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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 10 Dec 1997

Vol. 484 No. 4

Order of Business.

It is proposed to take No. 8a, motion re referral of Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Bill, 1997, to Select Committee; No. 8, motion re draft agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom on the winding up of the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust; No. 13, Financial Motions by the Minister for Finance (resumed); No. 1, Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) (Amendment) Bill, 1997 — Order for Second Stage and Second and Remaining Stages shall be taken on the conclusion of Private Members' Business and the Order shall not resume thereafter.

It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit later than 8.30 p.m. today and business shall be interrupted not later than 10.30 p.m.; Nos. 8a and 8 shall be decided without debate; the Second and Remaining Stages of No. 1 shall be taken today and the following arrangements shall apply: (i) the proceedings on Second Stage, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion after one hour and the contributions shall be as follows: (a) the opening speech of a Minister or Minister of State or of the main spokespersons for the Fine Gael Party and the Labour Party shall not exceed ten minutes in each case; (b) the speech of each other Member called upon shall not exceed five minutes in each case; (c) Members may share time; and (d) a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed five minutes; and (ii) the proceedings on the Committee and Remaining Stages, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion at 10.30 p.m. tonight by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Private Members' Business shall be No. 23, motion re Irish Rail service (resumed).

There are three proposals to put to the House. Is the late sitting agreed to? Agreed. Are the proposals for dealing with Nos. 8a and 8 agreed to?

No. 8 relates to the Irish Soldiers and Sailors Land Trust and it is appropriate to deal with the matter without debate because it is not contentious, but before we agree to do so and because it relates to Irish soldiers we should express the House's concern at the injury suffered by a member of our current Defence Forces. I speak of Laura Guerin who was seriously injured in military exercises in Fermoy yesterday. I am sure the House wishes to express its appreciation to members of the armed forces who undertake, even in peace time, a very dangerous and difficult job in which they put their lives at risk. It is appropriate, particularly in the light of current controversies about other matters affecting the Defence Forces, that the House should express its appreciation for the work of the armed forces at this time.

We extend our sympathies to Private Laura Guerin and hope she will make a successful recovery. We also extend good wishes for the recovery of the other four privates who were also injured. I am sure the House would also want me to ask the Minister to report on these matters in due course. He informed me last night that he had ordered an immediate technical inquiry and that as soon as all the facts are known to him he would like to make a statement to the House.

I would like to be associated with the concerns expressed by the Taoiseach and the Leader of the Fine Gael Party, but I am concerned about another matter. Perhaps the Taoiseach could explain why a motion to note the commencement of the United Nations Human Rights Year on 10 December agreed to be taken on today's Order of Business has been removed and why our amendments to that were not accepted without debate. I presume the Government is not opposed to our amendments.

As Deputy Quinn correctly said, it was intended that we would have a non-substantive motion prepared to mark the commencement of the UN Human Rights Year and that was done. As the Deputy is aware, a number of amendments were put forward by his party which were substantial and not related only to that motion.

Most of the amendments related to the terms of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment but we would need time to prepare a debate on that. A Bill is also in preparation on these issues.

A non-substantive motion was prepared to mark the commencement today of the UN Human Rights Year. This is an important year which will culminate in 12 months time in the 50th anniversary of the signing of the universal declaration. It was not possible to deal with the motion on today's Order of Business because of the detailed amendments which were tabled.

Are the proposals for dealing with Nos. 8a and 8 agreed to? We cannot proceed with questions on the Order of Business until agreement is reached.

I do not want to be disruptive. Today marks the commencement of the UN Human Rights Year.

The Deputy may raise the issue at the appropriate time.

With all due respect to the Ceann Comhairle, I think this is the appropriate time.

The House is currently considering proposals for dealing with Nos. 8a and 8. I call on Deputy De Rossa to comment on the Army incident.

I want to add my voice to the comments already made on the injuries to Laura Guerin and her four colleagues. I wish them a speedy and full recovery. To a large extent, we underrate and underestimate the role the Army plays in the security of the State, international affairs and peacekeeping. We should find some way of marking their contribution.

I want to get the agreement of the House on the proposals for dealing with Nos. 8a and 8.

