Seanad report: The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said it would cause him grave concern if he thought that people were being smuggled through Irish territory in circumstances that amounted to unlawful detention.
He was replying to Dr Mary Henry (Ind), who voiced concern that prisoners might be passing through Shannon Airport on their way to Guantanamo Bay.
Mr McDowell said that if Dr Henry had any reason to believe that people had been passing through Irish territory in unlawful custody, he would be very interested to hear that, and he would respond immediately.
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Mr Noel Coonan (FG) called for an explanation from the Minister for Health as to why a ward in Limerick Regional Hospital had to be closed for a week, and the patients "booted out" to facilitate the Bush entourage.
"I don't see the need for that action to be taken in view of the present crisis in the regional hospital in Limerick, with people on trolleys in the corridors."
Mr David Norris (Ind) asked the Leader of the House, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, to inquire if President Bush could be arrested during his visit to this country. Some senior lawyers had suggested that he might be vulnerable to arrest because he had violated international law.
"He has broken the precepts of the Nuremberg trial by declaring an unprovoked, aggressive war. He has broken his own domestic law, international law and human rights law."
Mrs O'Rourke said she would inquire about Mr Bush's status while visiting here.
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The example set in the United Kingdom over the need to safeguard children in the wake of the Soham murders was timely for us because we would need a legislative framework to deal with the matter, Mrs O'Rourke said.
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A Progressive Democrat member, Mr Tom Morrissey, said he wanted to know what the Minister for Health intended to do to deal with the summer epidemic demand on hospital A&E services.
At a time when millions of euro were rolling into the economy, there were nightly scenes on television of queues of people waiting in A&E departments, even to get on trolleys.
Ms Sheila Terry (FG) said she would remind Mr Morrissey that he was a member of a Government party.