The Order of Business is No. 1, Statements on Tourism (Resumed).
Order of Business.
I compliment the Government on the stand it took on the football match. It is a principled and correct stand, but the easy part of the battle is now over. The Taoiseach has the task of getting the collective support to which he and the country is entitled at the EU summit this weekend. I hope he will be successful in winning such support. In spite of our neutrality, we find ourselves acting on behalf of the other EU countries in this matter. The least we can expect from them is collective support which will strengthen greatly the Irish case. It would be wrong if the Irish team, who are the innocent party in all of this, were deprived of the three points or were forced to play this match at a later stage at a neutral venue.
I wish to draw the attention of the House to the five year jail sentence for burglary imposed yesterday on a man who worked as a security guard in a bank. He used his position and inside knowledge in the cause of crime. It appears this man had a string of previous convictions, yet he was working as a security guard. This taken in tandem with a number of well documented recent cases of bouncers who assaulted patrons of clubs, discos and so on – a man was beaten up and killed last year by bouncers – means that clearly there is a need either for the Irish security industry to regulate itself, and it seems to show little inclination to do so, or for the Government to introduce legislation to ensure this is done in the public interest and that the non-existent standards in parts of the security industry are dealt with.
I am at a loss regarding today's Order of Business which is surreal. My party has said all it wishes to say on the matter. The motion is not very relevant because the tourism season is now well under way. Yesterday, I and the other leaders of groups asked the Leader of the House to arrange a debate on a substantial issue today. We cited a number of topics, including mandatory reporting and other issues which need to be debated urgently and this has not happened. It is the job of the Leader of the House to organise the business of the House and I am certainly not happy with what is presented here today.
I share Senator Manning's views on the cancelled match with Yugoslavia. When we spoke here about Kosovo after the bombing began, many Members felt that Ireland was in a position to make moral decisions which others might follow. Let us hope this happens now.
While no one wishes to cause more distress to the families of those who disappeared and whose bodies are said to be buried in the Republic, I have frequently applauded women's groups in Northern Ireland for their efforts to hold civic society together. We are inclined to talk about the IRA as though it were an amorphous group. However, I appeal to the four women who abducted Jean McConville from her children, and who now must be mothers themselves, to take a personal responsibility in trying to get those who buried her body to show exactly where the grave is so that those children, who met for only the second time since her abduction at her supposed grave, may be put out of their misery. Monsignor Faul may have a point about the IRA's behaviour now.
Like Senators Manning and Henry, I applaud the Government on its stance in refusing visas to the Yugoslav team and their supporters. I believe this is the right decision. I am disappointed that UEFA did not see fit to take such a stand, given that it did see fit to take a stand against the Yugoslav Intertoto team playing in the forthcoming championship. The Government must now ensure that Ireland is not penalised, as UEFA is threatening to do. UEFA is threatening to penalise Ireland either by way of deducting their three points, or some other penalty, but it has issued no threat against Yugoslavia which is involved in genocide and whose President has been indicted for war crimes. The owner of the biggest football club, Arkan, is an indicted war criminal and a number of the Yugoslav players play for that club. I believe we are entitled to refuse visas to people of that ilk. Ireland should now garner as many allies as possible within the European Union and ensure that their strong ethical position is maintained.
I agree wholeheartedly with Senator Manning in relation to the five year sentence handed down yesterday to the security guard. I request that there be proper regulation, vetting and licensing of that industry because the number of unprovoked attacks on ordinary citizens going about at night enjoying themselves is increasing. Last week an innocent young couple approached me to complain that one of them had been assaulted viciously by a bouncer and had to be hospitalised. It appears the bouncer did not like this couple being in a club in the centre of Dublin. Many people working in this industry seem to be into body building, on steroids and come from a questionable background. It is high time the industry was regulated.
I ask the Acting Leader of the House to raise with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the question of genetically modified organisms and the fact that the debate collapsed yesterday in relation to the invitation of various non-Governmental organisations to discuss the matter at length and in depth. Members of this House have been calling for a debate on the matter but it now appears that the Minister is excluding certain aspects of the debate from being on the table. There needs to be a far-reaching debate on this issue and I ask the Acting Leader to arrange for a debate in the House with the Minister and to seek to get a wider debate going throughout the country.
