It is proposed to take items Nos. 4, 2 and 3. I take this opportunity to wish you, a Chathaoirligh, the Leas-Chathaoirleach, the Clerk and staff of the Seanad, the ushers, reporters, the media people and all who help us in any way, and of course Senators and their families, a happy and peaceful Christmas. I am indeed heartened this morning to read of attempts by Mr. Brooke to produce a formula which I hope will produce peace in Northern Ireland in the year ahead.
Order of Business.
I thank the Leader of the House and I should like to be associated with all his remarks.
I also join with the Leader of the House in his expression of festive good wishes. Last week I mentioned that one of the differences between the two Houses is that it has long been a custom in this House that at Christmas the House expresses its collective thanks to those who make the House work reasonably effectively and well and make it such a happy place in which to work during the course of the year. In expressing the thanks of my group I should like to thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for your courtesy and fairness during the course of the year. All groups must say publicly that you have been absolutely scrupulous in the way in which you have carried out your duties. I should like to thank also the ushers, the officials in the House, the staff, and the press people. We have our team of press reporters who are here day by day and we all feel that they are in a sense a part of this House as well. They have been fair and they have done their best to ensure that this House gets full and adequate coverage. It certainly is not their fault if some newspapers do not give this House the coverage which its proceedings on most days deserve to get. On that note I extend on behalf of my group Christmas greetings and thanks to all those I have mentioned.
We agree to the Order of Business. Is it proposed to take item No. 4 without debate?
This matter was taken in the other House without debate. If the House agrees, we might have very short speeches.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I join with Senator Manning in his thanks to the people who support the operations of this House. I look forward to seeing this gratitude solidified on both sides of the House and manifesting itself in total support of these decent public servants getting the pay increase due to them. It is not just a matter of saying thanks; let us also pay them. Let us ensure when the Minister for Finance is in the House that speakers on both sides take the opportunity to say how well and effective the staff of this House work and ensure that they get the outstanding payments due to them under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress. They would see that as real commitment and real support for them.
I asked at least once a week during this session for a legislative programme to be outlined. Will the Leader of the House clarify whether we are to meet on Monday? There has been such macho talk in Fianna Fáil during the past couple of weeks about meeting on the Monday of Christmas week. Perhaps the Leader of the House would clarify the position. Also, will he outline the legislative programme for the next session? The House operates best when the legislative programme is outlined and prepared for the next session; it should be available to us as soon as we come back and we should have an indication when Bills will be taken. That would allow us to deal with legislation properly.
I would like to join the two previous speakers in their votes of thanks to those who report our proceedings in the media — I was described during this session as being in high good humour. I believe they have done an excellent job. We also need to make their job a little easier by looking at the relevance of this House to what is happening outside. During this session we had a major debate on the role of the Seanad and how it might be changed. I appeal to the Leader of the House and to the Fianna Fáil group to come back in the New Year with an open mind to make whatever changes are necessary to make this House more relevant, topical and interesting —"interesting" is the key word there.
I dispute the fact that it was not interesting.
I am not implying that it is not interesting but sometimes we just keep giant boredom at bay. There are ways of doing that but I will not go into them now. They include matters which have been mentioned time and time again, such as the extension of Private Members' time, or introduction of Question Time or a topical hour. I ask the Fianna Fáil group to come back refreshed with an open mind to make this House more relevant to deal with the real issues in society.
You made your point.
In your absence yesterday the Leader of the House agreed to take messages to various Ministers. I tried to defend your role in this and to extend his role somewhat beyond that, nevertheless he gave all sorts of commitments to give messages to Ministers. Will he tell the incoming Minister that this House believes that all the public servants who service this House should get their full pay proposals implemented in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress agreement? That would be the best Christmas present they could get.
From the Front Bench of the Independent group, I wish you all a happy Christmas.
I join in the good wishes expressed here this morning and extend my best wishes to the Cathaoirleach. I thank him for the way he conducted business during the past year. I would also like to extend my best wishes to the Leader of the House who, despite the fact that from time to time does not give us everything we want, is invariably courteous and goes to quite a considerable extent to facilitate us despite the restrictions under which he works. I also want to thank the Clerk of the Seanad, the Assistant Clerk and the various other people who provide the services to make the House work. I thank the ushers and I particularly thank the press.
In relation to what has been already said about the next session, I hope we will see some reforms and that there will be an open-mindedness on everybody's part to try to make this House work more effectively than at present. I also hope we can deal with topical issues as they occur. I repeat what I have often said in the past, I have no objections to the restriction on time for speakers, brevity has much in its favour.
On behalf of the Progressive Democrats I join the other groups in expressing seasonal good wishes to you and your family, and to thank you and the Leas-Chathaoirleach for the way you have conducted the affairs of the House during the year. Members of the House also express seasonal good wishes to the people in the Clerk's office who looked after us so efficiently and well. We take it for granted that Order Papers are prepared and that everything is conducted efficiently, all the people involved in those activities deserve our thanks and good wishes. I also join in thanking the ushers, the other staff of the House and the members of the press for their courtesy and kindness during the year. In relation to the prayer, I suppose it is a credit to your ability to delegate matters so efficiently. I wish all Senators and their families a happy Christmas.
