Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join others in welcoming the Charleton report. I remember the night of the debate in this House when Deputy Fitzgerald sat in the Minister's seat. I described the way she was being treated as "scurrilous" but I was booed by certain elements. I could see it for what it was. It became a political melee in which the deputy Prime Minister of our country was hounded out of office. If we believe that was right and appropriate, politics is not being served. The political establishment and other individuals involved in politics need to have a good look at themselves and at what happened in order to ensure that it does not happen to anybody else, either here or in the Lower House. People have to be afforded due process and all that was asked for by people on the Government side at the time was to allow the Charleton tribunal to do its work, with the then Tánaiste to be judged on the basis of its findings. The latter was not allowed and that was not good enough for me. What happened was, and continues to be, a blight on our political landscape. In order to restore some element of fairness and proportionality, apologies should be made. Nobody can force anybody to apologise but when a person gets something wrong, the decent thing to do is to say "Sorry". We expect children to do that and I expect it will happen in this case when the people concerned reflect on their positions.

I sympathise with Deputy Denis Naughten. I met him in my first week in UCD 25 years ago and from that day to this I have found him to be a decent person. Notwithstanding all of that, new Ministers have been promoted and I wish them well. It is an important day for them and their families. Perhaps we could invite the new Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, to the House for a debate on education and the new Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Canney, for a debate on rural regeneration in due course. I would say that both would like to facilitate us.We will now move on. I hope calm will be restored and that the Government will get on with the job of running the country.

I am absolutely delighted for Sergeant Maurice McCabe. I always believed, from the first day I heard his story recounted, he was totally innocent. I am delighted he can now move on with his life.