Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While I will not be supporting Fianna Fáil’s amendment to the Order of Business, I share the anger expressed over the decision by Mr. Draghi not to appear at the banking inquiry. I hope all political pressure will be brought to bear on him to change his mind. I very much welcome what the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, had to say this morning and I am sure he was speaking for the Government. Mr. Draghi, I understand, has said he reports to the European Parliament on this issue. I certainly hope our Members there will be bringing all necessary pressure to bear on him to change his mind. It is true that we want a full account of what happened with banking in Ireland in the critical years. We want it warts and all so there can be no hiding place for anybody, certainly not the ECB, which had a central and key role to play in this whole matter.

I am sure Senator O'Donovan will join me in congratulating the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, on the very good deal he negotiated for the fishing industry over recent days. It has been welcomed generally by spokespersons for the various fishing communities throughout the country. A very good day’s work was done by the Minister and his team of officials.

I ask that pressure be put on the Egyptian Government to have Ibrahim Halawa, an Irish citizen, released from an Egyptian prison.

He is a 19 year-old student who has been in detention in an Egyptian jail for over 460 days awaiting trial for crimes he did not commit. His trial is scheduled for January and he could face the death penalty. His sisters, who were arrested with him, are safe and well back in Ireland. Amnesty International has conducted a thorough review of his case and found him to be totally innocent. His only crime was peacefully expressing his right to freedom of expression. He was arrested over a year ago following the overthrow of President Morsi. I ask the Department of Foreign Affairs and appeal to the Egyptian embassy in Dublin to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to have this innocent man released.