The Order of Business is No. 1, Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 - Committee Stage, to be taken after the Order of Business.
Order of Business
I await with interest the answer to the Adjournment debate involving Senator Martin Conway. Was it on Joe Duffy's radio show yesterday?
On a number of occasions, Senators on both sides of the House, including Senator John Gilroy in particular, have raised the issue of early intervention for children with special needs who need speech and language therapy. I assume most Members saw the Inclusion Ireland report last week which highlighted the fact that 15,000 children in the country were languishing on waiting lists and could not access any services. Kids with special needs need help to set them in the right direction and ensure they reach their maximum potential and get support. In all parts of the country things are at crisis point, and this is more acute on the east coast and in Dublin, where there are no early intervention teams. The Government closed the waiting list from June 2012 in the north city and county area of Dublin. Children cannot be added to a waiting list to access speech and language therapy.
No one on the Government benches agrees that this is acceptable. It is unacceptable that we must continue to talk about this matter. I have raised it on numerous occasions, as have Members on all sides, but we are getting nowhere and nothing is being done. This matter lies with the Department of Health and it is too serious to let the situation continue. We cannot raise it today and then talk about it in a few weeks time when another report is issued. We are lucky because we have the ability to speak about this and put across our points. Many of the children who are waiting for initial assessment for speech and language therapy are unable to do what I am doing. What I am doing this afternoon is speaking on their behalf. If we are serious about building a fair society even in the toughest times, surely urgent funding can be put in place to resource the teams. In the north Dublin area, 2,258 children have been waiting since June 2012 to get an initial assessment and no one has been added to the waiting list since. Of the 15,000 children countrywide, God knows what is the real figure.
I am not proposing an amendment to Order of Business by way of confrontation, but I insist on the Minister for Health coming to the House to outline the Government's plans in this regard and to explain how we will tackle the waiting lists. Irish people are inherently fair and if we said we would need €30 million or €40 million to properly resource the teams and put a specific emphasis on reducing waiting lists, people would not have a problem saying we could not do such and such another thing because the money was needed to resource these teams. It cannot be allowed to continue. I have met parents who were being funded by charities to pay the initial fee for the occupational therapy report. They cannot afford it. If we are serious about this issue, let us agree that if the Leader will not accept the amendment to the Order of Business, he will set aside specific time next week to get the Minister into the House to hear our case and outline his case in a non-confrontational manner.
We should work on this issue together. It has been raised in the House on numerous occasions. All of us want to see this situation improved upon. It is so urgent that we cannot simply continue to talk about it.
I welcome the positive economic figures that have been published in recent weeks. In particular I welcome the comments of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, make this morning before the Cabinet meeting to the effect that this is the best pre-budget position the country has been in for six years. For the first time in a long time we are seeing positive indicators going into a budget. I hope this means the health, education and social welfare budgets will be protected and that we will not see cuts in those services.
The Leader will respond to Senator Darragh O'Brien's amendment call, but I share his concern, as does everyone in the House. The Senator has fairly referred to the long delays and the Inclusion Ireland report about the lack of access to speech and language therapists. It is appalling. It is not new in the sense that we have seen such delays in the system. We have seen a lack of recruitment as well. One key issue is simply a shortage of skilled personnel who are able to carry out the assessments and provide the appointments. We need to see urgent action taken on this matter. I absolutely agree with the Senator on this - I imagine everyone in the House would agree on it. I would like to see us having an early debate on the matter, even if it cannot be facilitated today.
On a lighter note, I wish all those involved in the ploughing championships this week well. It is expected that 200,000 people will visit the championships It is an important showcase for Irish agriculture, agribusiness, the food business and artisan food producers also. It is a positive event this week.
Will the Leader consider arranging an early debate on climate change following the meeting that has been convened by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, in New York today? It is a meeting of world leaders to look at trying to break through the obstacles preventing the taking of serious action on climate change. It is a welcome initiative. He has broken out of the normal structures of UN meetings on climate change to call this one-off meeting and seek commitments from leaders of all countries on how they will reduce their emissions and stick to targets. We need to keep climate change at the top of our political priorities and I am pleased to see that the Government has committed to introducing the legislation. I hope we will see it become law in 2015. It has long been promised. I know there is support from all sides of the House for climate change legislation but the last Government could not get it through. It is really important that we get it through in the term of this Government.
In the light of the unfolding controversy about the abortion guidelines published by the Department of Health last Friday as well as the HSE's report on Ms Y's case, made public by RTE's "Prime Time" last night, I have some questions for the Minister for Health. As responsible law makers, no doubt we all have questions for the Minister for Health. It is imperative that we are provided with an opportunity to raise them with the Minister in the Seanad as soon as possible. The people on all sides of the abortion debate deserve to have us, as public representatives and law makers, spend our time facing head-on whether our law-making is adequate, effective and whether it holds its intended impact, especially with a law as fresh as the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act.
On Friday last when he was commenting on the publication of abortion guidelines the Minister for Health was reported as saying:
One thing I know as a doctor is that medicine is never black and white and I know as a legislator that legislation can never be black and white. It is never going to be possible to create guidelines that provide absolute clarity.
My first question to the Minister is: why not? I have trawled through the guidelines and, although I am not a medic, I do not believe the issue is clarity. With due respect to the Minister - it is great to hear such a straight talker - I do not believe it is a matter of clarity. If the Leader would, please, invite him here as soon as possible the following are my questions. The law we have made says clearly that a pregnant woman's assessment is on the basis of "risk of loss of the woman's life by way of suicide". Why do the guidelines state that what must be assessed is the risk to the woman's life arising from suicidal intent? Suicidal intent, as a technical term, means someone must be planning an immediate act of self-harm. While very clear, does this guideline not restrict the risk to a woman's life more than our law intends? Another section of the guidelines, namely 6.4, states an early delivery by induction or Caesarean section is permitted under the Act. Why was this not part of the draft guidelines in July? Why in legislation with the intent to make abortion legal when a woman's life is at risk do we now have guidelines for delivery?
