andMr. Kirk asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress that has been made with the British and Northern authorities regarding the removal of the British Army from the Rangers GAA club grounds at Crossmaglen, County Armagh; the compensation that has been offered by these authorities to the Crossmaglen Rangers GAA club for the continued occupation and wanton damage to the property; the number of occasions since 1 January 1983 that the Minister and the Taoiseach have raised these matters with the Northern Ireland Office, the British Foreign Office, the British Home Office, or any other British Government Department; the names of the officials and/or Ministers with whom they discussed these matters; the locations of the meetings which they had with these officials or Ministers; the number of times that written communication issued between the Minister, the Taoiseach and other British Ministers or officials regarding this problem since 1 January 1983; and if he will make a statement to the House on these serious matters.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Armagh GAA Club Grounds.
The problems faced by Crossmaglen Rangers GAA Club are a matter of serious concern to the Government. Currently there are three main issues in contention between the club and the British authorities.
The first is the retention within the British Army base of land owned by the GAA. Some progress was made on this question in 1980 when part of the land requisitioned by the Army from the GAA club was returned. However, some of the club's land still remains within the Army base. My efforts to have this land returned will continue.
The second issue is the use of a right of way across the entrance to the GAA ground by British troops. I have examined this problem with the representatives of the GAA and have pressed the British authorities to find a satisfactory solution to it.
The third question is that of compensation to the GAA club for damage suffered. This is a matter between the two parties concerned and is, I am informed, currently the subject of legal action. I have, however, made known to the British authorities my desire for a speedy and satisfactory settlement.
I can assure the House, as the Minister assured the GAA when he met a delegation on 25 March 1984, that we will continue to give the GAA all the assistance we can to help settle these outstanding difficulties as quickly as possible.
In so far as the latter part of the question is concerned, the Deputies will appreciate that details of diplomatic exchanges are a confidential matter between the parties concerned. They may rest assured, however, that the matter has been raised on numerous occasions with the British authorities, at both ministerial and official level, and will be raised as necessary in the future.
Would the Minister agree that the occupation of the Crossmaglen grounds by the British Army is a serious act of provocation against the Crossmaglen Rangers Club and the people of Crossmaglen in general?
This goes back to 1974. Since then it has been the policy not only of my Government but of successive Irish Governments to help in finding a solution to the problems raised and to ensure that the grounds will be handed back in toto to the Crossmaglen Rangers GAA club.
I should like to point out to the Minister of State that this problem has been going on since 1971. While we respect the confidentiality——
The Deputy should put a question.
The Chair should give me an opportunity to deal with this very sensitive matter.
I regret I cannot allow the Deputy to make a speech on this and it appears that he has every intention of doing so.
It is not my intention to make a speech but when the Ceann Comhairle continues to interrupt me he puts my thoughts astray. As a result my questions are longer than normal.
The Deputy should put a question without making a speech.
While we respect the confidentiality of negotiations, will the Minister of State tell us when was the last occasion negotiations took place between the Government, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Minister, and any official from the British Government of the Northern Ireland Office?
I do not consider it appropriate to be pinned down to dates. I can assure the Deputy——
Is the Minister in a position to name a month for us?
Within recent weeks there were discussions in relation to this.
By whom?
I can assure the Deputy that this matter is of serious concern to the Government, as it has been to previous administrations, and that our efforts to assist in finding a solution to the matter continue up to the present.
As this is the centenary year of the foundation of the GAA will the Minister inform the House if he has endeavoured to send any of his officials to Crossmaglen to make a factual report on the occupation of the grounds for the benefit of his Department and himself?
I am not certain whether there has been a recent visit by officials from my Department to Crossmaglen. The brief I have indicates that the matter is very well understood. I have a most detailed brief covering the situation over the last ten years, including maps and so on. The facts are well known to my Department. I should mention that in addition there have been discussions with the GAA recently, including discussions between representatives of the GAA and the Minister for Foreign Affairs in March.
Without my brief I should like to tell the Minister that when I was in charge of that Department officials went to see the Crossmaglen debacle. Will the Minister share my view that the tactics of the British Army in the area of Crossmaglen GAA sports complex amounts to nothing other than deliberate harassment of the community by them and that as a result of that deliberate harassment by the British authorities the community are being driven further and further away? Is the Minister aware that a stretch of ground owned by the Northern Ireland education authority could have been used by the British army as a right-of-way to their barracks rather than going through the GAA ground but they did not bother to use it?
