Seanad debates

Wednesday, 14 June 2006

Use of Irish Airports: Motion.

 

6:00 pm

Photo of Joanna TuffyJoanna Tuffy (Labour)

I welcome and support this motion tabled by the Independent Senators. Last March the Labour Party tabled a similar motion with cross-party support on this side of the House, which Senator Norris seconded. We likewise proposed an appointment to a select committee of Senators, one of whose main purposes was to establish what mechanisms are in place, and whether our laws and practices ensure adequate safeguards to prevent a breach of the various international human rights instruments to which we have signed up, and our own laws.

Ireland, like other European countries, has a responsibility to make sure that use is not made of our airspace because of our obligations under national and international law, including the European Convention on Human Rights. During that debate in March, the Minister of State said the Council of Europe was looking into this and the European Parliament had set up a committee. I made the point that the document establishing the brief of the European Parliament committee foresaw that there would be national parliamentary committees set up with which the European Parliament committee would liaise. I am glad that Senator Minihan seems to support the idea of the establishment of this type of committee. The Seanad would be the ideal forum for that.

The Government has put its head in the sand on this issue. In the last report of the Council of Europe, Mr. Terry Davis said that accepting diplomatic assurances was not enough but that is what the Government has done.

While I am aware that there is no evidence as yet that Baldonnell Aerodrome has been used for this type of activity, general points made by the Council of Europe apply to it. We must establish that the procedures for overseeing the use of Baldonnell, Shannon and other airports for the various aircraft are sufficient to make sure that we are meeting our obligations under international human rights law. An Oireachtas committee would establish what we need to do and what procedures should be in place. There is plenty of documentation available for it to examine. We can examine our procedures and our legislation.

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