Vol. 253 No. 5
asked the Minister for justice what special training members of the Garda Síochána receive for the task of dealing with protest demonstrations in urban areas; what instructions have been issued to the Garda in relation to the matter; when these instructions were issued; and whether it is proposed to review them in the near future.
43.
asked the Minister for Justice the nature of the training given to members of the Garda Síochána in connection with the problem of dealing with demonstrations in urban areas; and the nature of the instructions issued to them in the matter.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 43 together.
The suggestion, coming at this particular time, that there is a need to review instructions to the Garda Síochána in relation to demonstrations contains an obvious innuendo in relation to incidents on a recent occasion outside the GPO in Dublin.
As four people stand charged with having committed offences on that occasion and as a reply to the questions would necessarily deal with issues that are liable to arise in those proceedings, I do not consider myself free to reply, as I would in effect be commenting on matters that are sub judice.
Will the Minister tell us more? There seem to be two sets of rules, one for the country demonstrators and another for the city demonstrators. Why was rough treatment meted out to the Dún Caoin people?
The matter is sub judice. There were not many country demonstrators. Most of them were from here in the city.
Question No. 44 postponed.
