Today's business is items 1, 2 and 3. Items 2 and 3 will be taken together for the purpose of discussion. I propose to allocate 20 minutes for spokespersons and 15 minutes for other speakers. Senators may share time.
Order of Business.
As far as Fine Gael is concerned, the Order of Business is agreed. Yesterday, many long-serving Members were pleased to see Ms Mary Cummins of The Irish Times return to the Press Gallery. She has covered the deliberations of this House for many years and everyone was pleased to see her back here. The House should wish her a speedy and full recovery.
Senators
Hear, hear.
I thank the Leader for agreeing to take item 1, the election of the Leas-Chathaoirleach, today. I also thank him for agreeing to the long-standing tradition of office-sharing across the political divide in the House. This encourages co-operation and greatly enhances the atmosphere in the Chamber. I am glad the Leader moved with dispatch on this matter.
Will the Leader make available to the leaders of each group the programme of proposed legislation for the coming session during the next number of days? It would be helpful if Members had advance knowledge of the legislation the Government proposes to introduce in order that they might do their homework.
Commitments were given before the end of the previous Seanad's term of office that a certain number of items would be speedily restored to the Order Paper at the stage they had reached. I refer specifically to the Adoption (No. 2) Bill, 1996, dealing with foreign adoptions, which reached Report Stage. Will the Leader confirm that the commitments given last June by all parties will be honoured? I am also interested in the future of the Shannon River Council Bill which was introduced during Private Members' Time by two Fianna Fáil Senators and received support from all sides of the House. The Bill passed Second Stage and Members on this side of the House would gladly facilitate the Government parties in its restoration to the Order Paper. I am sure the Leader will be able to facilitate us in that regard. The third piece of legislation outstanding from the previous Seanad is the Merchant Shipping (Commissioners of Irish Lights) Bill which was left in a state of suspension. What is the Government's position in connection with this Bill?
My final point relates to a matter of concern to all Members, namely, the way offices and secretarial staff are being allocated. What we are experiencing at present is little short of scandalous. People on all sides, regardless of the parties to which they belong, have been left without offices. I understand there has been an attempt by the Department of Finance to reduce the secretarial allocation agreed during the lifetime of the previous Seanad. The allocation remains inadequate. I do not believe the public is aware that office conditions do not, in a number of cases, meet the Department of Enterprise and Employment specifications. The nub of the problem seems to be that the Seanad does not have control of basic matters of administration. The House should have sole responsibility in this regard within the parameters of a budget allocated for that purpose. The problems Members encounter in obtaining answers and having basic needs satisfied must be tackled immediately. Will the Leader inform the House regarding his views on that matter?
On the final sitting day last June I received a commitment from the then Leader of the House, Senator Manning, and the former Leader of the Opposition, Senator Wright, to use their influence with the new Government in connection with the question of foreign adoptions, particularly the hardship suffered by those who adopted children born in South America. I would like this matter to be dealt with as soon as possible and I support Senator Manning's comments in this regard. During the last session the importance of the Seanad running its business on the basis of a budget was raised by Senator Manning. Yesterday I raised the issue of resources for Members. The Committee on Procedure and Privileges should meet not just to consider the narrow question of secretarial help and office space but also to provide a brief report on the resources required by Members in order to discharge their functions as required under the Constitution, having regard also to the constitutional imperative that the House determines whether the level of support is adequate. I want that to be done as quickly as possible.
We agree to the Order of Business. I also agree with the remarks of Senators Manning and O'Toole in terms of the organisation of business for the House. There should be an early meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to look into the matter. I welcome Mary Cummins back to the House, who I hope is in good health. She has a long track record of providing good coverage on the proceedings of the House. She is a model of such coverage and other media should pay attention.
Has the Leader been successful in inviting the Minister for Foreign Affairs, as he agreed yesterday, to make a personal statement to the House today? It is a pertinent matter as we will be discussing an amendment to the motion on the tribunal of inquiry that could have considerable relevance to the manner of our discussions.
I am delighted the Leader of the House agreed yesterday that there should be an early debate on landmines. This has become more imperative as it emerged last night that the Americans have decided they do not want to sign the international covenant on landmines. They looked for a nine year derogation so that they can continue to place landmines along the borders of North Korea. It is a country with which we may not agree politically, but landmines are anti-personnel weapons and to think that any civilised country would look for a nine year derogation from an international convention is a nonsense.
