The business ordered for today is No. 2, statements on FÁS, with the contributions of spokespersons not exceeding 20 minutes and those of all other Senators not exceeding 15 minutes. The statements are to conclude not later than 1 p.m.
Order of Business.
The Order of Business is agreeable. In the context of current discussions, will the Leader consider setting up an all-party committee of the House to examine the whole question of Seanad reform? A great deal of discussion has taken place on that matter and there are now enough ideas to draw up a programme of action for reform which would have all-party agreement.
I would also like the Leader to ask such a committee to examine the question of private Bills. In the current calm atmosphere we can say that the procedures through which the Trinity Bill is currently going are archaic, unsatisfactory and cumbersome and there is a case for an examination of the procedures in relation to private Bills to see if they need to be changed.
I agree with both matters raised by Senator Manning. This is an appropriate time to have another examination of Seanad reform and an all-party committee is probably the vehicle through which we can do that. I am on record as suggesting that private Bills should not come into this House, and certainly not in the same manner as currently, because it is not possible to deal with them in a truly democratic fashion in accordance with the rules of this House.
In view of the announcement yesterday by the Bank of Ireland of its intention to cut back 20% of its branches and 700 of its staff throughout the country, can we have a debate on the banking system? It is extraordinary that because profits were less than expected – they are up by only 10% on last year, and total profits were £0.75 billion – the bank wants to save £67 million annually by cutting back on one fifth of its branches. The branches that will be identified for cutbacks will be in rural and disadvantaged urban areas, so this is a serious matter. If old age pensioners were getting 10% interest on their savings in the bank they would think they were getting a handsome profit, yet the banks will go ahead with this swingeing set of cutbacks. It would be appropriate for us to have a debate on the entire banking system because there is a whole range of other charges, activities and services that we could usefully examine.
I know this is a very delicate time in relation to the ongoing situation in the North and the peace process but will the Leader consider allowing for a debate on Northern Ireland in the near future? Whereas we wish people well, we also ask them to take their courage in their hands. At the end of last week matters were looking extremely well and we all thought we could breathe a sigh of relief, yet during the course of this week we have seen, particularly on the Unionist side, that people do not seem to be able to make the breakthrough that is necessary. I would ask Mr. Trimble to take his courage in his hands and ensure that we have a finality to the peace process, that the various North-South dimensions can continue and that the bodies previously in place, which worked so well, can be in operation once again.
The Leader confirmed yesterday that he would allow a debate on the subject of Tibet, but will he give an approximate indication of when this will take place?
I support what Senator Keogh said. This is a delicate time. Perhaps we might have an input. Sometimes it is difficult for us to understand the situation in Northern Ireland. The whole business about naming the RUC and so on seems like Swift's notion of the battle between people as to which end of the egg they should eat first. It is important, although the RUC seem to be quite relaxed about it and I hope that with a positive debate in this House we might be able to give encouragement to people who have good sense on both sides.
Today is a momentous occasion in the history of the Catholic Church. His Holiness, the Pope, will visit Fatima today to beatify two of the young visionaries who died shortly after those visions in 1917. The Pope will also visit the remaining visionary, 93 year old Lucia dos Santos. Since 1917 millions of people have travelled to the Portuguese shrine and it is nice to reflect that there are still millions of people who hold such occasions dear to their hearts.
I endorse the remarks of my colleague, Senator Ó Murchú.
I ask the Leader of the House to convey the concerns of Members of this House that builders and, in certain cases, local authorities do not provide proper fences in local authority and other housing schemes. The lack of such provision denies people, especially those living in local authority houses, privacy. As the people who live in local authority houses are those who cannot afford to provide such fencing, they should be offered the dignity of privacy and such fencing should be part of public and private housing provision.
I appeal to the media not to destroy the peace process. Each morning on radio and television members of the media put awkward questions to try to make Sinn Féin say one thing and Unionists another in order to stir up trouble. There is enough trouble in the world and I am sure they can make a living from reporting that. If broadcasters are that bankrupt for something to talk about on "Morning Ireland" and journalists can write only about the problems and trying to create them, they should put their biros in their pockets and not broadcast on the subject on the airwaves. If they try to create problems, they will succeed in destroying the peace process.
