It is proposed to take item 1 until 6 p.m. and item 19, motion 29, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. For the information of Members, it is hoped that next week we will take the Merchant Shipping Bill, the Powers of Attorney Bill, which started in this House, the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Bill and to conclude statements on Civil Service reforms.
Order of Business.
I thank the Leader for the list of legislation and items with which he intends to deal. There are two issues arising on today's Order of Business. In light of the national crisis facing the beef industry and requests from my colleagues Senators Kiely and O'Kennedy for a debate on the matter, would the Leader give time next week for this House to express its views in support of the industry? It would be much appreciated on this side of the House.
How will item 7, the Freedom of Information Bill, be dealt with in the future?
I could help Senator Finneran by asking not to waste his time with his Adjournment matter. The answer he will get is that no remedial teachers will be appointed this year; he can save himself the trouble. It might take three pages, but that will be the answer.
I did not know the Senator had been promoted. I know the Government has made many promises to the Independents but I did not think it had promoted them.
I fully support the request for a debate on the beef industry but I would extend it to the wider food industry. There is a huge amount of confusion as to what people are eating and what is safe, as well as the impact on the industry itself. People need information and a debate would help but, as I said, this is relevant not only to the beef industry.
In the last week there have been two international reports — one on passive smoking and another on the implications of taking salt in one's food. The report on passive smoking, which concluded that it was not dangerous, was subsidised by the tobacco industry and the report on salt was subsidised by the food processing industry. People are entitled to know the source of such information. A wide debate on the beef and food industries would provide information.
I join the call for a debate on agriculture, particularly the beef industry. When this crisis broke I said it was the most serious economic crisis facing the State since the economic war. People laughed but I believed that to be the case and I am even more confirmed in that view now. It is important for us to say that Irish beef is safe and can be eaten with confidence. Unfortunately, saying it does not mean consumers will necessarily be reassured. Nevertheless, it is important.
We have been asking for statements on Northern Ireland. Obviously we do not want to do anything which would be less than sensitive in the lead up to the elections. However, in the period before the forum sits in Northern Ireland, it would be useful to debate this matter. I thought the Leader had indicated that he would attempt to do that and I ask him to confirm that he will provide time for the House to discuss the matter before the forum sits.
We should congratulate Eimear Quinn, the people who won the Eurovision Song Contest and Brendan Graham who wrote the song. We have become almost blasé about winning song contests, nevertheless it has been the practice in the past to congratulate the winner. I ask the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht and the Minister for Tourism and Trade to reconcile two positions. It is regarded as desirable that we spend a large amount of money hosting the Eurovision Song Contest — and I think that is right — but not on hosting the World Equestrian Games.
I am sure the Senator will find another way to raise that issue.
Through the Leader, I ask the Minister for Tourism and Trade to make one final effort to ensure the World Equestrian Games come to Ireland.
I support the call for a debate on the beef industry. The present situation is very bad. We had debates on Digital, Aer Lingus, Packard, Telecom, CIE and Irish Steel. The problems facing the beef industry are potentially worse than all of those combined. Cheap political point scoring will solve nothing. The problems in the beef industry began with the revised CAP and GATT negotiations and were compounded by the way the industry was handled through the years.
We cannot discuss the matter now.
The dairy industry was well handled by the co-operatives — it was diversified, standards were raised and cowboy operators were cut out. If the beef industry had been handled in the same way it would be better off today. The problems have been made worse by BSE. We should debate the issues.
Will the Leader convey to the Minister for Justice the outrage at the transfer of 150 gardaí from Dublin to the Border region to combat cattle smuggling? It is an important task but one would expect it to be a matter for the Customs service. If it cannot undertake the task we have an Army of 10,000 highly trained personnel doing very little. It would not take a nuclear scientist to recognise a truck load of cattle coming across the Border at night.
Has the Senator a question for the Leader of the House?
Only last week two little girls were mugged by a gang of young girls in Tallaght in Dublin. Ten gardaí are to be transferred from the Tallaght station to the Border instead of supplementing the numbers of gardaí in Tallaght. The transfer of 150 gardaí out of Dublin given the present crime level is outrageous.
I support Senator Wright's request for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry to attend for a debate on the beef industry. I was in America last week and I met two buyers of Irish beef, one from France and the other from Germany, who do not buy Irish beef now, not because of any doubt about the beef but because they can only advertise their own home beef in their supermarkets. It is not enough for us to believe our beef is safe; we have a big job to do in selling it.
In that regard, I ask the Leader to congratulate the Minister for appointing a consumer representative to the board of An Bord Bia. He had difficulty accepting that suggestion when he was in this House but his having done so last week is evidence of his belated recognition of the importance of having a consumer input.