In regard to harassment I should like to tell the House that my Department have expressed their concern to the British authorities about reported instances of harassment by British troops on a number of occasions. In regard to the specific point about the right-of-way I should like to state that over the years in relation to a number of alternative suggestion that were raised we have investigated those suggestions and attempted in our discussions with the British authorities to encourage them — more than encourage them — to find an alternative to release the ground in full to the Crossmaglen club.
I will allow a final supplementary from Deputy Treacy.
I am anxious to put a few supplementaries to the Minister of State. This is a serious matter and I respectfully suggest that we should not be debarred from asking supplementaries about it.
If the Deputy is of the opinion that the matter is worthy of considerable discussion and treatment — I do not disagree with him — he will have to find another occasion to do that. I should like to make it clear to the Deputy that it is not a question of him announcing that he intends asking several more supplementaries. I have control of Question Time and it is my business to exercise my discretion under the relevant Standing Orders. I have come to the conclusion that this matter has got a fair airing for Question Time. I will permit the Deputy to ask a final supplementary and that is all.
I appreciate the Chair's concern but I should like to point out that on two occasions in the last year Deputy Kirk and I have tried to raise this issue in the House by way of Private Notice Question and otherwise but we have been ruled out by the Chair's office.
The Deputies were not ruled out by my office. If they were ruled out they were ruled out by me in accordance with Standing Orders.
I appreciate that it was the Office of the Ceann Comhairle. There are a number of supplementaries I should like to put to the Minister.
I will allow one supplementary question from the Deputy.
Does the Minister of State regard this as a serious and urgent matter in view of the fact that it has been going on for 15 years.
That is repetition. It is perfectly clear from the replies given so far that the Minister has answered that question.
I am surprised that the Chair keeps constantly interrupting me. I may be a young Member but I am entitled to courtesy when I seek an opportunity to ask a question.
Perhaps I am trying to educate the Deputy. I suggest that the Deputy take time to read Standing Orders relating to Question Time.
I was a Member when the present occupant of the Chair was fairly stringent in asking supplementary questions.
I was not Ceann Comhairle.
I should like to know if the Minister of State, or the Minister for Foreign Affairs, visited the site in Crossmaglen. Is the Minister of State aware of the damage the British army have done to the grounds and that they used wire cutters on the perimeter fence to gain pedestrian entry rather than use the adequate number of gates into the pitch? Is the Minister of State aware that on numerous occasions the army erected roadblocks and delayed games for up to half an hour? Is he aware that they prevented members of the GAA club getting to games? Is the Minister of State aware that the army erected roadblocks on Sunday mornings, and on other occasions at Mass time and as a result delayed Mass for 30 minutes and, indeed, prevented people getting to Mass? Will the Minister agree that that amounts to provocation of the Nationalist community in that area and the people in Crossmaglen in general?
I fully understand the Deputy's strong feelings on this matter and I wish to confirm that we view the problem faced by the club with serious concern. In relation to the question of our knowledge of the situation at the grounds, I should like to state that we have received regular and numerous reports over the years about the problem. Recently we met a further delegation from the GAA and discussed the position with them. In relation to the harassment aspect we have raised this with the British authorities on a number of occasions.
The Minister in his reply recognised the urgency of the British army removing themselves from the grounds in Crossmaglen and I should like to know if he will make arrangements to go there to inspect the occupation of the grounds by the army?
The Deputy is inviting the Minister of State to travel but this time it is only to Crossmaglen.
I can assure the Deputy that if I felt it would be of the slightest assistance in coping with the problem I would be glad to go there straightaway. Indeed, I intend to do so on my next visit to Northern Ireland. However, the solution to the problem does not lie within my Department. We can only continue to bring the matter to the attention of the British authorities, to deal with the representations made to us and transmit them to the British authorities in an effort to find a solution.
I want to ask a final supplementary to get some information.
I am sorry but I am moving from that question.
I should like to ask the Chair for permission to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I will consider that request and communicate with the Deputy.