Today's Order of Business is item 1, Report and Fifth Stages, item 1a on the Supplementary Order Paper, statements on the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, and item 19, motion 32. Contributions of spokespersons on item 1a will not exceed 20 minutes and contributions of other Senators will not exceed 15 minutes. Senators may share time. Item 19, motion 32, will be taken from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Order of Business.
The Order of Business is agreed. We are happy to have been able to co-operate with the Leader in changing the Order of Business to facilitate the important legislation which will be introduced tomorrow.
Yesterday a very important education Bill was initiated in the House. While I do not watch "Oireachtas Report", being neither an insomniac nor the other type of person Deputy Rabbitte referred to as being the main viewers of the programme, I am surprised last night's programme did not carry a single item from yesterday's business in the House. The Qualifications (Education and Training) Bill is substantial legislation initiated in this House and bringing about farreaching changes in the structure of third level education. It is of great interest to individuals and bodies around the county. It is regrettable that there was no coverage whatsoever of that item on last evening's "Oireachtas Report".
We agree the Order of Business. Like Senator Manning, I was very surprised there was no coverage of this most important Bill on "Oireachtas Report". Indeed, The Irish Times had not space for it either and I regret this very much as it is most important legislation for learners.
Yesterday a most important report on women's health came before the European Parliament. I congratulate the Irish women members for voting to discuss the report in its entirety. Can that report be discussed in the House at the earliest opportunity?
I also wish to raise the manner in which RTE covered yesterday's proceedings of the Oireachtas. In fact, what was announced last night was a Dáil report rather than an Oireachtas report. I was extremely disappointed that the Seanad was not covered. The nub of the issue is that the Seanad is covering a huge amount of legalisation which is initiated in the House and there does not seem to be anything like the same consideration given to such business. It is high time RTE examined what was happening in relation to coverage in this context. To leave out an entire day without any coverage or any excuse or explanation is not satisfactory. I ask the Leader to examine the matter and speak to RTE about it.
Yesterday a very tragic shooting took place in the south inner city of Dublin in which one of the witnesses to a very serious manslaughter was effectively intimidated. Will the Leader speak to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform with a view to again looking at the 1997 criminal justice legislation which passed through the House and which is currently before the Dáil with a view to an amendment being introduced in relation to intimidation? The legislation covers the issue of drugs and it would be appropriate that it be examined in the Dáil, where it has been for the past 12 months, and that it come back to this House where an appropriate amendment could be inserted.
The second Bacon report on housing seems very comprehensive and raises a number of serious issues. The report points out that 16,000 new houses will have to be built in Dublin and states that landlord-tenant relationships, which is a constitutional issue, will have to be addressed. Will the Leader arrange a debate on this issue at which the Minister would attend? Could we also invite Mr. Bacon into the House to make himself available for a question and answer session to assist us in debating the important issue of private and public housing?
I endorse Senators' comments on the absence of coverage on RTE of yesterday's Bill which was initiated in this House. This was important legislation which was difficult to grasp. A lot of time was put into this Bill yet RTE showed very little respect for the debate. This was the straw which broke the camel's back. I discussed this with the Leader as we have spoken about this situation for a long time.
We should have a full debate on the role of the Seanad in the eyes of the public and the media. I feel slighted by what happened yesterday evening which showed no respect for Senators. We can blow our own trumpets concerning legislation we have passed and spent hours preparing and still get slighted in this fashion. I am affronted by this and it is time to debate the role of this House.
The Leader promised a response when we called for a debate on regionalisation and the application for Objective One status. Will he provide that response particularly in light of EUROSTAT's comments? I am concerned that the 15 counties involved will be horse-traded in the context of discussions on Agenda 2000. Can we have the cards face up on the table?
I support Senator Costello's call for a debate on the second Bacon report. We need to ensure that more serviced land is zoned for housing by local authorities.
I wish to register a slight protest at the change to the Order of Business. I understood the House was to sit this morning. However, the Order of Business was changed at the last moment and we did not meet at 10.30 a.m. as we were told. I only discovered this as I was leaving my house this morning. That is a pity and it is down to bad management.