We cannot shirk our responsibility as law-makers. Parliamentary debate on these issues should not be silenced.
It is welcome that No. 2 on the Order Paper, Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, will be taken this week. It will seek to cover medical practitioners who have no insurance, and thereby protect patients. This is welcome, but it should be stated this is, in essence, Senator Colm Burke's Bill. His was an exceptionally good Bill from the Government's side of the House and there is no reason that the Government should not have accepted it at the time and, as I said then, amended it in the process if there were areas with which it disagreed. For that reason I tabled a similar Bill, but I withdrew it when I heard the Government intended to introduce such legislation speedily. However, credit should be given to this House and Senator Colm Burke who initiated it.
With regard to the question of abortion, I was taken aback by the provisions of the Government's legislation because they specifically excluded fatal foetal abnormality and rape. During the hearings held in this House we were assured that suicidal intention, or to use that revoltingly unattractive phrase, "suicidal ideation", was so rare as to be absolutely negligible, at only one in half a million or 1 million. Next thing, as one had landed on our plate, it was necessary to consider it. I note with satisfaction that recent opinion polls have shown that a majority of the Irish people, 56%, now strongly support allowing women to have an abortion in cases of rape or fatal foetal abnormality. The Government should take note of what the voters are saying, not focus groups, conservative backbenchers and certainly not the so-called, self-styled Iona Institute.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by Senator Darragh O'Brien regarding the Inclusion Ireland report on speech and language therapy in this country. Those sentiments are correct. Nobody in this House would stand over the appalling record with regard to dealing with young children at an extremely important and vulnerable age in their lives to ensure they get the best start. I was even more troubled to discover that the situation in the Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary area was particularly concerning. There are 18 speech and language therapists for the mid-west area and instead of dealing with a caseload of 50 each, which would be the appropriate number of cases to be dealt with by a speech and language therapist, they have an average of 203. If one is meeting 203 people on an ongoing basis, one will barely remember them, let alone remember the detail of each specific case. This situation is now at a crisis point. I urge the Leader to arrange an urgent debate with the Minister for Health on the matter. It might not be practical to invite the Minister to the House today, but it would be practical, and indeed necessary and imperative, that the Minister for Health would come to the House in early course to deal with it. It is only when figures such as these are released and there is a realisation of the appalling situation people are in that action sometimes happens. Various speech and language therapists will tell us about their specific caseloads and how difficult and challenging it is to deal with them, but it is only when the situation is chronicled on a national basis that one can see that children in Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary are not getting the same service as children in other areas. That is contrary to the Disability Act 2005, the Act governing this area.
The Senator is over time.
It is also contrary to the Constitution, which states that every child should be treated equally. That clearly is not happening. It is extremely important that the Minister for Health come to the House and account for this appalling service.
Well said.
Once again the Government has brought the reputation of the Seanad into disrepute in the context of the appalling way in which it has dealt with the by-election relating to the seat formerly held by Ms Deirdre Clune, MEP. In the first instance, it was obliged to introduce amending legislation in order to allow the by-election to take place. Now, in an effort to impose its own candidate, it appears the Government has appointed someone to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA, with the sole purpose of qualifying that person for election to this House via the cultural and educational panel. It is time this House said "Stop" to the Government. A referendum was held one year ago and at that time the public clamoured for reform. My party's leader in the House has informed me that since the referendum - and despite promises to the contrary - there has been one meeting with the Taoiseach in respect of reforming the Seanad. The leaders of the other groups may agree with this assertion.
I have no difficulty with the Clerk of the Seanad, who always does her job in accordance with the law. However, I have a severe difficulty with a Minister making an appointment to a board if the sole purpose of doing so is to qualify a candidate for election to this House from the cultural and educational panel. The latter would be an outrageous breach of the ministerial code of conduct and I am sure the Standards in Public Office Commission will be interested in examining the circumstances involved. It would be fair to give the Minister involved an opportunity to come before the House to outline the position.
As the Senator is aware, the 1947 Act sets out all the criteria in respect of nominations to Seanad panels.
It does and, in that context, I am not querying what the Clerk did in respect of this matter. I am, however, querying what the Minister did in order to satisfy the strict legal requirements with which the Clerk must comply. It is important that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht come before the House in order to explain the recent appointment to the board of the IMMA. The latter is an extremely important institution within the State and its reputation has been brought into disrepute as a result of what happened in this instance.
Very little information has been made available in respect of this issue. However, details relating to it leaked into the public domain in the past couple of days. The appointment in question was made approximately one week ago. I presume that the person who was appointed will be elected to the House and will be obliged to resign from the board of the IMMA at that stage. That would be an outrageous abuse of the process relating to ministerial appointments. I take the opportunity to second the amendment to the Order of Business put forward by Senator Darragh O'Brien and wish to propose my own amendment to the effect that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, come before the House in order that she might explain exactly what occurred in connection with the appointment to which I refer.
Senator Darragh O'Brien provided a very fair analysis of the current crisis relating to speech and language services and made a reasonable request in the context of how we might deal with the matter. I do not believe it was the Senator's intention to have the Minister come before the House today to discuss the issue but rather that this would happen at the earliest possible date, which might be as soon as next week. I urge the Leader to consider the Senator's reasonable request.
Prior to the summer I received what I might best describe as a substantial flow of concerns from both my former colleagues in the mental health services and service users in respect of what is beginning to appear to be a crisis within those services. Since the summer, the flow to which I refer has become a virtual flood. The Leader gave an indication prior to the summer recess that the House would engage in a debate on mental health services at an early date. Will he indicate when he proposes to make time available for that debate? Plenty of nice, empathetic noises have been emanating from various quarters within the Department, etc., in respect of mental health services. As far as I can see, however, those services are in absolute crisis. It is important that the Minister of State with responsibility in this area should be brought before the House at her earliest convenience in order that we might discuss this issue with her. I urge the Leader to expedite matters in this regard.
