Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Harkin and we will have five minutes each. I want to ask a question and I would like the Tánaiste to respond before Deputy Harkin takes over.

I want to talk about the murder of George Floyd, which has been mentioned already by a number of Members. It is a serious situation that has struck an awful lot of people, as the Tánaiste knows and as has been seen in recent days. George Floyd was one of more than 1,000 people who were killed by police in America since 2015. It is not an isolated situation either, unfortunately. The Irish people want to hear the Government's view on this. While the Irish Ambassador to the USA in Washington DC is well aware of what it is and maybe the US Administration is aware of what it is, the Irish people would like to know and that is vitally important. In saying that, I was looking for a statement from the Government on all the Government websites etc. and I could not find anything but I should have looked in the place where probably everybody gets their news now, namely on Twitter. I saw that the Taoiseach tweeted on Monday that he is against racism and so on. Perhaps that is the platform where it will be seen by the President of America, who is well used to using Twitter as well. He might see that message there so it might sink in. However, it is important that the Taoiseach comes into the House and puts across the views of the Irish Government on that.

I want to link this matter through.

The emails I have been getting about what has happened in America and the killing of George Floyd are from Irish people who have been linking it back to things that have happened in Ireland, such as direct provision, which has been mentioned, and the use of Shannon Airport by the American military to go on expeditions around the world carrying out the military equivalent of the killing of George Floyd in nations around the world. How does this Government look on the use of Shannon by the US military and the fact that the airport is now open only for US military usage? What is the Government's view on this arrangement and its continuation?

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