The Government has made a very clear commitment to enforce the prohibition on the use of Irish airspace, airports and related facilities for purposes not in line with the dictates of international law. The Government has also been very clear in committing to move away from prison sentences and towards less costly non-custodial options for non-violent and less serious offenders. In this context I wish to raise the imprisonment of peace activist Margaretta D'Arcy regarding protests about the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.

The Deputy cannot raise that issue on the Order of Business. It is a matter for a Topical Issue, which will be dealt with later.

I am asking the Taoiseach about the Government's stated commitments. This woman suffers from Parkinson's disease, is reliant on the use of a Zimmer frame and undergoing cancer treatment. She is quite elderly. She is not a criminal and poses no threat or danger to the public. Is Limerick Prison an appropriate place for a woman of her age and health condition?

We have rules on what can be raised on the Order of Business.

Nobody in the House has any function, good, bad or indifferent, with regard to the competence of the Judiciary and the courts to make their decisions. We have no hand, act or function in it. We had interference before and the Deputy knows what it led to.