The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the proposed opt-in to EU Regulation No. 603/2013 on the establishment of Eurodac, back from committee, to be taken, without debate, on conclusion of the Order of Business - we had a good debate at the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality yesterday on that; No. 2, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014 - Committee Stage, to be taken at the conclusion of No. 1 and to be adjourned not later than 1.30 p.m., if not previously concluded; and No. 3, Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) Bill 2013 - Second Stage, to be taken at 1.30 p.m. with contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes.
Order of Business
We will not be opposing the Order of Business today but I wish to ask the Deputy Leader a question. Yesterday, an answer was provided to a parliamentary question in the other House. A report undertaken by the company of the chairman of the west north-west hospitals group led to his resignation and proposed, among other things, the closure of maternity units in Sligo, Castlebar, Letterkenny and Ballinasloe. After we highlighted this in the question it emerged that incorrect procedures had been followed in putting the report together. Then, it emerged that the report was going to be shelved and, in the words of the Minister of the day, subsumed into the national review. This emerged from the answer yesterday by the Minister as well as the extraordinary admission that the review of maternity services nationally has yet to begin. One wonders how it is possible to subsume a report which sought to close units in parts of the country into a national review that has yet to begin.
The current mothers and prospective mothers of Ireland are entitled to know just what the Government is planning. Clearly, we exposed a plan, sanctioned or otherwise, to dismantle the existing obstetrician-led maternity services in the west north-west hospitals group. Is this the plan nationally? What is informing this plan? When, in fact, do the Government and the Minister plan to establish the review, in respect of which he has misled the House in the past to the effect that it was already under way? I believe the people are entitled to know.
There is an issue with the property tax and the collection of same staying with the local authorities of origin. We seek a debate on the issue because throughout the country there are local authorities, some of which have an extraordinarily high rate base, including, for example, Fingal County Council, which is alleged to have more than €100 million on deposit. However, there other authorities throughout the country which have followed the policy of this and previous Governments, in particular, in trying to live up to their obligations under the national spatial strategy and which went into extraordinary debt to accumulate land to try to meet the ambitions as set down by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. On the one hand there are local authorities that might have, for example, Dublin Airport within the rate base. Let us compare this with where I am from in Sligo. One corner of the former authority probably has more of a rate base than the entirety of County Sligo. It has all this money on deposit. Then there are other counties in need of funds.
Central government says it will take those funds now and use them or put them into the black hole of the Exchequer to fill deficits in health and so on. This is wrong and it requires a debate. The people are entitled to participate in this debate before the Government simply decides to take the money. We should have those debates. In particular, I seek clarity before the recess on the debacle which is the review of maternity services. It is nine months since we had the report following the high-profile case of Savita Halappanavar. Furthermore, the report in respect of west north-west hospitals group has been discredited. We need to know exactly what the Government is planning in this regard. Why have we not had a review before now? Why is the Government at this stage admitting that it has not done it? I am keen for a debate on these two issues before the recess, if possible.
I welcome the continuing fall in the unemployment figures. I also welcome the substantial and packed programme of the Taoiseach today relating to economic promotion in Germany. It is so important for the country. For example, he will be addressing 2,000 leading German business people and he is taking part in a separate trade and investment event. I believe all this activity, together with the other items on his agenda today, including a meeting with Angela Merkel, will further enhance our existing strong trade links.
I am proud of the fact that in my part of Ireland we have the great German firm - we have had it since 1958 - Liebherr Ireland Limited, where 700 people are employed. Separately, there are three hotels with over 200 people further employed, namely, the Europe, Dunloe and Ard na Sidhe hotels.
What about the Aghadoe Heights Hotel?
That is a lovely hotel as well but I am referring to the German-owned hotels and the strong trade links that exist. I have witnessed this myself having met people who come from Germany to visit Liebherr Ireland Limited and who are doing business with the company from all over the world. What the Taoiseach has done today is of tremendous value and importance and I greatly welcome it.
I join Senator MacSharry in calling for a debate to get some clarity on what is happening with respect to the charge for local services, property tax and the allied issue of water tax. There is no doubt that we used to have local services and water. They were paid for by general taxation. We have been told that it makes sense to have a water tax to link consumption of water to what we pay for water, and I totally understand that. However, surely the money that people paid in tax that used to be for water should no longer have to be paid since they are now paying for it through their water tax. People's tax bill should go down by the corresponding amount. Otherwise, it simply becomes an extra bonanza for the Government.
We read this morning that we have basically built in a disincentive to efficiency and cost control in our local authorities by the approach taken to high-spending local authorities which may not be giving sufficient attention to how they shepherd their principal resource, namely, the money given to them by their citizens. We are told that if they do a bad job and spend prolifically then they can always get topped up by the neighbouring council, which may be doing a somewhat better job in shepherding these resources. To me, the logic is, put simply, that if a local authority charges a certain amount of tax and finds that it is surplus to requirements, it should refund the tax.
I could understand if some of the money was used in the context of the current national health emergency to pay for health services which are being run down. That would save lives. However, I cannot understand handing it over to the next local authority which is not doing a particularly good job in managing its resources. I join Senator Marc MacSharry in asking for a full-blooded debate on the issue, many of the implications of which have not been worked out.
I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 11, Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2014, be taken before No. 1 today.