I was sorry that the important debates in the House yesterday were not covered extensively in the media. This is astonishing and RTE should call the programme "Dáil Report" instead of "Oireachtas Report". There are two Houses of the Oireachtas. Senator Quinn will comment on the fact that there may have been coverage in some editions of newspapers. However, I saw no coverage in my copy of this morning's newspaper.
Yesterday I raised the serious issue of the shooting which took place in the south inner city. I stated the possibility that there might be some paramilitary involvement in this incident and that this might represent a breach of the ceasefire. Paramilitaries are trying to have it every way – to hold on to their guns and to intimidate witnesses. The guns are not silent, even in the South.
In today's Irish Times, security correspondent Jim Cusack states:
Local Garda sources say there has been considerable involvement in the "anti-drug" movement in the south inner city in recent years, with particularly high-profile activity by republicans in the past year. They say intimidating and attacking suspected drug dealers is part of a campaign to increase support for the IRA's political wing, Sinn Féin.
This is a most worrying thought. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform should make a statement in the House on this serious matter.
In the debate on the Architectural Heritage Bill, I referred to the destruction of Turvey House. There was a report this morning that the file on the overnight demolition of this unique 16th century house is being withheld from the public by the Fingal County Manager. I am glad it has been released to councillors, but what does it say about freedom of information? Will we never get to the bottom of the continuing series of scandals?
I again ask the Leader to arrange a debate on children. Additional funds are required for research into the health of children, still births and areas in the country where there are clusters of births of children with certain disabilities. This matter should be examined.
When the Minister is present for that debate, perhaps the House could also discuss the regulations which are being implemented under the Childcare Act in relation to crèches. If crèches are not in a position to adhere to the regulations because of space or planning restrictions, it is vital that the regulations are re-examined and amended if necessary. There will be a serious crisis if crèches throughout the country continue to close down and parents are unable to find places for children in reputable child care operations. Perhaps the debate could also encompass the issue of adoption and particularly foreign adoptions. New legislation is due to be introduced in this area. I look forward to a debate in the near future.
I also support the call for a debate on the second Bacon report. While everybody agrees extra houses are needed, it is crazy to consider building more houses in Dublin without the availability of permanent sewerage facilities. Consideration should be given to building houses in towns which are in dire need of people to live in them. The number of children in schools in certain rural areas is dropping dramatically. A full debate on what is happening in this area is required and I ask the Leader to arrange it urgently.
Will the Leader ask the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to re-examine Part M of the building regulations and to amend the wording to ensure compliance? The underlying philosophy of Part M is that where it is reasonable and practicable, all buildings should be accessible to people with disabilities. There is little adherence to this philosophy.
People who read newspapers on this side of the city obviously did not notice the coverage of the debate yesterday in the newspaper I read early this morning. Senator Kett and Senator Norris were mentioned. I am not making excuses but perhaps people on the north side get more sophisticated newspapers than people on the other side of the city.
I bought my newspaper on the north side, but I was not an early bird.
As Senator Ormonde said, this House does not get the coverage it deserves. However, sometimes we do not deserve coverage because when Bills are initiated in the Seanad, I am not sure that the full force of the House is brought to bear on them in terms of the input to debates. I was disappointed by the number who attended yesterday. Three Independent Senators spoke, but I was disappointed there was not more of an input from others.
The impending trade war between the United States and Europe is one which concerns us, yet we have not had a debate on it. I am not sure a debate is the correct forum, and perhaps an alternative can be found. It is called the banana trade war, but it seems it will have huge implications for every business in Ireland involved in exports. I thought the debate on the Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment) Bill would have given us an opportunity, but that has been postponed for some weeks. I am not of the same opinion as Senator Norris who said it is bad management to change things at the last moment. I accept the need to change the Order of Business to debate the British-Irish Agreement Bill.
We could have met this morning. That was the original plan.
I support Senators Costello's and Tom Hayes's remarks about the Bacon report. What Senator Hayes said is correct. However, it is a question of whether we will solve this matter immediately or spend a great deal of time debating it. There is a huge housing crisis. Let us stop talking and try to do something about it.
I welcome the move of Senator Coghlan from the subject of Pretty Polly to Objective One status. We will probably hear about the second matter for the next three months now.
I should inform the House that the Tánaiste has accepted my invitation to visit Killarney.