I thank the Irish Examiner for warning the Leader in advance of the issue I wish to raise and on which I want to provide advice for the House. I am extremely concerned by the emergence in the alternative health arena in Ireland of a highly dangerous so-called treatment for children with autism. The offending products are called "Miracle Mineral Solution", MMS, and "chlorine dioxide CD protocol", which is a more dilute but nevertheless toxic form of MMS. Proponents of MMS like to package it as a combination of sodium chlorite and citric acid mixed together to make chlorine dioxide. Essentially, this is industrial-strength bleach. The sale or supply of MMS as a medicine is banned in a number of countries including Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. However, despite the absence of any medical research to support its use as a medical intervention, it is still being marketed worldwide as a miraculous cure for serious diseases including AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, herpes, tuberculosis, cancer and Crohn's disease.
MMS and CD protocol, although illegal, are being promoted and sold in Ireland as a treatment for autism. The Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, is investigating a number of cases. It is important to stress that autism is not a disease. Rather, it is a neural developmental condition which affects social interaction and communication skills. To put it simply, this is a hoax and scam. A training seminar has been advertised in Kildare for November in order to promote "doctors" who will be able to give this treatment to children. I have been in contact with the Minister for Health and thank him for getting back to me and I understand the HPRA and the Garda are monitoring the situation. Parents must be warned of the dangers of this treatment. It is a dangerous, toxic combination of chemicals and we cannot allow it be promoted in Ireland. I call on the Leader to support my call to the Minister. We must take greater action. I can buy this product from companies that are manufacturing it in Ireland, but it threatens the lives of children here.
I call Senator Paul Coghlan on any issue other than football.
It is good to know the production line is in good order, despite the forecasts and doubts of many, and that "Sam", for the 37th time, will be wintering in the kingdom. It is hard to beat old heads and new tricks.
Did the Senator ever play himself?
I did, imagine, but not for the county. Kieran Donaghy's comment was, "Well, Joe Brolly, what do you think of that?" That was on Sunday and we live to fight another day.
In the past few days many Senators will have received a number of e-mails. One of these was headed Gateway to Revenue - Your Fiscal Activity and informed Senators they were eligible for a tax return of €342.
They obviously knew the Senator very well.
I was disappointed. It was only for €342.87. Another e-mail was headed Revenue - Irish Tax and Customs and concerned the method to be used to receive tax refunds. The final e-mail was headed from the Revenue Commissioners and seemed to include its exact logo. It informed Senators they were no longer eligible to receive a tax refund but should fill out the enclosed form and return it. The Oireachtas has a very good service, Oireachtas mail quarantine, which protects us against receiving similar e-mails and allows them be deleted. I ask the Leader to ensure this excellent service is extended to e-mails like this because we are getting too many of them recently. We should be able to do something about this.
The graduate entry medical programme is important if we are to develop greater numbers of doctors, but there is a problem. This problem arises where these students must pay from €12,000 to €14,000 per year for as long as seven years, ending up with a debt of approximately €100,000. I know one person who has ended up with a debt of €130,000. These students have been able to get a bank loan in many cases, but because of the interest they must pay they will find it impossible to pay off their loans, will never be able to afford a mortgage or afford to get married. The problem is that the interest on their loans cannot be deducted. If a person opens a business, borrows from the bank and pays interest to the bank, that interest can be written off against tax. However, the medical students cannot do this. This presents a challenge for us - the challenge to keep doctors in Ireland rather than force them to emigrate. It is nearly impossible for these young people to graduate and stay in Ireland based on their debt.
The very simple solution would be to treat the loans as business loans in order that medical students could write off the interest against tax when they started to practise. On that basis, we would have a much better chance of being able to ensure doctors stay in Ireland rather than being forced to emigrate.
The information brought to the attention of the House this afternoon by Senator Jillian van Turnhout is truly shocking and alarming. I certainly support her call to invite the Minister for Health to the House urgently to discuss the use of the dangerous chemicals she described. Anything that puts the health of young children and children with autism at risk is certainly to be treated with the utmost seriousness and requires our urgent attention.
I support the call of Senator John Gilroy – I intended to make it myself today – for the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to come to the House to discuss investment in mental health services. I do so against the background of the CSO's suicide statistics published last week, which show that in 2011 there were 554 deaths in Ireland from suicide, 59 more than in 2010. The year 2011 had the highest number of deaths from self-harm since 2001, when there were 519. It is particularly frightening and worrying that in 2011 there were 458 male suicides - almost 83% of the total - compared with 96 female suicides. The standardised suicide rate in 2010, according to the latest available data, was 11.8 per 100,000 of population in the EU 28 member states compared with 10.9 per 100,000 in Ireland. The highest rate was in Lithuania, which had a rate of 32.9 per 100,000, and the lowest was in Greece, where the rate was 3.3 per 100,000. There are many organisations doing wonderful work raising awareness of mental health issues and suicide and supporting families. We need to have a debate on how the HSE and other relevant organisations can work together and dovetail in a much more effective manner to help people with suicidal tendencies and address the major crisis facing the country. Five hundred and fifty-four is nearly twice the number of people killed on the roads annually. There is a major crisis, therefore, and a need for a major debate in this House with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch.
Last week I sought debates on two important issues. The first was the Government's health policy, given the signal by the Minister that there seems to be some change in the Government's overall vision for health care and the practicalities of implementing Government policy on health care and the second concerned water charges, given that there is still confusion about the charges, how the system will work and the impact on families. I respectfully ask the Leader whether he has been able to secure debates on any of these issues. It would be very helpful for the House if he were able to do so before the budget but as soon as possible.
I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on housing and homelessness. We are all in agreement in this House that these comprise a very serious issue. There is almost universal acceptance that we are in the midst of the most severe housing crisis in the history of the State. There are 89,872 households, which represents over 100,000 men, women and children, on housing lists. The waiting list has increased by 30% in the past five years. There is a very serious problem with emergency accommodation and homelessness, not only in Dublin but also across the State. There are 74,000 families in receipt of rent supplement. Many of them are in private rented accommodation, not because they want to be but because there is no other option. We just do not have social housing and we are not building any. Therefore, whether people want it or like it, their housing needs are being met through the private rental sector. Some €350 million in taxpayers' money is being used annually to subsidise people in private rented accommodation.
