Today's Order of Business is No. 2, Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill, 2000 – Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed 30 minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed 20 minutes.
Order of Business.
Last week the Leader undertook to contact the Minister for Education and Science regarding provisions for the teaching of sign language to the parents of deaf children. Perhaps he could report to the House today or tomorrow on what he has learned.
On the question of Northern Ireland, given that the Executive has been given its second chance and it has the possibility of going about its work, I would like to congratulate all those involved in helping to bring it back to life today. A great deal of work, diplomacy and straight talking took place behind the scenes. It also took a great deal of skill by many people to get us to this point.
What the country wants now, more than anything else, is for the power sharing Executive to be given the opportunity to get on quietly with its work and to prove that it can work to the benefit of all the people in Northern Ireland, on this island and on the neighbouring island. We all send our very best wishes to those who have been charged with responsibility in the Assembly to ensure that it works.
I was going to request a debate on Northern Ireland but I now hold the strong view that it would not be a good idea. What Northern Ireland needs now is less talk and more work. It needs the space for people to get on with the job for which they have been elected and for which they carry responsibility. Perhaps we could hold a debate at a later stage.
I agree that the House should send its congratulations to the parties on all sides in Northern Ireland and recognise especially the almost impossible task which confronted and was dealt with by David Trimble. He appeared to go over the highest mark to be put in front of him. I agree with Senator Manning that it is most important for the North, for those who voted against the Good Friday Agreement and for those in the Ulster Unionist Party who voted against going into government to see this process working properly, to see the delivery of the issues that were promised and to create a sense of stability. That is the most important aspect for those transient voters who voted one way rather than the other and who want to be reassured that this process will work. I look forward to seeing that happen.
On a number of occasions last week I raised the issue of sleaze and corruption in politics. We say, and strongly believe, that those people in politics who are corrupt are a very small minority but, unfortunately, the people do not believe that. We need to deal with this. People found guilty of bribery and corruption and the kind of fraud that went on should go to prison.
Senator, you cannot go into detail on this matter. You have a motion on the Order Paper dealing with it and it is not in order to pre-empt the debate on that motion.
The Senator should allow for due process.
I said that people who have been found guilty should go to prison. That allows for due process. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 24, motion 21, be inserted before No. 2." We should deal with this issue. The simple way to address it is by an all-party motion to which we can all agree. I do not wish to take the high ground on this, nor do I wish to make a solo run. A form of words was proposed by Senator Manning and it was agreed by other Members in consultation with the Leader, yet it did not appear on the Order Paper. In view of this another motion should be moved to show people that we will deal with these issues.
The Senator has made the case for his amendment to the Order of Business.
I move this amendment so that we may organise our business properly.
As I have done on two previous occasions, I second the amendment. Mine is one of the names sponsoring the motion. We were promised a wide ranging debate on this issue and we agreed a form of words that would be the focus for it. However, we have not seen an agreed motion despite the Leader's promise by the Leader. We have not had the opportunity to debate the issues involved and, until we do so, it would be wrong for the House not to seek a debate.
I agree with what has been said on Northern Ireland. We all wish to congratulate the main players involved, including the Heads of Government who stuck with the Good Friday Agreement. On this occasion the main players were, crucially, the leaders of the Nationalist and Unionist communities. It is important that they are taking the responsible decisions within the context of the Agreement. I agree with Senator Manning that there should not be a debate on Northern Ireland, but the broader parameters, contents and substance of the Good Friday Agreement should be discussed. This debate should not only concentrate on the possible political dimension regarding the re-establishment of the Executive, but also cross-Border activities to which a contribution can be made. I ask the Leader to arrange such a debate in the coming weeks.
I echo Senator Manning's remarks in relation to the other item raised last week regarding the lack of sign language teachers for children attending schools for the deaf. There is no speech teacher for deaf children in the girls' school in Cabra. In addition, I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Education and Science to address the problem that arises at this time every year where schools in disadvantaged areas lose many teachers. For example, St. Joseph's school in East Wall will lose a teacher soon. Perhaps there could be a moratorium on the loss of teachers and I ask the Leader to raise this matter with the Minister.
That is a matter which might be more relevant to the Adjournment debate or which could be raised in some way other than on the Order of Business.
This problem hits schools throughout the country at this time of year. It is a wide-ranging issue and I ask the Leader to raise it with the Minister for Education and Science.
I agree with Senator Manning and others in relation to a debate on Northern Ireland. I join in the congratulations to Mr. Trimble in particular on putting his leadership on the line and securing a favourable outcome. It was a high risk exercise on his part and he deserves considerable commendation for his work. This also applies to all the participants who helped to secure a settlement and we hope that will lead to the re-establishment of normal democratic procedures in the North.
