I, too, would like to be associated with the Chair's expressions of thanks to all staff of the House, including members of the press. We may not get the best coverage in the media, but in relation to RTE and Oireachtas Report, we have been getting very fair reportage over the past number of months. I thank also Jimmy Walsh who covers the Seanad continually for The Irish Times.The Order of Business today is as follows: No. 1, Committee and Remaining Stages of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) (Amendment) Bill, 1999; No. 2, Report and Final Stages of the Criminal Justice (United Nations Against Torture) Bill, 1998; No. 3, Committee Stage of the National Beef Assurance Scheme Bill, 1999, to be taken from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.; Private Members' Business, Regulation of Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, 1999, Order for Second Stage and Second Stage to be taken from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. – I suggest that the proposer will have ten minutes to reply instead of the usual five minutes; and at 6.45 p.m. statements on Northern Ireland and business to resume thereafter, if not previously concluded.
Order of Business.
On this the last day of this session, I thank the Cathaoirleach for the courteous and fair way in which he has always discharged the business of the House. All Members seem to get a fair hearing from him. I join with the Cathaoirleach and the Leader in thanking the staff, all those associated with the House, the press and so forth for their help during this session.
On the Order of Business, the Leader knows I am not happy about the decision to take No. 3 today. On Second Stage of that Bill yesterday, it emerged that while the objective of the Bill is good, there are some serious problems associated with parts of it. The Leader has decided that we will take Committee Stage of the Bill today. I am grateful we are not taking Report Stage. I do not intend to press that matter further other than to say that when we resume in the autumn I hope we will not have a repeat of the past week when all Stages of some Bills were taken in one day and other Bills, which it was not necessary to have completed before the end of session, were virtually rushed through.
As this is the last sitting day, I will be slightly anticipatory – although I think I am on firm ground – in congratulating Mr. David Byrne on his imminent appointment as our next Commissioner. Mr. Byrne has been a very good Attorney General. He is a person of ability and great personal probity and decency and he will be a very good Commissioner. He is a former student of mine, which gives me a special interest in wishing him well. It now appears certain that Mr. Michael McDowell will be the next Attorney General. I wish him well. He is a fine lawyer and a good parliamentarian, but we have yet to find out how he will take to the vow of silence which goes with the Office of Attorney General.
I am sure I speak on behalf of all the Independent Members in expressing our thanks for the even-handed manner and humour with which the Cathaoirleach has handled the Chair during this session. I also thank the staff of the House for the courtesy and help we have received. On occasions we sought quite a good deal of help, and that has been greatly appreciated.
Like Senator Manning, I am concerned about the Order of Business, but I appreciate that we are not taking Report Stage of the National Beef Assurance Scheme Bill, 1999, today. I appreciate a case was made yesterday by many of the speakers that they did not wish to conclude it today and at least this is a satisfactory conclusion to that matter.
Will the Leader of the House draw to the attention of the Minister for Foreign Affairs the problem concerning the delay in the issuing of passports in the United Kingdom? We had that problem some years ago and it is appreciated that there is not a long delay in the issuing of passports here. There is, however, an anomaly concerning the issuing of Irish passports. Citizens of Northern Ireland who wish to get an Irish passport have to cross the Border to get one. That is unacceptable at this stage. If one lived in Britain and wanted an Irish passport, one could go to various consulates to get one, but I gather that is not possible in Northern Ireland. I ask that an Irish passport office be opened immediately in Belfast and other cities in the North because of the grave difficulty experienced by British passport control.
While we have set a standard for Britain in terms of the issuing of passports, I use this last opportunity in this session to draw attention to something we could learn from in Britain. Today is anti-noise day in Britain. Perhaps the Minister for the Environment and Local Government will consider this issue, particularly during the summer. Anti-noise day is a recognition of noise pollution, how it happens and how often it occurs. Where it occurs it disturbs people, particularly the elderly. As the Seanad will not be sitting during the next few months, we will not be contributing to any noise that might take place. There are many causes of noise that are not necessarily illegal but are close to being so. I ask the Minister to consider designating a day as national anti-noise day during the summer.
I would like to be associated with the congratulations and bouquets that have been thrown at the Cathaoirleach, the staff of the House and the media for all the good work that has been done in the course of this session. I have found the staff and the Cathaoirleach extremely courteous – we have imposed upon him from time to time. We are grateful for the manner in which he has handled the business of the House. I welcome back the Assistant Clerk to the House.
I particularly welcome the decision yesterday by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to allow non-nationals, who had children born in Ireland, to work here. They will now have an automatic right to work rather than have to endure the process which has gone on interminably. When applications were made in the past it could have taken one to four years before they were allowed to work. I hope the Minister will see his way to allow all asylum seekers the right to work and that he will be in line with his colleagues in Government. This development would also be welcome.
Has the Leader of the House information from the Minister for the Environment and Local Government on the matter I raised yesterday, the Housing Act, 1997, some provisions of which have been struck down by the High Court, which will not enable local authorities to protect their tenants and housing stock against anti-social behaviour? That is an important development and I want to know what steps the Minister is taking in this regard.
I welcome the appointment of the new Commissioner, the man who has been proposed, and the person who will take over from him as Attorney General. As a first step in the autumn, perhaps we could invite the new Commissioner to the House, as we invited President Santer in the past, and we could see how we could use the new Standing Order that we have put in place. That would be welcome.
I join with other Members in thanking the Cathaoirleach for the way he conducted the sittings during this session. He has been very fair and efficient. I also thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his help. I thank the Clerk's office and all the staff there. The amount of work that is done by a small staff and the amount of pressure they are under at times, particularly when we are dealing with large Bills, is not readily appreciated outside the Houses of the Oireachtas. We owe them a debt of thanks for that. I also thank the staff of the Houses and the press for the way they have looked after us during the sittings of this session.
