The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re referral of Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations, 2001, to the Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government, to be taken without debate; and No. 2, Waste Management (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2001, Committee and Remaining Stages. I propose a 15 minute break between Committee and Remaining Stages.
Order of Business.
The Order of Business is agreed. Everyone involved in sports of all codes, particularly the GAA, would love clarification as to whether the allocation of £60 million has been made by the Government or certain sections of the Government. Will we find out if it is being used as a carrot or stick? What is the purpose behind it and has it failed or succeeded? Nobody knows.
I have no quarrel with the Order of Business. May we have a serious debate, not necessarily one with conflict or a vote at the end, on the condition of industrial relations? Everyone knows there is a no strike clause in the latest version of the pay deal and we are now threatened with strikes in Aer Lingus and the ESB, while the teachers have already gone on strike on various occasions. That pay deal and agreement has collapsed and it would be useful to have a debate on this, with the Minister for Public Enterprise in attendance, perhaps on Thursday as it is a day Aer Lingus is to go on strike.
On a related matter, I am pleading for a single issue debate on the economy before the Easter recess. We are aware that growth is slowing but it may slow much more quickly than we had anticipated and we should discuss the consequences for the country.
Regarding the 15 minute break between Committee and Remaining Stages, announced by the Leader, I object to Committee and Remaining Stages being taken together. We have fallen into this practice and it means that the final Stages of a Bill are meaningless. There has to be some possibility of putting down amendments for Report Stage and a 15 minute break does not realistically allow that. This week Committee and Remaining Stages of three Bills are being taken together or with a 15 minute break and that is not an acceptable way to deal with legislation. I ask the Leader to drop this habit in the new session so we can discuss legislation properly and in a way that affords dignity to our procedures.
I ask the Leader to seek clarification for Members and the public on the status of the so-called promise to the GAA in relation to the national stadium, Croke Park and so on, as confusion reigns in the public mind. As Members of the Oireachtas, we are entitled to know what, if any, procedure was followed in relation to a Government decision. Has there been a Government decision on this and, if not, why? What procedure has been followed? These are important questions.
I ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment urgently to come before us to speak on the serious crisis faced by Aer Lingus. Apart from the industrial relations dispute, our national airline is facing a wider crisis.
I appeal to the Leader to allow us to debate the urgent matter, which never seems to be dealt with urgently, of 15 people who had nowhere to stay in Dublin last Wednesday. The referral centre in Great Charles Street had no places left. I add that this is in the same constituency as Croke Park. Why do we do this to our citizens? For the last two days I have checked with staff, so I am not imagining the situation which is faced by two of my constituents. The Leader has promised an urgent debate on many occasions. What could be more urgent than people being turned away from a centre supposed to be their final port of call when looking for a bed for the night?
If the Leader raises with the Taoiseach the matter of the grant to the GAA, I hope that he will also pass on our congratulations. In recognising the importance of the GAA to the sporting, social and cultural life of Ireland, the Taoiseach reflects the views of most people in this Chamber and the Dáil, and of the general public. We are saddened by the number of people jumping on the bandwagon to criticise the GAA, as many of them have never been involved with the organisation or attended a hurling or football match. We should be delighted that their work is recognised.
I am glad I am following Senator Ó Murchú as I think that most of us anxious about the sum given to the GAA are not begrudging it to the organisation. We have a total lack of comprehension of why it has been impossible for Sister Mary Joseph in Dolphin's Barn to receive a twentieth of the sum. Could the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation come to the House to explain why this has happened? Sister Mary Joseph and others have been trying to develop an inner-city sports centre in this deprived area for ten years. Senators are astonished that £60 million can be found instantly for the GAA, yet for a decade money has been sought for a sports centre in a deprived part of this city and not a cent could be found.
I also ask the Leader of the House to invite the Minister for Health and Children to come in to explain his plans to allow psychiatric patients to be discharged from mental hospitals when they no longer need to be there. They should be allowed to go into the community without the dreadful disruption that is taking place in north Dublin, where it has been proposed that six people be transferred from St. Ita's Hospital to a house there. It is shameful that this should happen. It is hardly good for those who are to be transferred there to see the welcome they can expect. I assure the House that the people involved are well able to read newspapers and watch television to see what is happening.
