David Norris (Independent)

I also welcome the Minister. He has been most generous with his time and he has shown great respect for the Seanad by the way in which he has introduced Bills and made himself available to listen to debates such as this one. As a Member of this House, I welcome that.

I wish to refer to a number of matters raised in the Minister's speech before coming to other matters. The first is his acknowledgment that two detectives deliberately planted a weapon at a Traveller campsite, allegedly with a view to ensuring a search under section 29 would be successful. That is a really worrying situation.

Mr. Vincent Browne has done a service to the nation by his dramatisations and inquisitions night after night into these various tribunals, including the one which I believe is properly known as the McBrearty tribunal. It would only be just for the State to pay for the legal costs of the McBrearty family because, as was made clear on one of these programmes, it is not a level playing field. Even accused, impugned gardaí who are in a delicate position have massive support from their organisations and, thereby, from the State. I accept there are some legal technicalities involved but, in fairness, it would be a very good thing.

Senator Jim Walsh referred to whistleblowers. Thank God he did not get into his stride because I have to attend a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and if he had, I would never get to make my passionate plea for the metro. Let me say a word about the whistleblowers in these two Houses of the Oireachtas, namely, Senator Jim Higgins and Deputy Howlin. They were the ones who brought this matter to public attention, and they did so in the belief that they were covered by parliamentary privilege. It appears that was not completely so and they got into a great deal of difficulty.

This House also experienced difficulty in supporting them in terms of their legal costs. That is dreadful. I urge the Minister to examine this matter further to see whether there are any imperfections in the matter of parliamentary privilege so that honest and decent Members who do the community a service by whistleblowing are protected. One of the things we value most is our parliamentary immunity. It is one of the great safeguards of democracy. I cannot hear what the Minister is mumbling but I am sure I will find out.