It is proposed to take item 1 until 1 o'clock. It will not conclude today but will be continued for a further two hours next Wednesday. Some 20 minutes will be allowed for each speaker and Members may share their time.
Order of Business.
As the Leader will be aware, there is much interest among our Members in the debate on agriculture.
I wish to draw the Leader's attention to a Fianna Fáil motion, No. 20, on the supplement to the Order Paper. This relates to fears concerning the award of exclusive rights contracts for coverage of national and international sports events to the likes of Sky Television. I welcome yesterday's decision by the International Olympic Committee to ensure that the European Broadcasting Union secured the contract to cover the Olympic Games up to the year 2008. I would ask the Leader to consider giving Government time to debate that issue instead of discussing it under a restricted Private Members' Motion.
In the United Kingdom next week the House of Commons will be discussing the Broadcasting Act and there is great fear that what may be termed the ordinary punter could be excluded from viewing international sporting events such as the Olympics and the European Championships as well as sporting events such as the All Ireland finals and soccer internationals in our own country. I would ask the Leader to consider broadening our motion to facilitate a discussion on a Thursday afternoon.
I fully support the point that Senator Wright has just raised. I appeal to the Leader because it is something that crosses political bounds. It is of interest to people on all sides. It would be useful if an agreed motion could be debated in Government time. It does not need to be confrontational because everybody has the same interest in preserving events which are either part of our national cultural identity or part of our entertainment.
I also wish to raise with the Leader item 11 which deals with Comhchoiste don Ghaeilge. We should note that motion. Can the Leader indicate when or if he intends moving it? It is an important time to discuss it because a major debate is going on about whether we should put money into things like Telefís na Gaeilge. It is the first time that people have been asked either to put up or shut up on the issue. Some 80 per cent of people, or more, are in favour of the Irish language, yet people are questioning whether the Government should invest money in this way. It is time that these things were openly debated and that people established what their positions are. If there is a national policy we have to invest money in it, but if people refuse to do that let them say so. Those are the kinds of issues that should come up for discussion on the report of Comhchoiste don Ghaeilge. It should be taken at a reasonable time.
In the previous session the Leader agreed in principle with the idea of holding a session, approximately each month, on foreign policy. This should go ahead at this point. It need not pose a problem for the Government or others as it could be held on a Thursday and deal with issues arising from the work of the committees or topical world events. The session should deal with foreign affairs generally as it would be unwise to focus on singles issues.
I thank the Leader for scheduling the continuation of the agriculture debate next week. Due to the timing arrangements, few people will be in a position to contribute this week and it is important the debate continues soon.
I support the comments of Senators Wright and O'Toole. This matter could be dealt with in an overall debate on broadcasting policy and include the issues the Senators raised.
Calls were made yesterday for a debate on Northern Ireland. As I said previously, I am not sure this is the right time to discuss the matter. As a member of the drafting committee at the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, I am most disappointed that the document, which was circulated and due to be agreed or rejected on Friday at the forum, found its way into the press. I do not blame the press — it prints what it receives — but it is singularly unhelpful. It may not be the right time to debate Northern Ireland at present but I will be guided by the Leader and the House. Perhaps, as it has always done in the past, the House could make a balanced and reasonable contribution to the debate as it stands.
The issue of the Defence Forces was raised on many occasions in the previous session, not least by Senator Lanigan. While I welcome the news yesterday of the proposal to lower the age profile of the Army, the Price Water-house efficiency audit group's report and the future of the Defence Forces needs to be examined.
A number of motions on the Supplementary Order Paper relate to the wellbeing of young people, child care and related matters. Will the Leader arrange a special discussion which would cover all these issues in the context of juvenile crime? There has never been an era in which we have heard so much about the rights of children and young people, including matters such as parenting skills, but yet it is an era in which those for whom we profess concern, young people, are involved in active crime. Although they were not aware of the term, parents in the last generation exercised what is now called parenting skills. It is almost necessary now to conduct courses on this aspect. In view of the serious outbreak of juvenile crime and that every radio programme mentions children who are victims of Ecstasy and other drug abuse, a full debate should be arranged. It would be a reasonable discussion and cover all the issues in the context of juvenile crime and the breakdown of juvenile rights.
I agree with the Leader's comments about the role played by RTE in the negotiations with the EBU for the Olympic television rights. I compliment RTE for its part in securing coverage of the Olympic Games up to the year 2008. It is a positive development as this issue was raised previously in the context of certain monopolies controlling the airwaves. RTE will be involved in coverage and it should be complimented.
There was disturbing news yesterday that a convicted child abuser was convicted again for another offence. It behoves the House to call on the Minister for Health and the Government to establish a register of convicted child abusers. This would be a timely move. Situations such as the case highlighted yesterday cannot continue and I ask the Leader to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister and the Government. A register of child abusers should be established.
