Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the 20 Senators who have contributed to the Order of Business. As many as 13 Members have rightly mentioned the treatment meted out to Sergeant Maurice McCabe and his family. At the beginning of my reply as Leader of the House, I remind all Senators that we are not the judge and jury of what the Government has proposed, that our language is important and that what we say matters. I appeal to all Members to be cognisant of these facts. People are presumed innocent until proven otherwise and, therefore, everything that we say or do is important.

All of us in this House share the view that Sergeant McCabe, his wife, Lorraine, and family deserve justice. There are many strands to this unedifying story. There are questions to be answered. It is incumbent on us to ensure that they are answered and that the truth is revealed. This afternoon, the Taoiseach announced in the Lower House that the Government will establish a public tribunal of inquiry, under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act, into the alleged smear campaign against Sergeant McCabe. It is important that truth and justice are arrived at and that the eminent judge charged with the task is allowed to do his or her work. If there is a deliberate smear campaign against Sergeant McCabe, then those who carried it out should not be immune from prosecution and should be held to account for their actions.

In terms of the questions posed on terms of reference, the information that I have indicates that we should have some material to debate within the next 48 hours. As members know, we already had an issue scheduled for the Order Paper for Thursday next but events have led to a change.

It is important that the presumption of innocence still stands for any citizen. Equally, on a personal level, I hope that the truth comes out and, as Senators Boyhan and McFadden have said, that this will not be a political matter. I was irked by some of the comments that many Senators have made in terms of their ability to come in here today-----