We need a debate on this issue. The Simon Community published a report today which was sharply critical of Government policy and which stated the Simon Community's view was that there was no chance whatsoever of the Government meeting the target set by the Taoiseach of ending homelessness by 2016. All the evidence points to us going in the opposite direction. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on that issue because it is very important. Housing is a fundamental right for citizens and we have an obligation to hold the Government to account on commitments it made in the programme for Government which in the view of many stakeholders are not being met.
I do not want to lose the opportunity to pay tribute to the Kerry minor and senior teams. I can tell the House that they put a double smile on our faces in Kerry this weekend and on the faces of the thousands of people who turned out last night for the homecoming in Rathmore, Tralee and Killarney. It was a great night and a joyous occasion for all the people. I also want to pay tribute to the Irish Special Olympics team on its fantastic performance at the European Championship. Amidst the crowd last night, there was a young girl who was sporting two medals - one gold and one silver. She was the hero of the night also.
I want to raise a problem that has arisen in the laboratory in Cork University Hospital with regard to blood testing. Apparently, there is a glitch in the computer that is causing delays with blood tests. People are coming not just from Cork but from Kerry and other counties for chemotherapy and surgery and they need to have these blood tests done before they can undergo their treatment. This has been happening for over four weeks. I know that the staff in the laboratory are working flat out and carrying out manual tests to ensure that people have their blood tests done, but there is a backlog of blood to be tested and there will probably need to be re-tests because the existing blood is out of date and too old to be tested. I would appreciate it if the Leader could ask the Minister for Health to come to the House to give us an update on what is happening and when the problem will be rectified.
I second the amendment proposed by Senator Thomas Byrne. I wish to highlight the fact that September is a month where we try to create awareness of childhood cancer. There is an international campaign to this end and the official symbol of that campaign is the gold ribbon. I would like to think that we would all get behind the campaign by the Childhood Cancer Foundation in Ireland which is holding its own campaign for the second year. This campaign is called Light It Up Gold and means that in excess of 60 buildings and other landmarks will be lit in gold to highlight that awareness of childhood cancer. Over 200 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. This means that four families each week receive the devastating news that a child has cancer. The reason for creating awareness is that sometimes these things are under the radar but it does not take from the suffering of the families or the patients involved and it certainly does not take in any way from the concerns which many families have. There is a need for a programme of early diagnosis. We see improvements in other areas but we could have improvement in that area. We also need proper and appropriate services for children who have been diagnosed with cancer. Again, there is a vacuum in this regard. What people expect people in this House to do is not necessarily to lead a campaign but to get behind them in the work they do. Very often, they are the unsung heroes and heroines in this regard. The work is ongoing all the time and it is only those people who receive the results of those services who fully understand how important they are and how important it is that there is someone there to speak for them as well. There are still some days left in September.
We should avail of any opportunity we might have to get behind this campaign and lend our support, big or small, to it.
I support the call by Senators Jillian van Turnhout and Michael Mullins to increase awareness about MMS, the compound that is being peddled as a miraculous cure for autism. We have made great strides in this country in helping children with autism, particularly in the school system and through parents in the home, and that is the way forward. Parents of autistic children need significant help, but this is no help to them. Senator Jillian van Turnhout referred to a dangerous, toxic combination of chemicals, which I thought was the combined Opposition.
The issue of petrol stretching was raised last week. It was said that diesel laundering was being dealt with, but I am afraid, as with the death of Oscar Wilde, that reports of the demise of diesel laundering are greatly exaggerated.
It was Mark Twain.
I beg the Senator's pardon and thank him. It is great to have a literary sidekick in the House and I look forward to discussing that with him in Strasbourg next week.
The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Simon Harris, needs to come to the House to discuss the dumping of laundered diesel throughout last week in County Louth. The new licensing laws are only partly working. Will the Leader ask for an up-to-date report from the Minister of State regarding how the Department is coping with diesel laundering?
I hope the House will join the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Damien English, in congratulating the three students from Kinsale community school - Ciara Judge, Emer Hickey and Sophie Healy-Thow - who won the top award at the Google Science Fair in California. Their project was examined the use of natural bacteria to improve crop yields by 50% in wheat and 74% in barley. That is a major achievement for Irish science, the ladies in question and Kinsale community school.
I refer to an issue reported in last Sunday's newspapers about the delay of the launch of the Mainstream Renewable Power wind farm company on the Stock Exchange. The launch is being delayed for at least two years because wind energy is no longer competitive. The report stated: "The worldwide deregulation of the renewable energy project has caused the project to be postponed." When Mainstream Renewable Power was set up, most countries paid a fixed price for renewable energy. Bar a few exceptions, including Ireland, the majority have since adopted an open supply-and-demand model, which has slashed the return the company could generate from building wind farms. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources whether Ireland is out of step in using inflated yields to justify wind farms, and will he emphasise the concerns, mostly held by Senators on the Government benches, that the wind farm business is out of control and damaging the environment? It may not make much economic sense, and the delay of the initial public offering of Mainstream Renewable Power for two years seems to indicate this. Will the Minister come to the House to address what prices are implied in the building of wind farms in this country if the IPO has been delayed for two years?
I support Senator Jillian van Turnhout's call for a debate on MMS and its use in the treatment of autism. I, too, have been contacted on this issue and it is shocking to think what could be going on. I, too, call on the Minister to come to the House for a debate on this serious issue.
I take the opportunity to congratulate the victorious Special Olympics athletes who arrived home from Belgium on Sunday. I had the pleasure of being in Dublin Airport on Sunday morning to welcome them home and applaud their massive achievements at the European games and also to applaud the family members and supporters who turned out to welcome them home. The number of medals won is impressive and includes 20 gold medals, 21 silver medals and 24 bronze medals, as well as numerous placement ribbons. I pay tribute to the athletes, their family members and members of Special Olympics on their success.
