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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 18 May 1995

Vol. 143 No. 9

Order of Business.

Before I announce the Order of Business, on behalf of the House, I wish the Irish rugby team well as it travels to South Africa today to play in the Rugby World Cup. We should pay tribute to the IRFU as the one truly all Ireland body. Throughout its existence the IRFU has been the only major sporting organisation which, at an international level, has been able to bring together the two traditions on this island and to maintain a sense of Irish unity under the colours of the green jersey. While the team has not done particularly well in the past ten years, I am sure we all wish the team and those travelling with it a successful and enjoyable stay in South Africa.

It is also worth noting the miracle which has taken place in South Africa. These World Cup games are taking place in a context which a few years ago none of us would have thought possible, that is in a multi-racial society.

The Order of Business today is item 1, with 20 minutes per speaker. There will be a sos at 1 p.m. and this item will not conclude today.

I endorse the sentiments expressed by the Leader in relation to the Irish rugby team. On behalf of the House, I wish the supporters of the team a safe and happy journey.

Are you talking about the other Irish team?

I am. As regards item 7 on the Order Paper, will the Leader be able to afford Government time to debate it? As regards TEAM Aer Lingus, the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Deputy Lowry, made a statement in the other House yesterday. I ask the Leader to convey to him our wish that he publish the five year rescue plan for TEAM Aer Lingus, even if some information needs to be deleted. It would give those of us with an interest in the welfare of that company a chance to have an input in helping the board and the Minister to ensure its long term viability. I hope the Minister will reflect on that and publish the plan next week.

As regards the IRFU tour, I have always had the view that if they could get the shape of the ball right, they would probably do a lot better.

Senator O'Toole is not speaking from a sound basis at present.

The victim of such an upbringing. I have restrained myself from referring to the current difficulties in education over the past few months. It has now gone beyond the realm of industrial relations, which have no place in the Houses of Parliament. Public representatives are entitled to offer a view on the situation which is certain to cause disruption in primary and post-primary schools next week. For that reason I seek a debate on this matter and I ask the Leader to accept a motion in that regard. I offer to brief colleagues on both sides of the House before that debate because a lot of misinformation has been given, although not deliberately, and positions have been misinterpreted. Problems can be averted and a sensible approach should resolve them. Members of the House are entitled to offer a view on this and I ask for a debate on the matter next week.

I join in the good wishes to the Irish rugby World Cup squad and to the alternative squad as well. I had hoped a referee would be needed.

It is with a certain sense of personal pain that I talk about this matter this morning. I would have thought the shape of the ball would be irrelevant to someone from Kerry. Senator Manning is right when he says the IRFU was a tremendous force of unity on the island for a long time, particularly when things were difficult. One of the most memorable rugby occasions of all time was not a try, but when the crowd in Lansdowne Road stood when England came on the field.

I support the call by Senator O'Toole for a debate next week on education and the possibility of a teachers' strike because there is widespread concern about this issue, particularly when we are close to exams.

The Minister for Health brought the hepatitis C report before the Joint Committee on Women's Rights. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister if he intends to bring this report before the Seanad or the Dáil in the near future. There is increasing concern about this issue.

I join with other Members in sending our good wishes to both rugby squads in South Africa.

I hope we are at the beginning of a successful tourist season and that people come here from the other side of the Atlantic and from Europe. I ask the Leader to convey to the Minister for the Marine, Deputy Coveney, our congratulations on the effective and successful manner in which he dealt with the issue of access by Irish Ferries to the port of Roscoff in France. It is a fine achievement and will be of considerable economic benefit to the country during the coming tourist season.

