The Order of Business today is items 1 and 2. Item 1 will be taken from now until 1 p.m. when it will conclude by agreement. There will then be a sos and item 2 will be taken at 2 p.m.
Order of Business.
I am pleased the Leader is in the House this morning because the last word I heard last night was that he was seen going to the Park.
That could be a prophecy.
He came back.
If item 1 concludes before 1 p.m., will the House adjourn?
Until 2 p.m.
I have called for a debate on crime and drugs. However, this morning I wish to highly commend the efforts of the Garda authorities, the Naval Service and the new National Drugs Unit. When one considers the lives and misery which have been saved by the capturing of that haul——
The Senator should not forget the Minister.
Senator Wright without interruption.
When one considers the lives and misery which have been saved, one must commend the authorities. My colleagues will have an opportunity later to commend the Government and the Minister for setting up the National Drugs Unit. It is important the House recognises the success yesterday and that it hopes for further successes in the fight against crime and drugs.
I hope the Leader will join me in condemning in the strongest possible terms the fact that a Member of the House was removed from an aeroplane and prevented from going to East Timor to mark the fourth anniversary of the Santa Cruz massacre. It is outrageous that a Member of Parliament from any country should be stopped in that manner. I hope the Leader will agree with me on this matter.
When this matter was reported this morning on the radio, the "so called" Santa Cruz massacre was mentioned. It was not a "so called" massacre; it was a massacre. It was also stated that 50 people were killed, but the figure was much higher. I do not know where they got their information but it strikes me that it came from a source which is very friendly to Indonesia. Once again, we have an example of the infringement of human rights, particularly given that the House unanimously passed a resolution endorsing the Lisbon Declaration. Our position on this matter should be clearcut.
My second point relates to the report of the Adoption Board. Does the Leader have any information on whether the Government plans to introduce legislation? The board has pointed out that the various Acts need to be consolidated and updated. It has also called for the establishment of a national contact register. This has important implications, given that it is a statutory board. I do not expect the Leader to provide an immediate answer. Perhaps he could provide the information later today?
I understand that £124 million has been allocated by the European Union towards the relief of flooding in Europe. However, Ireland has not been able to obtain any part of that allocation. I ask the Leader to request that a representative of the Government attend this House to discuss the matter. Many debates took place in this House in relation to flooding and we passed legislation to amend the Arterial Drainage Act. I believe that this allocation represents an ideal opportunity for the Government to obtain European moneys towards the relief of severe flooding. The Government itself has not funded any local authority to help relieve flooding or raise roads. The Government has made a slip-up in this regard. I have read some of the reports made by Irish MEP's on this matter. I believe it should be debated in this House. I ask the Leader to obtain a statement from the Minister for Finance or the Minister of State with responsibility for local government. This is a matter of great importance in my country and many others.
I wish to raise the issue of the Minister for Finance's decision to place 70 people employed by the Office of Public Works on the Boyle-Bonnet arterial drainage scheme in County Roscom-mon on the dole for Christmas. This is a desperate thing to do when we consider that 3,000 acres of land remain to be drained and 300 bridges await construction. I ask that this matter be placed on agenda when the Minister for Agriculture and Food or the Minister for Finance attend this House.
The House is not debating this matter. A question to the Leader, Senator.
Three weeks ago I asked the Leader to provide time to debate this issue in the House. It is now at crisis point. I ask that the matter be urgently considered and that this House be afforded an opportunity to debate it in the near future.
I join with Senator Wright in warmly and unreservedly congratulating the Government and Minister for Justice on yesterday's drugs find. There is no shilly-shallying involved in that statement, it is wholesome and genuine. However, no reason or room for complacency exists. Given the horrifying scale and extent of this drugs find and the fact that Ireland is clearly being used as the major route for smuggling drugs into England and Europe, will the Leader request the Minister for Justice to bring forward the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Bill, 1995, as a matter of urgency? It was published in the Government's list of legislation but the Bill itself has not been published. I believe I can speak for the Leader of my group when I say that we will co-operate in bringing that item of legislation to the top of the agenda in this House. I ask that the Bill be published and, if possible, initiated in this House. There is no room for complacency, as yesterday's drugs find shows. Will the Leader comment on that request?
I join with Senators Wright and Mulcahy with regard to the drugs find. I noticed a very worthy Government anti-smoking advertisement on the bus shelter while travelling to the House this morning. It dawned on me that various efforts have been made in the past to combat the development of young people taking up the habit of smoking. However, this pales into insignificance against the huge effort required to deal with the abuse of drugs. To what extent is the Minister giving the same attention to ensuring that we combat the demand for drugs among young people?