I also take the opportunity to congratulate my local soccer team, Dundalk FC, which was victorious in winning the EA Sports Cup on Saturday last. The match was a fantastic spectacle and hugely important to the League of Ireland and a huge boost to the town. However, of concern was the hooliganism which was very evident on the part of members of the opposition in attendance both inside the ground in terms of the dreadful personal jeers directed at the manager and outside the grounds in terms of the savage attack on a person. We have all witnessed the fining of League of Ireland clubs lately, including Dundalk FC which was fined for the use of flares and the flying of flags when asked not to do so. Clubs must take responsibility for their fans. The hooliganism in Dundalk on Saturday was atrocious and brought the game of soccer to a new low. I ask the Leader to arrange an urgent debate on hooliganism in sport. It is important in terms of our attempts to promote League of Ireland soccer that we have that debate.
When speaking about old heads and new tricks, Senator Paul Coghlan chose his words well. I am disappointed that Fine Gael has struck a new low. The appointment of a person in order to make him eligible for-----
I was talking about Kerry GAA tactics.
Senator Fidelma Healy Eames to continue, without interruption.
I know what the Senator was talking about, but his remarks crossed over into the appointment of a person to make him eligible for nomination and, in this case, caused him to be successful in winning a Seanad seat. That is job fixing. In what other area could one do this and get away with? Why demean the Seanad in this way? It is appalling. Some of us value this place - I certainly do. There is a need for reflection on what this treatment of the Seanad says to the people about politics and, on this occasion, Fine Gael. In terms of my legacy in Fine Gael-----
The Senator needs to examine her own credibility.
-----I am severely disappointed.
I call on the Leader to invite the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, to come to the Seanad to discuss and debate the issue of beef farming. While many farmers will attend the ploughing championships this week and much has been said about growth in the economy, this is not the case for beef farmers. They are being paid €1 less per kilo for steers, which amounts to €300 per animal, than the sum being paid to English farmers. This is happening because factories are playing hell with Irish farmers. The only one who can join the dots between the farmer and the factory is the Minister. If farmers pull back on production, the State will lose out in terms of Harvest 2020 and employment. We need to wake up to this issue which the Minister should come to the House to debate.
I join Senator Sean D. Barrett in congratulating the three students from Kinsale, Ciara Judge, Émer Hickey and Sophie Healy-Thow, on their huge achievement in winning the EU Young Scientist competition and the Google Science Fair award.
It is a major achievement not only by the students but by the school, teachers and parents who gave the necessary support. It is a credit to the school because it is not the first time it has won the Young Scientist competition and it is due to the dedication and commitment of teachers there and around the country who work with students to prepare for the Young Scientist and Technology competition. We do not give them enough credit for their work, much of it outside school hours.
I thank Senator David Norris for his kind remarks on the Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill. When I began work on the issue, I set a target of having it passed within three years. It will come through within two years and I welcome it. I do not care who gets credit for getting it through; the important thing is that the necessary legislative change is made on this important issue which needs to be dealt with.
Senator Feargal Quinn raised the issue of people who give up their jobs to return to college and study medicine. They borrow extensively to fund the four-year degree course and find they are unable to service the loans after they graduate. The Senator is correct that when one starts a business one is entitled to write off interest on money borrowed, whereas when one borrows money to return to college to acquire skills and a degree and provide a service to the country, one is not entitled to write off the interest on one's loans. The issue arose at a medical intern conference in Cork in June. I am delighted that the people who attended the conference worked on preparing the draft proposal, which has been submitted to the offices of the Taoiseach and the Ministers for Finance and Health. It should be part of the concessions in the budget as an incentive to keep young medical graduates in the country. We need them, the hospitals need them and it is a necessary amendment to the Finance Bill.
Has the Government any intention of bringing forward a Bill regarding the defamation of the dead? Some countries have such legislation. I raise it in particular regarding statements by Dr. T. K. Whitaker in an authorised biography by Anne Chambers published by Transworld Ireland, which has made a statement withdrawing certain allegations made about the late Charles Haughey, former Taoiseach, who was a very progressive Minister for Finance in the 1960s. On 16 December 2003, he informed me and the former Minister and Leader of the Seanad, Mary O'Rourke, that Dr. Whitaker had begged him not to introduce free travel and had gone as far as the Chamber of Dáil Éireann to plead with him not to do so. Now, thanks be to God, Dr. Whitaker can avail of free travel. I am delighted with that and wish him well because I know him well and am very impressed by him. He contributed greatly, with Seán Lemass, Jack Lynch and others, to the development of the country and nothing will ever take from that. However, I am disappointed that at 97 years of age, some publishers may be abusing their position in making statements-----
He never said it. It was explained.
Senator Terry Leyden to continue, without interruption.
I accept that, but it was not the case. Maureen Haughey has issued a very detailed statement from the Haughey family.
Is this relevant to the Order of Business?
It is relevant because I asked if there was a Bill on the defamation of the dead, which some countries have, although historians do not like them. For somebody of the calibre, ability and standing of Dr. Whitaker, whose book will be launched next Tuesday night, I am disappointed that any writer, Anne Chambers, or any publisher, such as Transworld, would use misleading statements to undermine and damage the good name of a former Taoiseach. There may have been bad relations somewhere along the line because Mr. Haughey was a very strong Minister.
This is not relevant to the Order of Business.
When he decided on an issue, he told the Secretary General of the Department of Finance, and that was it. I am glad of the opportunity to put the record straight.
The Chair has been very lenient.
You have been very generous - thank you.
I wish to be associated with the congratulations to the three students from Kinsale community college. To be first in the world in anything is no mean achievement. It is a major achievement, and all credit must go to the students, as well as their parents and teachers.
