It is proposed to take items 1 and 2. Item 1 will be taken at the end of the Order of Business until 1 p.m. Item 2 will commence at 2 p.m. and I suggest 20 minutes per speaker. There is only one section to the Bill and I hope we could take all Stages today. However, I understand that Senator Finneran proposes to move amendments. If so, I suggest a sos between the end of Second Stage and the start of Committee Stage, if that is considered necessary. I suggest this be left to the Whips to decide.
Order of Business.
We are in agreement with the Order of Business. Senator Finneran's amendments can be facilitated without unduly delaying the House if there is a break after Second Stage. The Leader is generous and has never stymied debate in the House.
The Bill on the River Shannon, sponsored by Senator Daly and Senator O'Kennedy, should be facilitated in Government time as soon as possible — next week or before Easter. It is a very good Bill and will have support from all sides of the House.
There is a need to debate the issue of television deflectors and the MMDS. The problem does not arise in County Kerry, but I sympathise with those who have problems in Counties Donegal, Mayo, Galway and elsewhere. I understand that their television signals have been cut off. Whoever is at fault, whether it be those providing deflectors wishing to make more money and expand their services, or those involved in illegal activities, the matter needs to be resolved.
I support the call by several Senators for a debate on the funding of local authorities and roads, especially national primary and national secondary roads. Travelling from Dingle to Dublin over the last 35 to 40 years I have noticed little change in the road from Dingle to Portlaoise.
At least the Senator will not get lost.
I will be lucky if I live for another 40 years and I may not have that time to wait for a good road to Dublin.
The Buckley report is slipping away from us; we have quietly accepted what appears to have been a terrible report from our point of view. The Leader intends to bring it before the Committee on Procedure and Privileges before having it debated in the House. However, given the derisory award suggested for Senators, I appeal for a debate on the issue before Easter.
The Order of Business is agreed. I echo Senator Fitzgerald's comments on the Bill to be taken this afternoon. It is important and I do not wish to delay it, but I may also have amendments to propose.
We agree to the Order of Business but I would like to be assured that time will be given for the consideration of amendments to the Bill. I welcome the proposal for a sos between the Second and Committee Stages.
Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health to ensure that the Blood Transfusion Service Board admits full liability to all who have contracted hepatitis C via the anti-D product as a result of its negligence? Will he also ask the Minister for Health if he proposes to bring forward changes to the compensation tribunal so that those taking cases to the tribunal would be entitled to exemplary or aggravated damages? Does the Minister foresee prosecutions following the publication of the tribunal of inquiry's report?
Will the Leader get an assurance from the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht with regard to the regulations for the special areas of conservation currently before the other House? A problem has arisen for Offaly County Council in relation to Croghan Hill, which is an area of special historic and religious interest. Esat Digifone has commenced a development there which it claims is an exempted development. The council has had to take an injunction and to refer the case to An Bord Pleanála. I am sure there are other areas of architectural, geological and historic interest which need to be protected. This matter should be addressed while the SAC regulations are being dealt with. I am sure Senators share my concern.
Will the Leader arrange a debate on the report of the inspector of mental hospitals? When can we expect the publication of legislation on mental health — an issue that has been raised frequently by a number of Senators?
I support Senator Fitzgerald's call for a discussion on the problems relating to MMDS and deflector systems. The deflector system was in operation for a long time in my area and provided a good service, although it was technically illegal. We must sort out the matter once and for all. The local service provider's equipment was wrecked, it was off the air and was involved in expensive legal actions. This has taken its toll on the provision of the service. The local radio station started as an illegal operation but it eventually became legal under the new regulations and is now successful. The same course should be followed with the television systems.
Will the Leader of the House arrange a debate on the funding of local authorities? I have asked for such a debate on a number of occasions. Many Senators are members of local authorities and the role of local authorities and their members is diminishing, despite what we are told about restructuring proposals. This House has not had an input to that restructuring process and we are entitled to make a contribution. We have a direct responsibility to local authority members, having been elected by them. The Leader would do a service to the House and to local authorities by arranging a debate to allow us to make our proposals and be informed on the issues.
Will the Leader approach the Committee on Procedure and Privileges with a view to having a question time in the Seanad? Each Senator has one or two issues to raise on the Order of Business and a question time arrangement would allow us to get answers. We do not seem to be successful in getting Ministers to come to the House. The Leader of the House is a very busy messenger if he has to relay every concern raised. Will the Leader consider arranging a time for questions to allow Senators to raise issues of urgent concern? It would be of interest to Members on all sides.