Will the Leader of the House agree to a debate on road safety? It appears the incidence of speeding has decreased and that most accidents occur on country roads rather than on national primary routes or dual carriages. Many accidents occur on the streets of Dublin. A speed limit of 70 miles per hour should apply to all main national roads and dual carriageways and 40 miles per hour on all county roads, although a speed limit of even 40 miles per hour can be dangerous on some county roads, which is where most accidents occur.
I congratulate my county on having the best drivers in Ireland as it has the greatest number of drivers who passed their test the first time. That reflects that there is intelligence in the west.
Or soft testers.
No, we have good drivers, men of ability. A debate on road safety should take account of this aspect, given that the driving test will become more orientated towards educational qualifications than motoring skills in terms of motorists' ability to drive.
Will the Leader arrange for a debate on education? I do not believe the findings of a report that indicates 40% of students are not able to read or write properly. I meet many people and I have yet to meet one who cannot read or write. That report has done a good deal of damage to the reputation of teachers and schools. I do not believe that finding is factual. Does anyone know four out of every ten people they have met who cannot read or write? That is the statistic revealed in the report. That claim is ridiculous. We should have a debate on education to ascertain the facts.
The report claims that one in five people or two in ten people cannot read or write properly.
Does the Deputy know of two people in every ten whom he has met who cannot read or write? I do not know of them. I have studied this matter and asked many people about it and I do not believe that claim is factual. I would possibly be considered illiterate if I was to compete against Senator Norris in English, as he has a much higher standard of English, but that does not mean I cannot read and write or do business as well as he can.
It is unfair of the Deputy to make that comment when Senator Norris is not present.
The way these matters are assessed is incorrect and the results degrade teachers and schools. We should have a debate on education to correct those statistics.
I am sure the Leader of the House has not heard of hush kits. I did not hear of them until yesterday. Hush kits are mufflers on aircraft designed to reduce the level of noise from aircraft. The Irish Aviation Authority report was published last week. We could use the opportunity to debate that report to discuss a ban on hush kits introduced by the European Union this week. It appears this is a cause of a trade war between the Americans and the Europeans. This matter should be debated because those who live comparatively close to airports are aware of the level of noise from aircraft. Hush kits are designed to reduce that level of noise. It appears to be an anti-competitive action by the European Union to ban the use of these kits on older aircraft from May 2002. The Americans are infuriated about this because it is an effort to try to sell more European aircraft.
It seems this ban is likely to be another step in the trade war between the United States and Europe and this trade war is taking place along with trade wars on bananas and other products. A debate on the Irish Aviation Authority's annual report published last week would give us an opportunity to bring this matter to a head because it requires notification and more publicity to ensure we can draw attention to the European Union's unilateral action in this matter.
I agree that hush kits are a priority for everyone in Ireland. I can see the public rising up and demanding a debate on them. They might demand a debate on hushing up various people, but there is no need for a kit to pro gress that. I agree with the Deputy this is a priority and we should ask the Leader of the House to push for an early debate on this matter.
It is a major problem for people who live in Malahide.
If one can afford to live in Malahide, the matter of the use of hush kits is not such a major problem.
Ms Maria McLoughlin, a facilitator for the former President, Nelson Mandela, in the peace negotiations to deal with the situation in Burundi spoke at a meeting of yesterday's sub-committee on overseas development aid. She has also been a facilitator with the former president, Julius Nyerere. The stories she told about the problems in the Great Lakes area of Africa were horrific. We should have an early debate on the situation there to ascertain if there is a way we can help people like Maria McLoughlin and the former President, Nelson Mandela, to try to solve some of the problems in that region of Burundi and Rwanda.
While we have a problem here with the influx of refugees and people seeking asylum, Tanzania has 300,000 refugees from Burundi alone, probably 600,000 refugees from Rwanda and possibly another 100,000 from the Congo. When one considers the scale of that mass migration of people deservedly out of areas of conflict, it puts into perspective the minor problems we have here. We should debate the situation there and I ask the leader of the House to facilitate an early debate on it.
I did not realise when I raised the question of problems in planning yesterday that at a planning appeal before a High Court judge in Dublin last week the judge stated that it appeared the An Bord Pleanála inspector who made the report in an affidavit was making up the report as he went along and she did not believe a word of what he said. This is a serious allegation made by a judge in court. I suggest we have an early debate on planning matters to initiate a debate on what is happening in An Bord Pleanála.
