Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

There is no significant international or domestic evidence that the international trafficking Mafia regards Ireland as a lucrative market for the sex trade. The Council of Europe produced a new convention on this issue as late as May 2005 and Ireland has not signed it. The reason we cannot sign up to it is that the legal basis for protecting people and prosecuting those responsible for trafficking in degrading conditions has not yet been put in place by the Government. The television programme "Prime Time Investigates" raised this issue last year and the Leader took an initiative. Why do we refuse to sign up to an international convention that would give protection and rights to the victims of those trafficked and place on a statutory footing new protection to ensure the perpetrators are imprisoned and their assets seized?

We have a responsibility to raise this matter, given the excellent discussion on this elsewhere. The Government knew of this problem internationally and domestically but we still have not seen the legislation. Why can it not be published? The Seanad is the perfect forum to make progress on the legislation.

When the St. Andrews Agreement was published the Government stated that it would be guided by the advice of the Attorney General on the need for a referendum in the South to endorse the agreement. I stated there was no need for a referendum because the changes were an internal matter in the North and as such were covered by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 passed by the House of Commons. Sinn Féin and the DUP seek an election and what they want they get. An election will be held.

What is the advice of the Attorney General on the matter? Why is his advice not published? Now that an election is to be held, there is no need for a referendum and the advice will state that. The Attorney General should publish the advice because the Government sought it.

I welcome the Pauline conversion of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the Criminal Law (Home Defence) Bill that Fine Gael published some months ago. At the time he rubbished it and voted it down, stating that it was not needed. The Law Reform Commission wisely stated that the sensible proposal adopted by the Fine Gael Leader is the way to proceed. I welcome the fact that the Tánaiste, a Walter Mitty figure in Irish politics, has come round to our way of thinking.