Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá sé suimiúil le tabhairt faoi deara gurb é seo an comóradh chéad bliain den Chéad Cogadh Domhanda, ach tharla rud eile suntasach i Mí Dheireadh Fómhair 1914, is é sin gur bhunaigh Séamus Ó Conghaile Léig Neodracht na hÉireann. This year marks the centenary of the beginning of the First World War. In October of that year, James Connolly founded the Irish Neutrality League. Sinn Féin supports Irish neutrality and we are committed to promoting positive Irish neutrality and an independent foreign policy. We have heard much about Ministers keeping schtum, so to speak, but many Ministers have stayed schtum about the issue of rendition flights through Shannon Airport. A body of evidence exists to point to the misuse of Shannon Airport by military aircraft from certain other countries. In 2006, the current Tánaiste said that not knowing is not enough. He was part of a Council of Europe report which called for the stopping and searching of planes in Shannon Airport. He is fairly schtum on that issue at the moment.

In his reply yesterday the Leader did not really answer my question about a debate on neutrality. Where do we and this Government stand? It would appear to me the Government has refused to use its legal powers to stop and search planes in Shannon Airport. I ask why that is the case when the Labour Party in opposition was very strong on this issue. How many planes have been stopped and searched? We commend the Garda Síochána when it carries out stop and search patrols to counter drink driving at Christmas and when people are breathalysed and prosecuted. It has similar powers to stop and search these planes. Why are we relying on the word of the US authorities on this issue? It is obvious from parliamentary debates in the UK that misinformation was given in the case of Diego Garcia. Amnesty International and the Council of Europe have expressed concerns. I refer to the revelations about phone tapping by the US Administration. Is this not a sovereign State that can police its own airspace and airports? I call for a full debate on neutrality in honour of James Connolly who established the Irish Neutrality League in 1914. We are jumping up and down talking and having debates about human rights in Syria and in the Central African Republic. Why are we turning a blind eye to the issues on our own turf? Deputy Eamon Gilmore was correct in 2006 when he said that not knowing is not enough, and it rings true today.