Reference to the IRFU and the World Cup tour brings to mind a description which was recently associated with another sporting activity in England. I want to raise the issue of the Western European Union. I officially represented this country at the first parliamentary meeting of the Western European Union. The unflattering sporting reference made to selectors in the UK recently could apply to that assembly. Perhaps the Leader would make time available to discuss the Western European Union. Senator Manning has already indicated that there will be a wide-ranging discussion on foreign affairs in the context of the forthcoming White Paper. It would be prudent for the House to make its views known on the Western European Union. It would help if the views of all political parties were expressed because I doubt if they would be ad idem with the views of the mandarins in the Department of Foreign Affairs. It would be better to have a political debate on the Western European Union and Ireland's association before pen is put to paper and the discussion document is published.

We should also have a debate on the impending disaster at Packard Electric. It does not help to intervene politically when disasters are pending, but our opinions would be constructive and would help the Minister and the three Government parties in their attempt to bring a little sense to this issue. A short debate on Packard Electric and on industrial relations developments in the country would help the situation. I support the comments made by Senator O'Toole in this context and I look forward to his briefing.

Senator Wright has already indicated his wish for clarification of Government time on the Freedom of Information Bill, 1995. Members on all sides of the House are interested — I am not claiming special credit — in open administration. Perhaps the Leader could allocate time for this issue so that we could put together some constructive comments, which I am sure the Government will accept.

I would like to be associated with the good wishes to the Irish rugby team. I am disappointed that the alternative rugby team did not invite the women Members as cheerleaders because we would have been pleased to go.

I support Senator Henry's call for the Minister for Health to come into the House to discuss the hepatitis C report. Before Easter the Leader promised that the Minister would come to the House after we had considered it. Recent issues, such as the contraction of hepatitis C by people who received transfusions and the report that one of the donors to the anti-D pool later tested HIV positive, have raised serious concerns. The consultants, Bain and Company, are investigating this. This is an important issue and I am sure the Leader will agree that we have waited long enough and have been patient. I ask the Minister to come into the House to discuss this issue.

Because of the Labour Party's commitment to gender quotas, we insist that the women Members should be allowed to play.

A debate on sport was asked for a couple of weeks ago and it is badly needed.

I assure Senator Dardis that the combined parties on the Government side would be happy to pay for his flight to South Africa to referee the World Cup in order to maintain some semblance of voting strength in this House.

I thought the Senator wanted me to go.

As regards education, strike action has been sought by Senator O'Toole's union; therefore any debate in the absence of the Minister for Education would be one-sided. While I am happy to take a briefing from Senator O'Toole on this issue, I will convey to the Minister that she should take a similar course of action and brief the Members from her perspective so that we can have a balanced debate on this issue.

I was in Warrenpoint the night before last where I learned of the illness of Senator Haughey. I am not sure if it was mentioned here before, but I was not aware of it. He was taken into hospital last week. I am sure this House expresses its best wishes for his speedy recovery.

I draw the Leader's attention to the motion tabled by the Independent Senators on 9 February on the Bosnian-Sarajevo distress. I urge the Leader to find time to discuss this serious issue, because it is possible that the Serbian Government will soon recognise the Bosnian Government and a discussion could help the situation. I am kept up-to-date on the problems there because a young refugee works in my company. Although this conflict is in the newspapers every day, we do not pay any attention to it until someone personally reminds us. I urge the Leader to find time for a debate on this issue in the hope that international pressure will be brought to bear on the conflicting parties.

Living as I do in the capital of Irish rugby, I support——

Other games are also successful there.

——the best wishes to the Irish rugby team in South Africa. Rugby crosses all classes in Limerick. We have held the All-Ireland League for the past four years; therefore no one can speak with more authority on rugby than someone from Limerick. I absolutely support Senator Magner in saying that of course the women Members of the Oireachtas should have been selected. I am not sure who the selectors were. Nobody asked me if I wanted to play and I do not know if anybody asked any of the other female Members. If we were excluded, I hope this will be rectified in the future. I am certain that the shape of the ball is completely appropriate and I disagree with Senator O'Toole on that point.

From seeing Senator Honan going around the House, I think she would be a flying winger.

