Vol. 476 No. 5
9 Ms Keogh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, he will take with Sinn Féin and the small loyalist parties to ask them to desist from punishment beatings in Northern Ireland which leave hundreds of people maimed for life as a result of these brutalities. [7549/97]
I refer the Deputy to my earlier response to Question No. 6.
I agree with the Deputy in utterly deploring these barbaric practices. The Government has repeatedly put on record its total condemnation of them, and this has been made abundantly clear in the contacts we have had with Sinn Féin and the loyalist parties.
I again avail of this opportunity to call for every effort on the part of everyone with influence on the situation, and particularly these parties, to ensure that everything possible is done to put an end to these inhuman attacks.
If the future of Northern Ireland is to be, as we all wish, an inclusive, peaceful and law abiding society that protects and values all its citizens equally, this atrocious form of behaviour must cease.
Question No. 6 in my name dealt with related matters. Will the Tánaiste comment on the purported banishing of citizens from Northern Ireland and the concealment of bodies of people who have been murdered by Sinn Féin-IRA?
We have availed of numerous opportunities to convey our concerns to those in the various parties in Northern Ireland who may have knowledge or may be able to influence the return of bodies so that families might be allowed the chance to grieve for their loved ones, something of which they have been deprived for many years. We have conveyed the Government's views in the strongest terms in seeking assistance from those who may be able to influence those who carried out such acts.
I was unable to contribute earlier when Deputy O'Malley referred to the beatings. My party leader, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and I in our contacts with Sinn Féin have made a strong case about the unacceptability of punishment beatings. We have tried to impress upon Sinn Féin the need to use its influence to stop them. They are inhuman attacks. I referred earlier to the abuse of human rights in Turkey. We cannot refer to such acts many hundreds of miles away without mentioning those which take place much closer to home. No party can condone such behaviour. I hope the Tánaiste will advance the strong view of my party on such attacks when next he makes representations on the matter.
I welcome the views of Deputy Burke and Deputy Ahern on this issue. Their abhorrence of such behaviour is shared by all Members of the House. Punishment beatings or the threat of them are unacceptable in civil society.