I agree with previous speakers on the facilities and conditions for Members. The operation of the House must be dealt with by the Leader of the Opposition as well as the Leader of the House. It is a nonsense that the Leader of the Opposition of a House of the Oireachtas does not receive an allowance other than that given to a Member on his or her first day to carry out the job necessary for the proper working of the House. No money is provided for secretarial support. We have been fighting against the lack of facilities in our offices for a long time. It was only during the last session that the Leader of the House began to receive an allowance. We should fight for an allowance for the Leader of the Opposition similar to that given to his equivalentin the Dáil. If we look for telephones they will be provided because that is not a problem. Will the Leader approach the Government and, in particular, the Minister for Finance and the gurus in his Department who earn twenty times more than the Leader of the Opposition and who do not have as much work to do?
I agree with Senator Lanigan's comments regarding the Leader of the Opposition.
Will the Leader raise the matter of the live export trade with the Minister for Agriculture, and Food? It has been raised by a number of Senators in the past. It is important that the live cattle export trade be opened up as a matter of urgency. I ask the Leader to do whatever possible and to convey the message to the Minister for Agriculture and Food.
I support Senator Lanigan on the debate on landmines and I look forward to a motion on this important issue being tabled by the Government. I am sure Members on all sides will want to contribute and underline Senator Lanigan's trenchant comments about the astonishing attitude of the American Government, which is not justified militarily. A number of its own military tacticians have indicated that landmines are not even a military advantage. It is extraordinary that it sought a nine year derogation.
I welcome the sharing of time, which also applies to the first speaker, throughout today's debate. Does the Government propose bringing forward the Electoral Bill, which would provide for some degree of payment of electoral expenses to politicians and aspirant candidates on the basis of the number of votes cast? This is important and when the Bill is brought forward it must be ensured that all Members of the House are included, not just Members of political parties.
It is absurd that, unlike most European countries, we do not provide for electoral funding. When one spends considerable amounts of money on an election, one is not even allowed to write it off as a legitimate business expense. This is the one profession which is penalised for making a contribution to Irish public life. I hope the Government will have the resolution and nerve to bring the Bill forward early in the session. I do not doubt it will be supported by all parties.
I agree with Senator Burke that the beef trade has been slow to reopen. I ask the Leader to convey our concern to the Minister for Agriculture and Food. It is autumn and a large supply of cattle will be in the marts and provided for slaughter. The prices are depressed at the moment. I know the Minister, Deputy Walsh, is doing everything in his power to reopen the Egyptian market. However, he should go to Egypt to try to restore the market as the live cattle trade is very important to farmers. They have taken a hammering in the past 12 months and this is continuing in the beef sector. The sooner we open the live cattle trade and introduce some competition in the market, the better.
If we wish to share offices, I remind the Leader that there are more than two groups in the House and I do not think that in the history of the Oireachtas anyone other than a Member of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael has held the position of Cathaoirleach or Leas-Chathaoirleach. The spirit of office sharing should be extended to all groups on a proportional basis and not confined to the two biggest parties in the House.
It should also extend to idealists.
Otherwise it is not office sharing but sharing between two parties.
The Senator should be happy to be back.
I agree with all my colleagues on a debate on landmines but we should push it further. The arms trade kills more innocent people every year than the drugs trade, but there is only one difference between the two trades. Drugs are produced by poor people and sold to rich people while arms are produced by rich people and sold to poor people. Therefore, we disapprove of one and approve of the other. The debate should focus on the arms trade in general. The United States, Russia and China are refusing to subscribe to the convention on the ban of landmines because it will set a precedent for curbing the arms trade, one of the most lucrative industries in those countries.
I congratulate you, Sir, on your appointment.
Members of the Seanad should know the percentage of secretarial support they will have. The uncertainty in this regard is a bad reflection on public acknowledgement of its representatives. At a time when there appear to be substantial moneys available in every other aspect of public life, this uncertainty and lack of support for the elected representatives reflects a serious weakness in the structure of the Seanad. The matter should be dealt with as soon as possible.
