It is proposed to deal with item 1, Second Stage, to conclude today. There will be a time limit of 20 minutes per contribution, by agreement. There will be a sos from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Next week it is proposed to take Second Stage of item 2 on today's Order Paper, The Irish Medicines Board Bill, Second Stage of the Fisheries Amendment Bill and the remaining Stages of item 1, The Industrial Development Bill.
Order of Business.
Do I understand it that Second Stage will be completed today depending on how the debate progresses? At least seven or eight Senators from this side of the House wish to make contributions. I presume we will review the situation throughout the day?
The Leader will be aware that two Oireachtas committees are dealing with the issue of drugs at present. Will he make time available in this House to afford Senators an opportunity to discuss that particular problem which affects people in every village and town in Ireland? I ask the Leader to find a way for the House to debate this issue and put forward constructive ideas and thoughts on trying to eliminate the problem.
With regard to the point I raised on yesterday's Order of Business, I have considered the arrangements for Private Members' time and find them perfectly satisfactory.
On a number of occasions during the past two years this House has discussed the issue of child abuse. On every occasion the issue was at the centre of controversy, issues were involved and reference made to specific cases. Documents such as the Kilkenny Incest Report have been issued in the interim. The recommendations of that report have not been implemented. This House is entitled to know when the Government intends to implement issues such as mandatory reporting which were included in that report. I am not asking for another debate on this issue. We should follow through on it, however, because the next time a problem occurs we will look back and say that the recommendations were not implemented.
I also wish to raise the question of a debate on education. I have raised this matter on a number of occasions and the Leader gave a commitment. I ask the Leader for a commitment that such a debate will take place within the next four weeks. The decisions on the White Paper are quite urgent. The Estimates are being drawn up and there is a question with regard to whether the Government will provide money for the implementation of the recommendations of the White Paper. The involvement of political representatives on issues such as the vocational education committees, regionalisation, etc., are issues which have great relevance to all Members. It is time that a filtering of ideas took place. Now would be a good time to do that. I ask that such a debate take place in the near future.
The Leader will be aware that the Minister for Health, Deputy Noonan, has issued a discussion document, A Policy for Women's Health. The Minister proposes to bring this forward as a plan for implementation following consultation with various groups. I ask the Leader if time could be made available to discuss that document in this House in the near future.
I reiterate what Senator O'Toole stated in relation to cases of child abuse and mandatory reporting. Procedures have recently been introduced but they are not mandatory. Mandatory reporting is not involved. I would like to have clarification on this matter. Does the Minister and his Department believe that what has been introduced represents mandatory reporting? I believe it does not. It is a matter with which all of us are greatly concerned.
On a previous occasion I asked a question regarding a topic which was under consideration at committee. The Leader stated that he did not want work carried out by the committees to be rehashed in this House. Senator Wright has raised the issue of drugs which is under discussion by two committees at present. Topics are being discussed by the committees which do not receive the prominence they would if a short summary discussion on the subject took place in this House.
For example, drug abuse has been discussed at two committees, as Senator Wright said; the women's health issue, which concerns half the population, is also being discussed, as Senator Honan pointed out; and child abuse is another important issue. Great work is being done by the committees but we should try to have short debates on what emerges from the committees. We might suggest that a commission on drugs be set up to bring the various strands together because we are losing some cohesion on some of the important topics.
May I ask the Leader of the House to remind the Minister for Justice that next Sunday will be another sad day for Ireland because we will lose another hour every evening? We have had a spring in our step for the last few months. We have discussed this issue before in the House and there is a strong case to be made. For the last four weeks we have had the luxury of having the same time as continental Europe. I hope we do not lose sight of the business opportunities we would have in maintaining the Central European Time link even if our neighbours do not do so.
I assure Senator Wright there will be no guillotine on item 1; if there are more speakers offering it will not conclude today, but my feeling is that it probably will.
Senator Wright and Senator Henry raised the question of how we handle major topics being discussed by committees. I was not saying yesterday that we should not rehash the issues, but there is a problem as to how the House handles reports on major issues from committees, especially when the House was not represented on the committees. There should be some means of putting those reports forward for discussion here.
I would like the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to examine the matter to see how best we could order it. There are real issues involved here as part of the ongoing process of Oireachtas reform and we need to become a part of that process. I would like to put it on the agenda for the next Committee on Procedure and Privileges meeting to see if we can find a way of doing so. The issues of drugs and child abuse would profit from calm discussion in the House.
Senator O'Toole requested a debate on education. I have agreement in principle from the Minister and I will come back to the House with a date on it. I will try to structure our business so that Thursday afternoons would be the time for such debates. I will have a date for the Senator when we meet next.
Senator Honan raised the discussion document on women's health and it is an issue to which I am sympathetic. I will try to arrange a Thursday afternoon debate on it.
Senator Quinn raised the issue of summer time. In the 1930s and 1940s one of the few issues on which there was a free vote and the House divided was the end of summer time. In those days there was old time and new time and parishes were divided down the centre. It is not a new issue but one which raised great passion in the past. The substance of the Senator's point is of wide concern to many people in industry and I will pass on the Senator's comments. I am sympathetic to what he is trying to achieve in this regard.
Order of Business agreed to.