The Tánaiste will recall that the Irish Human Rights Commission was established under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance the human rights of everyone who lives on the island of Ireland and to assist us in meeting our international obligations to human rights.

The record will show that as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Tánaiste has more often than not ignored the advice of the commission. Will he and the Government continue to ignore it with regard to the continued use of Shannon Airport by US military and CIA sponsored aircraft in the furtherance of their war in Iraq? Will the Government continue to facilitate the use of this facility, which clearly is in flagrant conflict with our stated position on neutrality and as being neutral on the war in Iraq?

The EU committee to investigate so-called extraordinary rendition has found that the State hosted 147 secret CIA flights, the third highest number among EU states. I emphasise, 147 secret CIA flights. Can the Tánaiste explain how that facilitation fits with our stated policy of neutrality, to be a sovereign and independent state with regard to international affairs in particular, when we continue to use Shannon Airport as a staging post for the US and British led war in Iraq?

It is a clear breach of it.

It is important to point out that this question is posed by a variety of opinions across this island and the United States and does not stem from any anti-Americanism. It is posed simply and in complement to the wishes of the clearly expressed view of the majority of citizens in the United States as recently expressed in the mid-term elections there.

Does the Tánaiste agree that the invasion of Iraq has been an unqualified disaster, has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and has plunged that country into civil war? Does he agree the war was launched on the erroneous pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction? Does he agree that the war policy of the Bush Administration has now been clearly rejected by a significant majority of US opinion? Why then does the Government continue in its facilitation of that US war effort by making Shannon Airport available to US military and CIA engaged aircraft? Will the Tánaiste end that policy now?

The Deputy will appreciate that the origins of the Iraq intervention by western armies occurred at a time when the Government consistently argued against military intervention and asked that more time be given to the weapons inspectors to discover whether there were weapons of mass destruction——

It did not wait to hear the result.

——and whether the issues could be dealt with differently. That was the consistent position of the Government at the time. Deputy Gormley seems to have forgotten that in the meantime a mandate from the United Nations Security Council was unanimously adopted and that it requires member states of the United Nations to facilitate and assist the UN forces in the normal way in carrying out their mandate. We are not in a position to simply tear up or reject that mandate.

With regard to military flights, Ireland, as a member of the United Nations, has an obligation to assist the Security Council in the proper implementation of a council resolution which mandates the presence of a number of countries' armed forces in Iraq. Whatever about the wisdom of the original intervention, on which the Government had a consistent position, the position is that there is a UN mandate for military flights passing through Shannon and it would be wrong for the State to say it will tear up a mandate agreed unanimously by the Security Council.

On rendition flights, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I have personally been assured at the highest levels by US authorities——

Search the planes. If it cannot be done in one's own country, it is a disgrace.

Allow the Tánaiste to continue without interruption.

May I answer the question? Deputies may make comments afterwards. We have been assured at the highest level by the——

Some assurance.

It would be the case in Cuba.

Allow the Tánaiste without interruption.

——United States, through the Secretary of State and at diplomatic level, that there has never been a rendition flight through Irish airspace or Irish airports.

That is nonsense.

Members of the Green Party should be aware this is a Sinn Féin question. It is Deputy Ó Caoláin's question and he is entitled to hear the answer.

Experts who have examined the case have stated that in their view it would be highly improbable that the United States would ever have selected Shannon Airport as a place through which rendition flights would pass. I accept that view because, first, we have a solemn assurance they have never taken place and, second, I regard it as improbable that anyone would attempt to use Irish airspace or airports in this manner.

That is very naive.

Members of the Garda Síochána are fully entitled to search any aircraft if they have a reasonable belief that a crime is being committed on board, and it would be a crime to detain a person against his or her will on a flight, other than on foot of an extradition treaty which is not relevant to this case. As Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I have repeatedly called on any person with any credible evidence that Shannon Airport was used for allegedly unlawful purposes to share this information with the Garda. On a number of occasions information has been provided to the Garda who thoroughly investigated it and found it to be without substance.

Hear no evil, see no evil.

I remind the House that the President of the Human Rights Commission, Dr. Maurice Manning, said yesterday there was no smoking gun. Members should pay some attention to what he says rather than misquoting him and attempting to suggest that Ireland has been used for rendition flights. It has not.

