Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Apr 1992

Vol. 418 No. 5

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Court Injunction.

Eric J. Byrne

Question:

11 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the number of representations received by his Department or Irish embassies abroad from, (a) politicians and (b) individual citizens in other countries, regarding the recent injunction granted in the High Court restraining a 14-year-old rape victim from travelling to the United Kingdom to have her pregnancy terminated; if he will outline the general tenor of the representations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Mr. Andrews

While the Department have not kept a tally of the exact number of representations, I can confirm that considerable concern was expressed in other countries about the implications of the High Court injunction referred to by the Deputy. Apart from extensive coverage in the international media, the Department and many of our missions abroad received representations on the matter and the issue was raised in parliament in countries such as the Netherlands and Australia and in the European Parliament. The general tenor of the representations, abroad as in Ireland, was one of concern about the position of the victim and her family.

Proinsias De Rossa

I do not wish to pursue this matter in any detail other than to ask the Minister if his Department, through our embassies, have made any attempts to counter the extremely damaging publicity this case has caused to the image of Ireland abroad?

Mr. Andrews

The original publicity given to this case in a number of parliaments was based on misinformation and a misunderstanding of the relevance of the Supreme Court judgment. The Government, through our embassies, have sought to counter what the Deputy described as bad publicity for the country and have been successful in doing so but, as I said, the reaction abroad is important and the Government take careful account of expressions of concern. I have no doubt that the Government's immediate and sympathetic response to the situation the family found themselves in and the position taken by all the political parties to find a common approach in relation to the consequences of the Supreme Court judgment will be well understood and respected in other countries.