Members should try to avoid commenting on matters which are in the domain of the courts.
It is out of the courts, so it is not sub judice.
I was interested to hear Senator Farrell speak on aspects of road safety. The testing of cars of a certain age is welcome, but it will address only some of the problems regarding road safety, as speed and other problems are factors involved in fatalities that occur on our roads. A downside to the introduction of the national car test is that in one area of Dún Laoghaire there are currently 17 abandoned cars. We could discuss this problem during a debate on road safety. People should not abandon their cars even if it might be more economic for them to do so and this matter should be considered. The Leader might pass on my comments to the Minister and perhaps we will get a response at some stage.
Senator Manning called for an all-party committee to be set up to consider the possibility of Seanad reform. I fully agree with this and, with the permission of the Cathaoirleach, I hope to place it on the agenda for the next Committee on Procedure and Privileges meeting. In our experience with various Private Members' Bills, it is a good suggestion and I am pleased to accept it. I will pass on Senator Costello's concerns to the Minister for Finance regarding the Bank of Ireland's announcement to close 20% of its branches. Senator Finneran called for a debate on banking a number of weeks before the recess. On that occasion I agreed, as I do now, to have an early debate on banking.
Senators Keogh, Farrell and Norris called for a debate at an opportune time on Northern Ireland. I, too, join with Senator Keogh in her suggestion to ask Mr. David Trimble, in the interests of everything that has happened, to take courage in his hands, as he is a courageous man, and do the right thing for the present generation and future generations. There are many young students, the young citizens of our country, in the Public Gallery this morning, and in the interest of the people of Ireland, Mr. David Trimble has a duty to do this. He has a mandate to do so in terms of the Good Friday Agreement. As Leader of the House, I give him every encouragement to do the right thing in the coming days. He has displayed the necessary courage up to now and momentum should be maintained with the Unionist community. In years to come, he will be judged very favourably on what he has done.
I commend the other leaders on making this opportunity possible and on bringing forward the peace initiative for which we have long waited. I look forward to the visit of the President of America who has taken a personal interest in the affairs of Northern Ireland and has given enormous assistance to us in the South during his presidency, as did no other president since John F. Kennedy, in enhancing and helping our economy to get to where it is today, one of the finest and most successful in the world. The people of Northern Ireland can share in the great interest and endeavour of President Clinton. I look forward to his visit to Belfast before the end of his presidency, which we hope will be an acknowledgement of the efforts of all communities in the North.
I gave a commitment to Senator Norris for a debate on Tibet and will allocate time for that early next week. Senator Ó Murchú placed on the record of the House the Holy Father's visit to Fatima for the beatification of two of the three visionaries. I am pleased to be associated with the remarks of Senators Ó Murchú and Glynn. I welcome the fact that the Holy Father will visit the other visionary, Sister Lucia. It is wonderful for this to happen in our lifetime. I will pass Senator Glynn's concerns on the matter he raised to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government.
Senators Farrell and Cosgrave called for a debate on road safety and speeds. Senator Farrell suggested various speed limits. The matter raised by Senator Cosgrave is one for the local authority in the area but I will pass on his views to the Minister. Senator Farrell called for a further debate on education for which I will leave time. It is fair to acknowledge that all Governments since 1965-67, when Donogh O'Malley introduced free transport for all students – this greatly benefited families who could not afford it – have played their part in making substantial investment in education. It is mainly due to our education system since the late 1960s that we have a buoyant and successful economy and that our past and present students have had wonderful success and achievement in the affairs of commerce throughout the world.
Senators Quinn and Lanigan called for a debate on the Irish aviation report which was published last week. Senator Quinn referred to the problem regarding the level of noise and the ban on hush kits. Senator Haughey who, I think, was chairman of this organisation would be pleased to participate and take part in this debate. I will leave time for Senators with expertise in this matter whose diaries might facilitate this. Senator Lanigan called for a debate on overseas development, particularly in light of the committee proceedings yesterday where Maria McLoughlin spoke on the Great Lakes region. I will facilitate the Senator's request and consult him on his availability. I agreed yesterday to Senator Lanigan's request for a debate on An Bord Pleanála and I will arrange to have such a debate, possibly the week after next.
Order of Business agreed to.