The Order of Business for today is No. 2, statements on the economy and inflation, with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed one hour and those of all other Senators not to exceed 30 minutes. Statements shall conclude not later than 4 p.m.
Order of Business.
One hour will be sufficient for spokespersons on this side of the House. Will the Leader indicate whether information has come into his possession in respect of a matter I raised in each of the past two weeks, namely, the provision of sign language training for deaf children?
I understand that the Second Stage debate on the local government Bill in the Lower House will not conclude before the summer recess. This legislation will have enormous consequences for the structure of local government and it would be useful if the Leader arranged a general debate on the Bill before the end of session to allow Members to place their preliminary thoughts on the record. Some of the changes proposed in the Bill are among the most radical in almost 100 years of local government and no one wants to rush into making those changes without having an opportunity fully to ventilate their views. The Seanad is particularly suitable for that purpose.
Will the Leader indicate when he intends to take the all-party motion which was discussed on yesterday's Order of Business and to which his name has now been appended? Do I take it that the Progressive Democrats will also be supporting the motion? Was it an oversight that the names of Progressive Democrat Members were not appended to the motion or should I read greater significance into their absence?
Senator Manning only requested that the Leader add his name to the motion.
I would be in dereliction of my duty to the Independent Whip if I did not also inquire when it is proposed to take the all-party motion.
I hope the Leader of the House will understand that I have an ethical obligation again to raise the issue of the health service. There is an appalling report in The Irish Times today about the death of a woman in her 80s who waited for 14 hours in a casualty department before she was examined. The consultant in charge of the Department has apologised profusely but has explained that there were only two doctors on duty, that it was an incredibly busy night and that this is why the woman, who did not appear to be badly injured but who was very elderly, was left waiting while other more serious cases were attended to.
I refrained from discussing the health service in general during yesterday's debate because I do not believe it is appropriate to do so in respect of Bills brought before the House. However, some effort must be made to address the dreadful situation which obtains in the health service. There is a possibility that junior hospital doctors will go on strike in two weeks, psychiatric nurses propose to take industrial action next week and there is dissatisfaction among the members of the nursing profession in general. It appears that no consideration is being given to what should be done about this matter. In the interim, the most vulnerable members of the population are suffering. I request that the Leader arrange a debate on the health service.
Mr. Ryan
I wonder if any of us needs an hour to discuss the economy. However, since the Leader is in a munificent humour I will not quibble with him.
If the Senator wants to hear good news, he will hear it today.
Mr. Ryan
I thought the Leader was going to refer to my origins yet again. It has almost become de rigueur on the Order of Business for reference to be made to my background. However, we appear to be moving on.
Given that I have not inquired about it for a number of weeks, will the Leader indicate the position regarding the Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill? Telecommunications is the most fundamental part of the country's infrastructure, even more important than the roads network.
I support Senator Henry's request for an urgent debate on the health service. The Minister for Health and Children was forever visible during his term as Minister for Education and Science but he has developed a capacity to become invisible as crisis after crisis hits the health service. The Minister should come before the House to discuss this matter.
I am grateful that the Leader has arranged to hold the long requested debate on waste management and related environmental issues within the next two weeks. However, I am disturbed by the fact that this matter will be discussed on RTE at great length. As politicians, we must ask who is setting the agenda in terms of the discussion of public issues.
Hear, hear.
Perhaps it is our fault, but others appear to be doing so. That said, however, I am glad the matter will be debated in the near future.
Approximately two weeks ago a debate was sought on the report of the Ombudsman. It is important that this debate should be held before the end of the session and, indeed, that it should be held on a routine or annual basis. It is emerging that less than acceptable public service is being offered in certain quarters in spite of the fact that myriad conferences are being held on the need to be customer friendly. We are falling very short of that concept in many areas. By debating the nature, quality and status of public service, I hope we can bring about best practice in local government and in the manner in which its services are delivered to consumers. I urge the Leader to put this issue on the agenda before the end of the session.
I, too, believe that a half an hour would be more than sufficient for any Member speaking on the economy and inflation. I suspect the Leader is trying to distance himself from the Albert philosophy of a single sheet. With respect, I think an hour per speaker is pushing it.
Senator Manning's suggestion in regard to the local government Bill is a very useful one and I support it strongly. The Bill runs to 243 sections and has 14 or 15 schedules, even if much of its content is cosmetic. The Bill does not address the imbalance of powers—
We will not debate the Bill at this point.
