Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

Will the Government arrange time for a debate on its response to the report of the Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, on his visit to Ireland from 26 to 30 November 2007? I say this because Mr. Hammarberg's report is to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly. Our relationship with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is as a Parliament.

Mr. Hammarberg has produced a report, having had a conversation with the Taoiseach and a number of Ministers. The Government has issued its response point by point to the eight different chapters in Mr. Hammarberg's report. It is very important that we, as a Parliament, have an opportunity to debate the Government's response, given that it has already made it. We are entitled to do so in any event. This is not the issue of what is promised.

We also need to discuss the substance of his response which raises very serious issues across the range of human rights. It is important that we have this debate, which is why I raise this issue today. There are 700 amendments to the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, which is on Committee Stage in the Oireachtas Select Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights. It would be very valuable for us to debate Mr. Hammarberg's report before we proceed much further in respect of proceedings in the select committee.

I appreciate that the Minister has given me the space to speak on this issue. There is confusion as to who has responsibility in the Government for human rights. My memory tells me it was once associated with the Minister of State with responsibility for development. Deputy Conor Lenihan then became Minister of State with special responsibility for integration policy. Where does specific responsibility for human rights lie? Has it been absorbed back into the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform which will proceed to look at and judge itself or is it back in the Department of Foreign Affairs where it is perceived as something exotic and irrelevant?

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