John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

That is all right, a Chathaoirligh. Sometimes I have difficulty remembering my own name.

On a serious note, it goes without saying that the House will have to consider the report of the Morris tribunal, be it before or after the recess. The report raises very serious issues. However, I must reiterate my comment of some days ago that many gardaí put their lives at risk on a daily basis, as we saw in Lusk. They do so on behalf of the citizens of the State and comprise the majority of gardaí. In saying that, I am not detracting from what happened in Donegal.

There are wider issues to be considered regarding the governance and monitoring of the Garda force. One must ask the question: Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes? However, we must have a sense of proportion. It is essential within a democracy for the citizens to have confidence in their police force. The vast majority of Irish citizens have confidence in the police force. There are issues of governance and other issues to be dealt with and I am sure this can be done in a wide-ranging debate when we consider the report of the Morris tribunal.

We had a very wide-ranging debate with the MEPs on the European constitutional treaty, as the Cathaoirleach is aware. It was a very good debate and there were dissenting voices. In such matters, we should hear both sides of the story. We are hearing both sides but it is an unfortunate fact that the referenda that have taken place did not just concern the European constitution but also domestic issues, including confidence in government. This points to a deficiency in the approach of those who tried to explain the constitution to the electorate. The people have made their views known and we will have to reflect on their verdict. We should debate at an early stage the future of the European constitution and the questions of when and whether the Irish referendum should take place.