Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

No. The Tánaiste is correct that my colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh, and I do not accept this proposal. I acknowledge he has agreed to extend the time for the Committee Stage debate. However, we believe the proposal in respect of the taking of Report Stage on 24 April is wholly inadequate in terms of addressing the Criminal Justice Bill 2007 and all it entails. We believe the Dáil should resume prior to 24 April as so much business needs to be addressed. The methodology employed by the Government, cramming through legislation in the last days of a dying Administration, is not acceptable. There are many other important matters that also need to be addressed, not least yesterday's publication of the MacEntee report which further investigated the Dublin-Monaghan bombings of May 1974. Real concerns have been expressed by Justice for the Forgotten. All the matters surrounding the issue of collusion should be addressed here. The Taoiseach should accommodate a full debate in the House on these serious matters which arise from the single largest loss of life in all the tragic years that we have now, thankfully, seen consigned to our history books. It is important to recognise that, 33 years later, many people are still dependent on the Government to elicit the full factual truth of what happened back in 1974.

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