I realise that a certain doubt has existed with regard to whose task it is to combat drug abuse. The Garda Síochána have made some effort to tackle the problem at source by visiting schools. It seems, however, that the officials at the Department of Education felt that this was their task or that of their colleagues at the Department of Health. I am not sure what is the answer, but I raise the issue to ensure that no delay occurs in tackling the cause of the demand for drugs. Some of the people arrested in relation to the drugs find were immediately released. I can understand that but I would remind the Minister for Justice to ensure that the possibility for bail laws legislation be brought forward at the earliest opportunity. I know it is on the agenda and has been discussed previously, but there is a danger that issues which are difficult and uncomfortable might be put on the long finger. I encourage the Minister to deal with this matter and congratulate her on yesterday's drugs find.
I also congratulate the Minister for Justice and the Garda Síochána on the work they are doing in relation to seizures of drugs. However, has any use been made of recent legislation which enables the Government to seize the assets of drugs barons? Since that Bill was enacted I am not aware that the assets of any drugs baron have been seized. Are the laws passed by this House being left on the shelf? Why are the proper authorities not using them?
I agree with Senator Quinn that more should be done about the problems of drug and alcohol abuse. Much publicity has been given to the problem of cigarette smoking, but this is not as serious as the problem of drug and alcohol abuse. We do not seem to be doing much about this matter.
A question on today's Order of Business, Senator.
During the past ten years I have continuously stated that our system of education is failure oriented. I discovered, on listening to a radio programme this morning, that the high suicide rate in Japan was linked to the fact that the education system there was also failure oriented. It has now been altered towards a more progressive and successful approach. I am glad because this bears out what I have been saying for the past ten years. I am not seeking money, but will the Leader provide time for a debate on education to prove that the system is failure oriented? I believe that this is the reason so many suicides occur in Ireland. The education system should be success oriented.
This morning's news programme contained a disturbing report in connection with the former Yugoslavia and the ongoing peace process in that region. It was stated that the Russians are now joining the Americans but pretending that they are not joining NATO. However, they state that they will enter former Yugoslavia under the aegis of the chief of staff of NATO, who happens to be an American. They are getting in by the back door and pretending they are not joining NATO. It is time that a full debate took place in this House in relation to the Western European Union, defence and implications of the extension of NATO into the former USSR. This matter has major implications.
With regard to the question of drugs, I have never seen cannabis being sold in public. Packets of cigarettes and snuff contain a message that both cause cancer. However, I know of no Irish shopkeeper who has stated that they will not sell death-inducing drugs. If Irish shopkeepers cease selling——
A question to the Leader, Senator.
Will the Minister for Health request that Irish shopkeepers cease selling drugs which cause cancer? If shopkeepers stop selling such drugs we will discover whether people want to smoke or obtain other drugs which are not death-inducing.
What about the publicans?
They might snuff it.
I join with Senator Finneran's request for a debate on flooding. The Irish Red Cross was given a certain amount of money to allocate to victims or to people whose property was damaged by flooding. In Carlow that money has already been given out, and I have received letters from people thanking me for helping them. Nine areas of the country were designated for flooding relief by the Office of Public Works. A report is being carried and the problem is being studied, so I would like to know the up to date position on that.
I will be happy to convey to the Minister for Justice and to the security forces the congratulations of the House on the major drugs find yesterday. It was very heartening and an encouragement to people who are in the front line.
Senator Dardis mentioned our colleague, Senator Norris, who was not allowed to go to East Timor. All Members would like to salute Senator Norris on his courageous attempt to ensure that further massacres or outrages do not occur in East Timor. We wish him well in his mission.
On the question of the Adoption Board, I do not have the information but I will find out about it.
Senator Finneran and Senator Townsend raised the question of flooding. Two weeks ago I announced that there would be a debate on 29 November when the Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy Coveney, will come to the House to give Members an update on the current state of activities to deal with flooding. I congratulate Senator Townsend on what he has done for the flood victims in Carlow. He has represented their interests extremely well.
Other questions concerned the Department of Defence and I will attempt to have a debate on defence before the end of this session.
On the question of cigarettes, the Department of Health is launching a major anti-cigarette campaign and I am sure that the points made by Senator Lanigan will be incorporated in that.
We have had a surfeit of education debates recently and I am not rushing to have any further debates on that subject for the moment, apart from the university reform legislation which, as I indicated to Senator Dardis, will take place as outlined.
The Drugs Bill?
I am not sure what stage that is at the moment, but I will find out and let you know.
Thank you very much.
On a point of order, did the Leader indicate that there was a time limit on speeches for item 1?
No.
Order of Business agreed to.