Rónán Mullen (Independent)

It is appropriate for the House to express our sympathy to the relatives and loved ones of all those killed in Cumbria yesterday. It was a horrifying turn of events.

I take a slightly different tack from Senator Fitzgerald on the expenses issue, but I am concerned about the confusion that seems to be descending all over the place. Perhaps next week the Cathaoirleach might make a statement and set out for the House the legislative and administrative mechanisms that apply to consideration of this matter. It comes down to two things: first, who will make findings and what findings are possible and, second, what are the possible consequences? There is a complete lack of clarity. If the matter is to be put before the Committee on Members' Interests, as may be provided for under the ethics in public office legislation, we should maintain our concern for due process. Does an issue arise if some members of the committee have already commented on aspects of the issue, even if they have not commented on the substance of what has appeared in the media? Everybody is entitled to due process. There is a danger that people will be caught in their desire to vent or communicate on this issue and in doing so we may undermine our ability to examine it properly. There is a need for transparency. It would be useful, therefore, if next week the Cathaoirleach outlined for us and the public the procedure to be followed under current legislation and the timeline.

On the Taoiseach's desire that a statement be made to the Cathaoirleach, we do not even know what the Cathaoirleach's position is, whether he would like such a statement to be made. It seems it is just a political aspiration and I do not know where it fits in in the proper handling of the issue.

On another matter, I regret that the Israeli ambassador will not now appear before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. An issue of tremendous importance has arisen in recent days, on which Israel needs to communicate its position often. There is a need for dialogue in preference to confrontation. I hope we all agree that the Hamas regime is an ugly one. We can all agree that Israel has a right to ensure missiles and other weapons will not enter Gaza. We should all agree that a blockade should never be used to humiliate a people or in seeking to get them to turn on their leaders. That hits the vulnerable, the old and the young. The UNRWA and the excellent Mr. John Ging are the ones who should be trusted with supervising what reaches Gaza by way of humanitarian relief and what should be excluded. These are all issues which could have been discussed at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. It would be better if the Israeli ambassador were present.

I have asked on numerous occasions for a debate on the issue of human trafficking. I have also called for the criminalisation of the user in prostitution. If anyone doubts the wisdom of this proposal, he or sh e should watch the film, "Trafficked", at the recent premiere of which Deputy Coveney and I represented the Oireachtas. It is a compelling film, directed by Mr. Ciaran O'Connor, on the plight of a young woman trafficked into Ireland to work in the sex industry. It gives the lie to notions that people enter prostitution freely and that it can be a legitimate choice to avail of persons involved in prostitution when many of them are forcibly brought into the country. It should not be a defence for people to say they did not know a person was a victim of trafficking. The way to deal with the matter is to criminalise the user, as has been done in Sweden. I, therefore, ask for a debate on the issue. I ask the female Members of the House, in particular, to take an interest in it because women make up the great majority of victims of the cruel and evil sex industry.