It is proposed to take items Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 today with item No. 4 beginning at 6.30 p.m. for an hour and a half.
Order of Business.
First of all, I would like to say I have no intention of being disruptive of the business of the House. I realise and appreciate very much, as we all do, the time we have spent already today discussing what is a central issue in our lives and the life of this country at this moment. I also appreciate that some of the business ordered for today and tomorrow, in particular the Air Navigation and Transport Bill, is a matter of some urgency. The other matters ordered are important but not earth-shattering. In view of the events of the past couple of days I think it would be not just appropriate but pressing that this House should have an indepth discussion on the current security situation.
Already on the Order Paper there are two motions which have become relevant and urgent. Motion No. 44 in the names of Senators O'Toole and Norris refers to extradition. My group would like to see the position on extradition clarified once and for all in this House at this point. We see that motion as a matter or urgency because we have seen over the past week or so, and we saw at the weekend in Galway, an orchestrated campaign to convey misinformation on this subject. It is appropriate in this House that now is the time to have the position spelled out.
Item No. 50 on the Order Paper has also become even more urgent since I tabled it last Friday. We now have very definite evidence that the source of the guns and the bomb equipment is Libya. This is a matter of great public importance. This country wants to know very clearly what is the relationship between our country and Libya, what is the relationship between our Government and Libya, what is the relationship between our Taoiseach and the leader of that country, given that it is now clear that the source of these deadly weapons is from that country, that there is interference in a murderous form on an unprecedented scale in the internal affairs of this country.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
This has become too much, Senator.
That is why I am asking the Leader of the House to make available today as a matter of urgency an opportunity to Members of this House to discuss these and other matters concerning Enniskillen, the kidnapping and the gun running on the unprecedented scale to which this country has been subjected in recent times.
I discussed this matter before the sitting of the Seanad with Senator Manning. We have already had words on what happened in Enniskillen. There are serious underlying issues about what happened over the past two weeks which we have not debated and which are very important. The Dáil debated these issues yesterday at some length. It is appropriate, now that we have expressed our sympathy to the relatives of those who died in Enniskillen, that we should take our responsibilities seriously in the Seanad and that the Leader of the House should allow an opportunity to debate the very serious underlying issues such as extradition, Libya, the role of Sinn Féin in the House tonight. I do not mind if the Leader of the House says there is no time. It is so important that we should sit an extra three or four hours if necessary. It would be wrong if as a House we were not allowed to debate one of the most appalling weeks in the history of the State.
I simply want to say that, with all the restraint and remarks we have made we, as legislators, have an obligation to address the issues involved in what we have talked about for so long and so sincerely from all sides of the House. Therefore, I agree with Senator Manning. We should find a way and I appeal to the Leader through you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, to find a way to enable the issues to be debated.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
The Leader of the House to conclude on the Order of Business.
Everybody in this House is in sympathy with the wishes of people to discuss matters appertaining to what happened in this country over the past fortnight. It is a matter for the Government to decide on the issue of extradition. The Taoiseach will be making a statement on that in good time and we will have an opportunity after he makes the statement to discuss that matter here. A motion is down for discussion and I presume it will be reached. The underlying issues mentioned by Senator Ross and Senator Ryan have not gone astray from the Government party either. I will not allow a debate today but, when the Taoiseach makes his statement on extradition, we can have a debate in this House.
As regards item No. 50, it is a motion put down in the normal way and signed by three Members of the House. I do not want to go in depth into that issue. The Government, the Garda, the Army and the Department of Foreign Affairs are investigating everything that had to do with the purported attempted importation of guns. When we get the full details on that it may be that a debate can take place. I do not think it would be appropriate to go into detail in this House or, indeed, in the Dáil on matters pertaining to the very serious crimes that happened over the past few weeks.
The Garda Commissioner met with the chief police officer in the North today. The new commissioner has a very serious task confronting him. He and the Government are looking at the matters raised here and being raised in other places. I do not think that the time is appropriate and I do not think we would gain very much by getting into a short discussion here, whether it be for two, three or four hours, on the matters raised. Having said that, we do perceive that they are being raised in a serious manner in the House.
If the Leader of the House is saying that matters which are being discussed in every public forum in this country from the "Gay Byrne Hour" to John Bowman to Brian Farrell are not appropriate for Members of this House I must, with respect, disagree with him. As I have said, I do not want to be disruptive but unless I can get an assurance from the Leader of the House that time will be set aside, even tomorrow, for a number of hours for a debate on the underlying causes of our present distress, I am afraid we will have to oppose the Order of Business today.
Question put: "That the Order of Business be Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4."
The Seanad divided: Tá, 24; Níl, 19.
Tá
- Bohan, Edward Joseph.
- Byrne, Sean.
- Cassidy, Donie.
- Doherty, Michael.
- Fallon, Sean.
- Farrell, Willie.
- Fitzgerald, Tom.
- Fitzsimons, Jack.
- Haughey, Seán F.
- Mulroy, Jimmy.
- O'Callaghan, Vivian.
- O'Connell, John.
- Kiely, Dan.
- Kiely, Rory.
- Lanigan, Mick.
- Lydon, Donal.
- McEllistrim, Tom.
- McGowan, Patrick.
- McKenna, Tony.
- Mooney, Paschal.
- Mullooly, Brian.
- O'Toole, Martin J.
- Ryan, William.
- Wallace, Mary.
Níl
- Bradford, Paul.
- Bulbulia, Katharine.
- Cregan, Denis.
- Daly, Jack.
- Doyle, Joe.
- Fennell, Nuala.
- Ferris, Michael.
- Harte, John.
- Hogan, Philip.
- Kelleher, Peter.
- Kennedy, Patrick.
- McCormack, Padraic.
- McMahon, Larry.
- Manning, Maurice.
- Norris, David.
- O'Shea, Brian.
- Reynolds, Gerry.
- Ross, Shane P. N.
- Ryan, Brendan.
Tellers: Tá, Senators W. Ryan and S. Haughey; Níl, Senators J. Daly and Cregan.
Question declared carried.