Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

It will go before the committee. Senator Norris agreed with the arms embargo issue. He also said that the McCartney family members have such dignity in stating their case. I think so, too. They never shout or scream, they just state their point of view and have stuck to it. We will all welcome them to Leinster House today.

There was an altercation between Senator Mansergh and the Opposition and I expect we will have more of that later. He stated that the Fianna Fáil logo includes the words "the republican party". Other parties can also trace their origins and ethos to the republican tradition, which is a European tradition as well as being an Irish one. It stems originally from the United Irishmen. Wolfe Tone always said that Catholic, Protestant and dissenter should be united in the one cause. The wider implications of the word "republicanism" are very interesting and bear no relationship to what is currently happening all over this country.

Senator Terry raised the question of divorce in the European Union. I read that report with great interest and it seems quite a startling change that divorce would be available to couples when one partner had been living in another EU member state for one year. When the former Minister, Mervyn Taylor, introduced the divorce legislation I agreed with it as a Member of the Dáil at that time. I always felt that the period of fours years before one could apply for a divorce, was a cooling-off time that provided a period for reflection and mediation. Such attempts at mediation may not work out but sometimes they do. They constitute a safeguard for children so that arrangements for their welfare can be made in good time. The new proposal is rather alarming in that one partner must be resident in another European country for a year, but in these circumstances making custody orders for the children involved will be a major step. It is time for us to debate the issue in order to clarify it. The arrangements for divorce in Ireland have served the country well since the legislation was passed in 1997.

I thank Senator White for raising the issue of Padraig Pearse's note which is displayed in the James Adam showrooms on St. Stephen's Green. She said it should be purchased by the State. I hope it will be. I will pass on the Senator's remarks to the relevant Minister. I do not think the note has any connection with the Lissadell estate, to which the Senator referred. That would have meant maintenance, custody, staffing and other matters that would not arise in this case.