SEANAD REPORT:THE NEED for safe transport home for liver transplant patient Meadhbh McGivern must be addressed, Seanad leader Maurice Cummins (FG) said.

It was only fair that those who underwent life-saving operations abroad should be able to avail of safe transport when returning home. Mr Cummins was responding to concerns voiced by Susan O’Keeffe (Lab) and Terry Leyden (FF). Mr Leyden urged that the State jet be made available to safeguard the Leitrim teenager from possible infection.

Feargal Quinn (Ind) suggested that consideration be given to an amnesty for social welfare fraud [as the] the tax amnesty, some years ago, had brought in a huge amount of money. Something like €300 million was said to be outstanding in the welfare area, much of it due to fraud. Mr Cummins, said Mr Quinn could raise the matter with the Minister for Social Protection when she addressed the House in the near future.

If the Government could not bring the other EU states with it on the issue of Palestinian statehood, it would have to look at the matter again, Seanad deputy leader Ivana Bacik (Lab) said. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore was seeking to change the EU position and to get a common approach, which, she believed, was a worthy goal. We were attempting to seek the best way to support the Palestinian people. But we needed to do it in a way that was careful and diplomatic while trying to bring the other EU member states with us.

“If we can’t do that, then obviously we will have to look at it again,” said Darragh O’Brien, Fianna Fáil leader in the House.

He was worried that the Government seemed to have rowed back on the proud position of this country in regard to supporting the Palestinians. The Irish Times had carried a story yesterday about an eviction order being placed on a Bedouin tribe that the Israelis wanted to relocate to a rubbish dump.