Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive presentation. I share the concerns expressed about the Bedouin village in the occupied territories. I am pleased to have received a note on the issue from the Department. When we discussed the matter in the Seanad, I emphasised that this was a classic example of the policy of eviction, dispossession and demolition that was being relentlessly pursued as part of the Israeli occupation. In many cases, albeit not all, its purpose is to allow for the expansion of Israeli settlements. I am glad that the Department has put this in writing. We have tabled a motion asking the Minister to contact his Israeli counterpart about the issue and to write to the Israeli military's chief-of-staff to oppose the measure. There is no point in the joint committee discussing the issue if we do not let the Israelis know what the Irish point of view is. While our view may not be shared by the rest of the European Union, we should not to worry about it acting in unison as it takes some time for it to do anything in unison.

The Government has taken a very important case involving the United Kingdom's treatment of the so-called hooded men to the European court. The Minister has spoken about this issue. Will he outline the current position in the case and when he expects a determination to be made? The case is about more than the 14 men involved. In 1978 the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg overturned a previous decision in the men's case and this decision was interpreted aggressively by the former US President, George Bush, to use his description. As a result, countries that we consider to be democracies are using the 1978 ruling on the so-called five techniques - subjecting prisoners to noise, depriving them of sleep, food and fluid and using stress positions - as grounds for permitting torture. It is incumbent on Ireland to ensure this decision is overturned.

Despite the significant improvement in relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom, the British Government has not handed over the files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. I am not sure if the Government has formally requested the files. The files on the Birmingham Six will remain sealed and unavailable to the general public until 2069. What are the British authorities hiding in these files? Anne Cadwallader's excellent book, Lethal Allies, shows the collusion in which the British state engaged and the murder gangs it had in operation.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply on the case of Ibrahim Halawa. Concerns have been raised about the torture of Mr. Halawa and the Irish ambassador to Egypt saw bruising on his back which had been caused in beatings received in prison. Doughty Street Chambers and Amal Clooney, who are involved in the case, have written an opinion on the torture, to which Mr. Halawa has been subjected. Ms Clooney is also involved in the hooded men case which, in some senses, brings me full circle. Reprieve, a human rights organisation, has also concluded that Mr. Halawa has been subject to torture and has listed some of the things done to him. They include the use of whips, chains, blindfolds and electric shocks, the denial of medical treatment, psychological torture by prison guards, being held in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions and solitary confinement, the provision of inadequate food and the denial of access to a lawyer. The Taoiseach recently stated in the Dáil that Mr. Halawa was facing lesser charges. Mr. Halawa's legal team has confirmed to me that he is still facing the death sentence and that the charges against him have not been reduced. The Taoiseach's statement was tantamount to misleading the Dáil.