I was encouraged to hear members of the Executive talking this morning about the work of their Departments and what they hope to achieve in them. I am sure there will be further difficult days in the future and I do not underestimate the difficulty of the task. However, although the House has always been constructive and hopefully has contributed to the peace process, it would not be appropriate to debate the issue. There is probably not a great deal more to be said other than that the ball is now firmly in the Republican movement's court. We expect it to deliver on the commitments it made.
Regarding corruption and the motion on the Order Paper, it is reasonable to point out that there was a three hour debate on these issues last week. That debate did not conclude. There were approximately 30 minutes remaining but no speakers were offering. It was a wide-ranging discussion in terms of the amendment that was tabled. Many of the issues were covered in the debate, although I do not suggest the matter does not commend itself for further debate.
I agree with Senator Costello's comments about disability but last week I mentioned the employment opportunities for people with disabilities. A wide-ranging debate on mental and physical disability would be useful.
I support Senator Manning's comments on Northern Ireland. The best thing the House can do is leave those good people to it and wish them the best. I also support Senator Costello's comments about the sign language issue. I used to teach in that field and I appreciate the need for it.
The Leader previously promised me a debate on homelessness. I have discovered to my horror that two hostels for homeless men in Dublin have been closed. Apparently we now have a tropical climate because the hostels are closed from April to October. One hostel accommodates 50 men while the other accommodates 20 men and they are now sleeping rough. This makes a laugh of the Celtic tiger, a phrase I have begun to hate. The House must do something to redress this ridiculous situation. We do not necessarily have a hot climate from April to October. The situation is ludicrous and it is our duty to address it.
I sometimes wonder, if Senators O'Toole and Costello climb any higher on the high moral ground, whether they will lose oxygen.
I object to that statement. This is the cheap and offensive comment of someone who has nothing to say.
I did not interrupt the Senator.
Order, please.
The high moral ground is something we see being taken on the Government side, not on the Opposition side. I object to that kind of offensive comment.
We must have order. I remind Senator Finneran that Senator O'Toole was in order to move his amendment to the Order of Business and I am sure the Leader will reply to the points made by Senator O'Toole. If Senator Finneran has a question for the Leader of the House, he should direct it to the Leader.
There was a debate on this issue and not all the time available for speaking was used.
We did not have a debate on it. That is not factually correct.
Will the Leader convey to the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs our compliments and congratulations on the reinstatement of the Executive in the Northern Assembly? When the Government came into office three years ago there was not even a ceasefire—
We are not going to have a debate on it now.
—and there was none during the term of office of the rainbow coalition. Within the three weeks of the current Government being formed a ceasefire was called by republicans and we now have the culmination of the activity of this Government.
It is not in order to rehash these matters on the Order of Business.
It is a matter of record and I congratulate the Government and all those involved in bringing about what we have today.
I support Senator O'Toole's request that No. 24, motion 21 be brought forward. All Independent Members spoke last week. The Registration of Lobbyists Bill did not ask for action to be taken whereas this motion does.
Will the Leader organise a debate on a matter which is of concern to me and, I hope, to many others, namely, the enlistment by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform of members of foreign police forces to come to Ireland to assist in dealing with refugees from the same countries as those police forces? People in many such countries do not have the type of confidence in their police forces which people here have in the Garda Síochána. I understand policemen from Romania have already been asked and requests have also been made of Nigeria. Does the Minister intend to enlist police forces from all over the world to assist us? This is an extraordinary precedent and the Minister has not discussed it in either House as far as I am aware. I would be grateful if the Leader could arrange for him to come to the House so that we could debate the propriety of bringing foreign police service personnel to Ireland to deal with problems we may have.
I did not intend to speak on the issue raised by Senator Henry but it is an extraordinary situation she has—
It is not in order to speak on the issue raised by Senator Henry. She requested a debate on the matter.
Will the Leader congratulate the Minister on his initiative in speaking with the Romanian police? I remind Senator Henry that no one would be before the international criminal court in the Hague at present were it not for intervention by police forces outside and inside those areas. The Minister's initiative is something on which he must be congratulated. I make no apologies for it. If it does the job it is supposed to do, it will be excellent for those who want to enter legally and it will eliminate those who are not wanted here because they are illegal.
These are points which can be made in the debate which has been sought by Senator Henry.
I agree with the Cathaoirleach. We should have a debate on the situation which has occurred in Lebanon because, in a way, it impacts on every county in Ireland. The withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon is something we all must admire. It is 25 years too late in one sense, but nonetheless it has happened and it gives a chance to Lebanon again to become a sovereign state. We have a major interest in this because, as was stated by the leader of the Hizbollah, we lost 40 martyrs to Lebanon during that time. The Army has played a major part in UNIFIL. We are now being asked to increase the number of forces there and I am sure the Army will do the job again. I compliment the Army on what it has done in Lebanon and I hope it will be able to fulfil the mandate it got in the beginning from the United Nations. I wish well the soldiers who are going to East Timor in the next couple of days.