Another case highlighted yesterday is also a matter of great public importance and I ask the Leader to bring it too to the attention of the Minister for Health. This relates to the decision of a court to find the psychiatric services in Sligo liable to some extent for the fact that a person who was discharged from a psychiatric hospital subsequently committed suicide. This has far reaching consequences for the psychiatric service. The court decision yesterday removes an aspect which was generally understood over the years, that clinical decisions form the basis of admissions or discharges. It leaves those running the psychiatric service in an unenviable position.
Does the Senator want a debate on the psychiatric service?
They are in an unenviable position which should not be tolerated. Will the Leader ask the Minister and the inspector of mental hospitals to introduce national guidelines? If the courts are to make decisions, national guidelines should exist. Individual staff in specific services should not be open to court action, but this will happen as a result of yesterday's case. Will the Leader bring this matter to the Minister's attention? There should be national guidelines governing the admission and discharge of psychiatric patients who may or may not be considered suicidal.
I should be delighted that the debate on agriculture will continue next week. This matter is of paramount importance to the Irish economy, but the proposal to continue the debate on Wednesday displays a total lack of effort on the Government's part to introduce legislation. Debates on matters such as agriculture are usually held on a Thursday when there are no votes. It appears the Government does not intend to bring forward legislation on this issue and statements will continue next Wednesday. Is the House meeting on Tuesday to deal with legislation? Why is the debate not being held on Thursday, as is customary for such topics?
A list of legislation enacted in 1995 shows that 90 per cent of the Bills restricted law abiding people. I will not mention all the 36 pieces of legislation enacted last year but the list includes the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, the Adoptive Leave Bill and the Social Welfare Bill. However, none of the Bills did much for ordinary people and instead placed restrictions on their lives.
A question to the Leader of the House.
When will legislation which relates to the lives of ordinary people be introduced? This aspect is not covered in the list of Bills expected to be published before Easter. I presume the Irish Steel Bill is retrospective legislation to allow for the sale of the company.
Mr. O'Sullivan
It is for the workers in Cork.
It is the Government's list of legislation.
A question to the Leader, Senator.
When will the Bill relating to malicious injuries and the Health (Amendment) Bill be introduced? According to newspaper reports, which we all believe, the Tánaiste will circumvent the world approximately six times in the next six months as part of the troika. When will he come to the House?
The Senator should be careful as he will be travelling himself.
The Senator is very tetchy this morning.
(Interruptions.)
A question to the Leader, Senator Lanigan.
As a member of the troika and given that Ireland will hold the EU Presidency later in the year, why is the Tánaiste not expected to come to the House within the next six months? When are we going to debate aspects of foreign policy which were discussed at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs? Yesterday we had probably one of the best meetings of that committee in many years; dealt with the problems in Nigeria and the problems associated with Shell and multinational companies.
A question to the Leader, Senator.
I ask the Leader of the House when we can have a debate on foreign affairs so that the allegation made by a member of a delegation from Nigeria, that if we pull up at an Irish Shell petrol pump we are filling up with Nigerian blood, rather than with petrol or diesel, may be discussed.
We are not discussing that issue now.
When might we be able to discuss in a rational way the situation in Nigeria, as presented to us by both the Shell representative in Nigeria and by the people who are opposed to Shell's imposition on Nigeria?
I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the allocation of funding to the National Roads Authority and by the National Roads Authority. On more than one occasion when the Leader was sitting on this side of the House he asked for a similar debate; it is long overdue.
I never got such a debate.
If the Leader was disappointed I am sure he now shares my concern. The north-west has received little or no funding from the National Roads Authority. The only funding any small town or village in the north-west can get at the moment is funding to build a by-pass. Money for inner relief roads, car parks and work that would avoid the need to spend £20 million on a by-pass cannot be found. These decisions are made by civil servants who have never been very far from Dublin. A discussion on the value of the National Roads Authority and what it is contributing to rural Ireland is long overdue. I hope the Leader will bring the Minister in and arrange a debate on the value for money being spent by the National Roads Authority.
I welcome the Leader's decision to continue the debate on agriculture. I trust Senator Lanigan was not saying agriculture was insignificant or of secondary importance. I agree with Senator McGowan that we should have a debate on the National Roads Authority because if they are not getting funding up north, we are not getting much funding in the south either. There is to be a Seanad by-election; the dates for nominations closed last Friday and twice I searched two newspapers to see who was nominated but I could not see any mention of them. It is unfair; this House is treated as if it were insignificant; it is not.
I support Senator O'Kennedy's call for a debate on juvenile crime. In the meantime I ask the Leader to discuss with the Minister the possibility of opening a unit in the Army for young joyriders and criminals where they would get proper training in an open atmosphere and could exhaust their energies under proper supervision. If 200 or 300 of them were taken out of circulation and put into a unit like this for three or four years it would quickly bring an end to much of the petty crime we have at present. It would be a very humane way of doing it because putting them into prison is not the answer. They should be put into a wholesome atmosphere like the Army.