My party will not agree to those until such time as we get an explanation from the Taoiseach on the non-substantive motion. If we get such an explanation we will happily agree to the proposals and not divide the House on the issue.

The Government proposed, and we supported, a non-substantive motion to mark the commencement of this UN Human Rights Year. In view of the fact that a former President of this State holds the highest UN post an Irish person has ever held and has specific responsibility in the area of human rights, we thought it would be appropriate, without debate, to note that Ireland would support three particular measures. The measures referred to are the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Protocol No. 7 to the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights. We were proposing that these matters, which I presume are not opposed by the Government parties, be taken without debate. The Taoiseach's reply that the Government was not prepared for a debate was not appropriate as the matter did not require any debate or preparation.

The House can have a substantive debate on the issue in the new year but we wanted the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to receive some kind of recognition on the commencement of a year dedicated to human rights from the country from which she comes. I ask the Taoiseach to reconsider this item. Otherwise, among all the nations of the world, Ireland will be silent on the day on which the UN Human Rights Year commences.

It is completely out of order for the Deputy to make a statement at this point.

I was well briefed on this issue. If the object of what we are trying to do is to have a non-substantive motion prepared for this occasion, I ask the Deputy to consider supporting the motion which was tabled. The Labour Party tabled amendments to the motion with which I have no great difficulty but they are outside of the remit of what we are proposing.

What was wrong with them?

These are amendments to conventions which this country has not yet signed and which require legislation. If amendments are introduced now, there must be some debate on them. It is a little odd to suggest, without debate, amendments to motions regarding conventions which this country has not yet signed.

I acknowledge the commencement of the UN Human Rights Year with a non-substantive motion. That is still my wish and it can be done today, tomorrow or next week. The other issues will be debated in the context of legislation which will be introduced next year by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I hope that explanation is clear.

We cannot debate the matter further.

We can have a short five minute discussion or a vote which will take longer.

The question is: "That the proposals for dealing with Nos. 8a and 8 be agreed to”.

The Dáil divided: Tá, 70; Níl, 63.

  • Ahern, Bertie.
  • Ahern, Dermot.
  • Ahern, Michael.
  • Ahern, Noel.
  • Ardagh, Seán.
  • Aylward, Liam.
  • Brady, Johnny.
  • Brady, Martin.
  • Brennan, Matt.
  • Brennan, Séamus.
  • Briscoe, Ben.
  • Browne, John (Wexford).
  • Byrne, Hugh.
  • Callely, Ivor.
  • Carey, Pat.
  • Collins, Michael.
  • Cooper-Flynn, Beverley.
  • Coughlan, Mary.
  • Cowen, Brian.
  • Cullen, Martin.
  • Daly, Brendan.
  • de Valera, Síle.
  • Dennehy, John.
  • Ellis, John.
  • Fahey, Frank.
  • Fleming, Seán.
  • Flood, Chris.
  • Foley, Denis.
  • Fox, Mildred.
  • Hanafin, Mary.
  • Harney, Mary.
  • Haughey, Seán.
  • Healy-Rae, Jackie.
  • Jacob, Joe.
  • Keaveney, Cecilia.
  • Kelleher, Billy.
  • Kenneally, Brendan.
  • Killeen, Tony.
  • Kirk, Séamus.
  • Kitt, Michael.
  • Lawlor, Liam.
  • Lenihan, Brian.
  • Lenihan, Conor.
  • Martin, Micheál.
  • McCreevy, Charlie.
  • McGennis, Marian.
  • McGuinness, John.
  • Moffatt, Thomas.
  • Molloy, Robert.
  • Moloney, John.
  • Moynihan, Donal.
  • O'Dea, Willie.
  • O'Donoghue, John.
  • O'Flynn, Noel.
  • O'Hanlon, Rory.
  • O'Keeffe, Batt.
  • O'Keeffe, Ned.
  • O'Malley, Desmond.
  • O'Rourke, Mary.
  • Power, Seán.
  • Roche, Dick.
  • Ryan, Eoin.
  • Smith, Brendan.
  • Smith, Michael.
  • Treacy, Noel.
  • Wade, Eddie.
  • Wallace, Dan.
  • Walsh, Joe.
  • Woods, Michael.
  • Wright, G.V.