I ask the Leader to bring to the attention of the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the concerns of the citizens of Drogheda at the proposal in the Local Government Bill, 2000, to abolish Drogheda Corporation which dates back to the 12th century. All the people of the town, regardless of their politics, will resist this measure. I ask the Minister to rethink the proposal to abolish all borough councils.
The debate last week on the Registration of Lobbyists Bill finished early because we could not speak for as long as we wanted as we were only allowed eight minutes each. I support Senator Costello's call for a debate on corruption in politics and public life.
I ask the Leader to convey my concern to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development about the delay in processing applications under the farm retirement scheme. Many people are leaving the land and the farm retirement scheme is an opportunity for young farmers to become involved in the farming industry as managers and owners. I ask the Minister to ensure that the processing of applications is expedited.
I support Senator Manning's comments on the North. We appreciate it is a difficult and sensitive time. I hope the DUP will not alone take its seats in the Executive but that it will attend the Executive meetings and that the process will be all inclusive, as everyone wants it to be.
It is a long time since I mentioned the Cahirciveen marina in the House. However, nothing has happened in the lengthy intervening period. The House will appreciate that a commitment was given to the South Kerry constituency and we all know how important it is. I ask the Leader to tell us what is happening as regards that solemn Government commitment.
I call for a debate on An Bord Pleanála. It made a scandalous decision last week to stop young people who formed a co-operative from building homes at a cost of £65,000 each. Qualified planning officers of the county council granted planning permission but An Bord Pleanála overturned that decision. These young people were trying to build homes with the blessing of the local authority. I have documentation of another case where a senior planning officer recommended that planning permission be granted but An Bord Pleanála ruled against it. I have strong feelings about the way the board is behaving. It is time it was abolished.
I will come back to the House this week about the allocation of funding for deaf children and the deaf school, which Senators Manning, Costello, O'Toole and Ridge mentioned.
Senators Manning, O'Toole, Costello, Dardis, Finneran and Coghlan welcomed the re-establishment of the Northern Executive. I join with them in expressing our delight at the outcome of the Ulster Unionist conference last Saturday. We asked Mr. Trimble to be courageous and to provide leadership for his people and he did so. I hope the Republican movement will be true to its word and that we can move forward in a positive manner. It was wonderful to hear two Northern Ireland Ministers on radio this morning expressing their hope that the North will return to the prosperous position it held 30 or 35 years ago.
Senators O'Toole, Costello, Dardis, Henry and O'Dowd proposed an amendment to the Order of Business—
I did not propose an amendment to the Order of Business.
—in respect of No. 24, motion 21.
Senator Dardis appears to have taken the first step towards joining us on this side of the House.
Last week, 40 minutes were left unused when I allowed three hours at Private Members' time for the matter in question to be debated. This week Private Members' time is available to the Independents and if they wish to move a motion on this matter at that stage I will provide as much time as is required.
Last week the House voted on a proposal to establish an all-party committee – I hope the Labour Party Members will participate on that committee – to report before 30 September to the party leaders and to lay a report before both Houses before 31 December. That is a reasonable period in which to draw up a report, particularly in view of the fact that there are four weeks remaining in the current session. Anyone who wanted to make a contribution to last week's debate was allowed to do so but the debate concluded with 40 minutes of the allotted time remaining. If Members wish to table the same motion for Private Members' time tomorrow, I have no difficulty in making a proposal to the House on tomorrow's Order of Business to allow the debate to proceed. Let it be clear that under no circumstances was a debate in this House stifled or not allowed to proceed in respect of this serious issue.
Senator Dardis requested a debate on people with disabilities. I stated last week that I would make time available for such a debate and I can confirm that it will be held before the end of the session. Senator Ridge requested a debate on homelessness and I will make time available. I will forward the views of Senators Henry and Lanigan to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the use of foreign police forces' personnel. Senator Lanigan also requested a debate on the Lebanon. His call is timely and I will arrange to hold such a debate during the current session.
I will communicate the views of Senator O'Dowd in respect of the abolition of Drogheda Corporation to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government. I will also pass on Senator Glynn's views to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development in respect of the farm retirement scheme. Senator Coghlan requested information on the Cahirciveen marina. I will consult the relevant Minister and the Chief Whip of the Seanad after the Order of Business in respect of that matter. Senator Farrell called for a debate on An Bord Pleanála. That debate will take place before the end of the current session.