I compliment the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, the Minister of State at the Department and the Government on their recent welcome initiative in the housing crisis. There is an aspect to it which the Leader might consider for debate in that there is a serious problem in local authorities with planning. While the Minister has addressed the housing issue, he also needs to address planning. The collective thoughts of Members from their involvement with local authority members would be a welcome contribution to that debate. Perhaps the Leader would afford a half day's debate in which we could outline the difficulties in planning experienced by local authorities. Many of the issues and problems apparent at present result from copybook planners deciding what is in the best interests of the people rather than what is practical. Perhaps the Leader could couple the debate on the housing crisis with what I consider a planning crisis.
I support Senator Henry's call for a debate on the European Parliament report on women's health in the European Union and urge that it take place soon.
Will the Leader ask the Minister for the Environment and Local Government or the Minister of State, Deputy Dan Wallace, to debate the EU landfill directive, especially in the context of a growing crisis in landfill and what the Minister proposes to do about it?
Regarding RTE's coverage of the Houses of the Oireachtas, will the Leader inform us what progress, if any, has been made regarding the calls by Senators some months ago, myself included, to allow for more flexible and televisually pleasing coverage of the House in terms of the use of cameras?
I would like a debate on the Bacon report commissioned by the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy. It should also be linked to a debate on transport and infrastructure. If we are going to debate housing and its location, we cannot do so in isolation. We must be aware of all the difficulties which face us. Others have made suggestions in that regard.
I support the calls for a debate on the women's health report which was placed before the European Parliament. That would be a valuable debate, particularly as yesterday was International Women's Day and we did not have an opportunity to mark it. It would be a fitting tribute.
I ask the Leader for a debate on the forthcoming report to be published on Aer Rianta and the Great Southern Hotels group. It has been raised previously by Senator Coogan. I am particularly interested in that report because the Shannon issue will emerge again, and this ties in with Senator Coghlan's call for a debate on regionalisation and what has been said about housing. In the light of bilateral agreements and the search for a strategic partner, it is essential that we would have the opportunity to debate the report.
I support Senator Henry and Senator O'Meara in seeking a debate on the women's health report which was discussed in Europe yesterday.
While I support Senator Norris's justifiable outrage at the shooting of a potential witness yesterday, which seems to be part of a trend on which the Government must act because we cannot have witness intimidation in a free society, it allows me to ask the Leader to convey an equal sense of outrage about the daily bomb attacks on Catholic families north of the Border which do not seem to be reported to any great extent other than in The Irish Times. The reason I raise this is that the House needs to constantly and repeatedly address this matter. We are supposed to be in a time of ceasefire and we are supposed to be good citizens. We are supposed to support both sides in the North in relation to the realisation of objectives which will ensure peace for all. There are daily attacks on vulnerable Catholic families for no other reason but that they are Catholics. Some of the stories one hears from north of the Border are heart-rending. I wanted to make the point and I hope the Leader will convey the sense of outrage which exists about this. Perhaps there might be an opportunity to address this matter in the context of tomorrow or Friday's debates.
I ask the Leader to arrange for a debate with the Minister on the implementation of the Waste Management Act, 1996. Considerable enabling powers were given to the Minister and local authorities in that Act to regulate waste management. Many of those, particularly those allowing local authorities to regulate private refuse collection services, have not been brought into effect. This is causing great difficulty for local authorities who must deal with the issue. I would appreciate an early debate on that.
I support the calls for a debate on the questions of housing, infrastructure and transport. No matter what happens as a result of the Bacon report, we will still have a situation where the average house price is such that a family would need at least an income of £35,000 to contemplate buying a house. There is a need to address the needs of those below that income bracket and those in the private rented sector.
I also support the call by Senator Finneran for a debate on the planning laws. The Labour group produced a Bill last autumn 12 months which the Minister did not support because his own legislation was due to be introduced last year. In the absence of that legislation it would be useful to have such a debate.
I support the calls last week and this week for a debate on the Government's regionalisation proposals. They seem to be debated in the media every day of the week without any opportunity for us to debate them. As a matter of correction, I was disappointed in RTE's coverage last night and this morning to hear it refer to any regional authority as a semi-official body. My understanding is that they are fully official under the 1991 Act.
