Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I share the Tánaiste's concern about the ceasefire. I might say some more on that, as I have another question later about Palestine and the Middle East. I urge people on all sides of the conflict to step back from the brink. With the limited time I have, I will return to the legislation. It seems that there is an attempt to obscure issues of substance with technical issues. There may be technical issues that can be worked through. That argument was not advanced by the Department of Foreign Affairs in discussion with Senator Black in advance of the election. It was felt that it was possible to make those changes within the body of the existing Bill. The Minister's position in political debate and discussion in advance of the election was to pass the occupied territories Bill. In order to clarify, I ask the Minister to set aside the vehicle for a moment and answer the clear question. In terms of the programme for Government commitment, is it the Government's intention to have a legislative ban on trading of services with occupied territories?

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