The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on the reform treaty and referendum campaign, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business and to conclude not later than 1.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes, those of all other Senators not to exceed eight minutes, and the Minister to be called upon ten minutes from the end of the debate for closing comments and to respond to questions from spokespersons; No. 2, statements on the small and medium-sized business sector to commence at 3 p.m. and to conclude not later than 5 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes, those of all other Senators not to exceed eight minutes, on which Senators may share time, and the Minister to be called upon ten minutes from the end of the debate for closing comments and to respond to questions from spokespersons; and No. 9, motion 33 re broadband to be taken at the conclusion of No. 2. It is proposed that business will be interrupted from 1.30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Order of Business.
In May 2005, "Prime Time" exposed to the entire country what was happening at Leas Cross. Going on information supplied to me by the Leader of the House it will be June 2008, more than three years later, before the Garda Síochána will consider a criminal investigation into what happened at Leas Cross. In light of what we read about the report into the Brothers of Charity, which was published yesterday, no reason exists for the Garda Síochána not to investigate what happened at Leas Cross while a report is being compiled. Work on a report and a Garda investigation can be concurrent. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform whether a specific reason exists for delaying by three years the investigation into the serious allegations made about Leas Cross?
Will the House support the establishment of a statutory and independent patient safety authority? A serious problem exists in the ethos of the Irish health care services. Many Members on both sides of the House have expressed concern about what is going on in the Health Service Executive. The only way we can change this ethos is through establishing a patient safety authority. We have the Financial Regulator and all the services which go with it to protect people's investments and money. However, we do not have a specific organisation to look after patients' interests.
The Garda Síochána states it does not have the resources nor possibly the legislation to support it in achieving successful prosecutions with regard to the cocaine epidemic we have. Perhaps the contribution of the House should be to look outside the box for solutions. Members of the House have already called for mandatory drug testing throughout society or at traffic stops. The House should debate concerns associated with mandatory drug testing and whether it is a good idea or an over-the-top response to the drugs problem. A debate of this nature would assist society. We will not know if mandatory drug testing is a good or bad idea until we have a proper debate.
I admire the Senator's optimism about our ability to think outside the box. Senator Bacik was heckled yesterday when she made a reasonably intellectual argument on mandatory drug testing. I, too, would like a debate on this issue to determine whether the Senators who heckled will have a thoughtful contribution to make.
I hope the House will express outrage about an issue in which the Leader has taken a special interest, namely, uninsured drivers. I will relate a simple story. It is now widespread practice to have one's car taxed on-line. To do so, one must fill out an application on the www.cartax.ie website. An applicant may enter any insurance policy number he or she wishes. In other words, by facilitating a system which allows people to obtain a tax disc without insurance or a national car test, we are putting dangerous vehicles and uninsured drivers on the road every day. I raised this issue last year and the Leader discussed it during his time as Chairman of the Committee on Enterprise and Small Business. Having understood that the issue was being addressed, I am outraged to learn that uninsured drivers of unsafe vehicles continue to have their cars taxed.
When one hears of road traffic accidents and collisions, one often wonders about the roadworthiness of the cars involved, if their brakes were functioning properly and so forth. Questions are often asked about accountability. Someone should be brought to book for allowing the outrageous practice by which drivers of unsafe vehicles log on to a website to obtain a road tax certificate to continue. Rectifying the problem is a simple, technical matter. I want two steps to be taken. The Minister for Transport should explain immediately when he will address the issue and every single on-line taxation transaction undertaken in the past year should be reviewed to determine how many of the drivers in question entered false insurance numbers. Every insurance company has a databank it can use to generate the relevant information in seconds. All that is required is to have two technologies communicate with each other. It is outrageous that this practice is allowed to continue.
On a related issue, for almost ten years I have been calling for the introduction of credit card type driving licences. I made this request time and again when Senator Callely was Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for traffic. On each occasion, he assured me the European Union was working on the issue and I pointed out that, having taken 29 years to decide on the colour of our passports, I dreaded to think how long the European Union would take to introduce credit card sized driving licences. Ireland should proceed immediately to introduce such licences and adapt them, if necessary, should the European Union legislate on the matter. If we carry a driving licence at all times, as required by law, it will fall apart within months because the current licences are not suitable for this purpose. This is a simple matter which should be addressed in a technologically advanced society.
