Monthly Archives: August 2015

Senator Daly: I thank the Chairman for putting this on the agenda. It is important we keep pressing the Egyptian authorities. I am glad the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, met with his counterpart and pushed the case. We are disappointed that the bail hearing was not successful and I wondering if there is an opportunity for another bail application to be made in light of the fact that he is facing more minor charges than some of the 426 people in this mass trial.

There is a lot of information and misinformation about what happened in the cases of other nationals. Pushing for bail for Mr. Halawa and asking that he be allowed to leave the prison, as his sisters were, is not too much to ask of the Egyptian authorities, particularly in light of the fact that he is not facing the more serious charges regarding the storming of the police station, which is going to carry a far more serious penalty for those involved.

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Senator Daly: I thank the Chairman for bringing this matter before the committee. If we get any updates in this regard, I wonder whether it might be possible to have them noted at our meetings. I know we meet quite regularly. We do not need to discuss them at every meeting. If we were to note any developments, it would send a message to the Egyptian authorities that this issue is being monitored by the foreign affairs committee of our Parliament. Perhaps we could have a brief discussion on any updates, as the Chairman has allowed on this occasion.

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Senator Daly: There are issues in relation to the minor charges. Is there going to be a bail application? Perhaps we could continue to get a briefing from the Department.

Senator Daly: Today’s spring statement is definitely politically strong but economically weak. As we saw in the last budget, which was much trumpeted by the other side of the House, what we see is a continuation of the Government’s policy whereby those on €70,000 were four times better off as a result of the last budget than those on the minimum wage. Is this what we can be promised in the next budget? It will be touted that it is an improvement for some but it will not be an improvement for all. The ESRI, which is the Government’s own body, has said that it is not an improvement for those on the minimum wage.

I think have found the pen used by Deputy Ruairí Quinn to sign the pledge that he would not increase the registration fees. I do not know what happened to the prescription charge but I do not see that in the spring statement. I do not see any promise to pay back the €2.2 billion robbed from private pensions. Perhaps there might be something about that in the autumn statement but there is certainly nothing about it in the spring statement. What we must be clear about is that this Government is borrowing money to buy votes. It is as simple as that. We still have interest payments of €7 billion per year and the money is being borrowed. That is about the size of it. Will the Leader organise a debate on this?

The Government talks about more teachers. Last autumn, when the Government spoke in the budget about 1,700 extra teachers, it failed to mention that this was just to keep in line with growing pupil-teacher ratios. That is what it was about.

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Senator Daly: Could the Leader arrange a debate on that?

I second the amendment to the Order of Business relating to the Moore Street Area Renewal and Development Bill 2015, which is a very good one produced by Fianna Fáil councillors in Dublin City Council in conjunction with Senator Darragh O’Brien, who has led the charge on this issue. I know the Senator’s relatives were involved in the 1916 Rising. It is very important that Moore Street and that entire historical quarter is revived, revamped and revitalised in the same way Temple Bar was.Senator Darragh O’Brien’s proposal will do it, and I hope the Leader will accept the amendment.

Senator Daly: I compliment my colleague, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, on introducing this important Bill. Departments frequently tell us that a tender was awarded for value for money reasons. Value for money is not the only issue at stake in the awarding of public contracts. As previous speakers noted, we often find that contracts for simple items are awarded to foreign companies. It beggars belief that the leaving and junior certificate papers are printed elsewhere.

Other countries have introduced a social impact clause, which is provided for under European Union rules. Ireland, however, is not using the full powers available to ensure the highest benefit for the country from public contracts, including in the area of job retention. In one astonishing case in County Kerry, tenders for the RIBs used by the Coast Guard service were drawn up in such a manner and with such specifications that the contract could only be awarded to a company that was not based in Ireland. Irish companies were precluded from tendering for the contract.

In addition to more transparency, we also need a level playing pitch, as Senator O’Brien noted. We must ensure the lowest price is not the only issue considered when assessing tenders because it does not necessarily deliver the best return to the State or the best value for money to citizens for the tax revenue that is being used for tenders and contracts.

