Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 to 37, inclusive, together.

The Government is completely opposed to the practice of so-called "extraordinary rendition", whereby prisoners are transported from one jurisdiction to another contrary to international law and without recourse to the normal judicial checks and balances that attend the legitimate transfer of prisoners. That such a practice might have the aim of delivering a prisoner to a jurisdiction in which he or she might be tortured, or otherwise ill-treated, is disturbing and objectionable. The Government has not and will not permit any flight engaged in extraordinary rendition to pass through an Irish airport or through Irish or Irish-controlled airspace.

Deputies will be aware from my replies to previous parliamentary questions on this subject, most recently Parliamentary Question No. 151 of 8 December 2005, the United States has given Ireland repeated, clear and explicit assurances that no prisoners have been transferred through Irish airports, nor would they be, without our permission. These assurances were confirmed by the US Secretary of State, Ms Rice, at our meeting on 1 December. Suggestions have been made that these assurances may be qualified in some way by the definition of torture as applied by the US Government. The assurances we have received have contained no reference to the purposes for which any prisoners might be transferred which could be used to limit the broad scope of those assurances. In the wider European context, they are of particular clarity and completeness.

I have no reason to believe Irish airports have been used in the manner described by the Deputies. None of the allegations made about the passage through Irish airports of aeroplanes, supposedly involved in extraordinary rendition, has included any concrete or specific claim of this type.

In light of the absolute assurances received, the Government will continue to follow the long-standing practice whereby details supplied to the Department of Foreign Affairs in this area by the US authorities are accepted in good faith as being accurate. Should it ever emerge that, contrary to our firm belief, our airports or airspace have been used for the purpose of extraordinary rendition, the Government would take the gravest possible view of the matter.

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