I would never, following an admonition from the Cathaoirleach, breach his guidance or ruling. However, the fact is that there are certain contentious, if not downright divisive, provisions in the Bill.
I was one of those who sought a debate on the Ombudsman's report, as did Senator Quill, and I am sure the Leader at least nodded his approval for such a debate on the day it was sought. The role and functions of the Ombudsman have been expanded and his report could be very usefully debated in the House.
I agree with Senator Henry that there are problems within the health service but I hope that the particular case to which she referred involving that unfortunate lady was an exception. Problems are being experienced within the health service in spite of the fact that the Minister is putting more money into the sector than ever before. I ask the Leader to organise a general debate on the health service. We are facing a summer of discontent among our health professionals, nurses and doctors alike, particularly in view of the problems which will be experienced from 1 July because non-EU doctors are not coming to Ireland.
As a sort of shop steward for ex-ombudsmen, I support the request for a debate on the Ombudsman's report. An enormous amount of work is carried out by the Ombudsman and his staff and much work has gone into this report. Ombudsmen do not want to see heads on the table, rather they want to see improvements in public services. It is important that we draw a lesson from this report.
I would like to congratulate Dr. Mary Peters, whom I have known for many years, on her appointment to the RTE Authority. She has an outstanding personality and is a great athlete. I am very glad that the Minister went to Northern Ireland to recruit such a fine person.
I support the calls for debates on the local government Bill, waste management, the Ombudsman's report and the health service. These are all very important issues and I would like the Leader to inform the House how he intends to deal with them. Some of the debates could be combined. Local authorities came out very badly in the previous Ombudsman's report and his report could be discussed in conjunction with the Local Government (Planning and Development) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill.
I support Senator Henry's and Senator Leonard's call for a debate on the health service. Such a debate would afford an ideal opportunity to highlight what has been achieved in our health service. I reiterate Senator Leonard's aspiration that the unfortunate case to which Senator Henry referred was the exception rather than the rule. Some of the health professional bodies are very uneasy at present and it is important that all aspects of the industrial relations mechanisms should be explored because all of the people involved play a pivotal role in the delivery of services.
I support the call for a debate on waste management. There is a great deal of misinformation among the public about waste management and this House should take the lead in identifying the best means of waste disposal. People should be informed about this matter and it would be opportune to hold a debate on the issue. I thank the Leader for agreeing to hold such a debate.
I was to come back to the House this morning in regard to the promised funding of sign language training for deaf people. I will consult with Senator Manning on the issue later today.
Senators Manning and Coghlan sought a debate on local government. Such a debate would be very timely but, given the enormous amount of legislation due to pass through the House before the end of session, the debate may occur during a later rather than an earlier sitting. I will certainly allow time for the debate at some stage.
Senators Manning and Henry inquired about the all-party motion. I have pencilled it in for Tuesday, 27 June as legislation is ordered for every day – up to three Bills on some days – until the end of session.
Senators Henry, Ryan, Leonard and Glynn expressed their deep concerns about the tragic death referred to by Senator Henry. I, too, hope this case was the exception rather than the rule. The Minister for Health and Children is a very accessible man. When he was Minister for Education and Science, he came into the House on every occasion he was requested to do so and gave freely of his time and information to Members. The Minister is held in very high regard by the general membership of the House and I will seek to arrange a wide-ranging debate on all health issues before the end of session.
In reply to Senator Ryan, the Government has not instructed me in regard to the Telecommunications (Infrastructure) Bill but I will endeavour to find out what is happening with the Bill before next Tuesday's Order of Business.
Senators Quill, Burke and Glynn called for a debate on waste management. As I stated yesterday, many local authorities, including my own in the midland area, have sent councillors to Germany to see how the problem is being addressed there. I thank RTE's correspondent in the House for the great coverage which this issued received on "Oireachtas Report" last night. Waste management is one of the greatest challenges facing local authorities. Our local authorities, particularly those in Offaly and Westmeath which discussed this issue last week, are at a very advanced stage on this issue. The midland authorities have only one more meeting to go before we make our recommendations. This issue is not being treated lightly. Waste management is a serious challenge but, as has always happened in the past, local authorities can be relied on, given proper financing, to meet the serious challenges which come their way.
Senators Quill, Coghlan and Maurice Hayes called for a debate on the Ombudsman's report and I will leave time for that. I join with Senator Hayes in wishing the new RTE Authority well as it takes up its duties.
Order of Business agreed to.