I congratulate the Taoiseach on not granting visas to the Yugoslav team and I wish him well in his endeavours to try to convince other countries to do likewise.
I ask the Acting Leader for a broad debate on juvenile anti-social behaviour which is creeping in throughout the country. While there is legislation in place, this is not filtering in to the areas I represent. These views are being expressed also by my colleagues. The Dáil and Seanad are the proper forums for statements on this issue. Vandalism and anti-social behaviour among the 15 to 18 year age group concerns me. I do not have the answer to this serious problem but it is having a detrimental effect on many vulnerable senior citizens. I wish to make a stand on this important issue because the general public want to ensure that we get this message across.
I disagree with Senator Costello regarding the problem of genetically modified foods. It is wrong for the non-governmental organisations to refuse to sit around the table to discuss this issue. This is almost like children saying that because they are not winning they will take their ball and go home. We need a discussion and if one does not agree with them they should make their point around the table. It seems to me that the Minister for the Environment and Local Government managed to have a discussion on the matter under Dr. Turlough O'Donnell. The discussion took place last week, it was to be ongoing and was to take place again today. However, one group who believe they are not getting their point across and are not managing to convince the referee has decided to opt out. If we are to get any where on this issue all sides must discuss it. I support Senator Costello's request for a debate on genetically modified foods. We had one before but events are moving so fast that now is the time to do it.
The resignation of the Minister for Health and the Minister for Agriculture in Belgium was raised at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food yesterday. This followed a scare about chickens being fed contaminated foodstuffs which affected their eggs. We should look at what has happened to the Belgian food industry because of one slip-up made by one supplier. Are we sure we have given the necessary strength and funding to our Food Safety Authority? I am concerned that the authority should not be restricted in any way in ensuring that the chief executive, Dr. Wall, has the freedom to say what he wants.
Last week we put down an amendment to the legislation on the Eastern Regional Health Authority to prevent the draconian measure that the chief executive must not criticise his employers. If the chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland is restricted in his ability to criticise his employers, the State, we will be in the same position in which Belgium has now found itself. We should ensure this does not happen and that what has happened to the Belgian food industry does not happen to us.
Next week we are going to the polls to vote in three elections. There has been a certain amount of publicity about the local and European elections. However, sufficient publicity has not been given to the referendum on the same day which will have huge implications for the future of local government. I ask the Leader to ask the Government to ensure sufficient publicity is given to this referendum in the next week. Local government has been the hind teat, so to speak, of legislation and management. We now have an opportunity to give power back to local authorities. This is good and we must ask people to vote in the referendum to ensure the amendment is passed.
When we reassemble after the elections next week, many of us will not be members of local authorities as we have been over the years. Membership of a local authority is something of which we should be proud. It enhances our vision of politics and has been useful at local and national level. As someone who will no longer be a member of a local authority, I can say they have given great service to the people. As this referendum provides an opportunity to enhance the role of local authorities, I ask that the Government give as much publicity as possible to the fact that it is taking place.
I agree with Senator Manning. I do not quite understand today's Order of Business. There are more immediate and important matters to discuss than tourism. These statements are obviously a filler to tide us through to next week. I agree with Senator Henry about the disappeared. This is an immediate crisis, not only as regards the peace process but for the families of the disappeared. It is a lugubrious and macabre process which has been extremely unsuccessful for reasons which we do not understand.
I suggest that we invite people to the House to explain this. We have time and procedures whereby distinguished speakers from Sinn Féin such as Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams or the Member from the other House could come to the House and tell us of their interest in this problem and what they are doing to resolve it. It appears the republican movement is playing ducks and drakes with peoples' bodies which is an unfortunate and nasty experience.
We could ask them what they mean – Mitchell McLoughlin and others have spoken about it – when they talk about the human rights of those still living to have these bodies restored to them. Perhaps they could comment on the human rights of those their associates killed 20 or so years ago. There is the most appalling hypocrisy on the part of Sinn Féin. I would like them to come here when we have the time to explain to us what their position is and whether they will recover these bodies or not and whether they intend to.
