Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I strongly support Senator Brian Hayes's call for a debate on the situation in Iraq. In common with other Senators, I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come to the House. I am particularly concerned about the huge unevenness and wide variation in the handling of cases relating to child pornography and the downloading of material from the Internet. It is to be noted that a distinguished and learned District Court judge recently refused jurisdiction. I would like to hear the opinion of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on which court is the most appropriate to hear such cases. Some judges are acting as though they are patrons of various societies. No matter how meritorious, I wonder what is the basis in law for such huge sums being made available to admittedly worthy charities. I would like the Leader to arrange for the Minister to come before us and outline where he sees this going in the future.