I note the Taoiseach referred briefly to Seanad reform in the other House yesterday. Does the Leader agree that he effectively dismissed taking any steps beyond perhaps introducing legislation to deal with the outcome of the 1979 referendum? This is a disappointingly modest approach. The House spent half of a day debating Seanad reform recently and will, I understand, return to the issue in February. In light of the Taoiseach's comments, are we kidding ourselves that more radical reform of the House is possible?
While I do not wish to trespass on the National Roads Authority's oral inquiry into the replacement of toll booths on the M50, I will comment on a newspaper article today in which a representative of one of the interested groups, Mr. Conor Faughnan of the Automobile Association, wrote about the proposals for the toll bridge. His extraordinary description of what is proposed is almost Kafkaesque. An electronic tagging system is to be introduced to establish a vast infrastructure on the M50 which will include "overhead gantries, electronic detection devices, cameras, video imaging technology, ANPR software, systems integration, cabling" and many other features. The AA, an interested party which represents motorists, argues that we should concentrate instead on the provision of public transport to relieve congestion on our roads. Surely this is the best option. The AA's proposal to introduce a levy on fuel to assist in funding public transport is a much better idea than creating the monster proposed for the M50.
I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the accession states to the European Union at the earliest opportunity. I welcome the results of the recent election and the clear transition of power in Russia where President Putin will shortly hand over the reigns to a new president.
The Senator must live in a parallel universe.
As part of a rational debate on progress in Russia, we must note that the country has come a long way since the totalitarian regime of the Soviet Union and the partially democratic era under former President Boris Yeltsin.
Russians were better off under the Soviet Union.
Unfortunately, many people continue to exhibit a Cold War mentality towards Russia. They must move on because a new state and fledgling democracy have emerged.
The country is run by gangsters.
And oligarchs.
It has made great strides. The purest test of democracy was whether President Putin would try to stand for a third term.
If it were a democracy, the United States would have bombed it.
What about electoral abuses?
Senators should refrain from interrupting. Everyone will have an opportunity to speak. Please allow those contributing on the Order of Business to speak.
Marvellous strides have been made in Russia. During the Yeltsin years terrible mistakes were made and vast resources were sold off for a pittance. The entire gas resources of the Soviet Union, which account for approximately one third of world supply, as well as the country's steel industry were sold off for the price of a house on Shrewsbury Road.
While I recognise the difficulties the country has experienced during the transition to democracy, Russia is a democratic state and, like all democratic states, must overcome hurdles. Notwithstanding these difficulties, it is on the right path. I would welcome a debate on the accession states, including Ukraine and Turkey.
I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on bullying and civility. I do so in the context of a coroner's report yesterday on the death of a young girl in County Cork. The debate should focus on the manner in which those who are bullied are categorised and treated by society. The House should acknowledge the grief of a family and that it has been aggrieved by the coroner's verdict yesterday.
I also call for a debate on education. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Education and Science, who came before the House two weeks ago, to return to the House to explain the deficit in the summer works scheme?
I request a debate on the drugs issue. A considerable amount of good work done by Oireachtas committees is consigned to a shelf somewhere and the media, given its lack of understanding of what committees do, fails to pick up on it. I respectfully suggest that we take as a starting point for a debate on drugs a number of reports completed by the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs during my time as Chairman. The issues covered included: the effectiveness of investment in sport and the arts as a deterrent against youth substance abuse; the treatment of cocaine addiction with particular reference to the Irish experience; the inclusion of alcohol in a national substance misuse strategy; the relationship between alcohol misuse and drinks industry sponsorship of sporting activities; and what everyone should know about cannabis and drug abuse in Ireland — a Waterford perspective.
A great deal of work has gone into all the various aspects of the drugs issue. Many suggestions and recommendations have been made. A good starting point would be to up-date ourselves on what has gone on among ourselves during the past five years. To show that the committees have a validity, perhaps we could read the reports and check out what has happened since they were concluded.
