The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re review of safeguards in connection with media coverage, with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed 20 minutes and those of other Senators not to exceed 15 minutes. Business is to conclude not later than 7.30 p.m.
Order of Business.
A Chathaoirligh, you have no idea of the great joy and relief your announcement has brought to people all over Ireland that Trinity has now been made safe for democracy.
Hear, hear.
I wish to record the extraordinary amount of work done by Members of this House, Senators Ormonde, Liam Fitzgerald and Coogan, on Committee Stage of the Bill. There was a huge input of work, although what happened subsequently is another day's work.
On the Order of Business, I wish to pay tribute to people throughout the country, including those in the Civil Defence, local authorities and ordinary people, who are doing such Herculean work in the areas affected by flooding. There have been great examples of dedication and commitment way beyond any call of duty and a great sense of neighbourliness and community spirit in those areas. We send our sympathy to those who been seriously afflicted by the floods.
A catastrophe such as this has to raise the question of the reason work was not done in many cases over the past number of years when there were clear indications that these events happen on a cyclical basis. No one knows when they will happen but a great deal of work could have been done yet was not done.
I was not impressed to hear the Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works rush to blame the local authorities for the failures. We had the same experience with him when the new offices here were not ready. He blamed everybody, from the secretaries who had not unpacked the cases to the Members of the Houses, while chaos reigned all around. It is wrong of him to blame other people when the responsibility lies first and foremost with his office. In so far as one body is in charge of preparations for flooding disasters, it is the Office of Public Works and what has happened simply is not good enough.
I ask the Leader to have a debate in the near future on the need for a single authority with responsibility for preparing for natural disasters. The only certainty is that we will have more natural disasters. They are a fact of life and with all of the uncertainties surrounding global warming we must use the best possible advice, techniques and information to make all the necessary preparations. I would welcome a debate on that issue.
On the question of today's business, I do not fully understand the motion and I would have preferred if we could have had an all-party motion calling on the Government to give us its views and proposals on how the many media problems could be tackled. I am not sure if it is the job of the Government to review safeguards. I do not understand the motion fully and it would be better if, by the end of the debate, there could be agreement among the Whips on a different wording to the motion, but I am happy to go ahead with the debate.
It is a great relief that the Trinity Bill has been passed and I particularly thank Senator Manning for chairing the committee. I also thank Senators Ormonde and Liam Fitzgerald for their work on that committee. When Senator Fitzgerald told me he had been asked to serve on the committee I said, "Please do Liam, it will not take three hours out of your life." Some months later he was looking at me in a peculiar manner. However, I thank the Senators and the officials of the House for their work on this Bill.
I thought the motion on the Order of Business called for the establishment of a press council but I am sure we will find out more as the debate progresses. I agree to the Order of Business.
Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, to come into the House to discuss Lord Phillips's report in the UK on BSE and the report by the head of the UK food safety authority which queries the possibility that BSE has spread to sheep? We should also discuss the methods used in Ireland for disposing of animals infected with BSE, particularly the method of burial. Will the Leader ask the Minister if he raised this issue with Ms de Brún when they met in Enniskillen? I am glad this meeting took place as they were discussing the Food Safety Authority.
We have not discussed this issue from public health or consumer safety perspectives and we are inclined to focus on the producers' point of view and to treat the matter as an agricultural issue. I ask that the Minister for Health and Children take this debate in the House.
I share the relief that the Trinity Bill has been passed by both Houses. I was critical of this type of private legislation coming before the House as the committee which dealt with it was not representative of all sections of the House. The Labour group was not entitled to representation on the committee. However, having heard what happened on Committee Stage, I was relieved that neither I nor any of my colleagues was a member of the committee. The Leader should gracefully decline to deal with such matters in the future as these types of Bills are inappropriate for our Legislature.
I would like clarification of the motion on the Order of Business as it is not clear what we are supposed to be doing. I thought the debate was to deal with the regulation of the media, responsibility within the media and the possibility of establishing a press council. The issue is broader than referring to an unnamed tragedy in Kilkenny or the Paralympics and I agree with Senator Manning's suggestion that we seek all-party agreement on a motion before the conclusion of the debate.
The issue of flooding has been exercising our attention over the past few days. We cannot hold the Government responsible for flooding but to some extent we can hold it responsible for the amount of damage caused and the lack of any apparent emergency plan. The Taoiseach is briefing the Cabinet on the situation but there does not seem to be a proper national emergency plan. Dublin Corporation has an emergency plan on which the city manager briefed councillors yesterday. As a result of this plan, Dublin city has been less adversely affected than most other areas, particularly areas where there are rivers and farming communities which have been badly affected.
Given that these cycles will become more intense due to global warming, it is time we examined this issue in terms of how local authorities deal with the problem through the development of emergency plans – some areas do not have such plans – and how the Government co-ordinates services in a national emergency of this nature. It would be worthwhile if the Leader arranged such a debate so that we could examine the issue in its broadest parameters.
