the promise made by Mr. Jenkins to do something about the situation in terms of treatment and so on? I am at a total loss to appreciate how these questions can be dealt with in any way other than by way of answers from the Taoiseach.
As I have said, it has been the practice to regard details of discussions at Prime Ministerial level as confidential. I do not propose to go beyond the statement made already in regard to these matters, but regarding that part of Question No. 4 which comes within the ambit of the operational area, the Deputy quite properly has tabled a question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and he will answer that question in due course.
Can the Taoiseach say whether, since I raised the matter this morning, his attention has been drawn to the statement of the British Prime Minister in the House of Commons yesterday to the effect that Northern Ireland is just as much an integral part of the UK as is the Borough of Finchley? Would the Taoiseach accept that statement and if he does not accept it would he regard it as being most unhelpful that the British Prime Minister should make that sort of tendentious statement?
The Leader of the Opposition made this point earlier today. I have no particular comment to make on the Borough of Finchley and so far as the matter of the basic question is concerned, Northern Ireland is factually part of the UK. That has been recognised by successive Governments.
In view of the total inadequally of the replies to my questions I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to raise any one or all of them on the Adjournment.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