My second issue relates to the matter raised by Senator O'Toole, the non-insurance of cars. In the Lower House I raised the issue of the sting-ray device used in the North which enables the reading of a tax disc on a car. One stands along the roadside with the equivalent of a speed hair dryer and via technology one can link into the tax authorities and find out whether a car is taxed. This is more relevant in the Republic on the basis that we display three discs, the NCT disc, the insurance disc and the tax disc. Therefore the equivalent of a sting-ray here would be much more effective on the roadside to determine who is legally on the road. It is an issue that ought to be pursued. When I raised the matter on an Adjournment debate the former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. McDowell, said he had come in with one idea of what he was going to say, but he tore up his script after I had finished speaking and said it was a good idea and that he would pursue it. Will the Leader give an update on whether the matter has been pursued?
Ireland has led the way in much innovative legislation in recent years. I was impressed yesterday at the launch of a children's plan in Britain. I ask the Leader to bring it to the attention of the Minister for Health and Children. It is a 170 page document. A couple of phrases, in particular, attracted me to it. It states that parents, not Governments, bring up children. It also refers to the best place in the world in which to bring up our children and in this regard it identifies families and the benefits of family life. Given our recent problems with drugs, I was reminded that in the US there has been a big move towards family dinners at home. It has been discovered that in those families that eat together, at least once a week at home, the teenagers in later years are less likely to have addictions to drugs, alcohol, tobacco and so on and have much better results in their examinations. While we do not necessarily need legislation for this, we should produce a document similar to that published in Britain. Perhaps the Minister for Health and Children would provide the opportunity for the House to debate this topic in order to move it along in that direction.
I make two requests to the Leader for possible debates in the near future. On the conclusion of a court case yesterday involving the unnecessary death of a man's wife three years ago, through medical negligence, I seek a debate on how medical negligence is dealt with, how people receive information and whether such information is of a terminal nature. I have worked directly with the man involved and have direct experience of the frustration he has had in accessing such information. We are close to one year in the life of the new Health Information and Quality Authority. It would serve the House well to find out whether the system in place has helped fill many of those gaps. I suspect it has not. There is a need to identify why such an inhumane system still exists in terms of informing people of how the health system does not serve their best interests.
The second matter relates to the launch today by Comhdháil Oileán na hÉireann of a series of policy documents about how life on our offshore islands can be immeasurably improved by better action by the political system. It was launched today by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Given that the House has a particular brief to deal with minorities in Irish society and those who live on the periphery of Irish life, a debate on island life with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs would be helpful.
I wish to refer to one matter which featured last week in the discussion on the budget but which was lost in all the various figures and discussions on expenditure, namely, the very basis of our national finances. After ten years of the Celtic tiger we should not have a national debt. What has featured in the Budget Statement by the Minister is that we have a return to borrowing and an increase in our absolute debt and an increase in percentage terms. We all remember the 1990s when we tried to qualify for the European Monetary Union by reducing our debt and keeping down the rate of inflation. They were difficult times economically and politically but the debt was consistently reduced until this year. As set out in the Budget Statement, we are now into a period of budgetary deficits and increased borrowing. This is due to a lack of budgetary discipline and a lack of fiscal control on expenditure, which was a feature of the Fine Gael-Labour Government in the 1990s when we recorded the first budget surplus in the history of the State.
That was in the 1980s.
I say this because it underpins our entire national finances. I call on the Minister to come to the House to address the specific issue of how we are dealing with the national debt, why we are not debt free at this stage and how in terms of budgetary control and value for money we will be able to sustain continuing budgetary deficits as forecast for the coming years.
I wish to raise a couple of issues, but perhaps I will respond to Senator Regan first and foremost.
There is no need to respond. It is matter for the Leader to respond to anyone who raises a matter on the Order of Business. If the Senator wishes to raise a matter with the Leader I suggest he make it.
I support Senator Regan's call for a debate on our national finances, and the Senator will probably change his view after we have had such a debate. In fairness to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, who has introduced four budgets he went into the Chamber on this occasion clearly indicating he was changing his approach in regard to budget 2008. He was borrowing modestly to invest ambitiously and continue Ireland on the tremendous economic gain of recent years.
We had a debate on the Finance Bill.
It is called a U-turn. What about stamp duty?
I do not think there is anybody in the House who would not support the good work of the National Treasury Management Agency——
Hear, hear.
——and all involved who have done Trojan work in respect of our national debt.