I am not sure I share the sense of relief on the passage of the Bill regarding the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin. I was beginning to enjoy the Bill but it is appropriate to thank the members of the committee and the staff of your office, a Chathaoirligh, who dealt with the matter so well under difficult circumstances.
It would be appropriate to discuss some of the wider aspects of the weather but we should also consider emergency planning. Senator Manning is right to congratulate the Civil Defence, the fire brigade and local authority employees who had to deal with this issue. It is important that we plan properly. However, there is a wider issue. We should note and congratulate the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, on the publication of the climate change strategy and we should debate this document. The Minister has also set up an interdepartmental team to discuss these issues.
There is also the question of whether we will be able to meet the targets set in the Kyoto and Rio de Janeiro summits. Discharges from motor cars and transport in general are among the most significant contributors to this problem. There are other contributors, including agriculture. I note a commitment to switch from generating electricity from coal at Moneypoint by 2008. We should include this issue in our discussion on the emergency plan and examine some of the causes of what is happening.
I join Senator Manning in complimenting the agencies which looked after people in the past few days. In particular, I compliment local authorities which look after people all the time, not just in emergencies. They are the unsung heroes and heroines. I was disappointed and appalled by the Minister's reaction and his criticism of local authorities. This was most inappropriate at a time when he should have been more constructive.
Will the Leader ask the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, to come into the House to let us know how he intends to deal with the forthcoming teachers' dispute? We have heard very little in the House about the problems which are looming and this deafening silence is not acceptable. Surely there can be some compromise and proactive measures by the Minister to deal with something which will be very disruptive for children if he does not take action.
I am pleased the Trinity Bill has been passed as I was dreading the prospect of going through the whole process again. I support Senator Manning's call for a debate on the lack of preparation in light of the flooding. Who has responsibility for this issue? I am confused as to whether it is the Office of Public Works, the Department of the Environment and Local Government or local authorities. Everyone seems to have a role to play and this issue needs to be clarified.
Will the Leader ask the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to make a statement on who is responsible for the filling of county and city planner posts? These posts are not being filled and the buck is being passed between local authorities and the Minister. No one seems to know who has the final responsibility for local government reform and the restructuring of these posts. It is time to clarify this issue which I have raised previously in the House. This is an important issue as it involves county development plans and significant growth at a time when there is a lack of planners, especially senior planners, to give direction.
I join Senators in complimenting the local authority emergency services for a job well done under great strain and in severe conditions. Thankfully, I had no involvement in the Trinity Bill, but I salute the great work of all of our colleagues in this House who were so involved.
I am very concerned about the eligibility criteria for FÁS community employment schemes. I thought in this day and age, now we are all worshipping the new god, OTA – openness, transparency and accountability – that all of our codes under all headings were non-discriminatory but—
Some of us have discovered a new god.
I will not allow a debate on this matter on the Order of Business. If the Senator wishes to debate or discuss this matter in detail, then he must find another way of raising it in the House, either by way of Adjournment Matter or motion.
I appreciate your remarks, as ever, a Chathaoirleach, and your kind assistance. I have no intention of debating this matter on the Order of Business.
But?
But?
There is no "but". It is a point of fact.
A question for the Leader of the House.
As ever, I have a question for the Leader. I know he always appreciates my questions. The truth is—
£160 million a year.
The fact is that people under 25 are being blatantly discriminated against, while all Travellers and all refugees are eligible. I have nothing against either category, but there should not be discrimination. Often the person best suited could be an ordinary citizen under 25 and such people are being precluded.
Will the Leader of the House draw the attention of the Minister for Health and Children to a report in today's newspapers that certain common cold remedies, which are available by and large over the counter, have been withdrawn from sale in America by the Food and Drugs Administration as being potentially dangerous to people with high blood pressure? Will he will issue advice to citizens in that regard?
I support the request for a debate on the long-term effects of floods. If the sea level is inevitably rising and if there is a cyclical change in climate, it is wise that we as a nation should take a look at the far-reaching consequences. I add my thanks and appreciation to the local authority and other workers who were engaged in mitigating the effects of the flood.
I ask also for some discussion on a disaster plan and if that could include Northern Ireland also. It is the sort of issue which suits some of the North/South bodies because floods do not stop at the Border.
I support the comments of Senator Hayes. The Leader should give serious consideration to having not one debate but a series of debates on the impact of global warming. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, set the headline last week in explaining to the nation just how serious the future is for all of us. I do not wish to labour the point but I support the call of Senator Hayes.
Will the Leader give consideration, perhaps following discussion with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, to the possibility of introducing in this House legislation, which the Minister promised yesterday, amending the Video Recordings Act, 1989? I compliment the Minister on his initiative in that he has managed to get the computer industry once again to regulate itself. I do not think this is acceptable, however. There should be legislation in this area and that is the reason I make this call. The Minister has promised that he will look at the question of legislation. Senator Henry is one of a number of people who have raised the problem of young people getting both videos and computer games which they should not be getting. It is not acceptable that the industry should be allowed to regulate itself, something it is not doing. Parents do not know what their children are watching.
