Feargal Quinn (Independent)

The decision of the Northern Ireland courts yesterday that the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA are not illegal organisations is a reminder of the dangers of rushing through legislation. I do not how this happened in the North. I would like the Leader to ask the Minister to put our minds at rest that legislation passed through this House ensures these organisations are illegal. That we are making an exception today is understandable, but it is a reminder to us to be very careful. When the Data Protection Act passed through this House, we were unaware that we were depriving citizens, including parents and students, of information we thought would have been available to them. We were unaware we were doing something that rendered the information unavailable.

I have been reminded by Senator O'Toole that it was the 1966 budget that increased the price of a pint to 2s. 6d., currently 15 cent. To put Senator Leyden's mind at rest, people then said they were putting themselves out of business because there was no way people could afford a pint following the increase.