I wish to raise an important issue to which many speakers have referred and which I have raised in the past but have not got any satisfaction. As a parent with young children and as a member of the public aware of what is happening in the area of substance abuse, I ask that the House would come up with a mechanism to deal with this. We have heard numerous Members speak about this issue. Senator Keaveney outlined earlier the list of what has been done. We have a tremendous new committed Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy who, I believe, will prove to be a great asset to the security of the State. When one raises issues, as I have done in the past, one is told it is a matter for the joint committee. When one goes to such a joint committee one is told the Garda Commissioner was before another joint committee the previous week and will be back before it in three months' time, and that the issue raised is not for this committee. We are not dealing with the issues. Will the leaders agree a mechanism whereby this Chamber could address the tremendous anxiety of the general public, parents and a large number of responsible young people who are aware of extent of substance abuse? All arms of the State should get involved to deal with the serious issues that arise in this regard. If we must suspend Standing Orders or introduce a new Standing Order, surely this House is empowered to do so. Let us do this and find a way so that we, the Members of the House, can have a system and a mechanism through which to question all the relevant bodies.
Senator Keaveney listed all the reports available and we have charged very committed people with responsibilities, such as the new Garda Commissioner, who is really committed. One sometimes hears from members of the Garda or other State agencies that their hands are tied or they need the Legislature to change legislation in this, that or the other regard, but we do not act. I ask that we would try to find a mechanism whereby we would have a body that would do good work over a relatively short period, come up with an appropriate system, put it in place and implement it.
As my colleague, Senator Alex White, noted, today sees the hearing into the proposal to change the toll system on the M50. From next August, when the National Roads Authority takes charge of the West Link, tolls for registered users will increase from the current price of €1.90 to up to €2.50, and for occasional users, such as myself, who might use the road once every couple of weeks, the charge will increase to €3, which is a whopping 60% increase.
The NRA has sent a report on demand management techniques for the M50 to the Minister for Transport. I am concerned that these toll charges are simply a back-door means of introducing demand management techniques on the M50. We cannot begin to talk about demand management on the M50 without putting in place sufficient public transport alternatives. When demand management techniques were introduced in London by the Mayor, Mr. Ken Livingstone — the congestion charge — he provided hundreds of additional buses and slashed bus fares. We cannot introduce demand management techniques on the M50 without doing something similar. We must provide an alternative. I would like the Leader to bring the Minister for Transport to the House so we can hear his views on the issue of the changes to the toll and whether he intends to introduce demand management techniques on the M50.
Senators
Hear, hear.
The Seanad, with the other House, is probably the only place where major issues can be dealt with honestly and openly. Watching "Oireachtas Report" last night, I did not think it was good that Senator Bacik was heckled while she was trying to make a difficult point. The Daily Mail has embarked on a campaign to denounce people who are soft on drugs. As one who does not drink, smoke or ingest any substances, who is more pro-life than pro-choice, and who believes in the death penalty for the shooting of police officers, I am not soft on anything like that. I have an honest opinion, however, that as long as drugs are prohibited, the criminals will flourish.
"Prime Time" last night proved that despite €320 billion being spent on the war against drugs, that war is being lost. This House is one of the few places in Ireland where all aspects of the drug mystery can be debated. It remains a mystery to most people, who do not understand the world of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and the two terrifying words the Taoiseach introduced last night — not "pay rise", but "crystal meth". Crystal meth will really test the assumptions of Members of this House on how a crackdown on crime will solve this problem. It has destroyed whole swathes of the United States but it can be made in a bucket in a back garden for a couple of cent. How will this be dealt with on a criminal basis?
As Senators Keaveney and Corrigan have pointed out, the public education side of this matter is critical. We can treat drugs fundamentally as a criminal problem or as a social and medical problem. I tend to believe it should be treated as a social and medical problem and as a matter of constant public education, of which this Seanad debate is a part. Of course the police will demand more resources; police forces, like hospitals, will always demand more resources. We should be able to debate, however, whether it is best to spend €100 on recruiting another garda to hang around drug dealers or spend it on a public education health and substance campaign. I was struck by Senator Corrigan's remarks yesterday in this regard.
All addictive substances, whether alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, heroin, cocaine or crystal meth, are bad for us. What do we do? Do we wait for them to arrive and then criminalise them or begin now to spend the bulk of our money on public education campaigns to frighten people and show them how dangerous they are and what they do to lives? This is an important debate. It should not be politicised and subject to barracking and heckling in this House. We have the leading role in public education in this country and we should be allowed to conduct this debate without it being politicised and turned into partisan bickering.