The Minister's timely initiative is to be welcomed. I ask the Leader to inquire about the Minister's plans regarding the legislation. He stated only that he intended to review it and look at it early next year. It is a Bill which should be introduced in this House as a result of the comments which have been made heretofore.
I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands to the Seanad to discuss the use of canal banks. It has been brought to my attention in my county, County Westmeath, that barriers have been put across the canal banks, thereby preventing local people, especially local farmers, from using them. This is causing great difficulty and hardship. It is difficult enough, especially for local shopkeepers, to exist in the rural areas, although I concede that the retention of the groceries order has helped to some extent, but I would ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister to come in here as soon as possible. This is an unhelpful practice by the Office of Public Works or Dúchas. It is a great inconvenience to local people, especially local farmers.
I also join Senator Manning in congratulating the local authorities, the Civil Defence, the Army and all concerned in the recent flood relief. I would welcome a debate on flooding but it is not really a matter for this House. When one goes to clean a river the biggest problem, as all of us who have lived in the countryside and who have been members of local authorities will be aware, is that the fishing interests and the environmentalist throw up all kinds of objections. They state that one will interfere with the bed of the river or the spawning beds. These days to try and drain a river in rural Ireland is a problem. Until the fishermen, the environmentalists and such other groups come together at local level and make a decision about what they want done, there is no point in local authorities or the Government trying to do anything to alleviate the problem. They will not be allowed to do so.
I understand that the fault in the sound system has been rectified but if there is any problem still existing, perhaps Members would notify any member of the staff.
I join the Senators who welcomed the safe passage of the Trinity Bill through the Dáil and commend everybody in this House. Everybody has been mentioned here. I want to include the Clerk of the Seanad and her staff who spent an enormous amount of time in bringing this to a successful conclusion.
Senators Manning, Henry, Costello, Dardis, Farrell, Maurice Hayes and other Senators have commented on the role of the emergency services in the recent inclement weather. This seems to recur much more often now than in the past. I certainly will allow time for a debate on this. I too want to be associated with the commendation of the fire service, the Army and local authorities and the Civil Defence who excelled themselves over the weekend. As one who lives in the lake district, I know it is a difficult time, especially if such inclement weather conditions and heavy rains come four or five times a year, which was unheard of in the past.
Local authorities must revisit their county development plans to alter the regulations regarding the height from the ground of foundations for houses in particular. I can see the day come when local authorities must insist that no house may be built in a low-lying area unless it is at least three feet off the ground. It is crazy and ridiculous. The experience, particularly in the Kilcock/Maynooth area, is a new development. When the weather turns bad and heavy rains come, the unfortunate people of Clonmel and all these other areas experience a disaster. They are facing a real dilemma if this becomes an ongoing occurrence. I will allow time for this to be debated. I do not wish to let this matter pass without congratulating everybody who went out at the weekend and worked day and night, on Sunday in particular.
I will certainly forward Senator Henry's views regarding the Lord Phillips's report on BSE to the Minister. If a debate is necessary, I will make time available for it.
Senator Dardis and Senator Mooney raised the issue of global warming and climate change. As I said, I will allow time for this also.
I agree with Senator Jackman and I hope the teachers' dispute does not go ahead. Everyone has to sit around the table at the end of the day and come to a successful agreement and, in the interests of everyone concerned, I hope this happens.
Senator Ormonde called on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to take action and have planner posts in local authorities filled as soon as possible. I understand that demand in the commercial sector is the reason many of these excellent planners are taking positions in the private sector for far greater financial reward. From this point of view, the local authorities suffer. However, the demands in terms of work has never been greater in the offices of local authority planners. I agree fully with Senator Ormonde's wishes, will pass her views on to the Minister and will come back to the Senator on the matter.
I will pass on Senator Coghlan's views to the Minister regarding the FÁS community schemes. I could not agree more with the Senator that they have done terrific work which will last for 50 or 100 years and which has enhanced our towns and villages. The schemes gave an opportunity to people when work was not available – they had something for which to get up in the morning and to do during the day.
I will pass on Senator Maurice Hayes's views to the Minister for Health and Children. It is quite alarming that these cold remedies, which are banned in America, are still being sold here. It is about time action was taken. Senator Mooney, who is very experienced in broadcasting, called for a review of the 1994 video-recording legislation. I will leave time aside for a debate on this in the coming weeks.
Senator Glynn called for the Minister to come to the House to debate the use and misuse of canal banks, the result of which was experienced over the weekend with the inclement weather. Many private landowners state that the local authorities own these land banks while many local authorities state that private owners do. Clarification is needed urgently. The Planning and Development Act was before the House in recent months but I will pass on the Senator's views to the Minister along with those of Senator Farrell.
Order of Business agreed to.