I take the opportunity to pay tribute to the writer Dermot Healy who is being buried today in Sligo. Anyone who knows his writing will know that references to "the physicality of his language" are most appropriate. He was very much inspired by living in Sligo, having been born in County Westmeath and lived in County Cavan and, for a long time, London. He came to love the rugged coast of County Sligo and always spoke about the solitude of the place inspiring his later works. He was a friend and someone who cared very much about his work, albeit he is said to have said, "I know that I write, but I still don't see myself as a writer." He was a member of Aosdána and the best way to describe him would be as a "literary genius". His loss is our loss. I pay tribute to his work and express my condolences to his family, wide circle of friends and the literary community.
I ask the Leader to ask whoever will be Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade next week to come to the House for a full and frank discussion on our relationship with the USA, with particular reference to immigration. There are probably 50,000 undocumented Irish scattered across the United States of America. We all lobby hard to regularise their position and obtain green cards and, if they want to stay there, citizenship for them. It is an ongoing lobby, in which many Members have been involved, particularly Senator Mark Daly whose efforts over many years I laud. We would all welcome progress. However, there must be a quid pro quo. If a US citizen tries to get a work visa or go a step further and obtain a residence permit or citizenship in Ireland, he or she has as good a chance as a resident of Mars. Let us be real. I have come across a case involving a very well qualified young man who has been going out with an Irish girl for eight years and plans to marry. However, they do not want to marry for the reason of obtaining a citizenship right. It is not the first case I have come across, although they are few and far between. We must be honest. We go to Washington on a regular basis to lobby American politicians to give the Irish a break, yet, whether one is an American citizen or from outer Mongolia, the heart of Africa, Mars or the moon, one has the same chance here. That is the reality. Why do we not get a grip on it, given that the numbers involved are very small? The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade should take a serious look at the issue. There is no quid pro quo and we are not appraising the matter according to the reality. It is an absolute disgrace that we fight hard to have our young people who are scattered across the USA regularised with green cards which allow them to work, live and travel back and forth, whereas we give the two fingers to any American male or female who comes here, notwithstanding that he or she can survive on his or her own income here. It is about time we faced up to the issue and were not disingenuous in going to Washington to say, "Help our young Irish," while failing to give one iota of a chance to the few young Americans who come here. It is a bad signal to send when we are looking for results on the other side.
I would welcome a debate on the property tax, particularly the equalisation fund local authorities always had. We should include the devolution of functions to local authorities and performance indicators, which were referred to by Senator John Crown. There are 42 performance indicators by which every local authority is judged. I would like them to be included in the analysis when we have the debate and to ensure they are used in spreading the money across the country. The debate is that, of course, one has high density urban build-up and strong intensification of industry in particular areas. However, that has always been the case, which is why there has been an equalisation fund. We must ensure that when it is changed and power is given to councillors, the devolution of functions we have always sought is used properly. I would welcome such a debate.
I wish to ensure water safety is brought to the fore in the House. Of late we have seen many deaths by drowning, particularly in Dublin. There are now more drownings inland than in the sea. There were over 200 cases. There are now more drownings than people killed on the roads. It is a very serious issue. I compliment Irish Water Safety's summer safety programme which is launched every year, but note that it does not receive enough publicity. We are always told of the need to be aware and safe on the roads, in which regard I commend the Road Safety Authority. I saw that Jedward had to be rescued on Wednesday by a helicopter and ten people. Having gone for a walk along the coast at Malahide, they became stranded. Naturally, they contacted Mammy who is always the first port of call and then the sea rescue services. A helicopter and ten people had to come to rescue them. Water safety services cost a lot and I want to ensure Irish Water Safety is properly funded. We should have a debate on water safety, the relevant authorities and the need for education and publicity.
In the post-troika era as the Government plans a reshuffle and the programme for the remainder of its term of office, I ask that we debate in the House the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General. It is not just that he should investigate financial mishaps after they happen, he also has a role as a national auditor. I hope the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, or the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, a former Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, will come to the House to debate how best we might cost projects and obtain measures and benefits. We have dropped the regulatory impact assessments that used to accompany the explanatory memorandums of Bills and must keep an eye on expenditure matters.
I welcome the successful talks which took place in London yesterday between the Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, and Sinn Féin. It raises the question for the House of how we can contribute to the peace process. We on this side have asked that the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland be invited to attend, but that has not happened. We had a very successful visit by the Orange Order. I hope next week will see a peaceful marching season. Should we reopen the invitation to the Orange Order?
I pay tribute to Deputy Ruairí Quinn who yesterday announced his retirement as Minister for Education and Skills. He has had a remarkable career in the Oireachtas for over 40 years. Committed, hard-working and a deep thinker, he was a very good friend of this House. In fact, his was one of the leading constituencies in supporting the retention of the House in the referendum held last October. Are these events connected? I think they are. More recently, we remarked on the success of SUSI in what transpires was his farewell address to the House last Tuesday. The scheme of grants for students in higher education had a very rocky launch last year, but this year only ten complaints are being investigated by the Ombudsman. Given that 160,000 persons are eligible, it is a huge improvement. The Minister was also associated with the improvements in mathematics papers, particularly in the leaving certificate examination. There were no disputes in that context this year after a rather frantic session which had left hundreds of thousands of young people better off.
