John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I join previous speakers in raising the issue of the sisters of Mr. Robert McCartney, which I also raised a couple of weeks ago. The House should support the Mr. McCartney sisters in their efforts. An alarming word has crept into this debate. I noted the subtle introduction by Mr. Adams of the word "manslaughter". It has leaked into the media as if the groundwork is being laid for negotiations. The same approach, albeit less subtle, was used following the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, when a murder charge was changed to a manslaughter charge as a result of intimidation of witnesses. A lesson should be learned from people power which we saw in Ukraine and during the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the aftermath of these events people believed for many years that they had been conned. I hope the result with regard to this issue will be the same.

Senator Brain Hayes commented on the Government's position on the McCabe issue. The House is well aware of my position in this regard. However, I remind Senator Brian Hayes that it was Sinn Féin that moved the bar after May 19, not the Taoiseach.