Public outrage and opposition pressure puts holidays in shade

Dáil Sketch Marie O'HalloranThe seriousness of the political fallout from the Supreme Court decision is clear - the Dáil will sit next week.

The Government had planned to adjourn it for 10 days after the bank holiday weekend. Now, however, not only will the upper and lower houses sit today to close the loophole in the law on statutory rape, but the Dáil will also be in session next Wednesday and Thursday, following the usual pattern after a holiday weekend.

Opposition pressure has had an impact, but even more effective is the depth of public anger following the release of Mr A from prison and potential further releases. In light of such rage, it would not look good for the nation's legislators to be seen to be on holidays.

The Opposition was pleased the Dáil would sit next week and wanted the normal three-day session.

The Green Party's Dan Boyle also wanted time set aside for the Minister for Justice to make a statement following yesterday's republication of a newspaper article he wrote 11 years ago "in which he indicated his intimate knowledge of the issue in hand".

Mr Boyle said the Minister should clarify why he hadn't acted on that knowledge since joining the Cabinet in 1999, when he was made Attorney General.

Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin wanted the Minister in the House to explain the conflicting information about the whole debacle. "He has not been accountable to this chamber, yet that is what is required of him."

Sinn Féin, the Green Party and a number of Independent TDs refused to accept the order of business unless the Minister came into the house to make a statement, so a vote was called. Fine Gael and Labour abstained and the Government won.

Enda Kenny described the Government as in crisis, "displaying gross incompetence on a matter of extreme seriousness". He suggested that it would have been appropriate for the Taoiseach, who travelled to New York to address the UN General Assembly, "to have turned around the people's jet and come back".

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte questioned how the Attorney General could not have known about the Supreme Court case, and suggested that if he was not aware, he was not doing his job.

Tánaiste Mary Harney staunchly defended the Attorney General. "There is no question of him having any responsibility in this matter."

Referring to the newspaper article, Ms Harney said that if anybody had proposed weakening the law, regarding the defence that an offender did not know a victim's age, they "would have been rounded on".