Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

During the course of evidence given yesterday in the Special Criminal Court information was put into the public domain concerning documents found in the possession of individuals outlining the activities and movements of a number of Members of the Oireachtas over a period of time. While I do not wish to comment on the case currently before the courts, the matter is very serious in that some group of individuals or a self-styled organisation, in this case Óglaigh na hÉireann, has taken it upon itself to track the activities and movements of Members of the Oireachtas, gather information and put it into a document.

I am not sure what this group intended to do with the information. It is crucial that the Members of the Oireachtas referred to in the evidence before the Special Criminal Court yesterday are informed of this fact. A committee of this House, probably the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, should examine this matter when the court case is resolved and a verdict given.

Under the Constitution, the duties and responsibilities of Members of the Oireachtas are fundamentally clear. No organisation, either illegal or legal, has a right to gather information on Members of the Oireachtas and do with it what it wishes. I ask the Leader to comment on this matter and to ensure that Members referred to in the document before the court yesterday are informed of that fact as soon as possible. It is a very serious matter and it should be treated as such.

The second issue concerns the activities of the former chairman of Aer Rianta, Mr. Hanlon.