I am glad to see you here this morning a Chathaoirligh, because I read a headline in one of the newspapers which said, "US set to deport Doherty". I was a little concerned about that.
Was it a PD paper?
I am glad you are here this morning. I support the call by Senator O'Toole for a review and updating of our procecures. We all agree that is necessary. The matter has been discussed at the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, suggestions were made and perhaps it is now time to bring them to the floor of the House to discuss them. I hope everybody has a happy and peaceful Christmas and a good rest.
Go mbeirimíd beo ar an am seo arís.
I would like to join in the general expressions of goodwill from all sides of the House and in particular to thank all the members of the staff, the ushers, the secretarial staff and so on for their unfailing courtesy and efficiency with which they have worked during the past session. I would also like to join in the compliments and good wishes to yourself, Sir, for the considerable wit with which you have enlivened the proceedings of the House from time to time. May I say with what becoming modesty you blushed when compliments were showered on you from the Leader of the Fine Gael group, Senator Manning?
I welcome the fact that the Leader of the House referred to the Brooke talks and I hope this is an indication that we will have a debate on the North of Ireland early in the New Year. I hope it will not be argued once more that the situation is so precarious and so sensitive that we cannot have a debate on this important matter.
I would like at this time of the year to appeal to all members of the various illegal organisations to contemplate the real meaning of Christmas because most of them espouse one of the different brands of Christianity and it is a real stain on this country that people who claim to be Christians can behave in such an appalling manner. I would like to ask them to contemplate the real meaning of Christmas.
In that spirit and not wishing to be contentious, could I ask the Leader to indicate the strong feeling of many of us in this House that the Government should re-examine the proposal to impose a tax on disability allowances? To make that announcement at any time is unwise politically, uncharitable, inappropriate and parsimonious. I hope the Leader will take that message to Government and I am sure they will bear in mind what happened to a previous Government when they attempted a similar penny pinching measure.
I wish to be associated with the good wishes which have been extended to you and to the Leader of the House, the Clerk of the Seanad, the staff and so on. There is a very interesting item on yesterday's Order Paper, under the heading "Papers laid Before the Seanad” which could produce an interesting debate: European Communities [Fruit Jams, Jellies and Marmalades and Chestnut Puree] (Amendment) Regulations, 1991. At Christmas time that could produce a very interesting debate and perhaps we could give some consideration to taking that very important item at some stage.
A recipe for the future.
Perhaps we could take it with a debate on Teagasc and the future of the agricultural research institute in Clonroche, which specialises in soft fruit research. It would be a very good idea before it is abolished by the hatchet man employed to do that job.
I would like to ask the Leader of the House to think long and seriously over the Christmas period about the term that is about to end and the dissatisfaction expressed, almost on a weekly basis, about the level of business that we conducted in this House, which was extremely unsatisfactory. I hope that we will have at the beginning of the next session an agreed substantial corpus of business to deal with so that we will be taken seriously, will know what we are doing and will have a level of business that is appropriate to the work we have to do as legislators. I would ask the Leader of the House to make that his New Year resolution and we at this side of the House would appreciate it very much.
I would like to hear the Leader of the House say also that he has real hopes of new talks opening up in the North. The situation there has deteriorated considerably over the last number of months. It has deteriorated into sectarianism. I would appeal to all sides of the paramilitary divide to call a truce for Christmas and hopefully extend it into the New Year. This certainly has been one of the worst winters of mindless violence in the North over the last period of time.
Finally, let me ask the Leader of the House if he would convey to the Minister for Social Welfare the absolute disgust of this House at the imposition of tax on sickness benefit, on disability benefit and on occupational injury benefit.
That is an absolutely disgraceful Christmas present to give to the poor of this country. It is the first time in the history of the State that disability benefit has been taxed and, in the context of the financial scandals we have had in the recent past, the £50 million that is given over to the Government jet——
I cannot allow any further discussion on that.
In the context of the ease with which money seems to be available for matters that are not of the same priority, will the Leader of the House convey to the Minister for Social Welfare the extreme concern of this House at the constant infliction of further suffering on the poor.
A number of points have been raised in regard to the proposed legislative proposal by Senator O'Toole and others. Certainly, when we come back in the new year I will endeavour to have an up-to-date proposed programme available to all Senators on the day that we return.
Senator O'Toole also referred to the debate dealing with the role of the Seanad. As far as that is concerned, I outlined in the past that it will be considered in detail by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges during the year ahead. Other Senators, including Senator Manning, referred to issues not specific to the Order of Business and in particular conveyed good wishes to Members of the House and the Cathaoirleach.
Senator Norris asked for a debate on Northern Ireland. It is something I will consider in the New Year. I certainly live in hope, and have always expressed that view, that something will happen there. I share Senator Costello's call for a truce for the period of Christmas. I note what Senators Norris and Costello said in regard to taxing disability benefit.
In regard to Senator Haughey's reference to yesterday's Order Paper, that information is there for the information of Senators, not for debate purposes or, as someone said with reference to jams and jellies, for consumption purposes.
That concludes the queries and the Order of Business is as outlined.
Order of Business agreed to.