It is intended that we take items Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, while I am happy with the business ordered for today, my group are unhappy on the general question of the ordering of Government business at present. We had the recess when virtually no Bills appeared but in the past few days they have been appearing like confetti. Many of these Bills are detailed and technical and we are told that they have to be taken fairly urgently. The speed at which we are being asked to take some of these Bills is unfair to Senators in all groups. They should not be rushed through and we should have got many of these Bills earlier. I certainly do not blame the Government Whip who goes out of his way to be helpful and courteous to us all on these matters. The overall approach is haphazard. It is indicative of the arrogance of Government Departments who seem to think they can spend a very long time on the Bills and we should take them at two or three days notice.
I am particularly unhappy with the Insurance Bill which I believe we will be asked to take on Second Stage tomorrow. This has only appeared in the past few days and it is a very technical Bill. I urge the Leader of the House to get a full list of proposed Government legislation during this session so that Senators of all parties will have an opportunity to do the proper consultation and research on these Bills rather than being rushed into them as we are at present.
Could I just mention apropos of what Senator Manning said that the Insurance Bill has not been circulated. Could we find out why? I had a number of people on to me yesterday when the news of the Bill came out and they actually went down to the Government Publications Office and were told the Bill would not be available for a number of days. During the last session the Minister for Industry and Commerce said it was a pity that more people in interest groups did not make representations in time. I suggest it does not enable them to make informed submissions on legislation if the Bill is not available in the Government Publications Office.
On the Order of Business, I hold the brief as spokesman on Industry and Commerce and I have not yet received a copy of the Insurance Bill. If we have to discuss the Bill tomorrow that amount of notice is very unfair.
As somebody who is a spokesperson on all the different issues, as all Independent Senators are, we also have difficulty in finding time to read through the raft of material which is approaching us at the moment. We have always been prepared to address the problem of legislation. We find it somewhat illogical that before the summer recess, for instance, the Adoption Bill and the Companies Bill were taken through Second Stage. We understand the Bills and the amendments are available. It is difficult to comprehend why we are not dealing with the Committee Stages of these Bills. They seem to be cast aside and we are having a great deal of new legislation pushed on us which is all very well if we have time to get through it. It is putting us under a lot of pressure to read through it and to understand it.
I ask the Leader of the House to indicate why the Committee Stages of the Companies Bill and the Adoption Bill are not being ordered at present? When can we expect to deal with those Bills? When does he intend to take item No. 28 on the Order Paper — that Seanad Éireann should consider the setting up of a foreign policy committee. Members on all sides of the House have indicated that the Seanad could be of help and support in working out a national foreign policy on different countries, different places and different areas. When can we expect to be dealing with that?
I would like to ask the Leader when is it proposed to bring in the Local Radio Bill? It is long overdue and I have brought it up in this House in the past two or three years. Something should be done about it straight away.
I am pleased that Senator Cassidy has resurrected his favourite subject. I had to deal with it once in his absence — during a change of Government — but I am delighted that he is continuing with it now, which is a breath of fresh air. I agree with Senator O'Toole about the foreign policy committee. I got a commitment from the Leader of the House last week that he was addressing this area with the Government. I know from experience that it is important, if this House is to be used efficiently and with the co-operation of all its Members as much notice as possible should be given to Members of pending legislation. Something that is coming should be circulated at least a week in advance so that we can address it properly. I know the Leader of the House agrees with that philosophy. There are difficulties with Government Departments in getting Bills out in time for us to deal with them properly and not be subject to criticism from literally every quarter about the role and the function of this House.
To set my mind at rest about the Insurance Bill which the Whip has notified me will be taken tomorrow morning, is this the same Insurance Bill that was prepared and published by the previous Government? If it is, it makes everybody's task a little easier. At least we have seen their Bill.
Not everybody's.