Small and medium-sized enterprises wish to compete fairly but are being frozen out of contracts in other jurisdictions by social clauses which are not used for similar contracts in this country. Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Austria all use social clauses to great effect and keep money in their economies. Unfortunately, Ireland is not availing of European legislation which would allow us to act in a similar fashion.

I welcome the Minister of State’s positive response to the Bill and look forward to its enactment before he becomes a senior Minister.

Chairman Breen: Senator Daly has submitted a second motion that relates to the suffering and loss of the Armenian people on the centenary of the Armenian genocide. The motion reads as follows: “That the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade recognise the suffering and loss of the Armenian people on this the year of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.”

Senator Daly: This is very relevant in light of the fact that it is the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. A range of countries have acknowledged it as genocide. They include Canada, which did so in 1996; Vatican City and Italy, which did so in 2000; and Switzerland, Argentina, the Netherlands, Chile and Germany. The European Parliament passed a non-binding motion on the issue. I realise it is a sensitive issue for the people of Turkey but we must remember that one of the first people to acknowledge it as genocide was Turkey’s great leader, Kemal Ataturk, who acknowledged in the 1920s that what happened was not just a tragedy, as has been said by others, but genocide. As the Pope said, it was the first genocide of the 20th century. Unfortunately, it was the not last.

I ask colleagues to support this motion. I note that other countries have not had the courage of their convictions, have been lobbied and have said that it is sensitive. It is 100 years later. A wrong was done. Women and children were massacred in a crime against humanity that was by any definition genocide. Ireland, which knows a lot about suffering, should acknowledge the suffering of others. We are not alone if we support this motion. Many countries have supported the motion and I ask colleagues to support it.

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Senator Daly: Sorry, Chairman, I have to press the motion because it is important. This is the 100th anniversary. Next week is not the 100th anniversary. Of course it is a sensitive issue. It will remain a sensitive issue whether it is this week or next week.

I had the pleasure and honour of serving on the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs with our President. I am sure he has an opinion. I would not dare to venture what that would be, but I think many of us could guess what it would be. The facts are there. We know how the system works in this House. I am asking my colleagues to abstain if they cannot support the motion so that it can be passed. The reply from the officials is not going to change. If the Minister, who signed off on that reply, believed it deserved attention, he would have given a different reply. The reply is not going to change.

There is nothing offensive about it. What we are acknowledging is the suffering and loss of the Armenian people in a genocide that has been acknowledged by the European Union and others throughout the world as a genocide. Others, for political reasons, have chosen not to acknowledge it. The statistics say 1.5 million people but the fact is it was a genocide. Therefore, I will press the motion.

Senator Daly: The root cause of this problem and tragedy dates from 31 October 2014 when the EU withdrew funding for Operation Mare Nostrum. In November 2014, I attended the Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy in Rome. At this meeting, I pointed out to the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, that what she was doing was an abdication of a duty of care. Operation Mare Nostrum had five ships, helicopters, five aircraft, two submarines and 900 staff covering an area of 27,000 sq. km. All of this assistance was withdrawn while the area covered was reduced to 30 km off the coast with one third of its original budget, one large ship and three small patrol boats. The EU High Representative is now crying crocodile tears. At that meeting in Rome, I also pointed out this move was willingly and knowingly condemning these people who were going to be put into these boats to die. One foreign office decided the rescue missions had an unintended pull factor and did not act as a deterrent. The idea was to get rid of the rescue missions and maybe people would stop trying to get across the Mediterranean.

Suddenly, now the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, has a ten-point plan, one which as Deputy Crowe rightly said is not near good enough. She has much to answer for. She should actually resign because she oversaw all of this and knew it was going to happen. There was an obvious outcome. She will not fix the problem and she needs to be got rid of. We need a new EU High Representative who will solve this problem. The current rescue mission is only a Band-Aid. The cause of this is climate change, the war in Syria, Libya and elsewhere in North Africa. Former colonies have been abandoned by their previous masters and are now suffering the consequences, as Deputy Neville pointed out, of a post-colonial situation of which they are not equipped to take charge.