British-Irish Co-operation
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-24
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Ruth Coppinger (PBP), Dublin West

On the question of the UK and Ireland, Prince Andrew - I will still call him Prince Andrew in order to not dissociate him from the royal family - and the former UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, have been questioned or arrested in relation to the widespread international abusive behaviour linked with Jeffrey Epstein against children and young women or complicity in same. The Prime Minister of the UK could potentially be brought down over this. Does it not raise the issue of how seriously violence against women and children is taken in society when not one man has yet been jailed for the wide-scale abuse revealed in the Epstein files? The Taoiseach has chosen to go ahead with presenting shamrock on St. Patrick's Day and to smile and nod in the Oval Office of the White House at a man who is named in the Epstein files more times than Jesus is named in the Bible. That is the reality, yet there have been no political repercussions in the US whatsoever. The Taoiseach may wonder why I am raising this issue. I am of the view that it should be discussed in every parliament in the world. That is how important it is. Is the Taoiseach going to go ahead and greet-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-24