I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe, to the House. Amendment No. 1 has been ruled out of order.
Defence Forces (Second World War Amnesty and Immunity) Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages
Amendment No. 1 not moved.
Section 1 agreed to.
Section 2 agreed to.
Amendment No. 2 has been ruled out of order.
Amendment No. 2 not moved.
Section 3 agreed to.
Sections 4 and 5 agreed to.
Title agreed to.
Bill reported without amendment and received for final consideration.
Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."
I compliment the Government and the Minister of State on the sensible way this matter has been handled. Unfortunately, other appointments meant I could not speak on Second Stage. I regret that. A very good job was done, despite the fact that I was not here to make some points, but they were made.
I regret the fact that the proposers of amendments, by their absence, did not allow us an opportunity to discuss them. The amendments were significant. It is interesting and should be remarked upon that Sinn Féin supports the Bill. Its members had certain interests of their own in mind which should be noted, but they supported the Bill. That is a very welcome development.
People who were unjustly and harshly treated because they did honour to the country in fighting against the greatest tyranny known in recent centuries and were punished, penalised and held in contempt and dishonour have at last been recognised for the splendid work they did. That is particularly welcome when one considers that out at Fairview, there is a monument to someone I would not put in anything like the same category, General Seán Russell of the IRA, who died on a U-boat coming back from Nazi Germany to do mischief in this country.
I am glad that the Government has chosen this time to rectify a great injustice and I applaud it for so doing, the Minister of State for handling it so well and my colleagues for passing the Bill in such an appropriate manner.
I join Senator David Norris in complimenting the Minister of State and the Minister for Defence, Deputy Alan Shatter. I had the opportunity to speak on Second Stage. As Senator David Norris has said, this is a significant little measure. It is good that it was approved unanimously by this House. I say well done to the Minister of State.
I agree with the sentiments of Senators David Norris and Paul Coghlan. We said much when the Minister for Defence was in the House for the debate on Second Stage. He piloted the Bill through the Parliament wonderfully. The Bill means more reconciliation and friendship on this island. That is always good and I hope we will be willing to take whatever remaining measures are needed.
People like Tom Kettle and Francis Ledwidge who died in wars against tyranny have been mentioned. In the university constituency I share with Senator David Norris five people on the list of war dead have the same names as former Taoisigh. There is a Fitzgerald, a Kenny, a Lynch, a Lemass and a Cowen.
This is a great reconciliation of our society. I appreciate the problems there were at the beginning. If all 42,000 people in the Army had left, we would have been in trouble, but 80,000 people, including those to whom the Government is extending an amnesty, fought against the tyranny. There is a Holocaust Memorial near the Bundestag in Berlin to attempt a reconciliation and this is our contribution. The Minister for Justice and Equality hopes to organise a meeting with the 100 or so surviving veterans to formally close this chapter in our history as the country moves on to reconciliation and furthering the peace process. This is splendid legislation and I thank the Minister of State.
I welcome the Minister of State. This is good legislation which closes a chapter in history. World War II was not that long ago and many people are alive today with fresh and painful memories of it. It is strange when one thinks that people usually desert to get away from action as a matter of conscience or because they do not want to face battle, but the people concerned left a peaceful country to go into battle, which is unusual. They joined an army of another country to fight on the same side against the Nazis and the imperialist forces in the far east that threatened the world's stability. We can all relate to the war in some way because our parents or our grandparents can recall it. When I was in the Philippines as a young student in the late 1970s, I visited American war graves. There were 18,000 names in a marble room. One of the names was James Harte aged 21, which was not far off my age at the time. The war is still raw in this country and throughout the world. If those who were dismissed and regarded as traitors of the country read the transcript of the debate, they will see they are being recognised as people who put their lives at risk to defend the democracy we are participating in today in the House. I thank the Minister of State and congratulate the Department.
I concur with previous speakers. We had a magnanimous discussion on Second Stage, to which I contributed, and I am glad the legislation is about to be passed. We should understand the difficulties during the war and why people deserted to join other armies. On mature reflection, they did so to protect the world against anarchy, chaos and dictatorship and the passage of the legislation is well merited in that regard.
I thank Senators for their comments and acknowledgement of this important legislation. The Minister for Justice and Equality took Second Stage and I spoke to him afterwards. He mentioned there was agreement across the House and he wished to acknowledge all the Senators for their contributions. Senator Jimmy Harte made an eloquent contribution to the debate and I would like him to take a message back to his father that we acknowledge the work he has done in this area for a long number of years, much of which went unrecognised in the early years. When he was a Member of the Lower House, he pursued that work in a quiet way and never sought media attention. He was one of the first Members to introduce the poppy to the Oireachtas.
A specially adapted one with a shamrock.
That is correct. I again thank Members for their contributions to this important legislation. It remedies an issue from the past as we recognise the war dead and their families. I thank the Cathaoirleach, the House and the officials for accommodating the Bill.
Question put and agreed to.
When is it proposed to sit again?
At 2.30 p.m. next Tuesday.