I am grateful to Senators Harris and O'Toole for raising the issue of yesterday's debate. It is important that when we have a debate on drugs, mandatory testing and other issues, it would be conducted in a rational and civilised manner. I was very disappointed yesterday to be subjected to the sort of barracking that took place. It was a lazy response. I was delighted that last night's "Prime Time" programme presented alternative and quite radical views, and did so fairly and calmly in what was a rational debate. I am delighted Senator Harris was listened to with great respect today when he expressed his views, which are more radical than my own. This is correct and I am delighted the debate can be conducted in this way.
I am grateful to the Leader and Deputy Leader for engaging with me in regard to seeking a further debate on the Climate Protection Bill 2007 which I introduced in the House in Private Members' time on 3 October. At that stage, I was promised we could have a further debate on it in Government time before Christmas. I spoke at a rally organised by Stop Climate Chaos in Dublin on Saturday, which was attended by hundreds of people in the pouring rain. They were very concerned to hear what was happening with regard to climate protection legislation in the context of the Bali talks. There is a real groundswell of support for this type of measure and for putting into legislation the commitments to reduce carbon emissions, which we signed up to under the Kyoto Protocol and which we are likely to sign up to further in Bali.
I support Senator Quinn's request for a debate on broader issues in regard to child care and how we look after our children. I had occasion to spend time in the Rotunda Hospital two weeks ago attending the birth of my second child. Talking to the midwives there, I could not help but observe how much busier the facility was than the last time I was there two years ago. The midwives told me thousands more children are being born now than was the case two years ago but the facilities are exactly the same.
The Master of the Coombe Hospital stated yesterday that there are now serious health issues with regard to how children are being born. If we are to have a debate on children, we need to focus on probably the most important aspect, namely, how we bring them into the world in the first place. In Germany, the birth of a child is regarded as being so important that the parents are given €34,000 in a direct payment. In France, for every additional child brought into a family, the tax credit available to the family is increased. Ireland is blessed to be in a situation where we expect future population growth. In any debate on child care, I would ask why we are not better set up to deal with this issue than is the case at present.
I support Senator O'Toole's point on uninsured drivers on our roads. We spend so much of our time discussing accountability. This is an issue of which we all are and have been aware for many years. In any debate, we should ask these simple questions. Why has nothing happened? Why are Members again discussing this issue?
In any debate on the situation in Russia, it is imperative we do not allow our standards of what constitutes democracy to slip to the point that we are praising what happened in recent weeks.
Senators
Hear, hear.
That country's state agencies have almost certainly been involved in assassinating somebody in our neighbouring country. It is a country that has been using its natural resources to hold its neighbours hostage.
Those matters can be raised in the debate if we hold it.
I will be brief. It is a country that has just delivered an election in which observers said there was little point in them observing what was happening as standards had slipped so far. Whatever debates we may have in future, we cannot remain blind to the abuse of power that is taking place there. We certainly cannot praise what is happening there at the moment.
In light of the report of the inquiry into the Brothers of Charity that was released yesterday, I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister to attend the House. The report raises a number of issues that are not limited to the Brothers of Charity services by any means, but in fact could apply to any disability services around the country. For example, there are aspects of the current legal system that make it difficult for any legal action to be taken in such circumstances. It is imperative that we should address these issues. We must examine what supports we can put in place to facilitate adults with an intellectual disability to give evidence and come forward with such allegations. A new inspectorate has been established but for the past number of years an anomaly has arisen whereby if one provides a residential service for children with intellectual disabilities one is exempt from such inspections. While all children are vulnerable, clearly those with an intellectual disability are even more vulnerable. This makes it imperative that such services should be subject to the work of the inspectorate. I welcome the fact that residential facilities for children with intellectual and physical disabilities will now be subject to the new inspectorate. In addition, residential facilities for adults with intellectual disability will be included within the inspectorate's remit. That system should be put in place as quickly as possible.
Some 3,000 people with intellectual disability are currently inappropriately residing in institutional settings. As a result of yesterday's report, we should examine why our residential services are not keeping up with international best practice. As a matter of urgency we must first tackle the vast majority of those 3,000 people who reside in inappropriate places.