This is a serious issue, but clearly we do not all share the certainty the Tánaiste's statement indicates he feels. The Irish people, if not the world community, are entitled to that reassurance and certainty. I believe that gardaí, in carrying out their function, should investigate the possibility of wrongdoing rather than wait for a crime to happen. In this instance, it is within the Tánaiste's remit as Minister to indicate, in conjunction with his colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs, that it is in the interest of truth and right that occasional spot checks be carried out in order to give an indication that there is substance to the Tánaiste's belief.

The Tánaiste must accept that the majority of the people do not believe the assurances given by the US Administration are sufficient or adequate to address this matter and he has a responsibility to take this on board. There was no mandate for the US and British-led invasion of Iraq nor, following investigation, was any evidence presented of the presence of weapons of mass destruction. The contrary is the case. Therefore, their presence was a false pretext for the invasion and this is universally recognised. It is recognised also by citizens of the United States who are probably even more virulent in their opposition than we can represent here today. We must be mindful of this and of the importance of our relations with people in the US.

The Deputy's time has concluded.

We must not ignore them and feel that the Bush Administration is the solitary representative voice. It clearly is not. Will the Tánaiste be honest and admit that to all intents and purposes he has given a carte blanche to the US Administration with regard to its use of Shannon Airport?

I ask the Deputy to give way.

Further, does the Tánaiste recognise——

The Deputy cannot drive a coach and four through the Standing Orders of the House. I ask him to resume his seat.

——that at the very least we and everyone else deserve that occasional spot checks are carried out as a matter of course and immediately?

It is a bad, old fashioned invasion and we all know it.

There is a UN mandate for the presence of foreign contingents in Iraq. It expires at the end of this year and the Iraqi Government has applied for it to be extended.

That is some government.

There was no mandate for the invasion.

I want the Deputy to know the facts before he begins speaking. I never said there was a mandate for the invasion.

I never said the other thing either.

The Tánaiste, without interruption.

They should not lecture us about invasions. They are not so bad at invasions themselves.

The Government has consistently opposed and condemned unlawful rendition of any person by the United States. We are unequivocal on that point and my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, has made his position absolutely clear in that regard. Second, as it might be asked here, he and I are on the public record as rejecting the circumstances in which people are detained in Guantanamo. We are unequivocal in that regard also.

The Deputy suggested that somehow we are giving carte blanche for the abuse of Shannon Airport.

Yes.

The military flights are authorised and above board. It is our duty as a member of the United Nations to support the mandate which the United Nations Security Council has unanimously given for the presence of those troops and, by implication, for their rotation.

We are talking about 147 secret CIA flights.

We have received categorical, unambivalent and totally clear assurances——

Does the Tánaiste believe them?

——that at no time in the past has Shannon Airport ever been used for rendition.

That is the same argument that was used for the war in Iraq.

Did the Tánaiste check the assurances?

It is the same argument.

There is no point in shouting me down. The Deputy keeps shouting me down. He is not at one of his own meetings. He should let me finish.

The Tánaiste would prefer it if he had nobody to answer to.

There is no shouting down at those meetings. It is uno duce.

When the Chair is on his feet, Deputy Ferris should stay silent.

Why is there never a leadership crisis in Sinn Féin? Why is there never a leadership battle? I often wondered that.

There are seven minutes for a Leaders' Question. Deputy Ó Caoláin used almost seven minutes on the question. No party in the House can take all the time allotted for the question and then take the time allotted to the member of Government to respond.

It happens all the time.

The Sinn Féin Deputies might listen carefully to the following. If I were to reject the solemn unequivocal word of three senior officials of the United States Administration in this regard, and disbelieve them, it would be a serious step.

A serious step——

The Deputy should let me finish. If relations between Ireland and America were at such a low ebb that we could not believe members of the American Administration on this issue, and that we were naive to believe them——

Their citizens do not believe them.

——much rethinking would have to be done. I say this to the members of the Sinn Féin Party — "You may ask this Government to regard the assurances they receive from the American Administration as false but, if you do so, do not go knocking down the door to get into the White House on St. Patrick's Day."

Their own people do not believe them.

Their people do not believe them.

They were the first to shake his hand. They made a beeline for him. It is one thing here but another over there.

The Minister is a very confused little man.

That concludes Leaders' Questions.