The Leader of the House should bring forward the debate on European Monetary Union. Monetary union will arrive suddenly and we have not had a chance to debate it. We need to do so soon.
I support Senator Dardis in congratulating Brendan Graham and Eimear Quinn. I urge the Minister for Tourism and Trade to recognise the value of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in Ireland because it is of great benefit from a tourism perspective. The number of people who viewed the win as a failure was worrying. I extend my congratulations to the winners; we should use it as an opportunity to increase our trade.
Will the Leader draw the attention of the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht to the opening hours of the National Library? It opens on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and at 9.30 a.m. on the other weekdays. Many people go to the library to read find it closed. It should open at the same time each morning.
Will the Leader consider having a debate on the recent Amnesty International report? As he is aware, a number of listed countries, with whom we have diplomatic relations, are involved in major breaches of human rights and carry out systematic torture. A debate would enable us to exert our diplomatic influence on these countries to cease these practices which are outrageous in this day and age.
I agree with the leader of the Fianna Fáil group that an early debate on agriculture, and particularly, the beef industry, is important. I hope we will all be of assistance to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry. It is essential we recognise he is making tremendous efforts in this difficult situation. I hope he will be successful at the July meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in obtaining the £60 million package he is seeking.
Having called consistently over the past month or so for a debate on agriculture, it is most encouraging that people now realise the seriousness of the position, especially in the beef industry. A Dáil debate on agriculture is to take place next week in Government time. I appeal to the Leader to arrange a debate in Government time here next week.
I would like to be associated with Senator Dardis and Senator Quinn in congratulating Eimear Quinn and the composer, Brendan Graham, for winning the Eurovision Song Contest. I support the call by the Mayor of Limerick, Deputy Kemmy, that the next Eurovision should be staged in Limerick. I hope the Leader will convey this to the proper authorities.
The group chaired by Justice Susan Denham on the workings of the courts has reported to the Minister for Justice and suggested an independent courts authority. I would not like this to have the same fate as the suggestion by the Whitaker committee 12 or 14 years ago that there should be an independent prisons authority. I with-draw the request I made last week asking the Leader to find out what happened to the Mountjoy Prison Visiting Committee's report because everybody seems to know what is in it, which is much the same as appeared in previous reports. Will the Leader find out from the Department of Justice if there is any intention to establish an independent prisons authority? This suggestion was also included in the five year plan. A period of 14 or 15 years is a long time, even for legislation like this to be brought forward. It is difficult to get answers from the Department.
For some time we have been asking for a debate on Northern Ireland and now would be an opportune time. The House should make a clear statement on the issue and a debate will give us an opportunity to do that. The tourist season is starting in Border areas. It is vital that the House expresses a clear view that there is no room for people who engage in double talk and whose replies lack clarity, whether they are Mr. Gerry Adams or Mr. David Trimble. Ordinary people want a voice and want to be heard. We should give a clear signal that we want negotiations and a settlement in the North so that people can go about their day to day business. I appeal to the Leader to provide the House with an opportunity to make a clear statement on where it stands on the troubles in the North.
We are heading into summer when a large number of outdoor events will take place. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Tourism and Trade to approach the insurance companies to see if anything can be done about the exorbitant rates of public liability insurance which people who organise small gymkhanas, church fetes, etc. are charged? Such costs mean that many events cannot take place. There is a need for public liability insurance but people tend to make insurance claims even for small injuries. This was highlighted the other day when a court ordered that £75,000 be paid to a lady who hurt her foot when a jug fell on it.
We are not discussing the details of that case today.
There is a problem with the quality of the public water supply in certain places, including Kilkenny. As a result, supermarkets have increased the number of types of bottled water on the shelves. They no longer sell water in one litre bottles, but in five litre bottles. Perhaps the Leader could ask the Minister for Health for a guarantee that bottled water is pure or that it is analysed in the same way as the public water supply. Many bottled waters could be more contaminated than the water we are asked to boil from the public water supply.
The third matter I want to raise concerns a letter written to The Irish Times today by the Charge d'Affaires of the Nigerian Government as a result of an application by three Members of the Oireachtas to go to Nigeria to study the conditions in Ogoniland and in Nigeria generally. They were refused permission to enter that country. The Charge d'Affaires said the Government in Nigeria is trying to ensure that human rights violations do not occur and it is complying with all human rights practices.
I am sure the Senator can find another way to raise that issue.