Níl

  • Allen, Bernard.
  • Barrett, Seán.
  • Bell, Michael.
  • Broughan, Thomas.
  • Browne, John (Carlow-Kilkenny).
  • Bruton, John.
  • Bruton, Richard.
  • Burke, Liam.
  • Burke, Ulick.
  • Carey, Donal.
  • Clune, Deirdre.
  • Connaughton, Paul.
  • Cosgrave, Michael.
  • Coveney, Hugh.
  • Crawford, Seymour.
  • Creed, Michael.
  • D'Arcy, Michael.
  • De Rossa, Proinsias.
  • Deasy, Austin.
  • Deenihan, Jimmy.
  • Dukes, Alan.
  • Durkan, Bernard.
  • Farrelly, John.
  • Ferris, Michael.
  • Finucane, Michael.
  • Fitzgerald, Frances.
  • Flanagan, Charles.
  • Gilmore, Éamon.
  • Gormley, John.
  • Hayes, Brian.
  • Higgins, Joe.
  • Hogan, Philip.
  • Howlin, Brendan.
  • McCormack, Pádraic.
  • McGahon, Brendan.
  • McGinley, Dinny.
  • McGrath, Paul.
  • McManus, Liz.
  • Mitchell, Gay.
  • Mitchell, Jim.
  • Mitchell, Olivia.
  • Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.
  • Neville, Dan.
  • Noonan, Michael.
  • O'Keeffe, Jim.
  • O'Shea, Brian.
  • Owen, Nora.
  • Penrose, William.
  • Perry, John.
  • Quinn, Ruairí.
  • Reynolds, Gerard.
  • Ring, Michael.
  • Sargent, Trevor.
  • Sheehan, Patrick.
  • Shortall, Róisín.
  • Spring, Dick.
  • Stagg, Emmet.
  • Stanton, David.
  • Timmins, Billy.
  • Upton, Pat.
  • Wall, Jack.
  • Yates, Ivan.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies S. Brennan and Power; Níl, Deputies Barrett and Stagg.
Question declared carried.

Is the proposal for dealing with item No. 1 agreed to? Agreed.

Has any progress been made on drafting a resolution to condemn racism in our community because, while it is perfectly appropriate to be concerned about human rights worldwide, we have a problem of racist attitudes being displayed, on walls and in personal intercourse between people, in this country? The House needs to adopt, preferably before Christmas, an agreed motion condemning this phenomenon, and to show the sort of political leadership the country needs on this matter, which could get out of hand if not dealt with.

I share the Deputy's concern about the urgency of dealing with this. There is no question that tension in this area is rising, in a number of communities in particular. A motion is being drafted in the Department of Justice and I hope that at their meeting tonight the Whips can agree a time to take it.

The Fine Gael Party has tabled a motion, to which I am sure improvements will be made, which it will contribute to the debate this evening. The suggestions made by the Labour Party in another context will also be relevant.

The Taoiseach and former Taoiseach are committed to the strategic management initiative and, therefore, are very anxious to expedite the business of the House. We need to take No. 24 on today's Order Paper without debate. This item, in the name of the Labour Party, deals with the issue of racial discrimination, which Labour and Fine Gael wish to have resolved.

It is important that there is a debate on the matter.

Absolutely.

We need a debate rather than merely to pass a motion without debate. It is not only the terms of the resolution that are important but also the discussion in the House. This issue arose in the context of criticism of a Member's comments and the possibility that they might be misconstrued as representing a certain attitude in the House, which they do not. We need a formal debate in the House not necessarily today but when the motion is properly prepared so that party leaders and others can clearly express their abhorrence of any form of racism in our society. We should work on an agreed motion along those lines.

Deputy Bruton has tabled a motion, Deputy Quinn has tabled a Private Members' motion and the Government is drafting a motion. We should endeavour today to work upon our combined efforts so that we have a joint motion. If there is agreement on the best possible motion the debate can be held before the Christmas recess.

On a separate but related matter, will the Taoiseach indicate when the Geneva Convention (Amendment) Bill promised for this session will be brought before the House? Does he regard the deportation today of Olga Anisimova and her daughter Elena who sought refuge in the State as an appropriate way to mark International Human Rights Day?

