Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The Minister made the point that there are already sufficient powers on the Statute Book to deal with these issues. However, I put it to him that this point applies to all of the component parts of the amendment that he put forward on Committee Stage in that all of those powers were also there sporadically, dished out around the place, but the Minister chose to bring them into this Bill. To do that without bringing in the other powers, which he acknowledges are there in terms of the State having the ability to search, is a serious mistake.

It is like the former Minister for Justice and Equality asking the Garda Commissioner, "Any problems with the operation of the guards?", and being told, "No, there aren't, Alan. Move along", and then saying that everything was fine. We all know where that ended up. This is very similar. An Garda Síochána does have powers but it does not exercise them, and there has to be a reason for that.

There is a double standard at play here. The Minister is probably aware the US authorities chose to search the Irish Government jet on a trip Bertie Ahern took a number of years ago. There was no Third World War and the Irish State did not go crying, roaring and screaming. It accepted it, sucked it up, the aeroplane was searched and that was that - move on. It is not a big deal. It is normal international protocol for an independent state that has control and sovereignty over its airspace, and there is nothing unreasonable about that.

Deputy Wallace is correct that we cannot trust a single word coming from the American authorities. I am not saying that flippantly. We know it because of the practices that have taken place, which are beyond dispute. The United Nations and others have spoken about the use of rendition, including the use of rendition through Shannon. It is widely speculated that Chelsea Manning was trafficked back through Shannon and there is evidence that the Gulfstream jet which is often in Shannon and which was sent to pick up Edward Snowden, although they did not get him, had landed in Shannon that night also.

I want to echo the points made. We are complicit in torture and murder unless we exercise our neutrality, our sovereignty and the powers that exist at the moment. Assurances are not nearly good enough. It is in the interests of all citizens that these amendments are accepted in order to enhance the powers that are already there. Maybe, for once, we might carry them out and get the information I am under no illusion does exist.

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