I also support Senator Finneran. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Health what he will do about this decision. The North-Western Health Board prided itself on having the best, most up to date psychiatric services in the country. If judges can overrule doctors' decisions where are we going? We are almost at the stage where the Oireachtas will have to wind up. Perhaps we will elect Gay Byrne as Taoiseach and some journalists as his Ministers and appoint the judges as their advisers. It is farcical that a judge can now overrule medical expertise.
I support Senator O'Kennedy's call for a debate on juvenile crime. In the debate last night the Minister for Justice rightly highlighted the difficulties that some young people experience and how we need preventative measures. I also support Senator Finneran's call for guidelines on just how far the courts can go in overruling medical decisions. I am not as concerned as Senator Farrell but I am concerned about the logic that some of our High Court judges use in reaching decisions, which was particularly evident in the case where they ordered the removal of sustenance from a patient recently. Of both those issues, I am particularly interested in the debate on juvenile crime.
When debating the Energy Bill before Christmas we discussed with the Minister for Energy the situation in regard to the ESB proposals for further generation of electricity. The Leader of the House will be aware that the Minister is at present in discussion with the unions and management in the ESB on the rationalisation of personnel in the ESB. It is intended to invest heavily in the generating capacity of the country. It is anticipated that two or three new generating stations will be put in place. I would like the Leader to arrange some discussion on ESB generating policy generally and in particular in relation to the construction programme which will cost well over £1 billion.
I raise here the prospect of extending Moneypoint generating station to complete the fourth phase there and ask that in any new plans for increasing generating capacity, account will be taken of the most efficient stations and the most efficient way of producing electricity. The Leader is aware that the Moneypoint station is by far the most efficient and it would be far more economical and wise for the Government to expand that station than to build new generating stations which would be far more expensive. Could the Leader ask the Minister for Energy to come here and discuss with us the ESB plans and ESB restructuring which is causing widespread concern?
I agree with the Leader of the Opposition about the importance of a debate on the allocation of sports coverage. Everybody will be happy that the national broadcasting unions stations have been successful in getting coverage of the Olympics up to 2008. However, this problem involves many countries. It is interesting that not all sporting bodies agree with what has happened. Many of them felt that they would benefit greatly from the injection of money into the sport itself from Sky. It is a huge issue, one of importance which concerns many people. I will talk to the Whips afterwards and see if we can arrange an immediate debate on that. Senator O'Toole raised the same issue.
Senator O'Toole raised another question about debates on foreign policy and I am in a quandary on this. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs is extremely active. It has been one of the most effective committees. It has worked exactly as people had hoped committees would work. To a certain extent it reduces the role of this House. When we had foreign affairs debates in the past they tended to lack focus. It might be useful to consider debating some of the reports from the debates of the committee where Members who were involved in those debates would be in a strong position to speak with some authority on these matters. Perhaps the Whips or the Committee on Procedure and Privileges could look at the way we structure foreign affairs debates, which have not been particularly effective in the past. Senators, although not Senator O'Toole, have called for these debates but did not turn up and they ended after a short time. As Senator Wright will know, there is nothing worse than arranging a debate only to find that speakers are not available.
I take Senator Dardis's point on Northern Ireland. Senator O'Kennedy and others raised the question of juvenile crime. Last night's debate made it clear that people want aspects of crime discussed on an ongoing basis and I will see if that could be organised. Senator Finneran raised a question, which concerns a number of people, about the Sligo hospital case and others have called for guidelines. I am sure there will be further discussions on the matter over the next few days. Perhaps we could discuss this when it is appropriate but I will convey the Senator's concerns to the Minister. I will also convey his concerns about the horrific case yesterday where a person received 12 years in jail for an appalling crime and the need for a register of convicted child abusers.
Senator Lanigan raised many issues. There will be three Bills before the House next week — the Waste Bill, 1995, Second Stage, the Domestic Violence Bill, 1995, Committee Stage and the Child Sex Tours Bill, 1995, Second Stage, so it is not a question of filling in time with the debate on agriculture. Like Senator Kiely, I felt agriculture was sufficiently important to continue the debate next week.
Will it be on Wednesday?
The debate will be on Wednesday evening. I have decided to allocate Fine Gael's Private Members' time to the debate such is the importance of the issue.
Senator McGowan asked about funding from the National Roads Authority. I will talk to the Senator about it and we will try to find time to debate it. Senator Farrell raised the question of juvenile crime and he made a novel suggestion, although I am not sure conscription would be a great issue on which to go to the country. It is an interesting thought which I will convey to the Minister. Senator Daly raised the important question of the future of ESB investment and policy. I will talk to the Minister to see if we can arrange a debate.
Order of Business agreed to.