David Norris (Independent)

Yesterday was International Human Rights Day but we did not mark it in this House. I ask the Leader if we could mark it with discussions on a series of human rights issues. To mark the day yesterday, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties organised a lecture by Mr. Mike Posner from the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in New York. It was very interesting and would have been useful in the context of the debates we have had in this House because he spoke from inside America about the erosion of human rights by the Bush Administration and the impact that has on other countries which imitate it. America celebrated International Human Rights Day by killing another six children in Afghanistan to add to the nine it killed the previous day. The Israelis are consistently involved in similar operations.

We should place in that perspective our own performance of our duties towards our citizens, particularly regarding the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the constitutional requirement on the State to vindicate the right to life of its citizens. That was not done. I ask for a debate, in the context of human rights, on the Barron report. Among other points, there are reproaches in it of the Oireachtas and, in particular, of the Government of the time for not pursuing the information it clearly had and for not vindicating the human rights of the ordinary citizens who were going about their business in the city of Dublin and the town of Monaghan. It may have been a political decision and it may be that it was an "appalling vista", to quote the late Lord Denning, but appalling vistas must be faced sooner or later. If they are avoided, they just become worse. I call for a debate on human rights generally and also a separate debate on the Barron report.

We should discuss electronic voting before we finally cross the legal hurdle and sign a contract. Deputy Seán Power, who obviously is not anti-Government, has come up with interesting information about the possible technical dangers of electronic voting, the degree of error and the lack of a paper trail. It would be worthwhile to examine the issue. Ireland is different from countries like Australia, where there are massive distances to be confronted, or America, where there are massive populations to be confronted. Before we spend €50 million on installing a system that may not be appropriate for this country, we should examine it in detail.