Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with everybody that this day, St. Brigid's Day, is very important. As others have said, Senator O'Loughlin has campaigned very strongly on this issue. From speaking to her earlier, I am aware that she is very proud today.

I want to return to the issue of Mr. Richard O'Halloran. Like many in this House, I campaigned for his release. It was great to see the five happy faces on Saturday. Everywhere I went, including the most rural area in my constituency, people were saying it was a fantastic, happy day. I wish the O'Halloran's well. To see the picture of joy that was his children's faces was just something else.

The O'Halloran case brings back into focus a case I have highlighted in this House on many occasions, which is that of Mr. Robert Pether, whose family lives in Elphin, County Roscommon. He is an Australian citizen but his wife and children are Irish citizens. His wife's family came from Dublin. Her father, in his early days, went to Australia. We now need to increase the pressure on the Iraqi authorities to release Mr. Pether from jail. His family, no more than the O'Halloran's, is going through deep distress. He is caught in quite a similar position to that in which Mr. O'Halloran was caught. He is a top-class engineer who was in charge of the fantastic new central bank building in Iraq. If people look it up, they will see it is an amazing building. Apparently, there is an issue with over-expenditure of €12 million. Mr. Pether and his Iraqi colleague have been blamed in the battle between the Iraqi Government and the firm that employed them. It is shocking and outrageous. Mr. Pether and his colleague are in an Iraqi jail. The Department is aware of it and has had some contact with the family. I have been campaigning for a long time on this. I ask everybody to do so. The Acting Leader, Senator O'Loughlin, will agree with me and bring the message back to the Minister. The Leader has been very helpful in this regard. We must all work now to get Mr. Pether back to his home in County Roscommon. What has happened is terribly unjust. It is very upsetting, particularly for young kids.