Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I refer the Taoiseach to the legislation being put through the House of Commons today by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in respect of what are known as on-the-runs. A decision seems to have arisen from a side deal between the British Government and Sinn Féin to greatly broaden the ambit of this issue. This now seems to suggest that those responsible for over 2,000 murders can, if the law ever catches up with them, no matter where they have been or where they now live, avail of the amnesty and be released on licence. While the institutions are in suspension, is it not the case that in matters such as this the Government is free and is expected to make an input? Has such an input been made into the Hain Bill? Did the Taoiseach use the British-Irish Council to offer an Irish position in terms of the Hain legislation? Will he inform the House of the Government position?

There are obviously major differences between the Irish and British approaches to this issue. For example, in this jurisdiction there is no legislative overpinning of these arrangements. The Taoiseach said yesterday that the Irish numbers appeared to be approximately half a dozen and that these relate to people outside this jurisdiction. The British releases will be on licence, whereas the proposed Irish pardons will be absolute and irrevocable. Has the difference in approach between the two Governments resulted from the exclusion of the Irish Government from the negotiations on the recent concessions to the republican movement? Is that the explanation for the differences?

I accept we must draw a line in the sand on this issue, but it is critical, given the number of people who lost their lives and the numbers maimed and injured, that the process is open and transparent. What is proposed in the Hain legislation means that what goes on will go on behind closed doors and there will be no victim impact statement, as requested by the SDLP. The impression is being left that the British Government, if not with the collusion of the Irish Government, is doing more for the perpetrators of violence than for the victims.

See this speech in context