The Order of Business for today is item No. 1: the Local Government (Planning and Development) (No. 2) Bill, 1988, Committee Stage, from now until 6 p.m.: and from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. the Second Stage of the Turf Development Bill, 1988, item No. 4 on the Order Paper.
Order of Business.
Before coming to the Order of Business — this is becoming a sad ritual — I would like to put on the record of the House the abhorrence of my group, and I am sure of all the House, of the brutal, psychopathic killing on the continent of Europe this week of two innocent young Australians, the sorrow and sadness we all feel at what has happened and our sympathy to their bereaved families.
On the Order of Business, there are a number of brief points. We have agreed there be no Private Members' time this evening and that three hours be taken next week. I would like to commend to the Leader of the House the idea that we might have a separate Private Members' time, a complete Private Members' time each week, that would be taken as a whole, whether for two hours, two and a half hours or three hours, and that we discontinue the practice of Private Members' time stretching over two weeks. There are few enough opportunities for the groups to avail of this facility and I think it would be welcomed, not least among the ranks of the party opposite.
I would like to ask the Leader of the House if he could give me information on a matter about which I asked him last week, item No. 30 on the Supplementary Order Paper. Will he be able to give us a time for the proposed discussion on events in the Middle East?
Finally, I would like to ask urgently that time be made available either tomorrow, or at the earliest next week, to discuss the implications of Deputy Burke's smash and grab raid on RTE and the blatant attack on one of the great success stories of RTE.
Senator, this does not arise on the Order of Business.
May I support the Leader of Fine Gael in asking the Leader of the House to guarantee us that we will have an opportunity to have a serious debate on the Middle East? I understand that it has been postponed, but I would be most grateful for such an opportunity.
Since we are taking item No. 4, will the Leader of the House give us notice if there are any amendments to that Bill? I heard a rumour that they were going to take £3 million off Bord na Móna and give it to the private sector.
I am sure there is nobody in this House who does not condemn in the strongest possible terms what happened in Holland, the callous butchery that we witnessed there and I am sure all of us extend our sympathy to the family, friends and associates of Stephen Melrose and Nick Spanos. It is important to remember their names. Those whose indifference to human life brings such discredit to all of us who are Irish only make that indifference far worse by describing the incident as a "tragic mistake". To describe it as a mistake does not make it any more excusable in any sense whatsoever. I really fail to understand how cowards, who appoint themselves as judge, jury and executioner of innocent victims, can have the temerity to seek the refuge of the law and the Constitution when they are faced with penalties which are far less serious than a firing squad.
I join with the spokesmen for the other groups in adding my condemnation and the condemnation of the Labour Party to the dreadful murders of these two unfortunate Australians who happened to be touring Europe at the wrong time.
May I ask the Leader of the House if he would make time available at the earliest possible moment to have a debate on what amounts to the destruction of RTE Radio 2 which was announced this morning.
It does not arise on the Order of Business. I have already pointed that out.
It certainly is the end of an era.
The matter has been mentioned in the other House and it is not the practice to refer here to matters mentioned in the other House.
Gay Byrne is having a poll on it at the moment.
Gay Byrne is not a Member of this House either.
I would like to ask the Leader of the House if he would consider giving appropriate time so that we can have a discussion on a very important matter, as far as I am concerned as a member of a local authority — and so many of us here are members of local authorities — namely, the purported reform of the powers, functions and financing of local authorities throughout this country. This House has a very important, significant and paramount role to play in this. In view of the fact that you have a commission examining these matters at the moment, you have——
It does not arise on the Order of Business.
All right. I will conclude a Chathaoirligh, but I am sure I would have the almost unanimous support of this House in having an early debate on this important matter.
All right. I will conclude, voice to those who hope that an early opportunity will be granted for a full debate on the Middle East. I would like to support Senator Manning in what he said about the necessity for capitalising on the opportunities for Private Members' time. It was a valuable suggestion: that there should be Private Members' time on a different topic each week and perhaps the Leader of the House will bear that in mind.
I understand, Sir, that you have not allowed any debate on Deputy Burke's proposals, and I am sure that is correct. I have to say I recall a moment here when members of The Workers' Party were accused of taking over Radio Éireann.
Finally, I would like to join with all those who have spoken on the abhorrent killings in Holland at the weekend and to say I am very glad you allowed a small degree of latitude so that the feelings of the House could be placed on the record. I was at a European conference in Copenhagen on the European Convention on Human Rights this weekend and may I tell the House, through you Sir, that the name of Ireland certainly suffered very considerably during that weekend and I spent a lot of time explaining the attitudes of what I felt to be ordinary decent Irish people, whose army the IRA most definitely is not. We have an Army of whom we can be proud. They engage in peacekeeping operations, They bring credit and honour and respect to ths country and, without using words like "monstrous" which are ineffective, I hope that perhaps after this event, whether it be a mistake or a tragedy or whatever, the IRA may be called to think again by the strong statements from here and the feelings of the Irish people.
I, too, would like to welcome the idea of a full debate with regard to proposals the Minister, Deputy Burke, has put forward in regard to Radio 2. There are many people on this side of the House who would also like to——
It does not arise on the Order of Business.
I would like to support what Senator Norris has said. The Seanad seems to be much travelled these days. I have just returned from southern Holland and was there in the vicinity when this terrible tragedy occurred. To be there with members of all the EC countries, the EFTA countries and indeed some eastern European countries, it is quite difficult to explain the shame one feels in a situation like that. Unfortunately, the name of this country is sullied by these people. If only they could in any way be brought to understand the damage they do to the reputation of this country. We must do everything we can to ensure that this force for evil is defeated, and defeated constitutionally. I would support any move there would be in this House to have a discussion on that matter.
I, too, would like to raise my voice against the dastardly murder in Holland in the course of the week, the insanity of what happened there. I am pleased to hear also that the Leader of the House is thinking of bringing in Private Members' time that would be separate from the traditional one in the party context. It certainly would be a way of expediting the business and dealing with issues that have been raised virtually every single day in the Seanad. May I suggest that he would first address the disposing of the Supplementary Order Paper and perhaps consolidating some of the items and deal with that as urgently as possible? Might I also suggest to the Leader of the House, that, since the Dáil was unable to put together a committee on crime in the course of the past two weeks, this House would be very anxious and desirous of putting together such a committee and that the matter is deserving of attention from this House. I would be extremely critical of the attempt by the Minister for Communications to destroy Radio 2——
I have ruled that matter out of order already, Senator, and I am not going to allow any discussion on it.
——a radio station that took on the pirates and defeated them——
It does not arise on the Order of Business.
Now he is handing it over to another pirate——
I am asking you to resume your seat, Senator.
I am asking the Leader of the House——
I am asking you to resume your seat or leave the House.
I am asking the Leader of the House——
I am asking you, for the last time, to resume your seat or leave the House. Senator Fallon, I am asking you to name the Senator.