The Minister steps down to great accolades for his performance in many years of public service to this country.
Did Senator Barrett second the amendment?
I thank the Cathaoirleach for reminding me. I second Senator Crown's amendment in respect of No. 11 on the Order of Business.
I also join in the tributes being paid to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. Like Senator Barrett, I was also present and was delighted to lead for the Labour Party in the motion on education the other day, which turned out to be the Minister's last debate here. The motion before the House was successful, which signifies the way in which the Minister carried out his business in this House. As everybody has said, he was certainly a reforming Minister and someone who changed the face of education in this country. As a former teacher, I appreciate the work he has done, as will many of my colleagues in the long run when everybody looks in the cold light of day at the positive things he has done, particularly in the area of pluralism, patronage and SUSI. We saw how he took on the problems in SUSI last year and how they were rectified. This year, 168,000 people have been successful with relatively few problems.
In light of that, I wish to raise the closure of All Hallows College, which was announced a few weeks ago. I have received representations from students attending the college who are very concerned about the future of their education. I understand that a meeting was held last week with the students and guidance counsellors of the college to provide a further update on the future of their courses. The students were given some indication that they would be able to continue their education at the college for another year but were not given anything concrete. Students were also advised that it might be best if they applied to another university or college, but the only university still accepting applications is NUI Maynooth. If accepted to other third-level institutions, students may be required to repeat their first year, which in turn would make them ineligible for a SUSI grant. This is certainly an unexpected consequence and I urge the Leader to contact the incoming Minister for Education and Skills and the Department to ask them to look into the matter on behalf of the students at All Hallows College. We have seen some assistance provided to students at the recently closed English language schools in Dublin and I would ask that the same consideration be given to the students at All Hallows College.
I would like the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to come to the House to discuss SI No. 226/2014. The issue has been highlighted by Senator Daly over a long period because most legislation is by way of statutory instruments and does not come here for scrutiny. By coincidence, this statutory instrument came into force on 1 June 2014, days after the local elections. It was signed before then. It specifically allows local authorities to collect rates on vacant buildings under section 5 of the particular Act. This is causing deep concern to people who are trying to rent their properties. There are many streets with vacant premises due to the economic downturn and the lack of initiative by the Government, yet the Minister has decided to allow local authorities to collect rates on those buildings as if they were trading. It has been the tradition that where a building was vacant, it was not rated for the period during which it was empty. I have experienced it myself. The minute a building starts trading, one is in a position to provide funds to the rating authority and to pay the rates. This is an illogical move that is causing great distress to many property owners the length and breadth of Ireland. Many of them have properties that have been empty for the past seven years, yet the local authorities will now be empowered under this statutory instrument to collect rates from those buildings even though their owners have no particular income. This is why it is important that we have a debate with the current Minister, who will be nominated as a European Commissioner next week, at which point there will be a new Minister. The point is that each council must assess the situation, and where councils do not collect this money the Department can reduce their block grant, so it is a very serious issue. I would like the Minister to give guidance to local authorities and explain the situation here before he departs for greener lands next week or in October 2014.
I welcome the announcement by Diageo yesterday that it will be abandoning Arthur's day. The cancellation of that day, which is essentially an anniversary marking the birth of an alcoholic beverage, has been welcomed by many organisations, including Alcohol Action Ireland, which recently revealed that ambulance calls were up by 30% on that day. That organisation also recently highlighted our dangerous relationship with alcohol, and this was just another reason for people to drink. I am in two minds about Diageo's new initiative, Amplify, which is an effort to support Irish artists. I would always welcome this, but I am in two minds about it because it is alcohol sponsorship.
I support Senator Keane's comments regarding water safety. We need to raise awareness of this issue. An interesting but worrying report by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland showed that 60% of people over 60 drank during the course of their prescriptions. As we know, alcohol can interact harmfully with some prescription medications and cause negative side effects. This ties in with Senator MacSharry's Bill yesterday relating to suicide. We had a very good discussion about suicide and the significant role of alcohol was part of the debate. The figures were also high for people taking anti-epileptic or anti-psychotic drugs. Even though people are forbidden from drinking while using these drugs, a huge percentage of people drink when they are on that type of medication. No more than Senator Keane's call for advertising and awareness about water safety, we should consider an information campaign on this issue to highlight the dangers so that people are aware of what they are doing.
Ba mhaith liom a rá nach n-aontaím gur chóir dúinn an rún maidir le Eurodac a thógáil gan aon díospóireacht. I do not agree that we should allow the motion on Eurodac through without a debate. There are a number of issues around it that should be debated fully in the House, so I ask the Acting Leader to reconsider that and give us time to debate that motion.
By tomorrow evening the Labour Party will have a new leader, who may be Deputy Joan Burton. We do not know who it will be. It is quite ironic that she may be moving away from the portfolio of social protection the day after 5,000 lone parents lose their one parent family payment. I hope that anybody in the Labour Party who has voted for Deputy Burton to be the leader of the party has not taken her promises too seriously. If one looks back, one will see that the changes to the eligibility criteria were announced in 2012 and are coming into effect now. Under the new rules introduced as part of the budget in 2012, welfare payments were only to be paid to parents whose youngest child was aged seven or less. The age limit has been reduced year on year from 14 in 2011, and the move will affect an estimated 9,000 families this year and 60,000 by July 2015, when children under the age of seven will lose their eligibility.