A Chathaoirligh, mar dhuine as an nGaeltacht agus mar dhuine a dhéanann iarracht labhairt sa Ghaeilge beagnach i gcónaí anseo, agus ó tháinig mé sa Seanad labhras as Gaeilge go hiomlán ach amháin b'fhéidir ar feadh dhá líne. I mo thuairimse ceapaim go mba cheart go mbeadh aistriúchán nó córas aistriúcháin anseo ó Ghaeilge go Béarla agus ó Bhéarla go Gaeilge. As a native Irish speaker I feel slightly discriminated against because there is no instant translation here from Irish to English or English to Irish. It seems that they have this facility in the Dáil. I suggest to the Cathaoirleach that this facility should be made available in the Seanad. Since I came here I have spoken on three or four occasions. I spoke entirely in the Irish language apart from two lines. At that time I referred to Senator Ryan who made, as I thought at the time, a certain allegation against councillors. I felt obliged to reply to the Senator in English so that the other Members of the Seanad could understand what I was saying. My feeling is that, as a Member of this House from the Gaeltacht of Connemara, I am being discriminated against when I have to speak in the English language. I would ask your good offices to have a look at this and try to rectify the matter.
I certainly will do all I can. I understand there is a Joint Committee on the Irish Language. Certainly it could be referred to them and it could also be referred to the Seanad Committee on Procedure and Privileges. I will do all I can.
A Chathaoirligh, mar Chathaoirleach ón chomhchoiste sin ba mhaith liom aontú le Nioclás Ó Conchúir mar gheall air seo.
It is essential to get instant translation in the Seanad. This comhchoiste you referred to is there to try to find ways and means of fostering and using the language more in the Seanad and in the Dáil. There is discrimination possibly on both sides in the Seanad. If I continued to speak in the Irish language a number of people would not understand what I was saying. If I disagree with somebody's point of view and say so in the Irish language, they do not understand that I am disagreeing with them. The facilities which are in the Dáil should be available here. I will be pushing very hard as chairman of Comhchoiste don Ghaeilge for this facility.
As the House will be aware I and three of my Fine Gael colleagues share two offices at 89 Merrion Street. There was a break-in to these offices over the week-end. Serious damage was caused to some property and some items were stolen. I understand that before we took up residence in these offices the Superintendent of the House asked the Garda Síochána for a report on the security aspects of the buildings. That report was prepared by the Garda Síochána and submitted to the Office of Public Works some weeks ago. I ask the Cathaoirleach to use her good offices to see that the recommendations made in that report are carried out.
I certainly will.
Does the Leader of the House intend to make a response to yet another outrageous attack on this institution in recent days? In that context will he also give the House an indication of the deliberations following the setting up of a sub-committee to look into the reform of this House subsequent to the debate which took place in the House prior to the summer recess?
The Leader of the House to reply and conclude.
The Leader of the Opposition referred to the Government Party being unfair, haphazard and arrogant in their timing of business before the House. I am not too sure exactly what he is talking about.
On a point of order, the arrogance is not attributed to the Leader of the House or to any Member of this House——
The inference is that there is arrogance in certain places, that there is a haphazard method of ordering business in this House, an unfair advantage being taken by the Government Members of the House of the Opposition Members.
On a point of order again, I do not know what the hearing of the Senator was today. I said very specifically that we all suffered under the same disadvantage — Senators on both sides of the House — from the rush of legislation at very short notice. I went out of my way to say that the Chief Whip of the Government was courteous and helpful in every way to us that it was not his fault or that of the Leader of the House.
I accept that the Leader of the Opposition is withdrawing his remarks about business——
(Interruptions.)
On another point of order, most certainly I am not withdrawing the remarks I made but I would suggest that the Leader of the House——
I will not tolerate a chat show between the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition across the floor of the House.
The business ordered today is not haphazard or unfair and the timing is not unfair to anybody. I did order items Nos. 1, 2 and 3 which are Orders for Second Stage. I did not give any indication as to when the Second Stage of each of those Bills would be taken but I am giving an indication to the House that they will be taken in the very near future.
If anybody is under any illusions about the Insurance Bill, 1987, I should say that it is a Bill introduced by the previous Government. Every Member of this House was circulated with a copy but there are a few amendments that the Minister will be introducing. The Air Navigation and Transport Bill is a new Bill. Nobody could suggest that that is a Bill that we should not take in the short term. I do not think there is any Member of this House who did not know that there was a Video Recordings Bill being introduced in this House. Anybody reading the papers, listening to the media or to constituents over the past 12 months would know that that is an important Bill.
