Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

My Government has dealt with it that way and the Deputy's Government would have done the same. It was dealt with under the 1922 and 1937 Constitutions.

There has been a suggestion that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform should resign as a result of this. The greatest example of hypocrisy I have seen in 25 years in this House occurred on the Opposition side on Wednesday. Deputy Howlin's present leader, Deputy Rabbitte, proceeded to compare the current Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, with a former Minister for Justice, Ms Nora Owen. Deputy Rabbitte suggested we were hypocrites because we were protecting Deputy McDowell but had called on Nora Owen to resign because a letter of small significance had gone into her office and had not been read.

It was as if the letter was a fundraiser for the local GAA club, or perhaps another missive from Mr. Coughlan, recently retired from Trinity College, about the evils of Europe. The letter was information to the effect that the Special Criminal Court, specially set up to deal with terrorists, was not properly constituted. That matter lay on then Minister Owen's desk for weeks while several of the most dangerous people who ever walked on the face of this country were being tried.

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