I welcome the support of Senators Manning, Henry and Costello for the Government's action as regards the football match. I agree with Senator Manning that we look for European solidarity on this matter and it is disappointing this has not been more forthcoming. Hopefully, the summit will produce that collective support for the decision taken by the Government. To use football parlance, UEFA stands somewhat offside on this matter. By its failure to take decisive action it was left to the Government to do what it had to. That decision was correct and would be endorsed by the vast majority of players and management and the Irish team. The decision was made by the Irish Government, yet the FAI and the players will suffer sanctions from UEFA.
It must be stated clearly as regards neutrality that neither this Government nor any Irish Government has ever been neutral when it comes to abuses of human rights, barbarism and infringement of human decency. We have said that as regards East Timor and many times. There is no question of neutrality when it comes to matters such as ethnic cleansing – we are not neutral on such matters.
As regards the jail sentence given to the security guard raised by Senators Manning and Costello and the related matter of bouncers and their conduct, I agree with the proposition that there should be regulation. Ideally, it should be self-regulation and it should be enforceable. If that is not forthcoming, I agree that legislation may be required to regulate these matters. There are responsible members of the security industry who are affiliated to their various professional bodies and they have certain standards. However, I agree that if there are so-called cowboys operating, they may need to be regulated.
As to today's Order of Business, my understanding is that the item was ordered for some time. There are up to date matters which may be discussed. For example, the Irish Hotels Federation produced a document in the past week or so which could form part of that debate. Debates are resumed on another day as Members continue to offer. My understanding is that several Members were prepared to offer and were interested in speaking on this issue. If we change the Order of Business at short notice there is also the practical difficulty of getting the relevant Minister to attend.
As regards the discovery of the bodies of those murdered by the IRA which was raised by Senators Henry and Ross, it is an absolute obscenity for anyone to claim there is some virtue in yielding the bodies of the people who were murdered so long ago, especially given the trauma their families have had to endure. It is not required of any representative of these organisations or any related political party to come to this House to apologise for what took place. That is a very simple matter. They have ready access to the public airwaves and can do it quite easily there. They do not have to come to the Seanad to tell us – they can do so quite easily in the wider public forum.
As regards genetically modified crops, a matter raised by Senators Costello and Quinn, I agree with Senator's Quinn proposition that this forum was properly constituted and that all interested parties could make their submissions to it in a reasonable and balanced way, based on science and fact. If people want to gain some propaganda benefit from walking out there is not a lot we can do about it, but it is very regrettable that should happen. These matters should be debated properly. The Seanad has debated these issues and it would be appropriate for us to return to that debate at an early date. We should have an argument based on science and fact, rather than propaganda.
Senator Ormonde raised the issue of juvenile anti-social behaviour. I will bring that matter to the attention of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I am sure it would be appropriate for us to have statements on that issue. She is correct to say that some elderly people are frightened by the behaviour in the vicinity of the housing estates where they live.
Senator Quinn raised the issue of the Food Safety Authority. There is no question of anyone inhibiting the independence of the authority in any of its statements. The history of the Food Safety Authority to date indicates that it has taken a very independent line. It is very important that it should be resourced properly because the international reputation of our food industry is at stake, which is of great national significance. The Senator's remarks on that matter have been taken to heart. Matters such as the dioxin in Belgian pigmeat are also very worrying. I am sure the Food Safety Authority keeps all these matters under review.
Senator Lanigan raised the issue of the referendum on local government. Advertisements were placed in the Sunday newspapers putting the arguments for and against, as is required as the result of a court decision. It is an important referendum and I hope the question will be carried.
I hope Senator Lanigan will not be scrapped – he is not part of the so-called "scrappage scheme". However, we should acknowledge the service given to the State, local democracy and their communities by councillors who are stepping down. A county councillor in Kildare has served for 44 years as a member of the local authority, which is a remarkable achievement. One of the regrettable aspects is that we are losing many good people with a great deal of experience. However, we wish them well in their retirement and I hope the people standing in the local elections next week are successful.
Order of Business agreed to.