I support Senator Finneran's call on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to come to the House to discuss housing needs and the planning laws, particularly the planning laws in rural areas. County development plans have been produced and accepted by most county councils. Planning regulations for local people who wish to build in rural areas are now so restrictive that young people are unable to build houses on their chosen site. This is a sad development. Will the Leader ask the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to come to the House for a debate on planning?
I join with other Senators in raising the issue of regionalisation and the dearth of information on the matter given to Members of the House. This morning, in the course of a discussion on the "Morning Ireland" radio programme about the Government's 13 or 15 county submission to the EU regarding Objective One status, I heard that certain areas in each region are to designated for special growth. For example, Sligo is to be designated as a university town and there are proposals to expand Athlone. This is laudable, but the information should be in the hands of Members of this House. I understand that these reports have been circulated to members of the regional authorities but, to my knowledge, not to Members of the Oireachtas. This is not acceptable.
I have raised the question of the wildlife Bill twice or three times but I do not see it in the schedule of Bills to come before the House before the Easter recess. Can the Leader tell the House when it is proposed to introduce this legislation? Ideally, it should be initiated in this House and I advise that that be done.
Some weeks ago, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Deputy de Valera, issued new directives relating to turf extraction and cutting on bogs which are controversial in my part of the country. Notwithstanding EU regulations on habitat, I cannot understand how any Minister could issue such regulations without having wildlife legislation passed by the Oireachtas. For that reason, I ask when will the wildlife Bill be introduced? Is it not beyond the Minister's power to issue such regulations when we have not passed a wildlife Bill?
In view of the efforts being made by the Government to address the housing crisis, I support Senator Finneran's call for a debate on planning and I agree with Senator O'Brien's comments regarding planning in rural areas. Tomorrow we will debate Northern Ireland. In County Donegal many people believe that it is easier for someone from Northern Ireland to get planning permission than for a local applicant. I support the call for a debate on planning.
I refer to Item 19, motion No. 17 regarding microwave emissions from masts. In Leitrim County Council and in other local authorities, planning permission for masts has recently become a major item. Will the Leader arrange for the House to debate the question of microwave transmitters?
Will the Leader arrange a debate on the issue of landfill dumps? Most Members of the House are members of local authorities and every local authority member realises that dumps are filling at an alarming rate. A local dump was a major issue in the recent by-election in Dublin North. I call for this debate because most of the material being dumped in landfill sites is recyclable. Perhaps we could propose the drawing up of legislation which would compel local authorities to provide recycling facilities. Some local authorities have bottle banks, etc., but that is only the tip of the iceberg – far more could be done.
Mr. Ryan
I wish to draw the attention of the House to something quite peculiar. This House passed the Criminal Justice (No. 2) Bill on 13 May 1998. It was supposed to be the Government's response to the drugs crisis but it is still on the Dáil Order Paper – as are four other items of legislation which were passed by this House – and we do not know when it will be enacted.
The Leader might pass on some of his organisational skills to the Members of the other House and explain how to get legislation passed, particularly legislation that was a flagship item. The Criminal Justice (United Nations Convention against Torture) Bill has been on our Order Paper for some weeks, awaiting the Government's response to a series of amendments tabled by the Labour Party. Is the problem, as I suspect, that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is too busy making an impression to deal with his primary legislative function?
That is terrible.
Mr. Ryan
I will say worse, if Senator Mooney would like me to.
Senator Ryan must conclude.
Mr. Ryan
Can we stop pretending that the Bacon report has anything to do with the housing crisis? It is to do with the housing market. The real housing crisis concerns the people outside the market who cannot afford housing – that is called housing need. One of the ideological errors in which this State is now tied up is to believe that the market can meet those needs. They will never be met by the market. I invite the Members opposite to point out to the Minister for Finance that he had a £1 billion surplus, which he could have used to build houses for people who will never, under any circumstances, be able to afford a house.
Fair play to Senator Ryan. He will be back in ten years wondering what happened to the £1 billion.
(Interruptions.)
Senator Ryan wants to sell the family silver, which is a short-term approach. He is being true to form.
Order, please.
Mr. Ryan
I support the call for a debate, not just on the threatened trade war between Europe and the United States, but on the way in which—
Bananas.
Mr. Ryan
I do not know about Senator Mooney, but I regard the welfare of banana producers to be of considerable importance. I do not think it is funny—
I know as much about it as the Senator does.