At the time, I listened to the Minister with a number of lone parents on the day she announced this change. She made a promise that the measure would not proceed until a system of safe, affordable and accessible child care, similar to what is found in the Scandinavian countries to whose social protection systems we aspire, was in place. The cut is coming into effect today, so where is the Scandinavian-style child care system that was promised by the Minister at the time? The organisation Single Parents Raising Kids claims that the 800 after-school child care places provided for low-income families under the subsidised after-school child care scheme are nowhere near what is needed to assist the 60,000 families affected. No additional training or employment supports have been provided for lone parents and they do not have sufficient child care, so how can they avail of opportunities?
I am calling as a matter of urgency for a debate with whoever will be Minister for Social Protection after the reshuffle to have these cuts reversed until we have in place the Scandinavian child care system promised by the Government.
Is the Senator proposing an amendment to the Order of Business?
I am not proposing an amendment. I am calling for a debate on the issue as a matter of urgency.
To follow on from Senator Denis O'Donovan's contribution, I know of a case in which an Iraqi-born national who has lived in Saudi Arabia since he was five years of age is trying to do business with a Galway-based company that manufactures affordable housing units, some 65,000 of which are required in Saudi Arabia. The Department of Justice and Equality is refusing this man a visa to come to the country for four days to view the product the Galway company has to offer. It is time the Department started to think about jobs. We have an unemployment crisis, yet it is refusing this company the opportunity to create a large number of jobs in the country, for what reason I have no idea. The Deputy Leader might bring this issue to the fore in order that we can have a debate with the Minister for Justice and Equality to find out what is going on. If the man in question wanted a visa to travel to any other European country, he would have it in four days. In this country, however, for reasons that are a mystery to most Iraqis and Saudis, it takes 12 or 14 weeks. Then for some unknown reason the person concerned is refused and has to go through an appeals process, by which stage the business could be lost. The only option open to the company in question is to either go through the appeals process which could take months and again end in refusal, or else move to the United Kingdom to do business with the man mentioned. I call on the Deputy Leader to bring the Minister for Justice and Equality to the House in order that we can get answers to all of these questions. I find it particularly difficult to deal with the Department of Justice and Equality when it comes to visa applications. When people are refused and a politician is brought into the mix to try to deal with these guys, it becomes even more frustrating. I call on the Deputy Leader to solve this problem in some shape or form.
I ask the Deputy Leader to organise a debate on appointments to State boards. At the same time, she might call for a moratorium on such appointments. Of the 1,300 appointments made by the Government, only 28% of the positions were filled after being publicly advertised, despite the Government's continued promises in the run-up to the general election that there would be openness and transparency. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, called for a moratorium in 2010, but there is a deafening silence from him now as he watches his fellow Cabinet members breaking their own promise of transparency in appointments to State boards.
Another promise broken by the Government concerns the deaf community. The Government stated it would allocate resources to members of the disabled and deaf community and examine mechanisms to provide for the recognition of Irish Sign Language, yet the funding allocated, in particular for the advocacy service, was cut. I know an apology has since issued in which the people concerned were asked to call the Department, but that is the equivalent of telling a person who is illiterate to write a letter. This shows why the funding needs to be reinstated because it is the advocacy service of the people concerned and it deals with Departments on behalf of the most vulnerable and those who find it most difficult to communicate with them.
I also seek a debate on the matter raised by Senator Darragh O'Brien yesterday concerning the 1916 Rising. When Henry Grattan talked about an Irish Parliament up to 1800, he lambasted those who were satisfied with the granting of economic opportunity. He talked about an independent and free parliament. We have a former Taoiseach who seemed to be quite happy with Home Rule and was a great admirer of John Redmond. Let me remind colleagues what Home Rule would have brought. It would not have brought control of our own foreign policy which would have remained with Westminster, rather it would have bought limited powers of taxation, with 42 MPs still sitting at Westminster.
Is the Senator looking for a debate on the issue?
I am, with my colleague, Senator Darragh O'Brien, who earlier in the week called for a debate on the issue. We would have been the equivalent of Scotland.
I propose that the participants in the debate be limited to those who were alive at the time this was actually a controversial issue.
The Senator is completely out of order. Does Senator Mark Daly have a question for the Deputy Leader?
For the benefit of Senator John Crown who was not present for the debate and the discussion engaged in by Senator Darragh O'Brien-----
That is not relevant to the Order of Business.
-----this issue became live when a former Taoiseach, Mr. John Bruton, brought it up. It would have meant that we would not have had our own army.
The Senator is way over time.
Our Army personnel would not have served in Lebanon; rather they would have been in Kenya. Our Army personnel would not have served in Liberia; rather they would have been used in suppressing the freedom of India. Our Army personnel would not have served in the Congo; rather they would have been in Egypt to prevent the Egyptian people from gaining their freedom.