There is a motion on the Order Paper to restore the Geneva Convention Bill and I hope it can be taken after the Christmas recess.

The Green Party supports the call for a debate on racial hatred. There is evidence it is growing. Yesterday the Taoiseach mentioned that the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Bill would be introduced in February. Previously it was mentioned that it would be introduced in late November. Why have the goalposts been moved? Will the Taoiseach consider establishing a select committee on food safety to ensure people can be questioned in public and public confidence in food is maintained?

The Select Committee on Health and Children can deal with the legislation. It was indicated the heads would be presented to Government in the autumn and the Bill would be introduced in February. That remains the position.

Two education Bills have been promised. This has been put in sharp relief by several recent revelations of problems at primary level in regard to class size and disadvantage. Has the Government agreed to the Education (No. 2) Bill and, if so, when will we see it? Although it has been referred to in the newspapers, it has not been published. Is the School Attendance Bill due to be published shortly?

The Education (No. 2) Bill was cleared by the Government yesterday and will be published on Friday. The School Attendance Bill is still under discussion. I understand it will be introduced in mid-l998.

That is not commensurate with the urgency the Taoiseach attributes to it.

It is being drafted.

It has been drafted.

Why did the Government of which the Deputy was a member not publish it?

I understand the Taoiseach, with the support of the leader of Fine Gael and other party leaders in the House, is proposing there would be an agreed motion on the question of racial discrimination to highlight our opposition to it to be negotiated by the Whips and, subject to agreement, taken in the House next week. Is that the intention? Our contribution to the drafting process is motion No. 24 in our name on the Order Paper.

When will the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Amendment) Bill which is being taken in the Seanad today be taken in the House?

I understand it will be dealt with in the Seanad this week and will be taken in the Dáil next week. I am anxious to have it signed into law before Christmas.

On the Government's legislative list there are five Bills dealing with environment and local government matters, including the housing of travellers, architectural protection and the funding of local government. None of these Bills has been published. Yet, this week the Minister for the Environment and Local Government published a Bill which was not included on the legislative list and which deals with the appointment of extra members to An Bord Pleanála. Does the Government attach a higher priority to the appointment of extra members to An Bord Pleanála than to the housing of travellers? When will we see the Bill dealing with the housing of travellers which the Taoiseach promised would be introduced before Christmas?

The Deputy will accept the purpose of the planning Bill to which he referred is to expedite planning appeals, which is a matter of great concern. The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Bill will be circulated in January. The Bill dealing with local government funding will be introduced shortly after Christmas.

The Taoiseach said on 4 December that the legislation dealing with the housing of travellers would be ready before Christmas. He is now saying it will be introduced in January. What has happened?

A particular section is creating difficulty. I have been trying for one month to have it finalised. I was told yesterday the Bill will be ready before Christmas. This will allow us to publish it in January.

Why has the Government turned its back on the issue of the export of live cattle to Egypt? Prior to the general election every Government Front Bench Member told the people of rural Ireland that the live cattle trade with Egypt would be reopened.

We must discuss legislation. Does the Taoiseach wish to comment?

As the Minister for Agriculture and Food is aware, farmers are losing £50 per head of cattle this week.

What about the election day letter?

Will the Taoiseach comment on this matter?

The Deputy will have ample opportunity to discuss these matters during the budget debate.

Will the Taoiseach stand up and tell the House if the Government is committed to reopening the live cattle trade with Egypt?

That is not in order at this stage. Deputies will have ample opportunity to discuss that matter in the debate on the Financial Resolutions.

The Taoiseach should not smile. He claims he knows all about the agricultural community. If he is not able to export beef to London, he will hardly be able to export it to Egypt.

The Deputy should resume his seat.

The Taoiseach has filleted the Minister for Agriculture and Food.

The back bone has been taken out of the Minister as well as out of T-bone steaks.

The Deputy must resume his seat, he is out of order.

I insist the Taoiseach should outline to the House Government policy on the export of live cattle to Egypt.

We cannot discuss Government policy on the Order of Business, except in relation to proposed legislation.

Fianna Fáil made an election promise in this regard.

Letters were sent to everyone.

The deadline for articles in The Connaught Tribune has passed.

Dr. Upton

When will the employment equality Bill, which is a watery version of the previous legislation, be published?