I support my colleagues regarding the importance of the live cattle trade. As the Dáil is not in session, we should indicate the response of the Department of Agriculture and Food in conjunction with the farming organisations in organising support for the live cattle industry. As outlined by previous speakers, this important sector operates from September until December each year and the public in general, particularly the farming community, want the Minister and farming groups to make every effort to resolve this problem which is not in the interests of the agriculture sector.
I agree with the sentiments of previous speakers regarding the live cattle trade. It is vital for agriculture and the farming sector that the Minister travels as soon as possible to the countries involved in an effort to reopen those markets. Earlier this year people believed the markets could be opened if the Minister travelled to the countries in question.
Large numbers of cattle will be sold in the next couple of months. The number of cattle being sold at marts is increasing steadily and factories will lower their prices once again if the live export market is not reopened. Competition is the life of trade. It is essential that no stone is left unturned by the farming organisations, the Government and everyone involved to reopen the live cattle market. It is essential for life in rural Ireland and the agriculture industry.
The debate on the live cattle trade should include dead animals and their parts. The House may not be aware that the Department of Agriculture and Food recently banned the export of animal heads and a court case ensued. The ban resulted in a small business in Northern Ireland going into liquidation and another is about to do likewise. The ban on the export of animal heads indicates that we agree there is a problem with BSE here. During the court case the judge stated that there appeared to have been undue pressure from the UK Government to impose such a ban. It is a serious matter if we were pressurised into imposing a ban on the export of cattle heads. That is significant to the livestock industry. I ask the Leader of the House to raise this matter with the Minister with a view to including it in a debate.
It is a great pleasure for me to exercise my vocal chords for the first time in the Seanad. I support Senator Lanigan's comments on the landmines issue. I join in the remarks expressed by my esteemed colleague, Senator Norris, who is a fellow "Dub". I approve of his comments on the Electoral Bill. I am known for my brevity and I will conclude at that.
Before I call the Leader of the House to reply I wish to point out that I was very tolerant this morning because I did not wish to dispel the perception of sweetness with which I was portrayed. The Order of Business, however, is not an occasion for long contributions; it is an opportunity for Members to raise matters relevant to the business of the day. I intend to be a little more strict in future.
I join in the remarks of Senator Manning, as I am sure do all Members, in welcoming back Ms Mary Cummins. She has been a great supporter of Seanad business down the years. On Senator Manning's proposal for a programme of legislation, it will be produced at the earliest opportunity, possibly in the first two weeks after we resume. On the Senator's point about restoring items to the Order Paper, I will consider the possibility of doing that. I will communicate with the Leader of the Opposition later in the day on the Shannon River Council Bill and the Merchant Shipping (Commissioners of Irish Lights) Bill.
Many speakers voiced concern about inadequate facilities. I propose to hold a meeting of leaders of the groups at 12.30 p.m. in my office to discuss this urgent problem. If necessary, we will come back to the House at a later stage on the matter. I have been in this House for 15 years and the problem of lack of facilities is unprecedented. I support the comments in this regard and I am aware that other Members would have voiced their concern were it not for the time limit.
I will communicate with Senator O'Toole on his comments about the Adoption Bill. On Senator Costello's point about the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I tried to contact the Minister up to 12.30 a.m. this morning. I understand the Minister attended the Northern Ireland talks until a very late hour. I communicated with his office this morning by fax and await a reply.
Senators O'Brien, Burke, Hayes and Chambers highlighted the grave concern, which is widespread, about the farming community. Many farmers find themselves in unbelievable circumstances. While the Celtic tiger is alive and well in most industries, that is not the case in the farming industry. The farming community is looking to the Minister to ensure the foreign trade is opened up again and he is doing everything in his power to help. I will convey to him the concerns expressed, which he shares as he lives in a rural community.
Senator Lanigan and other Senators expressed concern about the landmines issue. As I said yesterday, we will try to have a debate on that issue at the earliest opportunity on our return.
In regard to an item raised on yesterday's Order of Business, some Members have requested me to consider deferring the debate on the European currency for a week. I have acceded to their request and that debate will take place on 15, 16 or 17 October. That will allow Members time to prepare for one of the most serious debates we will have on the country's future.
Senator Norris raised the matter of the Electoral Bill. We all share his concerns in this regard. I will discuss with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, on his return from Cairo, the possibility of having it included in the autumn programme of debates.
Order of Business agreed to.