On behalf of my party colleagues, I support the request by Senator O'Toole for a debate next week on the problems which have arisen in the education sector. In view of the desire which has been expressed on all sides to find a resolution to these difficulties, I think a debate next week could be helpful in that regard.

I support the Irish rugby team and wish it well. I hope the House does not think I am a little biased or bigoted if I say how very pleased I was that an Old Wesley player joined the squad at the last minute last week.

The news from Northern Ireland can be good or bad, depending on the day, and it can change from day to day. Last week the good news was that the SDLP and the Official Unionist Party came together for talks. Yesterday the good news was that today the SDLP and the Official Unionists are meeting the British Prime Minister in Downing Street. This can only be good news and it emphasises the need for this House to discuss Northern Ireland. I ask the Leader to confirm that we will do so on 1 June.

I ask the Leader if he will provide time to discuss social welfare traps. Very often, due to the rigidity of social welfare regulations, people find themselves eligible or ineligible for payments and there should be more flexibility in the system. A widow or widower aged under 65 years, who may be in ill health or otherwise, cannot qualify for free schemes, whereas a person in receipt of a dependent person's maintenance allowance or an invalidity pension can qualify for them. This is an example which we should take into account. I ask for time to discuss social welfare traps.

Could the Leader obtain information as to when the Refugee Bill will come before the House? Our wish is that it will be concluded in the House by the summer recess.

The Freedom of Information Bill was raised by Senator Wright and Senator Roche. I do not envisage having time in the immediate future to debate this Bill. Senators will be aware there is a large body of legislation coming before us over the coming weeks and this has to take priority. I could perhaps help Senator Roche by suggesting the last Thursday in June might be a good day to have that debate if he will be available then.

I would be perfectly relaxed that day.

I will convey Senator Wright's comments on the TEAM Aer Lingus crisis to the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications.

On the surface Senator O'Toole's invitation to have a debate on education looks very reasonable. Everything he says looks reasonable on the surface. However, Senator Magner made a good point by saying that it may not be in the best interest to have that debate next week if industrial action is taking place. I will consult with Senator O'Toole to see if we can find some formula on the matter. Sometimes it is better to have such debates a week after a period when tempers may be a little on the high side, although Senator O'Toole would never be in that category.

Senator Henry asked for a debate on hepatitis. This raises a problem which we will have to address. One of the reasons for the committee system is that a great deal of work can be delegated from the Houses and issues can be discussed by committees. There has already been a full discussion in a committee on this issue, which the Minister attended. I will ask him to come back to the House if it wants the issued discussed, as Senator Henry and Senator Honan clearly do. We need to bear in mind that we should use the committee system not to duplicate but to delegate work and allow specialist groups to discuss issues. This is one of the intentions of the committee system.

I agree with Senator Howard on the Cork-Roscoff issue and compliment the Minister for the Marine, Deputy Coveney, on his efforts to sort it out. I pay tribute to the EU Commissioner, Mr. Pádraig Flynn, on this matter. It was a very good example of Irish groups working together to overturn a ruling by the Roscoff authorities which went firmly in the face of free competition. I hope it will further help the tourist season.

Senator Roche raised the issues of NATO and the Western European Union. There will be no change of Government policy and no movement without both Houses being fully consulted and their consent given. However, I agree there is need for a major debate on NATO, the Western European Union, defence, neutrality and so on. We have a crowded schedule and there are other issues which I have promised will be dealt with first, but I will look at this request as sympathetically as I can.

I do not think a debate today on Packard would be useful. Everything that can be done is being done and I do not think we have anything to offer which has not been said already. I hope some sort of reason will prevail on all sides.

I join in the good wishes of Senator Quinn and all in the House to Senator Haughey. Senator Wilson cheered us all up with the good news of what is happening in Northern Ireland. There will be a debate on Northern Ireland on 1 June. I will communicate with Senator Neville and Senator Calnan on the issues they raised.

Order of Business agreed to.
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