A report to be published next month will propose possible changes to the motor tax regime for the heavy goods and haulage industry. The Irish Road Haulage Association wants the regime to be changed to a pay-as-you-go system similar to those in place in other European countries. Our motor tax rates for HGVs are completely out of kilter with those of our near neighbour and European counterparts. It costs €4,000 per annum to tax a HGV in Ireland, whereas across the Border in Northern Ireland it costs £850, or less than €1,200, per annum. As a result, almost 25% of hauliers have already moved their businesses to Northern Ireland, with an estimated 4,000 registered vehicles in Northern Ireland, Britain, Bulgaria and Belgium. In addition, our international fleet is paying on the double when carrying out international haulage work by having to pay road tax in Ireland and a road user charge elsewhere in Europe, as well as a £10 levy in Britain and Northern Ireland. I am sad to say it is now more financially rewarding for hauliers to base themselves elsewhere. Last January the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, set up an interdepartmental group to assess the implications of introducing a pay-as-you-go road tax system for HGVs. I understand a report from the group is to be published at the end of next month and will outline a number of options to ensure transport costs do not have a negative impact on Irish businesses.
Is the Senator looking for a debate on this issue?
It has already been called for by several of my colleagues.
Is the Senator supporting the call for a debate?
I am.
Two important debates have been called for today and I support these requests. One concerns the property tax and the confusion surrounding it. After all, this is a tax that affects every home in the country. Aligned with it, we need more detail on water charges which will definitely affect every citizen in the country. Furthermore, the debate called for by Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh on lone parent families is critical. The cut to the allowance is to take effect from tomorrow. I tabled this matter for discussion on the Adjournment last week as a serious anomaly has been missed by the relevant Minister, as a result of which if a lone parent works 20 hours a week, he or she will lose €70 of the allowance. This is a clear disincentive to work and we all said we were against such disincentives. Let us face up to this problem.
My main reason for speaking is to pay tribute to the Minister for Education and Skills. I believe he was right to make a dignified exit on his own terms after a very long and remarkable 40 year career in politics.
His role as Minister for Finance in the mid 1990s, in which he did a very fine job in a coalition Government, stands out. As Minister for Education and Skills I have both agreed and disagreed with him. I served with him on the Oireachtas committee in the previous Government and completely disagreed with him on rural schools. However, I thought his reform of the junior certificate was well intentioned and I welcomed his examination of the need for creativity and critical thinking. I decried his lack of-----
Have you a question for the Leader?
I want a moment on this. I will finish within 30 seconds.
It is not relevant to the Order of Business.
It is appropriate because the Minister is to exit the Cabinet and there are many education issues in midstream. The former Minister began a debate on pluralism and patronage which has not been completed.
Is the Senator seeking a debate on it?
Yes, perhaps. It would be very fitting to know who will take over the portfolio of education. I wish the Minister, Deputy Quinn, well. I hope some of his work will be continued, and I have no doubt there will be changes as we meet whoever will be the new Minister.
I raise the issue of the consultation by the Commission for Energy Regulation, ComReg, regarding the public service obligation, PSO, levy on every electricity customer in the country, domestic and non-domestic, whose closing date for submissions is tomorrow at 5 p.m. ComReg proposes an increase of 56% in the PSO levy, which would bring the total collected from customers to approximately €327 million, an average of €63 per customer per year. Why is ComReg allowing the PSO levy to be increased over a four-year period by 250% while international electricity prices are decreasing? The money goes to two main recipients, namely, the country's peat plants and renewable energy. The vast majority of the money goes to fund developers and investors when wind turbines do not go around. When the wind does not blow, the PSO levy collected from all the houses in the country will cover the losses of developers and speculators.
It is outrageous and disgraceful that ComReg is proposing the increase. This is the commission that has been given responsibility for pricing our water. How could anyone have any faith in the organisation? I have made a submission and I call on the Deputy Leader to invite the new Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, whoever it is, to the House next week to discuss the issue. It is totally unacceptable. These faceless people in ComReg came before an Oireachtas committee this week and were able to provide no answers whatsoever on water pricing. Serious questions remain to be asked. There is a conflict of interest in which the Minister is involved. We must have a wider debate on where the PSO levy money goes.
I draw the House's attention to comments made yesterday by four Dublin Labour Party Deputies, Deputies Kevin Humphreys, Robert Dowds, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Brendan Ryan, who tabled a Dáil motion on the local property tax. They stated, among other things, that councils in Dublin urban areas must not be placed at a disadvantage in terms of funding from the central Exchequer fund. This is a very disturbing development. Later it was reported that Deputy Ó Ríordáin said Dublin should not be ripped off. This is the same Deputy who had to apologise in April last year for accusing the people of Monaghan of having latent homophobia. A cabal of middle-class Labour Party Deputies, including Deputy Kevin Humphreys from Dublin 4 and Deputy Ó Ríordáin from leafy Clontarf-----
Have you a question for the Deputy Leader?
I am asking for a debate on the property tax and I am explaining why. These people have injected an element of Dublin versus rural Ireland into the property tax issue, no doubt as a last-ditch effort to save their seats in the face of angry and betrayed constituents, and I find it disgusting. I call on the Deputy Leader to urgently seek a debate in the House on property tax with the Minister responsible for local government. It is Government policy to allow 80% of the tax to remain within the local authority area in which it is collected. While this will be good for Dublin councils, the property tax base in rural Ireland, in places such as in Roscommon, is narrower and there will be a requirement to equalise and support the funds going to these areas to ensure regional equality. I hope there is no rural phobia - I do not what the word is - among these middle-class Labour Party Deputies. We need a debate to ensure there is proper solidarity among the regions of the country.