The legislation is currently with the Seanad.

Will the Taoiseach indicate if the legal difficulties surrounding the promised greyhound industry Bill have been overcome and, if so, when will the Bill be introduced?

I am told it is approaching the last bends, but they are difficult ones.

It is not even in the tracks yet, it has not even been drawn.

Can the Taoiseach indicate the progress that has been made on the Bill?

The Government received a legal opinion on the difficulty to which Deputy Deenihan referred. That will allow them progress the legislation further. However, I do not want to say the matter will be resolved because I am aware of the difficulties involved in the legislation. I am told considerable progress has been made following the receipt of that legal opinion.

How does the Government intend to insert into law the terms of the Dublin Convention on asylum seekers, given the mixed messages coming from the Government on asylum seekers and the current undefined status of the refugee Bill?

Is the Deputy referring to the refugee Bill before the House?

I am referring to the Dublin Convention which states that refugees must be dealt with in the country they first enter.

That decision was made two weeks ago. The Attorney General and the Minister for Justice have been discussing how that matter can be dealt with. The refugee Bill is before the House. The Minister has made progress with the UN Commissioner on Human Rights and will announce in the next few days how the existing applications will be dealt with.

As the Taoiseach will attend a summit this week at which the principal business discussed will be the enlargement of the Union, when will the contractual obligations Bill, which will allow mutual recognition of contracts to be extended to new members of the Union, be passed? Have other member states passed that legislation? Are we among those in arrears on this matter? On a related matter, how does the Taoiseach propose to mark the 25th anniversary of our accession to the European Union on 1 January next year?

The legislation to which the Deputy referred is in the queue in the Department of Justice, where there is a huge legislative programme. As I indicated a number of times, I do not have a precise date for when that legislation will be published. Approximately 20 Bills are at different stages in that Department. In fairness, the Department has published nine Bills and three more are ready to be published shortly.

Without mutual recognition of contracts, we cannot have a Single Market. It is pointless talking about extending the Single Market to new members unless we introduce legislation to recognise contracts.

We cannot discuss that now.

In view of the worrying signals from the world summit on climate change in Kyoto, which will conclude tomorrow, will the Taoiseach make time available next week for the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to report on the outcome of that very important world summit?

That is a good idea and, if possible, we will make time available to discuss the matter. I am conscious the time slots for next week are filling up rapidly but, if possible, we will include this matter. I think Deputy Gormley raised it yesterday.

The Taoiseach promised last week he would make time available to discuss this matter.

I can promise to make time available, but the Whips must make it available. In fairness to the Whip, he has reminded me that we have agreed to take four matters in one week.

The Taoiseach must keep his promises.

As there are no more than five sitting days before the recess, I refer the Taoiseach to the list of promised legislation, with particular reference to the justice area where some 28 Bills have been promised. Ten Bills on reform of criminal law have been promised, only one of which has been published and none of which has been passed by the House. One out of ten is barely a pass mark for the Government in terms of criminal law reform. Will the Taoiseach acknowledge we are living in a society where every 24 hours a person or persons are reported dead in suspicious circumstances? Will he take some initiative to ensure the safe society about which he spoke so glowingly in the run up to the recent general election?

Nine Bills have been published in this session—

One out of ten in criminal law.

— including a major criminal justice Bill. There is more involved than merely passing legislation. Legislation on the Statute Book must be implemented.

What about apprehending missing prisoners?

The Minister was proved 100 per cent correct in his actions on that.

It would be a great help if he apprehended the missing prisoners.

We will continue to press for the introduction and implementation of legislation. Crime is always a priority. While we have had much success in dealing with crime, the number of murders continues to be a major concern.

The Government was supposed to abolish crime.

There were supposed to be no more murders.

If we are to accommodate the Deputies offering, they should ask brief questions.

(Dublin West): Can the planning tribunal into the planning scandals proceed without delay? Has the principal reason for the delay been resolved? In a document laid before the Dáil, the chairman of the tribunal stated it was not related to the appointment of the legal team.

We cannot discuss this matter on the Order of Business. The Deputy must find another way to raise it.

(Dublin West): Taoiseach replied yesterday to a question on the planning tribunal.

The first part of the Deputy's question is in order. Would the Taoiseach like to comment on that?