Ba mhaith liom dá mbeadh muid ábalta am a chur i leataoibh fá choinne díospóireachta ar acmhainní nádúrtha na tíre seo. I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate on natural resources, particularly those offshore. I listened to Senator Hanafin talking about Russia selling off its natural resources for the price of a house, but in some cases this State did not even get the price of a house, particularly for the Corrib gas field. Other exploration licences have been offered to multinational companies over the years. In recent years, there has been a rush to offer licences to different companies off the coast of Donegal where some nine companies are currently exploring. We need a sensible debate on what benefits accrue to Ireland from our own natural resources. Other countries use their natural resources to provide public services, but the only benefit of the old terms and conditions we have is to line the pockets of shareholders of multinational companies. Having said that, I welcome the change the Minister made on taking office concerning some of the terms involved. Nonetheless, we need to have a further debate on this matter.
I support the call for a debate on education, even though we had one recently. Implications arising from the budget include the ending of the summer work scheme, as well as the increased cost of school transport. The cost of such transport for secondary school children attending fourth and fifth year is to rise by €120 per year. We should have a debate on those budgetary issues.
Members of the Seanad should be able to table parliamentary questions in the same way as Deputies can. Senators should have a right to seek answers from Ministers by way of written questions. Many Senators are aligned to political parties and can submit parliamentary questions through Deputies in the Lower House, but Independent Senators do not have that opportunity. Such a system does not have to be part of the overall Seanad reform package, but could be introduced simply to allow all Senators to table parliamentary questions. This would speed up the Order of Business which is currently used to seek information on a range of issues.
I wish to refer to an issue I raised yesterday, which is the report of the Irish Human Rights Commission on rendition. It is an important matter and I compliment the Green Party, through you, a Chathaoirligh, on its apparently firm stand. I hope that party maintains its firm stand so as to extract for the first time honest answers from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern. It is too much to expect honesty from the Americans. I note that in the documents there is a reference to a statement from the United States ambassador that no US aircraft involved in the illegal transfer of prisoners had landed in Shannon. We know that is a lie, however. It is a disgrace that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has attacked those who did the job he should have done, referring to them as a self-appointed activist group. Thank God for them. They noted the planes and gave us their flight patterns so we know the truth, which is that planes involved in rendition landed in Shannon repeatedly as part of an unbroken cycle of rendition. When the Minister talks about Ireland's total opposition to rendition does it include refuelling those planes? How does that express total opposition? It is time we had a debate on this matter.
We should also have a debate on the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. It is outrageous that a person who heard the most appeals, who openly boasted that he never allowed one person into the country, and who is paid for this, has been allowed to withdraw on health grounds in the middle of an action by somebody who said they did not want their case to be heard by this person because he had never allowed somebody through. I am calling for an immediate examination of this matter by way of an inquiry into the refugee appeals system. What rights do the dozens or hundreds of people have who were denied access by this man, who was clearly unfit? What will happen to them? Will their cases be reopened? How are those working in the refugee appeals system selected, what are their qualifications and why are they not accountable when they behave in this way? The whole system is rotten.
I have already raised in this House the case of a man whom I know personally and who is completely blameless and without a stain on his character. He has been blackguarded by some little squirt in the police service, and a black mark was put on his record thus denying him citizenship of this country. He was told his application had been denied and that he could appeal, but that in doing so he must quote the reasons for the initial rejection. However, when he applied for the reasons for the rejection, he was refused access to them. This is madness. What is happening in this area? It is a shambles and an abuse of human rights. We should have a firm examination of the matter. I am calling for an inquiry into the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, which is a shame to citizens of this country.
I agree with many of the sentiments expressed by Senator Harris. The debate should be widened, however, to include the number of admissions of young people, particularly adolescents, to psychiatric units with drug induced psychosis and other effects of drug taking. It is another sad aspect of the drug scourge, which has been going on for quite some time.
I am also seeking a debate on the number of American companies located in Ireland. Has their stability been affected by the current downturn as well as the dollar-euro exchange rate? My concern stems from the decision by Abbott to relocate to the Middle East. In percentage terms, what is our dependency on American companies on both a regional and national basis? I would be pleased if the Leader would allow a debate on that issue.