On a point of order——
I did indicate last week that the Customs and Excise (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill would be taken this week. That offered at least a week for anybody interested to have a look at that Bill. Item No. 5 on the Order Paper is a motion about which everybody knows. In the interests of fairness, I did say that we would be taking the Insurance Bill, 1987, as a matter of urgency. It is intended that we continue with that tomorrow. Somebody mentioned the Adoption (No. 2) Bill and the Companies (No. 2) Bill. We are in the course of Committee Stage on both those Bills and we will continue our discussion of them in the very near future. Those Bills were referred to by Senator J. O'Toole. We commenced consideration of both those Bills a long time ago. It is not new legislation for this House.
With regard to item No. 28 — the question of an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Policy — there will be time given to the Independent group of Senators for a motion to be taken very shortly. If they want to have that down as their motion the House will so agree. There is no hassle whatsoever about that. I am just telling the Independent group how to deal with their business.
Senator Reynolds's complaint about not receiving copies of Bills is a serious matter. It is disgraceful if copies of Bills are not available to Members and he shall have to take up that matter with the appropriate people. I am indeed surprised because if and when any Member seeks a copy of a Bill it should be available to him or her. It is not the fault of the Government. The fault lies elsewhere and I shall have to take up that matter immediately.
Senator Cassidy raised the matter of local radio. This is a matter of importance. It is a matter of public interest, of legality, of organising so as to ensure that anyone broadcasting on airways is doing so legally. The Government will be bringing in a Bill — I do not think it should be called a local radio Bill — in the very near future.
Senator Ferris raised the same question as was raised by Senator O'Toole on item No. 28. All I can say is that if the motion is brought forward there can be a full discussion on it. I suggest that Senator Ferris and Senator O'Toole get together and maybe put down a joint motion in this regard and drop one of their own motions which might not be as important to them as this one. It does seem to be one that——
This is our second week in session and we are having a Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting now.
The situation is that if you want the matter discussed as a matter of urgency you can get together on it. I have no objection to that.
Dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Conchúir go mba cheart go mbeadh gléas aistriúcháin anseo. Ba cheart go mbeadh. Má tá sé sa Dáil ba cheart go mbeadh sé anseo. It is extremely important that if there is somebody who finds it easier to understand Irish than English he should not be discriminated against in this Chamber.
Níl mórán Gaeilge á labhairt sa Seanad ach má tá Seanadóirí ann nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge go dlúth acu, ba cheart go mbeadh gléas aistriúcháin ann. We should have a translation service in this House if it is available in the other House. The facility should be here anyway because the Irish language is as important as or more important than the English language.
The question of the break in at the offices at 89 Merrion Street will have to be taken up with the security people. It is important that Members of the House, if they have offices outside the House, should have the same degree of security as we have inside the House, but there are some people who have offices in the House who think that the security within the House is too rigid.
Some of the offices here look as if they have been broken into too.
The Order of Business for today, and I do not think it is haphazard or unfair, is Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Tomorrow item No. 1 will be the Family Law (Protection of Spouses and Children) (Amendment) Bill, 1987 and No. 2 will be the Insurance Bill.
The Leader of the House has not responded to the question I raised.
Senator Hogan should not be allowed to speak now but I am allowing him.
Thank you, a Chathaoirligh. The Leader of the House referred to the fact that everybody should have a copy of the Insurance Bill which was published last year. I was not a Member of this House last year so I had not the opportunity of getting a copy of the Bill but I should not have to look for it. I should get it as a matter of courtesy.
The Leader to reply and conclude.
I apologise to Senator Mooney. Attacks on this House by people outside the House do not worry me. So far as Senator Hogan's request for the Bill is concerned, the Bill was circulated and we will have to find out why Senator Hogan did not get a copy.
Senator Lanigan, are we taking item No. 5 at 6.30 p.m.?
Yes.
I said at the outset that the Order of Business was agreed. The general points I have made are points which are felt very strongly by members of my own group and by other Members of the House as well. It is illustrated by the fact that a Bill to be taken tomorrow has not been received by many Members of this group in the House. I would ask the Leader of the House to be less tetchy in his reply and take very seriously the points being made in the better interests of the proper working of this House.
I gave the Order of Business for today. As a matter of courtesy to the House I did suggest what we would be taking tomorrow. We will order items Nos. 2 and 3 for next Wednesday.
Order of Business agreed to.