Today's Order of Business is item 1. There will be a sos from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Business will conclude at 5 o'clock.
Order of Business.
The Order of Business is agreed to. Yesterday, the Leader responded in relation to organising a debate on the beef crisis. Before our business concludes this week, can the Leader indicate when he will provide time for such a debate? Many of our Members are keen to prepare for it.
As Members are organising their diaries for the next few months, it would be appropriate to have some idea of the outline of business to be concluded in this term. Can the Leader indicate what is ahead of us, some of which we know, and when he expects to conclude business?
Can the Leader invite a Minister to the House to discuss rural decline, in view of the fact that ESB shops are closing throughout the country?
Having spoken with the Leader, I am pleased he will arrange an extended debate on tourism. Can the Leader allow sufficient time for Members to do justice to this issue, rather than cutting it down to seven or ten minutes per speaker over an hour? There are eloquent Members of the House who can do a great job in five minutes or so but, unfortunately, I am not one of them. I need more time to make a decent contribution to the debate. Because of the importance of the subject nationally to many young people who hope to get jobs in tourism, the Leader should try to accommodate everybody, including the fast and eloquent as well as the slow ones like myself.
I am afraid I have to raise the issue of prisons again. Everyone in the House has learned with great regret of the suicide of a young woman prisoner last night by hanging. It is a most unusual method of suicide for women. Over a year ago we were promised that a women's prison would be built, yet not a shovel has been put in the ground, nor a brick ordered. Can the Leader ask the Minister for Justice to explain the situation regarding this long promised prison and visitors' centre at Mountjoy, both of which are urgently needed.
Can the Leader raise again with the Tánaiste and the Minister for Justice the case of Pairic Mac Fhloinn, a republican prisoner in Full Sutton prison? He is in extreme pain and suffering from Crohn's disease and is not receiving proper treatment. We should ensure that this prisoner is repatriated as quickly as possible.
I support the call by Senator Calnan for the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications to attend the House to discuss the closure of ESB shops, which is a serious situation. My county has been hit hard in so far as shops in the three main towns of Castlerea, Ballaghaderreen and Boyle are being closed. In fact, the whole northern half of the county has been excluded from an ESB service. It is totally unacceptable to the people of the county. The Leader should provide an opportunity for us to debate this. There is no point in debating rural development and the bottom up approach if we are not in a position to hold onto some of the existing services. This is totally in conflict with what I understand to be national thinking and EU thinking on the matter. I hope the opportunity will be provided in the near future to debate this adverse decision against rural populations and western counties in particular.
We are not discussing the matter today.
It is a change in Fianna Fáil policy after closing the post offices.
I also wish to raise the total breakdown in community employment schemes and the opportunity that has been provided to rural and local communities for having work done under such schemes. It now appears that many counties are down in numbers by 200 to 300. My county is down by 300. All of the schemes it was hoped would go ahead in the summer are being put back to the winter. This is inappropriate, because a lot of the work is amenity work which needs to be done during good weather. The Leader should ask the Minister for Enterprise and Employment to attend for a debate on this matter. Otherwise many of the groups which organise fund raising on a voluntary basis will lose heart and good work done over the years will not continue.
I support the request for a debate on the closure of ESB offices. It is proposed to close the ESB office in Ennistymon. It does not augur well for the future of the ESB, which is undergoing rationalisation to enable it to face competition, if it is to meet that challenge by closing offices. We should have an opportunity to discuss the matter.
Will the Leader convey to the Minister for Justice or the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the seriousness of thefts of important artefacts from sites around the country? Valuable stones were stolen recently from Rossmanagher near Knappogue Castle in County Clare. This was just one in a series of incidents in which valuable artefacts have been stolen and, in some cases, taken out of the country. There is a fear that the practice will get out of hand and urgent action is needed to deal with the depletion and dereliction of important sites.
I support Senator Finneran with regard to the ESB shops. It is important to keep every light lit, so to speak, in rural Ireland. In my area of County Sligo the closure of a school is threatened because it is two pupils below the threshold. Although the number may increase in a short time, the school may have been closed by then.
Small schools and Garda stations should be kept open to maintain small communities. By closing small schools, post offices and Garda stations we remove the most important elements of communities. We should have a debate on small schools. There should be a minimum of two teachers in each school and thresholds should be abolished.
Yesterday the Leader of the House indicated there would be a debate in the Dáil next week on agriculture and the BSE problem and that there might be a debate in this House the following week. Given the British Government's attitude to Europe in light of the cattle export ban and its planned campaign of disruption of business at European level, will the Leader consider expediting the debate? There is continuing public concern about BSE——
We cannot discuss the matter today.
A debate would afford us an opportunity to express our objection to such conduct. I support the call for a debate on rural depopulation, which is a serious problem.
The debate on the beef industry will probably be held the week after next, not next week, despite Senator Enright's entreaty. Senator O'Toole asked about future business. Last week I circulated a full list of business to be taken between now and the end of the session. I will send the Senator another copy.
I was looking for the date of the end of session.
The Dáil intends to rise in the last week of June or early in July and we will probably sit for a week after that.
Senator Calnan and others raised the question of the ESB shops and rural decline. I have no plans for a debate on the matter but if there is sufficient interest time can be made available.
Senator McGowan was strangely self-deprecating when he referred to his own lack of eloquence. He is one of the most eloquent contributors. A gap in our schedule will arise next week because the Minister of State, Deputy Eithne Fitzgerald, will travel to Iceland with the President and I will attempt to have the Fianna Fáil Private Members' motion on tourism completed next week.
Senator Neville raised the question of Mr. Pairic Mac Fhloinn. I have raised his case with the Minister for Justice and the Tánaiste. I appreciate Senator Neville's efforts in the matter.
Senator Finneran referred to the community employment schemes. I have no plans for a debate on them at present but I will convey his concerns to the Minister and hopefully a debate can be organised.
Senator Daly raised the question of the vulnerability to theft of many artefacts. It is a matter of which we are all aware and I will convey the Senator's concern to the Ministers he mentioned.
Senator Farrell referred to the closure of small schools, an issue which would be covered in a debate on rural decline. I will see if such a debate can be organised.
Order of Business agreed to.