It was a great weekend for sport, although I am not so sure it was a great all-Ireland final. I thought the Special Olympics achievements in Antwerp would have been overlooked, but they were not. I wish to acknowledge the previous contributions from my colleagues in that regard. It was a major achievement in Belgium, with 2,000 athletes, representing 58 countries, taking part. We ended up with 57 medals. The most important achievement was the award for sportsmanship and fair play obtained for Ireland at those games. The athletes were acknowledged for their sportsmanship. We heard what happened after the games in Dundalk at the weekend, but I congratulate the Dundalk team on its achievement. We must acknowledge, however, what has been achieved by the Special Olympians. It was the most successful Special Olympic Games ever in Europe. Congratulations are due to the athletes themselves, as well as to their families and mentors. As a nation we should be proud of their achievements. I was afraid they might have been overlooked, but they were not.
I must acknowledge also that the DNA in Kerry is producing the names of O'Shea, Moran, Spillane and so on.
A great job.
They are coming again. We must acknowledge that, after 20-odd years, Kerry won two all-Irelands in one day. It was a major achievement.
I will be somewhat parochial at the beginning. Obviously, it has been a great week for Kerry, with the dual win in both the minor and senior football championships. There was also a hugely successful racing festival in Listowel. I wish to refer in particular to the latter, because I have a bee in my bonnet about it. Racegoers will know that festival meetings such as Galway, Listowel, Punchestown and Tramore are the backbone of Irish racing. They make the biggest contribution to the revenue of Horse Racing Ireland and the general fiscal situation. Each day in Listowel there were approximately 25,000 to 30,000 people in attendance. On the very weekend that Listowel began, however, Horse Racing Ireland put on an extravaganza of high quality classic racing at the Curragh and Leopardstown, with prize funds into the millions, attracting top-class stallion colts such as Australia. I can assure the House that between them the crowds at Leopardstown and the Curragh would not compare to those that turned up at Listowel for the day of the Kerry National, which is only worth €100,000. Horse Racing Ireland therefore needs to get its act together, because this is a further downgrading of rural Ireland. Listowel Race Week is a fixture, especially in the south-western counties. Racegoers come there from all over the country, yet here is Horse Racing Ireland biting the hand that feeds it. We receive a copy of the annual report every year showing where money is coming in on the tote, which is the revenue for horse racing. It comes from the festival meetings, with ordinary horses owned by ordinary guys. They are not expensive animals at all in the National Hunt sport that we all love so well, yet Horse Racing Ireland puts on these million-euro races the same day, which is absolutely crazy.
I wish to make another point and thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence. There was a somewhat disquieting report in the newspapers last week about the days-off arrangement that obtains for gardaí at certain levels. My understanding is gardaí are obliged to work ten days running and then take four days off together. It might be sensible in one way, but I understand it is causing serious problems, especially at senior level, where a Garda superintendent may be in hot pursuit on a particular crime. One must strike when the iron is hot, as they say, yet such a person is obliged to take four days off.
That is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána.
It is. However, I wish to ask the Leader to invite the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, to the House to talk about Horse Racing Ireland. Perhaps we might also get the Minister for Justice and Equality to reappraise the kind of holiday break or weekend arrangement that I mentioned. It is exacerbated by the huge cutbacks in Garda overtime.
It does not make sense to me that if a garda is working on a serious crime, he has to take four days off while the criminals are hot-footing it out of the country.
I was interested in Senator Terry Leyden's comments about the proposed Bill dealing with the defamation of the dead. It struck me that if such legislation had been enacted, it would have been a useful tool for the Leader last week when people were issuing very negative views of historical characters such as John Redmond and Eoin MacNeill. I look forward to Senator Terry Leyden introducing legislation to provide for such protection.
There has been a welcoming of many triumphs and victories. One very positive development for Irish sport and the economy has not been remarked upon thus far, that is, the decision last week of UEFA to hold some of the games in the 2020 European soccer finals in Dublin. This will be very good for Irish soccer, the economy and Irish sport in general.
On the subject of soccer, the Leader has a great and long-term interest in the beautiful game. I know that, through no fault of his own, the Cathaoirleach has not been able to facilitate me by allowing me to raise the matter on the Adjournment debate, but given that the Government, through the Minister, is investing funds in Irish soccer, we need to debate the future of the League of Ireland. While we will welcome the holding of big European games at the Aviva stadium, unfortunately, league of Ireland clubs are existing on a pittance. We are failing to provide adequate resources to develop League of Ireland soccer clubs to the full. They may never be compared to the Premiership or La Liga, but the soccer leagues in Scandinavian and other northern European countries are, in many cases, semi-professional and provide not just a sporting or an entertainment outlet but a strong economic outlet for many small towns and communities. I welcome the advances made by the FAI and Mr. John Delaney, but where public money is made available to sports such as soccer - I have supported the allocation of this funding and would like to see more of it - we should try to plan a better future and provide for more firm foundations for the League of Ireland. Clubs such as Cork and Dundalk are doing well, but some are expected to survive with an attendance at games of 500 to 600, which is not tenable. I sought to raise the matter on the Adjournment, but owing to procedures the Cathaoirleach was not in a position to facilitate me. I, therefore, ask the Leader to facilitate a debate on the future of the long-established League of Ireland because such a debate might prove very useful. It is a long time since 25,000 people watched Cork Hibs play Waterford, but we might try to get the league going again.
As there does not seem to be anyone from County Donegal talking about what happened on Sunday, my late mother - God rest her - was from Ballyshannon; as such, I feel I am half-Donegal. The people of Donegal are mightily proud of the achievements of their football team, notwithstanding what Kerry did to them on Sunday. I say to our Kerry friends that there will be another day. Beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach. On behalf of people from Donegal everywhere, I congratulate Jim McGuinness and his team on their outstanding achievements over four years for a county which has won only two all-Ireland championships, as against for the mighty Kerry 36 wins-----
It is 37.
The message from Donegal is, "Watch out, Kerry, we are coming back."
