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Dáil
‹ Order of Business

Recorded prisoner telephone conversations

Summary

Deputy Adams seeks Government time for a statement on recordings of 84 prisoners’ telephone calls. The Taoiseach says the matter will be examined by a commission of investigation and declines to alter the Order of Business.

I ask the Taoiseach to set aside Government time for the Minister for Justice and Equality to make a statement on his revelation that 84 prisoners had their telephone conversations recorded. I would like the Taoiseach to consider rearranging the Order of Business to allow that statement to be made. It is very striking and astonishing-----

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Seán Barrett An Ceann Comhairle Fine Gael

That is a separate issue. This is a proposal I am obliged to put to the House and it is related to the withdrawal of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2012 and the referral of proposed approval of the report regarding service by the Defence Forces with the United Nations in 2013, without debate. These are the only issues I am putting to the House. Is that agreed to? Deputy Adams can raise the other issue separately on the Order of Business.

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Perhaps it is my ignorance, a Ceann Comhairle, but if we agree on the Order of Business-----

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Seán Barrett An Ceann Comhairle Fine Gael

No, you are only agreeing these particular issues. What I am putting now is purely technical. There is nothing to prevent you arranging to have something debated.

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Having conferred with my colleague, we do not agree.

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Seán Barrett An Ceann Comhairle Fine Gael

I call the Taoiseach.

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Enda Kenny The Taoiseach Fine Gael

Deputy Adams is looking for time to be set aside. As I said, there is a moving canvas here. We have set up a formal commission of investigation to be chaired by a Supreme Court justice, which will bring a sense of experience, integrity and credibility to that process. We need to finalise the terms of reference in a short time, in consultation with the Supreme Court justice. All of these matters of public interest, including recordings, tapings, retention, legality and all of that will be dealt with by that commission of investigation. Clearly, I am not going to change the Order of Business now. I have brought that to the attention of the House today, as I thought I should, because it came to our notice only this morning. It is an issue that, obviously, we will find a way of discussing, but not by changing the business here this evening.

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Seán Barrett An Ceann Comhairle Fine Gael

I shall put the question.

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