On a television programme last Monday evening Mr. Brian Anderson, Chairman of Shell Nigeria——
The Senator knows that does not arise on the Order of Business and he should find some other way of raising the issue.
——spoke about the arms it tried to purchase for its police, who work with the Nigerian police who kill people in Ogoniland.
The Senator has made his point.
I ask the Leader to ask the Nigerian Government to allow people from this country to visit Nigeria to study conditions there.
I ask the Senator to resume his seat.
As my party's spokesperson on arts and culture, I want to be associated with the complimentary remarks about Mr. Brendan Graham and Ms Eimear Quinn. We all join in wishing her every success in her music examinations.
I ask the Leader to convey our congratulations to the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht who moved quickly to scotch any suggestion that this country would not host the Eurovision Song Contest next year. This is another example of Irish begrudgery. For someone who was involved in the country music version of the Eurovision for many years in the 1980s, it amazes me that there was never any suggestion that Ireland should not compete or that those who competed should not try to win. On each occasion, the jury voted on the merit of the song and the performance, which also happened last weekend. For anyone to suggest that we should not acknowledge this outstanding achievement would be a gross disservice to the country.
It should be remembered that tourism numbers have increased significantly over the past few years, particularly in Dublin, and this owes something to our success in the Eurovision. I congratulate the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Deputy Lowry, who said on "Questions and Answers" last Monday night that we should host the Eurovision next year and worry about finding the money later. I am sure he was not attempting to be cavalier with the taxpayers' money, but we would all agree with the message he was conveying.
Will the Leader request the same Minister to come into this House and make a statement on the confusion over the changes in section 35 of the Finance Act as it applies to the film industry? There is a public slanging match going on in the media between the Minister, anonymous spokespersons in his Department and the financial people in this city. They are at odds with each other as to whether the benefits, or otherwise, of section 35 will accrue to this country in the long term. The allegation is that Ireland is no longer a player when it comes to big feature film productions such as "Braveheart”. The Minister has done outstanding work and I wish to compliment him on his initiative in going to Hollywood to talk with the film people.
We are not discussing the matter here today.
In light of what is happening would the Minister come to this House and make a statement to clarify the position because what is going on at the moment is very bad publicity for this country.
I am sorry I was late for the Order of Business but I was engaged in unique and very important, critical discussions with the beef and cattle representatives of all sectors. In that context I ask the Leader of the House to convey to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry before we have a full scale debate here, two or three important elements in the ongoing discussions at Brussels level; first, that he would distinguish in all his statements between the position in Ireland and the position in the United Kingdom. I have heard many statements from the Minister in recent times and he seems to be preoccupied with solving what is a critical problem in the United Kingdom, but we are of a totally different dimension and I hope the Leader will convey that to the Minister in his ongoing discussions not only because of the actions we have taken, and which they never took, but also because that sector is much more important to our economy than it is to the United Kingdom.
I would remind the Senator that we are not discussing the matter today.
We may have an opportunity of having such a discussion here but before that happens there would be ongoing negotiations. Second, the GATT restrictions should be looked at in the context of matters that have arisen since that agreement was entered into that could not have been anticipated at that time. The Commission has the responsibility for opening up renegotiation. Will the Minister focus particularly on requesting the Commission to open up renegotiation on certain limited elements in view of the unanticipated and critical consequences not just for farmers, or for beef processors but for this economy?
Senator, those points would be more relevant to the debate.
I too would like to add my congratulations to the Irish entrants in the Eurovision Song Contest and I would like to think the people here appreciate the selflessness and generosity of the British jury in awarding no points because they quite clearly saw——
They do not understand us or our music.
——that there was going to be a £3 million deficit on this win. Not many wins carry a deficit with them but this one is going to do it.
The other point I would like to raise concerns the beef industry — it has reached such a pitch that it is really a tragedy now. The European partners have been soured by the attitude of the British Government as was evidenced only recently. However my inquiry probably arises from my newness in this Chamber. From time to time I find myself wondering about our MEPs. They clearly are doing their job and they are in contact with people in Government and their views are being sought, but they could tell us a good deal about the mood over there as it changes. Is there such a thing as a bulletin from our MEPs to keep us abreast of the mood and the feelings in Europe?
There is.
I would like to be associated with the remarks made by Senator Henry vis-à-vis the report by Justice Susan Denham on the court system. Senator Bohan referred to crime and the movement of gardaí. In many cases this situation is aided and abetted by a Dickensian court system which is in dire need of reform. When the report is considered by Government, I hope the Leader will encourage the Minister for Justice to appear before the House and inform us in detail of her intentions regarding its implementation. I believe that “justice delayed is justice denied” and if the component parts of the justice system are deficient, the entire system will collapse.