From time to time, Members on both sides of the House rightly praise the reputation of the Irish abroad. I am sorry to bring before the House today the very sad tale from San Francisco where a bunch of Irish students went on the rampage in a house they were renting over the summer period and completely destroyed it. According to social media, it seems that up to 50 students stayed in this house at one stage. The house was rented initially to a group of students, one of whom has been named on social media websites as a Trinity College student because an arrest warrant was left behind in the house which has been used to identify him. The group of students had travelled to San Francisco under the J1 visa scheme but could not find the accommodation they had been assigned. The lady in question is an immigrant from India who as a matter of kindness gave them the house.
By way of thanks they smashed every door and window in the house. They used a golf club to smash the walls and they left the place in a mess. I commend the Irish community in San Francisco who have risen to this outrageous attack on the Irish reputation, not only in this country but among the Irish in San Francisco. Many people in the construction industry in San Francisco have pledged to restore the house to its former glory for this lady. Sadly, the story reached national prominence in the United States in recent days in that it was featured on CBS News, which went into the house and filmed the damage and destruction caused by the people concerned. I raise this today because it is a blight on the Irish reputation abroad. I ask the college authorities, who are involved to some degree with the J1 visas, and the parents of these children to remember that when they go abroad they are wearing the green jersey and that everything they do is being observed. We have heard stories coming from Australia of drunken Irish, who are a minority, but it highlights the enormous reputational damage that is done to this country. Irish Ministers go abroad regularly to try to support Ireland abroad. They support Irish communities abroad by their presence and constantly strive to bring jobs to this country, but we should consider the horrendous damage done to the Irish reputation because of what this bunch of loutish students did, who felt that because they were in a strange country, in a house that was not theirs, they could trash it and come home with no recrimination. I hope they are found, that they are named and shamed and that their families will now talk to them and insist that they be more considerate in their actions the next time they go abroad.
Senators Darragh O'Brien, Martin Conway and John Gilroy referred to the need for early intervention to provide speech and language therapy for special needs children and called on the Minister for Health to come to the House today. I understand the Minister is out of the country today, but I will endeavour to have him come to the House to discuss the matter. Obviously, funding will have to be diverted from some other area of the health service to rectify this situation, but I hope the Minister will be in a position to come to the House soon to address the matter.
Senator Ivana Bacik spoke about the positive economic indicators in recent weeks and suggested extra funding should be provided for health, education and social welfare services. There is also a suggestion people in work should get something back, but it is a question of balance. I am sure the Minister for Finance will preside over a prudent policy, as he has done for the past few years, in the preparation of his budget.
Senator Ivana Bacik also spoke about climate change and suggested we have another debate in the House, referring to the conference on climate change in New York.
Senator Katherine Zappone mentioned the need for clarity on the issue of abortion. I urge the Senator to correspond with the Minister to get answers to the questions posed, but I will certainly ask the Minister to come to the House to deal with that matter also.
Senator David Norris spoke about the Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill and rightly stated the Bill was practically a copy of the Bill Senator Colm Burke had introduced in the House. I believe the Government should have amended that Bill rather than bringing in a new one, but, as Senator Colm Burke stated, it is very important. He fully supports the passage of that Bill.
On opinion polls, Senator David Norris has suggested the public now favour abortion. I am sure we will return to the debate on that issue in the future.
Senators Thomas Byrne and Fidelma Healy Eames referred to the appointment of a gentleman, Mr. John McNulty, to a position in order to qualify him for the Seanad Cultural and Educational Panel.
That is a load of nonsense and where it came from I do not know.
He was appointed one week ago.
Mr. McNulty is a self-employed businessman and involved in the tourism and cultural committee in Kilcar. He has a track record in promoting culture and heritage, is involved in the GAA and driving a three year Irish language development plan in the area.
It is a belt and braces approach. He was appointed to IMMA last week.
The Leader to continue, without interruption, please.
Mr. McNulty is heavily involved and would be well qualified for the panel. It is an absolute disgrace to suggest otherwise.
I was refused access to the Agricultural Panel.
The hysterical comments of Senators Thomas Byrne and Fidelma Healy Eames in that regard have no foundation whatsoever.
Mr. McNulty seems to have an accelerated interest in culture from his petrol station in County Donegal-----
Will the Senator, please, resume his seat? The Leader to continue, without interruption, please.
(Interruptions).
I wish Mr. McNulty well in his position as a Senator in this House.
Why did he-----
The Leader to continue, without interruption, please.
The real scandal is the election with 250 votes.
Will the Senator, please, resume his seat?
Senators John Gilroy and Michael Mullins referred to mental health services. In that regard, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has attended the House to hear statements and the debates on Private Members' motions on numerous occasions. Her commitment to dealing with this issue is, without doubt, clear for all to see. She has always expressed a willingness to come to the House and I will ask her to come and discuss this very serious issue again.
Senators Jillian van Turnhout, Michael Mullins, JIm D'Arcy and Mary Moran referred to MMS, a debatable treatment for children with autism. Senator Jillian van Turnhout suggested it was a hoax treatment which put the lives of children at risk. I am delighted that she has raised the matter with the Minister for Health. I support her comments.
Senator Paul Coghlan and all other Senators from County Kerry supported its football teams and congratulated them on their wonderful victories. Senator Marie Mooney congratulated the Donegal teams on the parts they played in the finals. Senator Paul Coghlan also highlighted the need to be vigilant in dealing with e-mails, especially those regarding the Revenue Commissioners.
Senator Feargal Quinn referred to the graduate entry system to medicine and the cost of courses and loans. He called for an amendment to the Finance Act to allow the interest on such loans to be tax deductible. Other Senators also raised this issue.
Senator Michael Mullins referred to mental health services. As I said, I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to come to the House as soon as possible to discuss the matter.
I replied to questions on water charges last week. As I said, we discussed the Bill for days and everybody had an opportunity to speak at length. On housing and homelessness, I have asked the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, to come to the House and he has indicated that that will happen towards the third week in October.
Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú highlighted the childhood cancer campaign and commended it for its excellent work. He referred to the need for all of us to support the campaign.
Senator Jim D'Arcy referred to petrol stretching and suggested diesel laundering had not stopped in County Louth. He highlighted the dumping of sludge over the weekend and called on the Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris, to come to the House to update us on the matter, something I will ask him to do.
Senators Sean D. Barrett, Colm Burke and others complimented the students of Kinsale community school on their success at the World Science Fair in California. It was an excellent achievement for the students, the school, their parents and the country. We all commend them for their efforts.
Senator Sean D. Barrett also highlighted the difficulties in the wind farm sector and called on the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, to come to the House for a debate on the matter. I will ask him to participate in such a debate.
Senator Mary Moran, among others, mentioned the success of the Special Olympics athletes and Dundalk FC. She also outlined her concerns about soccer hooliganism. We would all like to be associated with the success of the Special Olympics athletes who did Ireland proud.
Senator Fidelma Healy Eames mentioned the beef crisis. As she knows, the demand for beef in European markets has never been lower, with consumption across the European Union having declined by 5% since 2010, largely connected with the economic climate. In addition, Irish beef prices were at an historically high level last year, when the average price was up 5% on the 2012 peak. Obviously, therefore, prices were significantly higher. As a consequence, the current drop in prices is being keenly felt by farmers. While the Government is clearly restricted in what it can do in terms of becoming involved in the issue of commercial pricing, a number of actions have been taken to support farmers during this difficult period. As the Senator may be aware, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine announced details of an investment package worth up to €40 million in 2014 aimed at sustaining critical mass in the suckler cow herd. In that regard, there is €23 million for the beef genomics scheme, €10 million for the beef data programme, €5 million for the beef technology adoption programme and €2 million in residual payments under the suckler cow welfare scheme. A number of other actions have been taken by the Minister who will keep the matter under constant review. We should support him in the actions he has taken in this regard and, if necessary, further action will be taken.
Senator Colm Burke mentioned medical graduates. He also referred to the point made by Senator Feargal Quinn and supported the calls made for expenditure to be allowable against tax.
Senator Terry Brennan lauded the success of our sports people, especially the Special Olympics team. On the sporting theme, Senator Ned O'Sullivan mentioned the Listowel races and rightly said holiday meetings were the backbone of the sport. It was questionable to allow the prestigious meetings held at Leopardstown and the Curragh which clashed with the other fixtures. It is a matter Horse Racing Ireland should examine in the future.
The Senator also mentioned the situation with holidays for gardaí. As the Cathaoirleach pointed out, this is a matter for the Garda Commissioner.
Senator Paul Bradford mentioned the fact that Ireland would host at least two or three games during the 2020 UEFA finals. I compliment everybody involved, including the FAI, the Government, chambers of commerce and all those associated with the bid. It was wonderful to win. Eight cities were chosen and it is great that Ireland's capital city is among them.
Senator Paul Bradford also called for a debate on the future of the League of Ireland and the provision of greater resources. It is sad to see League of Ireland teams playing in front of 400 or 500 spectators. There is a need to develop the game at local level. As the Senator said, it will be a long time before we will see between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators attending League of Ireland games, as witnessed in the 1970s, in particular.
Senator Paschal Mooney mentioned the Irish students in San Francisco and the bad image given to Ireland. I understand the landlady mentioned - I heard it on the radio on my way to Dublin - that 14 students might have been involved. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has come out very strongly on the issue.
The students involved must be held responsible. They are doing dreadful damage to the image of Ireland in America, Australia and other areas and must be held accountable for their actions. I hope, as the Senator said, that they are named and shamed because they do nothing for the image of the country or their educational institutions.
Senator Darragh O'Brien has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That a debate with the Minister for Health on the Government's plans to address the waiting list for services for children be taken today." Is the amendment being pressed?
I will withdraw it.
Senator Thomas Byrne has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That a debate with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to explain the circumstances surrounding the appointment to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art of a person who is a candidate in the current Seanad by-election be taken today." Is the amendment being pressed?
Yes.
Amendment put.
The Seanad divided by electronic means.
There is an equality of votes. Therefore, pursuant to Article 15.11.2° of the Constitution, I will exercise my casting vote. I vote against the amendment in this case. I declare the amendment lost.
Under Standing Order 62(3)(b), I request that the division be taken again, other than by electronic means.
Amendment put:
The Seanad divided: Tá, 21; Níl, 19.
Tá
- Barrett, Sean D.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cullinane, David.
- Healy Eames, Fidelma.
- Heffernan, James.
- Leyden, Terry.
- Mac Conghail, Fiach.
- Mooney, Paschal.
- Norris, David.
- Ó Murchú, Labhrás.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Mary Ann.
- O'Donnell, Marie-Louise.
- O'Sullivan, Ned.
- Power, Averil.
- Quinn, Feargal.
- Reilly, Kathryn.
- van Turnhout, Jillian.
- White, Mary M.
- Wilson, Diarmuid.
- Zappone, Katherine.
Níl
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Brennan, Terry.
- Burke, Colm.
- Coghlan, Eamonn.
- Coghlan, Paul.
- Conway, Martin.
- Cummins, Maurice.
- D'Arcy, Jim.
- D'Arcy, Michael.
- Gilroy, John.
- Hayden, Aideen.
- Higgins, Lorraine.
- Landy, Denis.
- Moloney, Marie.
- Moran, Mary.
- Mulcahy, Tony.
- Mullins, Michael.
- O'Neill, Pat.
- Sheahan, Tom.
Tellers: Tá, Senators Ned O'Sullivan and Diarmuid Wilson; Níl, Senators Paul Coghlan and Aideen Hayden.
Amendment declared carried.
Is the Order of Business, as amended, agreed to?
Will the Leader tell us when the debate will take place?
Does the Leader wish to reply?
I will try to make the necessary arrangements. I will announce as soon as possible when we will have the Minister in the House to discuss the matter, as decided by the House.
Order of Business, as amended, agreed to.