Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Senator O'Donovan on his decisive election as Cathaoirleach of the Twenty-fifth Seanad. It is an enormous honour that he is serving in this important position in this commemorative year. I also pay tribute to Senator Paddy Burke, an excellent Cathaoirleach, as well as those former Cathaoirligh in the Gallery.

The Cathaoirleach has experience and knowledge from his former role as Leas-Chathaoirleach. I know he will treat this House fairly. Every Member is elected equally. We are all Members of the Twenty-fifth Seanad. How we are elected or come to serve here is set out in the Constitution.Nobody has greater rights than anybody else, whether by virtue of their experience or the method by which they were elected. We were all elected in accordance with the Constitution.

I look forward to a very productive Seanad over the coming years. The Seanad has an enormous opportunity to bring forward Private Members' Bills. For years, I tried to get a Bill through the House. On one occasion, I got it through and all the parties - Fine Gael, the Labour Party, Fianna Fáil - agreed with it. When we returned in the previous Seanad, one of the Government Ministers rejected it. I hope it will be brought before the House and passed, with the approval of Fianna Fáil. It is called the Registration of Wills Bill. This is the first opportunity since the foundation of the State that we will have an opportunity in the Dáil and Seanad to bring legislation through the Oireachtas.

Senator Jerry Buttimer will play a very important role as a very progressive Leader of the House. I also acknowledge the leader of the Fianna Fáil party, Senator Catherine Ardagh, and I am glad her mother is here today. I also acknowledge the deputy leader, Senator Mark Daly, the Whip, Senator Diarmuid Wilson, and the deputy Whip, Senator Gerry Horkan, and all the spokespersons appointed by the Fianna Fáil leader last night. I wish them well in their work.

I ask the Leader to consider putting a joint motion before the House in the next week or so for the immediate release of an Irish citizen, Ibrahim Halawa, who is in prison in Cairo, Egypt. He has served 1,000 days and has said it was like 1,000 years. His mass trial has been delayed 13 times. The next trial date has been set for some time in June. Amnesty has conducted a review of the prosecution evidence and concluded that Ibrahim Halawa would not have committed the crimes for which he has been charged. The Twenty-fifth Seanad must campaign for the immediate release of Ibrahim Halawa. We have tremendously experienced people in the House, human rights advocates and legal experts, and we could take it on very quickly. This young man is languishing, in terms of suffering and torture, in jail in Cairo.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, to come to the House and explain the situation as quickly as possible. Could the Leader make contact with the Minister to see if we can get an up-to-date report on the situation? Could all 60 of us unite in putting forward a motion to the Egyptian Government to release that young man as soon as possible?