I join with colleagues who have paid tribute to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. He has been a fantastic Minister and has had a fantastic innings in politics. While I might not agree with his merger of the Labour Party and the Democratic Left, that is a debate for another day. He has replaced dilapidated prefabricated buildings throughout the country with bricks and mortar, which was sidestepped by many previous Ministers for education. As a former primary teacher who had the fantastic privilege of teaching junior infants, I came to know a certain number of nursery rhymes.
Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I."
The Senator has raised the level of the debate.
The Taoiseach has a particular plum in his hand, which is in his gift only: the position of European Commissioner. Maybe the Minister, Deputy Quinn, is putting himself in line for the position.
No. 22 on the Order Paper should be taken today as a matter of great urgency. It is a Bill which would give proper scrutiny to a position which, as reported in yesterday's Irish Independent in an article about Máire Geoghegan-Quinn's pay-off and pension, is worth €250,000 per annum to the recipient and has tremendous implications for the Irish people. The appointment to the position should be scrutinised properly by both Houses of the Oireachtas. I propose that No. 22 be taken today as a matter of great urgency.
Is that a formal amendment?
I second Senator Heffernan's proposal. I will not comment on his poetry.
We hope Senator Bradford has a poem of his own.
No; my poetry would be unsuitable for this refined House. I spoke on the matter last week. The purpose of our proposing No. 22 was to try to do politics slightly differently and ensure that a job as important as the Irish position on the European Commission would not simply be part of a game of political snakes and ladders but would be debated in detail and scrutinised in full. Thus we in this House, our colleagues in the other House and, more importantly, the Irish people who foot the bill through their taxes could be satisfied that we will send a candidate to Brussels in whom we have confidence and pride, and that we would not use the European Commission as a political dumping ground for someone we want to get off the domestic political pitch.
Various names have been mentioned and they have their pluses and minuses. We are entitled to sit down with the proposed candidate in this House and the Dáil and fully debate the suitability of the appointment. I need not remind my colleagues of appointments made during the 1980s and 1990s which we, wearing different political hats, saw as political stunts. I want to ensure that whoever is sent to Brussels on behalf of the Irish Government and people goes with the full support and goodwill of both Houses. It is not too much to ask for a debate on the matter. We will have a Cabinet reshuffle in the next week and perhaps this appointment will be part of the game of chess. It is a significant appointment. As Senator Heffernan pointed out, the person will receive an annual salary of approximately €250,000, significant pension entitlements, and Mercs and perks on an unprecedented scale.
We must ensure the right person is appointed. We should surely have a debate on the issue in the House. I, therefore, formally support the request and amendment proposed by Senator James Heffernan.
My good friend Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill and many others in Fianna Fáil have during the past year raised the issue of subsidising renewable energy producers during times when they are not producing energy. The words "disgraceful behaviour" have been used by my colleagues in Fianna Fáil in this respect. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate on renewable energy and public subsidisation in general. I wonder if my colleagues also criticise so heavily the 1992 reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy, otherwise known as the "MacSharry reforms", which introduced a measure providing that 15% of all arable land be set aside and for payments to be received for not producing on this land. There is a social good in this regard in the same manner as there is a social good in subsidising capital investment in renewable energy production in the longer term. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate on the matter as called for by Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill.
Senator MacSharry referred to the answer to a parliamentary question in the Dáil yesterday on the promised review of maternity services nationally. I saw the headline, but I am not sure what is the status of that report. I will be happy to ask the Leader to arrange a debate on maternity services and whatever review is taking place. I can check its status. I was concerned to see the headline on the delay in establishing the expert group, as I understand it. Following the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar, we had all hoped a proper review of maternity services nationally would be carried out.
The Senator also called for a debate on the local property tax. Such a debate was sought by Senator Darragh O'Brien yesterday. I have already asked the Leader's office to secure a debate on it, in particular the role of local authorities.
Senator Paul Coghlan referred to the fall in the unemployment figures. It is extremely welcome to see a fall of 1.7% in the standardised unemployment rate compared with the figure for last year and a fall of 4.4% in the number of long-term unemployed. That means that we have witnessed a decline in unemployment in two successive years. This is very welcome, although clearly much more needs to be done.
The Senator also welcomed the Taoiseach's visit to Germany today and the work he will be doing there in encouraging greater trade links with Germany. We all welcome this work.
Senator John Crown asked for a debate on the local property tax. As I said, I have already sought such a debate.
The Senator also requested that No. 11 on the Order Paper, Defamation (Amendment) Bill, be taken before No. 1. I am happy to agree to that amendment.
Go raibh maith agat.
I thank the Senator for raising the matter with me beforehand.
Senator Susan O'Keeffe paid an eloquent tribute to Dermot Healy and referred to his strong Sligo connections. Many Members paid tribute to him on the Order of Business on Tuesday when I referred to his poem Serenity which was published in The Irish Times on that day which presented his work at its best. We all join the Senator in sending condolences to his family and friends.
