Vol. 498 No. 5
94 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the significant public concern at the continued use of the death penalty in the United States; and the initiative, if any, he has taken to persuade the international community to abandon this punishment. [28006/98]
I would like to reiterate the Government's total opposition to the use of the death penalty and I would also assure the Deputy that I am committed to availing of every opportunity to press for its abolition. I was particularly pleased at the success of the resolution on this issue in two consecutive years at the Commission on Human Rights. This has made it very clear that a growing number of countries do not accept use of the death penalty. I believe that this growing conviction must be carefully sustained and strengthened by encouraging more states to support this view.
In this regard, I am pleased to say that the EU has formally recognised the importance of the issue by adopting a set of guidelines for EU initiatives on the issue of the death penalty. At a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers last June, it was decided to strengthen the Union's international activities in opposition to the death penalty, as an integral part of its human rights policy. Consequently, the Union now works towards the uni-versal abolition of the death penalty as a strongly held policy agreed by all member states.
The use of the death penalty in a regrettably large number of countries, including the United States, is of concern to the Government. On a national basis, and in co-operation with EU partners, we have intervened in a number of cases of particular concern, including the recently much-publicised case of Karla Faye Tucker. I would refer the Deputy to my statement to the House on 3 February last on this sad case. More recently, the Austrian Presidency, on behalf of the European Union, called upon the State of Texas to stop the execution of Mr. Stan Faulder who had been on death row for 21 years. The US Supreme Court subsequently ordered a stay of execution to allow time to consider an appeal.
I would also like to commend the initiative taken by the Chairman of the Oireachtas Sub-Committee on Human Rights, Deputy Gay Mitchell, in bringing to the attention of the US authorities his Committee's opposition to the continued use of the death penalty there.
