Today's Order of Business is Items 1, 2 and 3. Item 3 will be taken between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. with the Minister being called on to conclude not later than 7.45 p.m. If Items 1 and 2 are concluded before 6 p.m., I suggest we have a sos until 6 p.m.
Order of Business.
The Order of Business is agreed as far as we are concerned. May I use this occasion to send the good wishes of all Members of this House to Councillor John Fee of Crossmaglen? It is important that we realise the conditions under which constitutional politicians have to labour in Northern Ireland and the intimidation to which they are subjected. It is easy for us in this part of the country to pass judgment on those who have to work under these conditions week after week in Northern Ireland. A great deal of credit is due to the courage of the constitutional parties in Northern Ireland who have striven so hard over a long period and in difficult circumstances to try to bring back normal politics. We would all like to send our good wishes to Councillor John Fee and salute his courage in standing against intimidation.
I agree with that.
I support Senator Manning's call to send good wishes to Councillor Fee and to Mr. Seamus Mallon who made such courageous statements. I am sure many of us have personally supported them but a message from this House would be good.
I ask the Acting Leader to raise a serious point with the Minister for Finance; I raised it in the House before and I thought it had been cleared up but it has not. In the Budget Statement the Minister said he would extend the present refund arrangements relating to donated medical equipment to cover donated research equipment used in medical laboratories of universities and similar institutions. Many Senators are aware of the serious situation which has arisen with the Wellcome Trust which gives £5 million in research grants to this country each year. They are threatening to pull out because of the 21 per cent VAT on medical equipment.
The Minister said they can claim a refund on equipment costing over £20,000; this is totally unsatisfactory. Not only the 100 jobs directly involved with this grant are important. One of this country's major successes is its pharmaceutical industry.
You have made your case. It is more suitable for an Adjournment Matter or perhaps even the Finance Bill. I ask you to conclude; you are making a Second Stage speech.
I did not put it down for an Adjournment debate because I thought I could not as it involved the Department of Finance. The pharmaceutical industry is not just about putting pills in cartons or tonics in bottles. It creates employment and is the basis of our medical research. This is money we are being given for nothing and the trust will not continue to give it. The matter is urgent. I thank the Ministers, Deputies Geoghegan-Quinn, O'Rourke, Fitzgerald and Howlin——
You are going on too long.
This matter is serious and urgent. I ask the Leader to do what he can immediately.
Let us have a discussion on it between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
On behalf of the Progressive Democrats, I join in sending good wishes to Councillor John Fee. As people who can freely cross the road from Kildare House to this building, it is difficult for us to understand what it must be like to try to work as a constitutional politician in Northern Ireland and particularly to show the type of moral courage Councillor Fee has shown. He must be supported, as must all constitutional politicians in Northern Ireland.
There are two items on the Order Paper which I ask the Acting Leader to consider over the Easter period. Item 8 deals with the 1993 Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, the Food Industry and Forestry. It is important that we debate it at an early stage. I cannot recall receiving the document; in the event that it has not been circulated I ask the Acting Leader to see that it is.
It has been circulated.
It may be that my postal service is more deficient than Senator Kiely's. There are two items on the Order Paper which relate to East Timor, Items 10 and 32. I understood we were to reach those Items this week. A debate on this important issue is a matter of great urgency given the infringements of human rights that have taken place on that island where about 200,000 people have been liquidated. It is important that we debate it particularly in light of an important television programme which I recommend Senators watch this week. It may be the case that Senator Norris, like the swallows, will return; perhaps we are waiting for Senator Norris to return before we reach this item but I regard it as a matter of urgency. I would be grateful if the Acting Leader would make time available at the earliest opportunity to debate this matter.
I endorse enthusiastically the comments made by my colleagues led by Senator Manning on the outrageous attack on a constitutional politician but I believe this House should be even handed in its approach to condemnations of this nature. An outrageous mortar attack was carried out this morning on a constitutional political party. There has been continuing harassment and intimidation against members of that party and other nationalist parties in Northern Ireland from Loyalist and other forces.
