I congratulate the Taoiseach on the fact that one of his Ministers appears to have read the report on the inquiry into the termination of fixed charge penalty notices and understand that while it starts with, "Once upon a time", it does not end with, "happily ever after". This issue is not going away and credibility in the system will not be restored unless there is a full independent inquiry.

As we are now in the countdown to the G8 summit, I wish to raise a couple of issues in that regard. The Taoiseach is aware that fake shop fronts have been erected across Enniskillen to hide from the visiting G8 dignitaries the reality of an economy in tatters. It is somewhat reminiscent of the tactics employed by Potemkin in Czarist Russia who authorised the building of fake villages along the route to be travelled by Catherine the Great. Will the Taoiseach agree with me that this is a somewhat poignant analogy for the G8 gathering? The dictionary definition of a Potemkin village is an impressive facade designed to hide an undesirable fact. Will the Taoiseach agree that it is an undesirable fact that while they talk about eradicating hunger, the reality is that the policies being pursued by the G8 will ensure hunger? Will he agree that it is an undesirable fact that while they talk about dealing with tax evasion, they are the very people who are responsible for organising tax avoidance on a massive scale? Will he agree that while they talk about peace, this gathering up the road will in actual fact be a gathering of war-mongers?

How can the Taoiseach justify the spending of taxpayers' money on the deployment of 900 gardaí, having courts available 24 hours a day and judges on call and the possibility of the mobile phone network being shut down? I wonder whether he is taking lessons from his colleagues in Turkey in order to deal with peaceful protesters, while at the same time his Government has not deployed a single garda to investigate the hundreds of US military aircraft landing at Shannon Airport every year. For how long does he intend to facilitate Mr. Obama in spying on citizens around the globe by allowing him access to the servers of the major Internet companies based in Ireland, despite our data protection legislation? Does he not think it would be more appropriate for the leader of a neutral country, rather than protecting the promoters of war, to make a gesture and protect those who advocate, speak for and defend civil liberties by offering asylum to the heroic whistleblower Mr. Edward Snowden?

Send the gardaí out in a boat.

My God, I thought the Deputy was suggesting there should be Garda checkpoints in respect of the possible delivery of penalty points for leaders of the G8 in travelling to the occasion in County Fermanagh.

That is an excellent idea.

This is a global gathering of the leaders of the most powerful economies in the world. It will make Ireland the focus of global attention. Prime Minister Cameron will host the G8 summit in County Fermanagh. There is a requirement on us in respect of the reputation of the country and the safety of every individual to see to it that, where appropriate and necessary, the co-operation of the Garda Síochána and the authorities is made available to the PSNI in order that the meetings can take place as scheduled. The participants will not be discussing war-mongering issues; instead they will be dealing with international issues such as security, food, human rights and the situation in Syria and other countries around the globe. This is politics, as required and necessary, to make decisions on these issues.

I do not accept the Deputy's argument about Catherine the Great. I am not aware of the detail of shop fronts being altered, although I have read some reports on it. I suppose it is a case of each local authority wishing to present its area in the best possible light. I hope the G8 summit will be a big success in the sense of dealing with many of the issues mentioned.

On discussions I may have with any of the leaders about trade or other issues, I hope at some stage to have the opportunity to raise a number of the issues which have been discussed in the House in recent weeks.

The Taoiseach is deliberately choosing to ignore that the central thrust of the point at the heart of the G8 gathering is immense hypocrisy. It begs the question as to whose interests he wants to defend and how he sees himself. Is it not the case that the reputation of Ireland would be far better served by developing an independent foreign policy, one that was not reliant on bending the knee to US imperialism at every turn? The Taoiseach would make a better contribution to society if he were to do so. The point I am trying to make to him is that last week his Government signed a global arms trade treaty, yet he has systematically chosen not to undertake his right to investigate the military aircraft which routinely land on these shores. A total of 450 US military aircraft landed at Shannon Airport last year. The Tánaiste tells us the people concerned are not involved in military exercises, nor are they carrying weapons. This begs the question, first, as to how the Government knows this because it has not inspected the aircraft and, second, as to whether it is not peculiar that a great number of them must be going on holiday wearing military uniforms. The Taoiseach is choosing to stand over a situation where at every turn he is supporting US imperialism and the global capitalist powers to the detriment of a majority of the world's population. In the light of our history of enduring hunger and famine orchestrated from other countries, the G8 is discussing food policies which will result in hunger in many parts of the world. This is a concern which has provoked outrage all over the world. The Taoiseach may be aware that one hour ago 100 riot police stormed a meeting in London to discuss organising a protest to coincide with the G8 gathering. Is that the legacy and the reputation he would like for Ireland? Would it not be preferable if he took an independent stance on behalf of a neutral country?

I attended an occasion in London on Saturday morning at which Ireland was commended on its activities in the relief of hunger, in particular under-nutrition and malnutrition. Ireland's activities are recognised the world over by many leaders and representatives from countries where malnutrition and under-nutrition have serious consequences. Ireland was commended on its leadership and global involvement in that regard. Following the decision of the Tánaiste and on behalf of the Government, I was happy to inform the conference that Ireland would double its allocation in dealing with malnutrition and under-nutrition in the period to 2020.

Issues with practical application from breast feeding to the agri-sector, including the dairy sector, are ones we have raised very strongly. Ireland is a non-aligned country. I remind the Deputy, as has been pointed out by former President Clinton on many occasions, that Ireland is one of the few countries which has had personnel at various locations around the world every day since the United Nations was formed to deal with peacekeeping, peace enforcement and humanitarian issues. For a small country, Ireland has made an extraordinary and well regarded contribution during the tenure of all Governments during the years.

I do not have details of the number of flights through Shannon Airport. We have always supported this but never rendition flights. From that point of view, as a non-aligned country with the Tánaiste chairing the General Affairs Council, Ireland has put forward its views very strongly on the recent Council decision on the arms embargo on Syria and on how things should be dealt with at various locations around the world. We are very proud of the contribution we have made and continue to make. In that respect, we do not kowtow to any international power. We have our own views and have never been afraid to express them.