Senator Denis O'Donovan asked for the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, to be invited to come to the House to discuss the relationship between the United States and Ireland. That matter was raised earlier this week and I wrote to the Tánaiste yesterday on foot of a request from Senator Paschal Mooney on the renewal of the graduate J1 visa scheme, in particular. The Senator should have received a copy of that letter today. He also referred to the need to ensure recognition for the undocumented Irish in the United States and the parallel issue of recognition for US citizens in Ireland. The Tánaiste made a commitment that this would be one of the issues he would pursue most vigorously in his last weeks in office. I know that he has been doing this and that he recently visited the United States to that end. A citizenship ceremony for persons who have gained Irish citizenship will take place in the Convention Centre tomorrow. It is one of the initiatives the former Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, introduced and which the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, is continuing. It has been a positive development. Many people I know who have obtained citizenship at one of these ceremonies have spoken in positive terms about the experience. It is a very important development compared with the technical, informal procedure whereby people claimed Irish citizenship at sittings of the District Court which was most unsatisfactory.
Senator Cáit Keane also called for a debate on the property tax which, as I said, I have already sought. She also called for a debate on water safety. Her colleague, Senator Pat O'Neill, raised this matter on Tuesday. We all wish to send our condolences to the families of the children who drowned so tragically earlier in the week, as well as to the families of the adults who drowned. There have been some very tragic water safety-related incidents, including drownings. Senator Cáit Keane referred to the many rescues that had also taken place, including the high profile rescue of Jedward from a sandbank in Malahide.
A high profile rescue.
I agree with Senator Cáit Keane in that regard. We will seek a debate on the matter. Senator Pat O'Neill asked for a debate on improving the education of school children in water safety, a matter on which we all agree with him.
Senator Sean D. Barrett asked for a debate on the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General. I will seek such a debate. He also referred to the successful talks in London this week between the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, and Sinn Féin and the need to ensure a furthering of the peace process. We all join him in wishing for a peaceful marching season as we enter that period of the year. He also requested that the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister be invited to come to the House. We agreed to this at the Committee on Procedure and Privileges and an invitation was sent. I understand the committee will meet again next week when I will raise the issue. I believe there was a difficulty in aligning the dates, but the matter is in hand.
Senator Sean D. Barrett also paid tribute to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I am glad that so many colleagues have done so. The Minister has had an immensely significant career of public service of nearly 40 years. Colleagues have paid tribute to him for the role he played as Minister for Finance in the 1990s. It was extremely successful and he left behind a budget surplus in building the core of proper and sustainable prosperity. Also, there is his major reforming work as Minister for Education and Skills. Senator Mary Moran referred to his introduction of the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill in the House on Tuesday evening. One of his key attributes that we all appreciated as Senators and on which many colleagues have commented was introducing Bills in the Seanad on a regular basis on which we had very good debates. The debate on the Bill mentioned was a very good one. With his reforms on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector, SUSI and the student grants scheme, the initiatives on literacy and numeracy and mathematics, the teaching of junior cycle students and the restructuring of the VEC system, introduction of SOLAS and the education and training boards, he has had a transformative impact on the education sector in a short three year period, for which I pay him my own tribute. As a former teacher, Senator Mary Moran also paid tribute to him and said how much she appreciated his reforms. She called for a resolution of the issue of the closure of All Hallows College to ensure, in particular, the students were not left high and dry. I ask the Senator to table that matter for discussion on the Adjournment. Talks are ongoing on it. Like her, I commend the resolution of the issue of the closure of English language colleges for foreign language students who were accommodated by the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Minister for Education and Skills in agreeing to a resolution method. I hope we will see something similar happen in this case.
Senator Terry Leyden asked for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to come to the House to discuss SI No. 226 of 2014, which allows local authorities to collect rates on vacant buildings. It would be a good idea if the Senator tabled the matter for discussion on the Adjournment. I had some success in the last session of the House with a former Minister for the Environment who amended a statutory instrument on dredging at Passage East, County Waterford, where a huge amount of damage was being done to the harbour. Perhaps we are not using the Adjournment matters facility enough in dealing with statutory instruments. They offer a real possibility in terms of change and I ask the Senator to consider using it. I appreciate his predictive powers and crystal ball gazing in predicting the future of the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, but I will pass over it.
Senator Catherine Noone welcomed the announcement that Diageo would not be running an Arthur's day event again. We all welcome this, given the concerns about binge drinking during that one-day event in previous years. As the Senator said, there is a doubt about the new initiative. It would be much better to see an event supporting Irish music and artists being spread over one month. The Senator also supported Senator Cáit Keane in calling for a debate on water safety.
Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh called for a debate on the motion dealing with Eurodac. We had a full debate on the issue at the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence yesterday. I participated in the debate which continued for nearly an hour. However, I have spoken to the Minister for Justice and Equality about it and she has agreed to debate the issue again in the House today. As colleagues will be aware, she will be in the House immediately after the Order of Business to take Committee Stage of the Irish Human Rights Equality Commission Bill and has very kindly has agreed to debate the motion dealing with Eurodac at the conclusion of Committee Stage. We should be able to deal with the Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) Bill 2013 at 1.30 p.m. I do not think there are many amendments to the Irish Human Rights Equality Commission Bill and colleagues should check the monitors to see when the debate on the motion dealing with Eurodac will commence.
It will be taken immediately on conclusion of Committee Stage of the Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014. I propose that amendment to the Order of Business on foot of a request from Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh. There is no doubt the Eurodac directive is important. We did raise concerns with the Minister, which we can debate today.
Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh called also for a debate on lone parent allowance changes, lone parent families and child care. I will certainly ask for that debate. We had a full debate with the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, during which she put the case very strongly that we need to move away from the current model, which has had very poor outcomes in terms of poverty for lone parents, who still remain in poverty despites decades of lone parent allowance. The Minister's moves to ensure-----
The cuts in the Scandinavian system-----
The Deputy Leader to continue without interruption.
I was one of the speakers who participated in the debate with the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, during which I called on her to ensure better and improved levels of child care as a quid pro quo for the changes in the system. All of us appreciate that the motive behind the change is to ensure greater entry opportunities to the labour market for lone parents.
I do not think lone parents would agree.
I met the members of SPARK at the time, but I will certainly seek another debate on the issue.
Senator John Kelly raised the issue of delays in respect of visa applications and called for a debate on the matter. The Senator spoke eloquently about how frustrating this is. I ask him to table it as a matter on the Adjournment to the Minister for Justice and Equality, as that mechanism would provide a quicker response on the issue.
Senator Mark Daly raised the issue of appointments to State boards. I gave a full answer to the Senator on this issue on Tuesday and have sought a debate on it. He referred also to the ending of the Pobal grant for the Irish Deaf Society advocacy service. I have raised that issue with Labour Party Ministers and, since Tuesday, I have got information on it. I suggest the Senator write to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, as I intend to do, to ask that he reconsider that grant.
Senator Daly referred to a debate on centenaries which Senator Darragh O'Brien had sought earlier in the week. In fact, what Senator Darragh O'Brien sought, rather unusually, was to have the former Taoiseach Mr. John Bruton come to the House. I suggested that the Committee on Procedure and Privileges might consider that request.
Senator Terry Brennan called for a debate on a report due to be published next month on possible changes to motor tax for hauliers. This issue was raised on Tuesday by Senator Michael Comiskey, at which time I suggested that he seek to raise it as a matter on the Adjournment. After the report is published, it would be appropriate to raise it in September.
Senator Fidelma Healy Eames raised the issue of the local property tax. I have already sought that debate. She called also for a debate on lone parent families. I have already agreed to seek that debate. The Senator also paid tribute to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, with which we would all like to join.
Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill called for a debate on energy prices in light of the consultation currently being carried out by the Commission for Energy Regulation. I will certainly ask if we may have that debate in due course. I would suggest, however, that it might be appropriate to have the issue debated at the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications in the first instance, as it may be possible to invite the Commission for Energy Regulation to appear before the committee. It may have been done already but, if so, I am not aware of it.
Senator Rónán Mullen raised the issue of the local property tax and the motion tabled by four Labour Party Deputies. I gave a full answer in the House on Wednesday on that issue. The motivation behind the motion from the Deputies was to ensure that the tax is levied in a fair and progressive manner. I think we would all agree with that view. I overlooked the Senator's personal attacks on my Labour Party colleagues in the Dáil. I am not sure whether the reference to "middle class" was an insult, but it certainly sounded like one.
It was not personal at all. It was a statement of fact about the Deputy Leader's colleagues.
I have already asked for that debate.
Senator James Heffernan paid tribute to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and his commitment to the school building programme. The Senator is correct in stating that the Minister had an immense commitment to the school building programme, and we have seen enormous improvements in the physical infrastructure of schools across the country under his watch. That is another important achievement that he has had.
Senator Heffernan called for an amendment to the Order of Business to debate No. 22 on the Order Paper, the Parliamentary Scrutiny of Appointments (European Commission) Bill 2014, today. I cannot accede to that request. I have already acceded to the request by Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh to change the Order of Business. Senator Paul Bradford seconded that proposed amendment, with which I have already dealt.
Senator John Gilroy called for a debate on renewable energy and public subsidy. I am happy to seek that debate and will ask the Leader's office to arrange it.
The Deputy Leader has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 1 be debated at the conclusion of No. 2."
Amendment agreed to.
Senator John Crown has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business "That No. 11 be taken before No. 1." The Leader has indicated that she is prepared to accept the amendment.
Amendment agreed to.
Senator James Heffernan has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 22 be taken today." Is the amendment being pressed?
Amendment put:
The Seanad divided: Tá, 15; Níl, 21.
Tá
- Barrett, Sean D.
- Bradford, Paul.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Crown, John.
- Daly, Mark.
- Healy Eames, Fidelma.
- Heffernan, James.
- Leyden, Terry.
- MacSharry, Marc.
- Mooney, Paschal.
- Mullen, Rónán.
- Ó Clochartaigh, Trevor.
- Ó Domhnaill, Brian.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Donovan, Denis.
Níl
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Brennan, Terry.
- Burke, Colm.
- Coghlan, Eamonn.
- Coghlan, Paul.
- Comiskey, Michael.
- Conway, Martin.
- Gilroy, John.
- Henry, Imelda.
- Keane, Cáit.
- Kelly, John.
- Moloney, Marie.
- Moran, Mary.
- Mulcahy, Tony.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noone, Catherine.
- O'Keeffe, Susan.
- O'Neill, Pat.
- Sheahan, Tom.
- Whelan, John.
- Zappone, Katherine.
Tellers: Tá, Senators Paul Bradford and James Heffernan; Níl, Senators Ivana Bacik and Paul Coghlan.
Amendment declared lost.
Order of Business, as amended, agreed to.