I was shocked to hear Senator Joe O'Toole outline how easy it is to fraudulently obtain car tax on-line by giving fictitious insurance numbers. Clearly, the system facilitates fraud. Senator Cecilia Keaveney mentioned the sting-ray system. This is a total scata bullán of a system which must be immediately replaced. It is shocking for people in authority to stand over it. I hope the matter will be addressed immediately. Will the Leader outline the sitting arrangements for next week?
I was struck by an issue raised by Senators Alex White and Hannigan. It is a serious issue not because of the detail but because of the principle. I refer to what is happening on the M50 today. Senator Alex White pointed out that the National Roads Authority is holding some kind of hearing and that an appeal is going through. I thought that battle had been won and that the State had bought out National Toll Roads for €600 million, €50 million per year until 2020. I thought it had done so in order to let the traffic flow freely but what has happened is that it has bought out NTR so that the motorist, having been screwed by one monopoly, will now be screwed by the State in an even more crucial and acute way. That is a serious situation for which the Minister for Transport must answer.
The State is increasing the toll by approximately 60%, which is unacceptable. There is no alternative for people because one of the most extraordinary aspects of this toll is that it is not spread around the M50. One can travel on the M50 from one point to another without paying anything. One must only go through one point at the Westlink to pay. It is an extraordinary anomaly which the State is exploiting. Senator Hannigan is right in that it should be completely toll free or that the approach roads should be tolled. It is not an easy thing for a politician to say but it is a time in the electoral period when that position could be taken.
One cannot take the M50 in isolation and toll it to get money to pay for the upkeep of the road. This is systematic of an appalling transport problem. Why do we not consider letting people travel free on public transport in the Dublin area or further afield to get them off the roads, as suggested by the Labour Party? Instead of the State doing that, it is keeping people on the roads and screwing them for money in the way NTR did in the past. What is happening is wrong and the Minister should come to the House to tell us a little more about transport policy in the context of what is happening today.
Senator Twomey and many other Senators again expressed their concerns about the abuse of cocaine. As I said yesterday, this issue will be debated in Fianna Fáil Private Members' time next Wednesday. I invite those Members from the legal profession and with health expertise to a meeting in my office at 2.30 p.m. today to assist in framing next Wednesday's motion. It is an unusual departure for the Leader to take but 21 Senators raised this issue yesterday. I acknowledge Senators have expertise in many areas, so I am holding this meeting for those who are genuinely interested in addressing how we will deal with this debate.
While the debate will be held in Private Members' time, which is normally from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., I have an open mind in regard to extending it. We may adjourn the debate because many people are learning new things and we want to be able to assist the Government and the Minister in facing the challenge. Many different genuine views have been expressed in the House and to accommodate all those views, I would like the assistance of those with expertise in the framing of the motion. It will be an all-party motion, although it will be taken in Fianna Fáil time. I would like to meet the leaders of the groups immediately after the Order of Business.
Senator Twomey asked about Leas Cross and I will have inquiries made with the Garda Commissioner on the up-to-date position. Senators Joe O'Toole, Cecilia Keaveney, Paschal Donohoe and Paul Coghlan raised the issue of false insurance numbers to obtain car tax and uninsured vehicles. We all know 10% of vehicles are uninsured. Even if one has a no claims bonus for 30 years, one must still pay 10% for the 10% of people who are uninsured. There is a challenge ahead in this regard. As I stated on the last occasion this was raised on the Order of Business, much research has emerged as a result of the good work done by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the last Dáil. We will have a debate on this issue after the Christmas recess.
Senators Alex White, Dominic Hannigan and Shane Ross expressed grave concerns about the difficulties being experienced on the M50. As we all know, a huge amount of work is being carried out on the M50 and it is due to be completed next year. There will be a third lane on the M50. Those of us who use the N4 and the N3 every morning will see Operation Freeflow in action. This morning I travelled from Castlepollard to the House in one hour and 17 minutes which would have been unheard of 12 months ago.
I do not wish to interrupt but could I correct the Leader on a factual matter?
The Government must be commended on the amount of money being spent on roads. Those who use the M50 every day know exactly what is taking place. We are victims of our own success. In 2000, there were 1.4 million vehicles on our roads while there are now 2.1 million vehicles, an increase of 700,000.
May I raise a point of order?
Senator Alex White on a point of order.
The improvements on the M50 will not be finished by next year. Only one section of it will be finished.
That is not a point of order.
I originally asked if I could correct a factual point.
