Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am not a committee member but I am delighted to attend the hearing this afternoon. Ms Crowley made a powerful argument on the need for an independent investigation into the rendition case. Over the weekend she may have heard the European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, referring to this issue of rendition at a conference in the Burren in Ballyvaughan. Her speech at the Burren law school was the subject of a report in The Irish Timesyesterday by Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. Emily O'Reilly stated she felt it was an instance which showed the need for an office of guardian of the public interest to be established to prevent this type of issue from arising in the future. Her point was there is nobody who could pre-emptively challenge the Government of the day on the practice of extraordinary rendition or another practice where there is a view the Government is acting illegally. Does Amnesty International have a view on this question? It is a slightly different question and is not with regard to investigating what has gone on but on a mechanism which could be established to stop it happening in the future.