Order of Business - 23rd March 2006

Order of Business - 23rd March 2006
Mr. Norris: Like everyone else in the House, I welcome the ceasefire announced by ETA. I salute the work done by people like Fr. Alec Reid, of which I learned this morning on the radio. However, before we cover ourselves in congratulations that the Irish model was followed in the ceasefire, we should reflect on the fact that at the beginning of the campaign ETA took its inspiration and its filthy trade of death from the thugs of the IRA, on which it was modelled. There is no unqualified cause of congratulations here today.
Dr. Mansergh: ETA began before the IRA.
Mr. Norris: While I am pleased they have at last learnt, it is a great pity that so many innocent civilians, including women and children, had to be slaughtered by these people. It is time they woke up. They are a disgrace to Europe just as are the provisional thugs.
I would like to have a debate on the privatisation of Aer Lingus, which was discussed yesterday by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport. It is clear that the answers given by the Government in the other House were until recently unsatisfactory and incorrect. There should be no difficulty about the State investing in Aer Lingus; we have invested in a number of other airlines, including British Airways. I do not understand why we should not invest in our own airline. It is a cause of concern to some of us that the person appointed to advise on the disastrous Eircom situation is now being invited by the Government to advise on Aer Lingus. We know what happened to Eircom, which was a flop. Far from investing in it, the so-called “fat cats” came in, asset stripped it and we now have one of the worst services in Europe because of a total lack of investment.
We should also investigate the operation of the redress board in which this House played an important role. I have been approached by a number of people who say they were abused 40 years ago or more. They have waited all this time and because of delays in the system and an insufficient number of judges, they are still being denied justice.