Senator Ryan, on the Order of Business, without interruption.
Mr. Ryan
Unlike Senator Mooney, I do not claim omniscience but I do—
The Senator should not mind me – he should address the Chair.
Mr. Ryan
—think it is important. Senator Mooney obviously has a problem this afternoon.
Too many bananas.
(Interruptions.)
Mr. Ryan
I am sorry, a Chathaoirligh, but I am not the author of these interruptions.
The Senator is provoking them.
Mr. Ryan
I simply want to support Senator Quinn's call for a debate on this matter. The problem is that every decision by the World Trade Organisation about a complaint has ended up favouring the United States. That suggests a very unbalanced world trade structure, which is a much more fundamental issue than the impending trade war.
I thank the Leaders for their co-operation and understanding on the change to the Order of Business. If some Members did not know the Order had been changed, notices were placed in every pigeonhole at 5.15 p.m. yesterday.
Senators Manning, Costello, Ormonde, Norris and Quinn voiced their disgust and distaste at the way this House was treated yesterday by RTE. I have been in touch with the office of the director general of RTE and I am awaiting a call from him tomorrow morning. I hope to summon the Leaders of the House to a meeting with myself and the director general at the earliest opportunity to discuss this matter. I will be in touch with the Government Dáil Chief Whip, the Minister of State, Deputy Séamus Brennan, after the Order of Business to see if we can have an urgent meeting with the broadcasting committee to discuss the broadcasting of the Seanad. The legislation initiated in the House deserved recognition and the people want to know what legislation is being amended or introduced. I do not know who was responsible but I will find out and report back to the House as soon as possible.
Senators Henry, O'Meara and Keogh called for a debate on yesterday's European announcement on women's health, I have no problem with that. Yesterday was International Women's Day. Senators Costello and Norris called for a debate on the 1997 criminal justice legislation and the shooting of a young man yesterday in the north inner city.
It took place in the south inner city.
I agree and I will have time left aside for it. Senators Costello, Coghlan, Hayes, Quinn, Finneran, Keogh, Gallagher, O'Brien, Bonner and Ryan called for a debate on the new Bacon report published yesterday. I congratulate the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, and the Taoiseach for bringing forward proposals for our consideration. I will leave aside a half day for this discussion. I look forward to worthwhile contributions from all Senators who are very anxious to have this debate. I will allow as much time as necessary for them to make their contributions.
Senator Bonner called for a debate on masts; we can have a debate on that. Senator Glynn called for a debate on landfill sites and asked that time be left aside for that. Senator Ryan called for the other House to pass the legislation initiated in the Seanad. As the Senator knows – he has been here a long time – it is the business of the Government Chief Whip in the other House to process that.
I take exception the Senator's comment regarding the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. In the past 12 months this Government brought before both Houses 52 Bills, more than double what his party brought through the previous year when in Government. Of those 52 Bills, 17 were from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has been the hardest working Minister in the past 12 months for the amount of legislation he has introduced to address the promise he made in his programme for Government regarding zero tolerance he should be congratulated and commended. I stand four square behind him, and I am sure all fair minded Senators would agree. As I have often said, after the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has had the busiest 12 months.
Senator Cox called for a debate on children, adoption, child care and crèches. As I stated yesterday, I can have time left aside for this. Senator Kett called for a debate on Part M of the building regulations; time can be left aside for this. Senators Quinn and Ryan called for a debate on the impending trade war between the EU and the US and I will certainly leave time aside for this. Senators called for a debate on Aer Rianta and the Great Southern Hotel group. I will have time left aside for that. Senator Mooney called for a debate on the difficulties being experiences by both Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland. Time can be left aside for this. He pointed to the Catholic community in his remarks. The situation there is regrettable and the quicker it is resolved the better chance communities in Northern Ireland will have to enjoy the peace we all wish for and the ceasefire we hope will continue.
Senator Gallagher called for a debate on the Waste Management Act, 1996; I have no difficulty with this. Senator Connor inquired when the Wildlife Bill will come before the House. I will inform him tomorrow morning.
As part of the Order of Business, did the Leader indicate that the statements are to be taken at 4 p.m.?
Statements on the Irish language will be taken at 4 p.m.
Order of Business agreed to.