I could not possibly comment on who might be the incoming European Commissioner or the next Attorney General. We must await confirmation of those appointments. Until that arrives, we do not wish to comment other than to congratulate whoever might be appointed to those eminent positions and look forward, with eager anticipation, to how the vow of silence will be upheld over the next period. I hope it is not an indication of our support for the absence of noise that we are about to adjourn for the summer. Senator Quinn made a reasonable point.
Will the Leader indicate how much time will be allocated to each speaker this evening in respect of statements on Northern Ireland?
I join with the other speakers in thanking the Cathaoirleach and members of staff and press for their help during this session. I thought we might have had a debate after Easter on the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder report, which has been placed with the Minister. As it is now seven months later, I hope we will be able to debate it immediately we resume because it needs to be followed up by a more comprehensive survey. People who suffer from that condition and their parents cannot be left waiting forever in terms of the recommendations of that report, particularly when it has been laid with the Minister. I hope that will be one of the first items of business in October.
I join with the other speakers in complimenting you, a Chathaoirligh, the staff and the press for the help they have given to Members. You, a Chathaoirligh, were tough on me when it came to speaking on the Order of Business.
I ask the Leader to request the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to carry out a survey over the next three or four months of the quality of water supplied by local authorities and other water suppliers. There is grave concern that the quality of water is not up to the correct standard. This was highlighted last week when e.coli was found in the water supply to certain hospitals. The water quality has deteriorated in the south-east. The Department of the Environment and Local Government must spend whatever money is necessary to upgrade the water supply throughout the country.
I condemn the suggestion by Lieutenant Colonel Wilford, who was the officer in command of the SAS in Derry on Bloody Sunday, that everyone in the North was either a republican or a Catholic who told lies about what happened in Derry on that day. This man hyped up his men so much they would have killed anyone that day. The families of those killed are trying to get justice for what happened in Derry on Bloody Sunday. He said that republicans or Catholics were murderers. This should be brought to the attention of the British authorities, although little can be done because he is now retired. He is a disgrace to his regiment.
Perhaps Senator Lanigan's comments on that matter might be more relevant to the debate this evening on Northern Ireland.
They would not be relevant because the debate this evening is not about that aspect of Northern Ireland. We should protest to the British authorities to stop this man from making such statements.
I concur with the remarks made by Senator Manning and others about you, a Chathaoirligh, the excellent staff and the press. I ask the Leader to comment on the suggestion that this House should sit at 12 noon on new year's day to herald the arrival of the new millennium.
That is almost a year away.
The Senator must expect to be here.
I am now convinced I allow Senators too much latitude on the Order of Business.
I am always brief. I congratulate the Attorney General on his appointment and I concur with Senator Manning's remarks about him. He will do an excellent job representing this country. I also congratulate the new Attorney General, Mr. Michael McDowell, who is an eminent senior counsel. The Attorney General's credentials, like those of the other Commissioners designate, will be subject to examination in the European Parliament at the end of August. I suggest that the Taoiseach allows the Attorney General to appear before the Joint Committee on European Affairs as this would be of benefit to him.
I ask the Leader to arrange for a debate when we resume in the autumn on the amount of money allocated to roads by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government and the way it is spent. There were reports in the media some weeks ago that £1 in every £10 is spent on roads. If that is true, it must be debated in this House.
I join with the other leaders and Senators in offering our congratulations to you, a Chathaoirligh, and the Leas-Chathaoirleach for a job well done during this session. I also want to be associated with the vote of thanks to the Clerk. I welcome Ms Jody Blake back to the House.
Senators Manning and Dardis wanted to know how much time I propose for statements on Northern Ireland. Each Member may speak for ten minutes.
Senators Manning, Costello and Dardis referred to the appointment of the Commissioner and the new Attorney General. I wish those appointees well. They are coming into office at a great time in our history. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to make progress. The new Commissioner is taking over at a time of great opportunity in Europe as well as Ireland.
Senator Quinn made a valid proposal to open a passport office in Belfast or Derry to cater for the demand for Irish passports. I will pass on his views to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I will also pass on his comments on noise pollution to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government.
I join with Senator Costello in congratulating the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for giving non-nationals the right to work under the law. I will arrange for a debate on the report referred to by Senator Jackman early in the next session.
Senators Lanigan and Quill have made numerous requests to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to carry out a survey during the summer months on our water supplies. I will pass their views to the Minister.
I share Senator Lanigan's serious concerns about Lieutenant Colonel Wilford's remarks which were uncalled for. No fair-minded person would believe what he said. We do not need anyone else in the world to tell us what happened in Derry on Bloody Sunday because we all witnessed the horrific scenes on our television screens, which will stay with us forever. I hope we do not live to see a day like Bloody Sunday in Ireland again.
Senator Coghlan proposed that we consider the possibility of sitting on new year's day. We can discuss it with the leaders at a future date.
It was not a proposal but a request to the Leader to comment on a suggestion.
Which new year's day?
I understand there will be a joint sitting of both Houses in late December to commemorate the new millennium.
The Government might have changed by then.
Senator Dan Kiely called on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to come into the House for a debate on the amount of funds spent on roads. Funding for roads has increased by 40 per cent over the past two years. The new topping of tar on the roads in our towns and villages, which was badly needed, must be welcomed as it has enhanced their beauty. I will allow a debate on this early in the next session, when the Minister can report progress to the House on the development of our road infrastructure.