With regard to Senator Quinn's point, it is pure nonsense to suggest that if Europe provided us with a showcase we would debate whether to accept it. This would be like giving £3 million to the Germans. If we spend money, it will be spent in Ireland with the purpose of employing people, filling hotel bedrooms, etc. It is crazy to even contemplate the Senator's point. I am glad the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Michael D. Higgins, sensible man that he is, would grasp the opportunity to showcase this country throughout Europe and elsewhere.
I agree with Senator Wright on the need for a debate on agriculture. I wish to be associated with the remarks of Opposition Members who referred to the performance of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Deputy Yates. He has been outstanding during the current crisis. I would welcome the opportunity to hear him express his views in this House.
Senators raised a number of issues. I agree with the request made by Senator Wright and others for an early debate on the beef industry. I doubt that time can be made available for that purpose next week but I hope it will take place within the next two weeks. Senator Magner's point echoed that made this morning by Mr. Tommie Gorman who stated that there is general confidence and relief that this issue will be handled by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Deputy Yates, on behalf of the European Union and Ireland during the coming months. A debate on the issue would be helpful, but this is a national question and there is very little difference between the views of interested parties as to the desired outcome. There will be a debate on the matter at the earliest possible opportunity.
Senator Wright also raised the question of Senator Roche's Freedom of Information Bill. I am not in a position to make Government time available in the immediate future. However, I will facilitate Senator Roche in some way. I am aware that he wants to change the current procedures of the House whereby only one Private Members' Bill can be introduced by any group at any given time. If the matter is brought before the Committee on Procedure and Privileges it will meet no opposition from me.
Senator Dardis raised the issue of Northern Ireland and I agree with him in this regard. I do not agree with Senator McGowan because a debate on Northern Ireland before the elections could, unwittingly, cause harm, distraction or provide ammunition for people who wish to distort statements made in this House. I am open to the possibility of having a debate on the matter following the elections.
A number of Senators, including Senator Dardis, raised the question of the Eurovision Song Contest. The general view of Members is one of delight that Ireland won and we congratulate those who performed the Irish entry. To suggest that we would not host next year's contest would be an act of madness, ingratitude and a vote of no confidence in ourselves. I hope the contest is held in Ireland, even if, as Senator Rory Kiely suggested, it takes place in Limerick.
Senator Dardis also raised the issue of the World Equestrian Games. The reasons the Government prudently did not support the games have been well stated. If the Senator wishes to raise the matter on the Adjournment, however, he might obtain further information.
I will convey Senator Bohan's sense of unease to the Minister for Justice at the transfer of gardaí to Border areas. The Senator has consistently and constructively raised his general concern in the House. Next week's Private Members' Time is in the name of the Progressive Democrats and will deal with the justice issue. Members will be provided with the opportunity to express their views at that stage. A motion relating to the Department of Justice has also been tabled for the following week.
Senator Quinn raised the issue of beef and consumers. The An Bord Bia Bill will be taken during this session and I will allow ample time for a debate on the matter so that Members can air their concerns.
I agree in principle with the call for a debate on European Monetary Union. From experience, however, I know that debates on this issue have been badly subscribed to. I will discuss the matter with the Senator who raised it and attempt to arrange a debate before the end of session.
Senator Enright expressed concern about access to the National Library for the purpose of carrying out research. I will convey his concern to the excellent Director of the National Library. I do not propose to make time available in the immediate future for a debate on the Amnesty report which he requested, but I am sure the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which he is a member, could debate that matter.
Senators Henry and Magner raised the issue of the Denham report. I am keen to provide time before the end of this session for a discussion on that important report and to allow us to hear the views of the Minister and the Government on it. A radical overhaul of the courts system is long overdue and this is a sane, balanced and sensible report. I will make inquiries on the proposal for an independent prison authority, although I do not think it is in the pipeline at the moment.
Senator McGowan raised the issue of Northern Ireland, to which I have referred. Senator Lanigan raised a number of issues. I agree with what he said about the Nigerian Government. He might discuss water quality in supermarkets with other Members of the House. I will pass on his comments on public liability to the Minister.
Senator Mooney raised an important question on section 35. I suspect a motion on the Adjournment would be a good way to elicit the information from the Minister, whom I am quite sure would like to discuss the matter.
Senator O'Kennedy raised the question of beef. Senator McAughtry raised a question about Members of the European Parliament. There is a provision for Members of the European Parliament to be invited to this House to share with us some of the concerns they are experiencing in Europe. If that was thought advisable it could be activated.
Order of Business agreed to.