Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too have been involved in visits to the North with other Deputies and have visited Maghaberry on five occasions. We have been at pains to point out that we have no interest in dissident IRA activity or anything of that nature. We visited Maghaberry on the basis that there were human rights issues to be addressed, in the context of how prisoners were being treated. Some of the issues have been resolved, but others have not.

As Deputy Daly mentioned, the remand issue is a huge concern. For people to be held for over two years without trial is crazy. This is a form of internment and does not stack up. Given that the situation outside can be very volatile, such issues just throw diesel on the fire and make little sense. Strip searching is another issue for prisoners. Republican prisoners who were leaving the prison in the custody of the police and returning to prison without having left their sight were being strip searched on their return to the prison. I do not see how this can be justified and one must suspect an element of humiliation is involved. This is not right and should be challenged.

The general perception in republican communities is one of distrust of the legal and prison system and the events of the past few years have heightened this distrust. The peace process was built on creating confidence in shared institutions, but this is something that can be easily undermined and, therefore, needs careful attention. The cross-party group has visited a number of people in the North, including the Justice Minister, David Ford. It was good that he was prepared to meet us, but I found him a bit intransigent. I pointed out to him that not all is perfect in the South either and we have no right to throw stones. I pointed out to him that our treatment of the Traveller community here has been deplorable and that the end result is that many male Travellers get involved in crime because they have been disconnected from mainstream society and do not feel part of it. If the Northern Ireland authorities do not adopt an inclusive policy and treat everybody fairly the situation could be similar. Chickens come home to roost and discrimination is not a good long-term approach to take.

Like Deputy Daly, I looked at the UN special rapporteur's report on housing last September, in which she addressed the issue of housing inequality in north Belfast. It is sad that tribal politics could interfere in the provision of proper housing for people of either persuasion. The research carried out by the group found that 38% if residents in north Belfast were living in homes with damp, that 89% were unhappy with the heating system in their homes and 71% reported their housing had a negative impact on their health. This is a serious concern.

The issue of abortion has also been raised. Sadly, despite enactment of the Abortion Act in Britain in 1967, it was never extended to Northern Ireland. Women in Northern Ireland who want to access abortion must travel to mainland Britain to do so, much like women in the South.

I also find this strange.

From what I can gather, in the North a huge proportion of working-class Protestants are every bit as aggrieved as working-class Catholics with how they are treated. Neoliberalism seems to be applied in Northern Ireland in the same measure as it is in the South. I am disappointed that Sinn Féin and the DUP have not had the strength to stand up to it, no more than the Government here. It is sad that neoliberalism seems to be the order of the day for anyone in political power in the developed world.

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