The planning tribunal is proceeding. The difficulties have been resolved and the work of the Flood tribunal will proceed. I thought it would examine alleged planning scandals. If the Deputy knows of scandals he should make that information available to the tribunal.

I gave notice yesterday that I would ask the Taoiseach again this morning about the possibility of a debate on partnership for peace, as indicated by the Minister in the House. I am seeking a rational and reasoned debate to discuss the pros and cons of this matter. Is the Taoiseach in a position to respond this morning?

This will also be discussed at the Whips meeting tonight.

It will be the longest Whips meeting in history.

As it was indicated time would be made available for this discussion, will the Taoiseach ensure it is on the agenda for the Whips meeting?

When I asked the Taoiseach yesterday about the juvenile justice Bill he did not appear to be aware that such legislation was promised. He stated that matters relating to crime get priority. This is clearly not the case in regard to juvenile crime. The juvenile justice Bill passed Second Stage earlier this year. What is the reason for the delay in restoring the Bill to the Order Paper? When will it be published? We were promised it would be published before Christmas.

It is not correct to say I was not aware of this legislation. As I stated yesterday, the Bill has not proceeded because the Minister is examining detailed amendments. After the Bill passed Second Stage a large number of submissions and legal opinions were received. There are enough amendments to warrant the redrafting of the Bill and the officials are working their way through them. We can either proceed with a Bill that would be at variance with practically every group concerned or examine the submissions in detail. If it was only a case of taking a large number of amendments, I would suggest we proceed with the Bill, but I am advised by the draftsmen and others involved that the submissions change the Bill fundamentally. The matter will have to be examined in detail and this will be done over the Christmas break.

Our newspapers continue to publish horrific details of child sexual abuse. The inspectorate of child care services Bill would enable inquiries into child care abuse to be carried out and reports published. This important legislation would give children more protection. When will the Bill be published? It was due before Christmas and as it is very important legislation for the protection of children, what is the reason for the delay in publishing it?

The Bill is important and I agree it would be helpful if it were pushed through. I was told the Bill would take another year but I have asked for those involved to try to speed it up. At this stage, it will be several months before the Bill is available.

While we await the advent of the food safety Bill, are the Taoiseach, the Cabinet or the Minister for Agriculture and Food giving any consideration to supporting the initiatives by those developing new tests to detect BSE in animals prior to slaughter? Will the Minister for Agriculture and Food accept the test as it is an important food safety matter? It would give a lead over all other countries.

That is not promised legislation.

Mr. Coveney

Will the Taoiseach provide us with information on the reported existence of a secure corridor for Irish beef exports to and through the UK?

Considerable progress has been made following representations over the last week or ten days. I appreciate the efforts being made to make sure Irish trucks get through in at least some ports. I understand that will be extended to all ports and while the protests are still extremely large, the number of police engaged in making sure the trucks get through is also very substantial.

(Carlow-Kilkenny): I seek your advice on how to get an answer to a legitimate parliamentary question I tabled to the Department of the Environment and Local Government yesterday. I asked the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, the number of decisions he had rescinded since taking up office and he would not answer. He pretended that it would take——

Unfortunately, that cannot be dealt with on the Order of Business. If the Deputy contacts my office, he will be advised on the matter.

There was only one in Carlow.

(Carlow-Kilkenny): If democracy will not be respected in the House, I do not expect him to respect it down the country.

It is the exclusive democrats.

The Tánaiste might like to make a statement.

What did George Colley describe this as?

Low standards in high places.

The Deputy should contact my office.

(Dublin West): On a day set aside as human rights day, will the Taoiseach and the Government bring forward a simple amendment to the Refugee Act which would overcome the alleged legal difficulties that are delaying its implementation and which are causing ongoing uncertainty, suffering and trauma for many refugees? It could be sorted out by an amendment which could be put through the House in a day.

I answer this question practically every day. I do not object to that, but the Refugee Act cannot be implemented until the High Court injunction is dealt with. This is preventing the appointment of the refugee applications commissioner. No applications can be processed until the commissioner is appointed. That is the legal advice but, as I stated earlier, the UN commissioner and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform have concluded an agreement on how existing applications can be dealt with and details of that will be announced in the next few days.

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