I am sure the Leader understands the point.
He is the focus for all the matters raised on the Order of Business.
Mr. Naughten
I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Deputy Yates, of grant aid for the rendering industry to the tune of £4.76 million. This will allow the industry to meet all the requirements of the latest EU Directives. Will the Leader find out if the Department made a decision on the arrangements for the disposal of high risk offal, which is made into meat and bone meal and is being stored at present?
I join with Senator Honan's request to the Leader for a debate on the report of the inspector of mental hospitals. The report contained severe criticisms of the system, in particular the implementation of the community care policy, which it found lacking. I do not wish to attribute the deaths in the unsupervised hostel in Grangegorman to the lack of community care facilities but I would point out that the psychiatric nurses association commented that it found the services provided inadequate. A debate on the inspector's report would allow us to comment on the community care policy and to propose solutions to the problems with it. It is not working because it is not properly resourced.
It is fitting that the State's first Minister for the Marine, Senator Daly, should sponsor a Bill on the Shannon. Without debating the merits of the Bill, I consider it timely and I urge the Leader to facilitate discussion on it. A disgraceful situation pertains whereby many of the local authorities along the Shannon have reneged on their responsibilities and they pay lip service to combating pollution while hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on pumping stations which they refuse to operate. Some of the stations have been locked shut since their installation — at Killaloe and Portumna, for example. The local authorities, with the exception of Leitrim County Council, have reneged on their responsibilities. Ironically, it is the authority with the least funds available to it which is foremost in pumping operations. I would welcome a debate to highlight the responsibility of the Office of Public Works and the local authorities in this environmental matter. I look forward to a debate to address pollution in one of the finest waterways in Europe.
I asked before about grants for alternative farming but, as I got no reply, I will have to keep asking the question. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food telephoned Teagasc offices all over Ireland at 3 p.m. one day to say that any applications not in its office by 5 p.m. that evening could not be considered. All applicants had to make their applications through Teagasc, which then sent them to the Department. There was no way that any county office could have its applications in the Department within two hours. I believe those applicants have a legal case against Teagasc, and that Teagasc has a case against the Department. It was very short-sighted and high-handed to limit the application deadline to two hours.
Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?
Will the Leader ask the Minister to explain to the House why his Department reduced the time limit within which applications could be received to two hours between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. that day? It was unfair. Many people went to a great deal of expense to prepare applications because they had been encouraged to get into alternative farming and now cannot get their grants. We should debate this issue, which is not just a problem for Sligo but for the whole country. The Minister should tell us why the Department acted in such a high-handed manner. It never did this before — it always gave Teagasc seven days to send in the applications. It was ridiculous to give them only two hours.
The Senator is looking for a debate?
How could anyone get to Dublin in two hours unless they had a State helicopter?
I thank Senator Magner for his support for the Shannon Bill. He has a very deep knowledge and understanding of the inland waterways and has done great work in the Dublin area in his chairmanship of the committee dealing with canals.
Will the Leader give consideration to the issue raised by Senator Finneran in relation to the community care budget? Apart from the tragic cases mentioned by Senator Finneran, elderly people have serious problems in getting minor repair works carried out to their homes and facilities, such as wheelchairs. This year the community care budget for the Mid-West Health Board area was cut by 10 per cent. This is a further hit to an area which is already very short of finance. Will the Leader raise the issue of the funding of community care budgets with the Minister, especially in relation to care of the elderly, handicapped and disabled, many of whom have been waiting for between two and four years for minor remedial works to be carried out to their homes which would make their lives more comfortable?
I also support Senator Honan's call for a debate on the national heritage areas and the special areas of conservation. These matters have been dealt with by the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. There is a desire for a discussion on this before the start of the tourist season because some of the requirements have implications for visitors to areas of scenic attraction, of which we have many in County Clare. When are we likely to have a debate on the NHAs and special areas of conservation so that we can get some indication of the policy on these areas in advance of the tourist season?
I have been asking for a debate on the National Roads Authority for many months, which I have been promised. I have mentioned on numerous occasions that when travelling from Kilkenny to Waterford one cannot get across Waterford bridge but nothing has been done about it. The access from Kilkenny to Waterford across only one bridge is atrocious and will lead to a national tragedy. Everybody will then say that the National Roads Authority did not give us the money because it was invested in Dublin and elsewhere. I do not care where the money goes but a catastrophe is waiting to happen.
Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?
I am asking again for a debate on the National Roads Authority.
I would also like a debate on our job creation policy. The economy is supposed to be booming but there are areas where jobs are not being created. I would like a debate on the relationship between Forbairt, IDA Ireland and the bridging company, Forfás. It appears that one would need a consultant to find out where to go, whom to see and what to do. Industrialists, entrepreneurs and indigenous business people who want to invest here should know immediately where they should go rather than having to jump from Billy to Jack or being told that it is a problem for another organisation. We need an urgent debate on that matter.
We also need an urgent debate on the export of cattle. The Minister is saying one thing, Pandoro is saying another thing and the livestock exporters are saying something else. Pandoro, which is the only company which can export cattle at present, will not take certain types of animal. I ask the Minister to set up a national shipping company — it does not have to be a huge company, just a few boats — which will take our live exports to Europe. I am not talking about cattle going to the Far East or Middle East but the huge number of——
We are not debating that matter now.
Can we have a debate on that matter? Will the Minister tell us the situation with regard to Pandoro because there are different views coming from Pandoro, the Minister and the exporters?
I support Senator Lanigan's call for the Minister to come to the House to support live cattle exporters. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister to examine the question of live exports to the Middle East, the ceasing of which over the last few months has caused factories to depress the price of beef. Cattle farmers are suffering a great deal at present.
In reply to Senator Fitzgerald, I will make time available for what he referred to as the "Daly-O'Kennedy" Bill the week after next. I guarantee him that its Second Stage will commence during this session.
I would welcome a debate on the issue of TV deflectors and MMDS. I will see if time can be found for that debate.
Senators Lanigan and McGowan have been raising the issue of roads for some time. There is already a motion on the funding of local authorities on the Order Paper, which we have debated for a couple of hours. There is a case for a debate on the National Roads Authority for which I will try to find a framework.
The Buckley report, which Senator Fitzgerald raised, is to be examined by Committee on Procedure and Privileges. Perhaps we, on Committee on Procedure and Privileges, could expedite that matter which I would then be very happy to have discussed in the House. I thank Senators Henry and Fitzgerald for agreeing to the format of this afternoon's debate on health.
Senator Honan raised a number of issues. I said yesterday there will be a full debate on the report of the hepatitis C tribunal before the end of the session. All the questions raised by Senator Honan and some of the assertions she made on "Morning Ireland" yesterday can be examined in detail during that debate. The Minister will then have an opportunity to reply to some of the outrageous statements made yesterday.
Senator Honan also asked about the heritage area, which I will discuss with the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. I approve of the suggestion of a debate on the report of the inspector of mental hospitals and I will see if that can be done in the very near future.
Senator McGowan raised the issue of local authorities. He also raised the issue of Question Time. However, he is aware the reason there is Question Time in the other House is that, constitutionally, the Government is directly accountable to the Dáil and not to this House. Constitutionally, the Committee on Procedure and Privileges cannot institute a system for questions in the Seanad. However, the Senator's point is fair and we could consider other devices. For example, the Lower House now has four matters on its Adjournment and perhaps the Seanad could consider increasing the number of matters taken in this House. Senator Finneran last week revived the system whereby Members can raise important matters under Standing Order 30. I forwarded Senator Finneran's points to the relevant Ministers. The Committee on Procedure and Privileges can examine Senator McGowan's legitimate point.
I note Senator Naughten's remarks on the initiative in the rendering industry but I do not have an answer to his question about high risk offal. The matter raised by Senator Farrell could best be raised on the Adjournment. Regarding Senator Daly's point, I and my colleagues are not aware of any cuts in the community care budget so his further points do not arise.
The Leader is aware of them now.
My two colleagues on the health board in the Senator's area assure me his point is not accurate.
Senator Lanigan opened a Pandora's box of issues, including the export of cattle. I suggest he raises that matter on the Adjournment. The request for a debate on the Fianna Fáil policy on job creation is properly a matter for Fianna Fáil Private Members' time.
The Ard Fheis is coming up.
I am sure the Senators could discuss it there.
Perhaps it could be discussed during the debate on the National Roads Authority.
Order of Business agreed to.