While I do not wish to have my remarks interpreted as diluting the main thrust of what Senator Manning said, we as a parliament representing this country and representing nationalist opinion primarily in this country should, on every occasion, oppose and condemn strenuously any attack on politicians going about their legitimate work.
I join with my colleagues in sending good wishes to Councillor John Fee. Councillor John Fee is a man of great courage and I wish him well.
I join in condemning the attack on Councillor John Fee. Councillor Fee seems to have no doubt about who his assailants were and this attack has to be condemned outright. There should be no ambiguity about where we stand on these issues.
I join with others in sending our good wishes to Councillor John Fee. We must all unite in condemning the thugs who attacked him. It must be said as often and as clearly as possible that the people who attacked John Fee are going nowhere politically on this island, whatever flag they are carrying.
I ask the Leader to arrange a debate as soon as possible on the structure of tourism promotion. The Minister recently stated that he intended to redirect the development of the tourist industry and that Bord Fáilte would be playing a different role. It is important that, before the Minister announces his intentions, this House has an opportunity to debate this issue. That is very important to the part of the country I come from. The future of tourism is paramount and it is the one area where we look forward to providing jobs. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to discuss any new structures proposed. I ask the Leader if he could arrange a debate as soon as possible after the Easter holidays on the future of tourism structures.
I join with Senator Manning's comments on the attack made on the SDLP councillor. In democratic politics the only fear politicians should have — if I would call it fear — is defeat at the polls. They should not have to be afraid of beatings, shootings or any other sort of intimidation. The quicker those who profess a wish to adopt democratic politics learn the rules of democratic politics and set aside murder and mayhem and beatings, the better for this country.
I wish to be associated with the condemnation of the attack on a democratic politician, Councillor Fee. It is, as Senator Magner has so eloquently put it, time people who profess to speak on behalf of this nation and who indicate that they have some interest in democratic politics, learned the rules.
I ask the Acting Leader to make time for an early discussion on the constitutional changes which are taking place within the European Union and specifically on the issue of the weighted voting. This is an important and very technical issue and it is something which we have overlooked. It is an important issue. In advance of such a technical discussion it might be helpful to circulate briefing documents to Senators who wish to contribute. An early debate on that issue is required.
Lest silence be misinterpreted, I join with my colleagues in condemning the outrageous attack on the democratic representative, Councillor John Fee. The SDLP, over a period of 25 years, has proved to everybody in Ireland and around the world that it is committed to the pursuit of constitutional politics. Its members have been outrageously intimidated; and wives of representatives have been attacked in their homes but despite such acts, the SDLP has maintained its consistency and determination. We owe it to ourselves and to our constituents to express our admiration of that consistency and our utter condemnation of those who pretend to act in the name of a spurious republicanism in attacking such people.
I had the privilege of dealing with the SDLP for over 30 years at Government and other levels. It is time we expressed our appreciation and our constant support of its courage in attacking paramilitary activity. It is a courage which has not always been matched — and I wish it was — by representatives of the other political side in Northern Ireland.
I agree that the good wishes of the House be conveyed to Councillor John Fee. I join in the condemnation of the attack on him and I concur with the tributes that have been paid to his courage.
I will convey Senator Henry's comments on the Wellcome Trust to the Minister for Finance. I assure Senator Dardis that we will have debates on both agriculture and East Timor after the Easter recess. The report to which Senator Dardis referred has been circulated to Senators. However, if Senator Dardis has not received his copy I will provide him with one. Senator McGowan sought a debate on tourism. The first debate held in Private Members' time this session was on the tourism industry. We can have another debate on the matter in the next session.
I agree with Senator Roche's suggestion that we have a debate in the next session on the constitutional changes taking place in the European Union.
Order of Business agreed to.