Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The last time he was here when I was speaking, I mentioned that he was the Minister of State with responsibility for delivering the Lisbon Agenda on competitiveness throughout the country, an extensive package of reforms. Now we hear his extensive knowledge of Iraq and the issues surrounding it. I was, therefore, interested in what he had to say in the context of this motion.

I support my colleagues in the House who have sought the establishment of a select committee and I will explain my reason for this support. It is important to state that this country has friendly and good relations with the United States of America and its people for good reason. Nobody suggests that as a sovereign independent republic we should trade this off against the historic and long-standing relationship we have had with the US.

I support the United States of America. It was America that came to Europe at its gravest hour, that put in place the international, multilateral approach after the Second World War that led to the establishment of the United Nations, that helped fund the rebuilding of Europe after the ravages of fascism in the 1940s and late 1930s and that put in place an important international architecture of international law which has remained in force from the 1950s to date. I recognise all that is good in that multilateralism. However, in more recent years the drift of US foreign policy has not helped America or the world in terms of establishing a peaceful order and an international agreement on international rights that should be understood and recognised by all.

I make a distinction with regard to the role of this House in the Government's right to have its programme implemented in the House and with regard to our not standing in the way of Government decisions and manifesto commitments. It is never the responsibility of the House to stand in the way of the Dáil when it comes to the implementation of Government policy. However, there is a fundamental distinction between the Government's right to implement its agreed programme and manifesto and the role of this House to ensure that fundamental human rights we all recognise are adjudicated in the House.

The Government has missed a glorious opportunity in the context of Seanad reform by not accepting this motion.