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Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 16 May 1996

Vol. 147 No. 7

Order of Business.

Today's business is items 1 and 2. Item 1 will be taken from the end of the Order of Business until 1 p.m. There will be 20 minutes per speaker and after the first round of speakers, Members may share their time. Item 2 will be taken from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. and there will be 30 minutes per speaker.

I have no difficulty with the Order of Business. Senator Wright asked the Leader about legislation for the rest of the session. Perhaps he might have information on that at this stage.

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate in the near future on the value of afforestation to the nation. The Finnish Prime Minister is visiting this country at present. Finland is economically self-sufficient and it uses its waste timber wisely. This country should consider getting more value from its timber. We export logs, which is not the wisest thing to do. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate as soon as possible.

I ask the Leader to provide time for a debate on the residential property tax. House prices are rising and if this tax was abolished, prices might increase further. The mechanism used to control prices in the construction industry is to increase interest rates. I am concerned about mortgage holders who earn more than £12,000 per year and who would not qualify for a local authority loan, but who earn less than £30,000 for RPT.

We are not discussing that matter this morning.

It is important to hear the other side of the argument. A family earning £20,000 per year with a mortgage of £30,000 would pay an extra £400 a year for each 1 per cent increase. That would impose an intolerable burden on such families.

We are not discussing that matter this morning.

Abolishing residential property tax would have a serious effect on the vast majority of mortgage holders in this country. We should have a debate on this issue.

I ask the Leader for a debate on railway crossings. Nobody seems to know if the local authority or Iarnród Éireann has responsibility for them. The laws should be changed if necessary because great controversy has arisen in most local authorities as to who is responsible for them.

I ask the Leader for a debate on agriculture. This is a matter of urgency because agriculture is in crisis. The farmers who suffered most during the beef crisis will not be adequately compensated. The six weeks' subsidy for the rendering industry will expire next Tuesday. Will that mean a further reduction in beef prices? The dispute which prevented farmers from getting results for tuberculosis tests is over. However, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry should not get any credit for that because——

We are not discussing that today.

——he made no effort to solve the problem.

That is unfair.

I am delighted to see the Minister for Health in the House to discuss the issue of drugs and I hope he will be back in the near future for a more wide ranging debate on health.

Senator Ormonde asked about the legislation which will be taken this session and I can give the House a final list. The Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Bill is being taken in the House at the moment and will be completed this session. The Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill and the Health (Amendment) Bill, which proposes to strengthen the statutory accountability of health boards and their chief executive officers, will be taken before the end of the session. I also hope the Refugee Bill will complete its passage. The Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Bill will be introduced and, I hope, completed. We are dealing with the Dumping at Sea Bill at the moment. The Dublin Light Rail Transport Bill will begin its life in the Dáil shortly and it is expected that it will be passed before the end of the session. The Control of Horses Bill will be published shortly but I do not think it will be completed before the end of the session; however, this depends on our timetable. The Irish Take-over Panel Bill, the Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Bill, which results from an EU directive, the Bill to provide the statutory basis for the governance of Tallaght hospital, a short An Bord Bia Bill, which will provide for consumer representation on that company's board, the Pensions Bill, which is at Committee Stage in the other House, and the Electoral Bill will be taken this session. We will not necessarily complete all Stages of these Bills but we will commence all and complete most of them.

The Government is going well.

What about the Equal Status Bill?

That Bill is at an advanced stage of drafting but it will not be taken in either House this session. If Members have any other queries later, I will be happy to answer them.

Senator McGowan raised the question of afforestation. This is important but there is no room for it on our schedule for this session but perhaps we could take it in the autumn.

I listened to Senator Townsend with interest, as I always do. I do not think it is possible to have a debate on one specific tax. However, a debate on the wider issue of local services and their funding would be worth having and I would be amenable to this.

Senator Burke raised the matter of railway crossings. This is important but it might be better for him to raise it initially on the Adjournment. Senator Rory Kiely asked for a debate on agriculture. I do not have any plans at the moment for another debate on this issue between now and the end of the session but things may change and, if need be, we can look at it again.

Senator Honan raised the question of a general debate on health. I thought it better to structure health debates in a focused way and I do not think anybody would disagree that drugs is the most crucial health issue at present. The debate this morning will be a welcome contribution to that overall debate. I hope to have more structured debates because we have found in the past that debates which are too widely framed can have little impact. There will be further debates on specific aspects of health.

Order of Business agreed to.
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