Brendan Ryan (Labour)

No. 20 on the Order Paper is a Government motion regarding the procedures for the dismissal of a judge. I am surprised that this is still on the Order Paper, given what happened in recent weeks. Why has this item not been withdrawn?

We all have reason to be concerned at the report of the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights on collusion between the British Government and paramilitaries. I would be concerned about a report on similar collusion anywhere in the world. We have read of such collusion in many countries, especially in Central America where there was extraordinary collusion between state security forces and others engaged in terrorist activities. To have it happen in our country is profoundly disturbing. To have such collusion attributed to a government which we believe shares our values, and which by and large does so, is a serious matter. The joint committee has recommended that its report be debated in both Houses. I ask the Acting Leader to arrange for such a debate urgently. This issue should not be postponed for six months until we have a gap in our schedule. It should be done as a matter of urgency. It is a very urgent matter.

Why can the House not debate the draft report of the committee of the European Parliament which has reported on rendition? It would be in the country's interest for the Houses of the Oireachtas to debate this matter so that we can hear the Government's defences and send a transcript of the debates, giving the Houses' views, to the committee before it makes its final report. It does not make sense to wait until final decisions are made before saying whether we agree with them.

What is the Government doing about the illegal acquisition of international bank transfer data by the Government of the United States? This has been condemned by all data protection commissioners of the European Union but was done by the banking system without the knowledge or agreement of governments or central banks. I can not accept the word of a government which steals my bank data without telling me or anyone else about it.

Again, I raise the unresolved issue of the debt of Cork Airport. I have referred to classical phraseology used by the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The inability to make a decision about the future funding of our airports is a classic example of a government that can not make up its mind about anything. I do not expect the Acting Leader to agree with me on that but I do expect to be told of the resolution of this issue some time soon. We have been waiting for months for a decision about whether Cork Airport has a future. If the airport is forced to accept a debt of €200 million, it does not have a future. If Shannon Airport is forced to accept a proportionate debt, it will not have a future either. This is a fundamental issue of regional development which must be resolved. I ask the Acting Leader for information on this matter.