Order of Business - 7th June 2006

Order of Business - 7th June 2006
Mr. Norris: Following from what Senator Bradford said, I agree we should continue to examine this very important area of public life. Although it was an important debate in its way, this House was prevented last week from fulfilling its constitutional role as the amending Chamber by virtue of the fact that the Dáil was allowed to evaporate and there was no possibility whatever of amendments being taken. That clearly undercuts the role of this House. We were also faced with what amounted to a guillotine. That is very regrettable. I call on the Acting Leader to ensure, through his good offices, this never happens again in this Chamber.
Mr. Coghlan: Hear, hear.
Mr. Norris: I ask that we secure copies of the Marty report and have it circulated it to all Members and have an early debate on this matter. The subject of CIA rendition flights has been ventilated in the House already. The report was published in Paris this morning. What people like myself have been saying for the past couple of years has been absolutely vindicated. Ireland has been, to use a phrase sometimes employed on this side of the House, named and shamed. It has clearly been stated that we have been implicated. I was able to do that by an analysis of the flight paths of the aeroplanes and use the information supplied by courageous people such as Tim Hourigan and Ed Hogan in Shannon. It was perfectly clear that whatever else, on a number of occasions, aircraft were used illegally to kidnap and transport people illegally to places of torture and then we facilitated them knowingly on the return journey by refuelling them. It is a cause of shame and the response of the Department of Foreign Affairs is inadequate, pusillanimous and contemptible. It says there is nothing new in it. If that is the case why did they not face up to this? I call upon the House to reinstate the commission which collapsed due to lobbying from Clare County Council. It is time this Parliament took responsibility and exhibited its authority by refusing to be dominated by people who, though elected in a local area, are not elected to this national Parliament. This network of torture facilitation throughout Europe has been described as a spider’s web.
I request a discussion on the development of the new children’s hospital. As a resident of Dublin’s northside I am, in one sense, pleased that this facility should be hosted by the Mater Hospital, it is a fine hospital with new development proposals in process. However, it has been suggested in the media that the location of the new children’s hospital was chosen because it is located in the Taoiseach’s constituency. Such matters must be addressed to set the minds of the general public at ease. Strong cases are also being made for other hospitals, such as St. James’s so we need the full facts. Professor Drumm, the chief executive of the Health Service Executive, has indicated that criteria such as public accessibility, speed of construction and so on were taken into account. If this is the case we need to clearly place this matter on the record so we know the best services are being provided on behalf of the children of this country.

I join with other Senators in calling for a debate on the report of the Council of Europe into the issue of rendition. I have only had a brief opportunity to go through the documentation that has been released today but I believe the report lacks credibility.
Mr. Norris: It does not.
Mr. Dooley: It lacks credibility because it makes allegations——
Mr. Ryan: We know who——
Mr. Dooley: ——that are baseless.
Mr. Norris: Why did Senator Dooley oppose our own inquiry then?
An Leas-Chathaoirleach: Senator Dooley should be allowed to speak without interruption.
Mr. Dooley: No evidence is provided to back up the allegations. Emotive language is spattered throughout the report, such as phrases like “spider’s web” and “collusion”. This clearly shows the report lacks objectivity.
Mr. Ryan: It does not show that to me.
Mr. Dooley: It is evident that Senator Marty has come to this matter with a biased opinion and created a report around it. I strongly reject the use of the word “collusion” in reference to the Government.
Mr. Norris: It is nothing else.
Mr. Dooley: If one gets a dictionary definition of the word “collusion”, it refers to a secret agreement between two or more parties for a fraudulent, illegal or deceitful purpose.
Mr. Norris: Exactly.
Mr. Dooley: Are we as parliamentarians prepared to accept that the Government is involved in this——
Mr. Dooley: ——considering that the Government has sought and received assurances from the US Administration——
Mr. Norris: Which are not worth much.
Mr. Dooley: ——as to whether prisoners are going through Shannon Airport?
Mr. Norris: That is not the question.
Mr. Dooley: It has been given assurances that no prisoners have been brought through the airport.
We talk about indictments and the way in which Ireland has been besmirched by this issue. In the report I have received there are three lines which use the emotive language of collusion and makes reference to the preponderance of evidence gathered. It lists Shannon Airport as being among those airports used for rendition flights and goes on to say these airports are points at which aircraft land and refuel, mostly on the way home.
The major debate in both Houses has concerned the passage of prisoners through the airport. The report found no evidence that prisoners were being transported through the airport but we are now changing the dynamics of the debate.
(Interruptions).
Mr. Dooley: We are now prepared to water it down and are concerned about the refuelling of airplanes. Where will it stop?
An Leas-Chathaoirleach: Is Senator Dooley seeking a debate on the issue?
Mr. Dooley: It is important that we have a debate on this issue so that we can tease out the details of this report and show it up for what it is, namely, a baseless and biased report that lacks any credibility because it contains no evidence to back up its claims.
Mr. Norris: Senator Dooley has not read the report.
Mr. Norris: Can the Acting Leader clarify something?
Mr. Dardis: No.
Mr. Norris: He appeared to state that so-called extraordinary rendition was not illegal.
Mr. Dardis: I did not say that.
Mr. Norris: Can he confirm that he implied this is the Government’s position?
Mr. Dardis: I did not say that.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach: Senator Norris is out of order.
Order of Business agreed to.