As I was saying before the point of order, which was not one, at the turn of the century, there were 1.4 million vehicles on our roads while today there are 2.1 million, which is 700,000 more vehicles. We must be realistic. The Celtic tiger part 1 and part 2 will present challenges for us all. We will have the Celtic tiger part 3 during the lifetime of this Government.
The Government has not even finished part 1.
The younger Members will realise that in time. Having said that, I have no difficulty leaving time aside for a debate on progress on the M50. What is needed is another ring-road to Kilcock and Navan. If one goes to Beijing or Shanghai, one sees all the activity as a result of a buoyant economy like Ireland's. We must take examples from how they deal with this.
Senators Paschal Donohoe, Dominic Hannigan and John Hanafin expressed various views on Russia and what is happening there. They also called for statements on the new EU accession states. I have no difficulty leaving time aside for such a debate. Senator Buttimer called for a debate on bullying and on the unfortunate incident he outlined to the House. I can also set aside time for this.
Senator Doherty and others called for a debate on education. I have no difficulty in setting aside time for this.
Senator Quinn called for a debate on a very good proposal in respect of the children's plan, which was published yesterday in the UK. As he pointed out, parents bring up children, not governments. There was never a truer saying than that expressed by the Senator in the House this morning. He contends that families which eat together stay together. I used to hear years ago that the family which prays together stays together. I will totally support whatever it takes to keep families together and on the straight and narrow and to give them a foundation. I will set aside time for a debate on this soon after the Christmas recession, sorry, recess.
It is Freudian.
In respect of the matter raised by Senator Boyle, we can set aside time for the debate for which he called. He also raised the issue of the policy document on the islands and called for the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to come to the House for a debate. I have no difficulty in setting aside time for this.
Senators Regan and Callely called for a debate on the budget. I thought that very many colleagues would mention the budget last week and congratulate the Minister on allocating another €1.7 billion for capital funding. I have no difficulty with having the Minister come to the House. I am sure he will be pleased to come here and update the House on his new budget, which is the first in the new Dáil and Seanad session. If it is as good as what has happened over the past ten years, let it happen again.
In respect of Senators' concerns about the budget deficit, it is fair to say that we are the second strongest economy in Europe. We have left aside substantial amounts of money in each budget for pension funds. As Members are aware, 50% of the population was under the age of 28 ten years ago. Now 50% are under the age of 34 and this is increasing. Hopefully, everyone will live a little longer, therefore, we must leave funds aside for pensions.
All fair-minded people would have to say that it was an honest and genuine effort by a caring Minister who brought in a reasonably good budget last week, one with which many people were satisfied under current constraints due to the price of oil and the uncertainty in the US and other destinations. We can look forward to a debate on the budget with confidence.
Senator Donohoe called for a debate on child care, for which I can set aside time. Senator Corrigan called for a debate on the report yesterday on the school and residential centre run by the Brothers of Charity. I can also set aside time for this.
Senator Doherty called for a debate on what can be done in respect of national resources and their benefits. We are always learning from this. I have no difficulty setting aside time for this. He also called for a Question Time. As Senators know from the Order of Business today, where Ministers are agreeable, the last ten minutes——
On a point of information, I was referring to parliamentary questions, not Question Time.
I am trying to allow Senators to be able to ask Ministers questions in respect of this.
On a point of information——
The Leader of the House, without interruption.
Senator Norris called for a debate on rendition. I gave a commitment in respect of this yesterday and have no problem setting aside time for this. He also raised the issue of a person who dealt with refugee appeals and who gave considered opinions in respect of the refugee problem. I have no difficulty in setting aside time for this. I will also pass on the Senator's strong views to the Minister. This is the second day on which he brought this to the attention of the House. From the allegations made by the Senator it is a serious matter.
Senator Prendergast called for a debate on the creation of jobs here by US companies and the numbers of people they employ. As the Senator is aware, the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy McGuinness, will be in the House today to outline matters to the House. This is a very worthwhile request about the current situation and I know the Minister of State will be able to tell the Senator about it at first hand.
On a genuine point of order, I asked for a debate on national finances and the national debt as distinct from the budget. We had a debate on the budget. I know it was not intentional on the part of the Leader but I have asked the Minister to come to the House to discuss the national debt.
There is procedure for a point of order. Senator Regan can talk to the Leader afterwards.