The debate about the money to be allocated to Croke Park is not a debate about money to the GAA but basically an Opposition attack on the Government and the Leader for giving this money. I do not think they listened when it was said categorically that improved facilities are needed for 2004 when a big rehabili tation and sporting event, which is a celebration of handicap, will take place in Croke Park. Part of the money is being granted so that facilities can be made available in Croke Park for that celebration.
Apart from the fact that we do not have the facilities that Senator Henry has spoken of, there is no question that there has been a huge effort made over the last ten years. The GAA, rugby clubs, soccer clubs and many other people, and in particular the Government and the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, have made a huge effort to make certain that facilities are available. In many cases the facilities cannot be taken up. I see the difference around the country now where there are sports facilities which are not being used, whereas before there were no sports facilities and everybody was shouting about them.
Send them out to my area.
There are plenty of facilities in the Senator's area but they are not being used.
I would like the Leader to provide time for a debate immediately after the Easter recess on the current situation in Palestine. It has reached the point of genocide. Palestinians are being killed on a daily basis and the other side is blaming one person but it is not correct. Since the unfortunate death of the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, we do not place the same emphasis on the Palestinian problem. I would ask the Leader for a debate dedicated to the issue immediately after Easter.
I have given adequate latitude to both sides of the Chamber to discuss the grant to the GAA. Any further points which people wish to make on this matter can be made during the debate which has been sought.
I welcome the decision that there will be a debate on sport. It would be opportune at this point. I ask that when we return from our well earned break at Easter the Leader would provide time for a debate on the motor trade. The bottom has fallen out of the second-hand car trade. There has been a huge shock in the area of new cars sales also and of course one is related to the other. If possible, I would like us to debate this issue and also sport and the Croke Park issue when we return after Easter.
I support Senator O'Meara's request for a debate on the seriousness of the strikes in Aer Lingus and the effect it is having on the economy and the company. As it is the national airline, it is important that any difficulties are resolved as quickly as possible. It is important that we look at Aer Lingus in the context of its development for the future and try and resolve the issues there.
I want to mention the recent decision of Eircom to withdraw from the public contracts regarding the provision of IT and broadband services throughout the regions. Eircom has been an important body in the deliverance of this service on contract. The company's withdrawal from it has serious implications for regional development and particularly for rural development on an equal basis. I would ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, to see how this issue regarding the provision of IT services and balanced regional development will be resolved.
A Chathaoirligh, I know you do not want us to enter much further into the debate regarding the £60 million for Croke Park but I want to respond to a number of points which have been made. Nobody on the Opposition benches has been criticising the GAA in this matter. This is about how the Government does not know what it is doing. It raises serious issues regarding the disbursement of public money. A sum of money of that kind clearly must have the sanction of the Cabinet. The Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, were quite correct when they stated that there is no such thing as a done deal because it has not been passed or properly discussed in Cabinet.
We are not debating the matter now.
I know that.
Perhaps you would reserve your comments for the debate which has been sought.
Let us hope we will have a debate. Nobody has stated that the Minister, Deputy McDaid, should come into this Chamber and debate that issue. He should do so before this week is out.
I join in the call for a debate on Aer Lingus. This is a serious issue. It is not just industrial relations which are in a bad way in Aer Lingus but the whole financial framework of the company is under very serious threat, as was revealed to the board of Aer Lingus yesterday by its chief executive. It has gone from being a major success story in recent years to the point where its profits have been more than halved and the indications on its prosperity for the rest of the year are gloomy, given the impact of foot and mouth disease on tourism and travel to and from this country. I ask the Leader of the House to request the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, to come to the House this week before its rises for the Easter recess to discuss these fundamental issues concerning the national airline, our national flagship.
Serious concern has been expressed about the continued closure of some of our top tourist attractions and the immense damage caused to our tourism industry as a consequence. I refer to facilities such as Muckross House and Ross Castle. There is no reason they cannot be reopened to the public immediately. They are not buried deep in the national park; they are very much on the periphery. I ask the Leader of the House to prevail on the Government to make an immediate decision to reopen these facilities.
I ask the Leader of the House to bring to the attention of the Minister for Public Enterprise the declared intention of CIE to introduce a new tax of £3 per car in its car parks along the northern line, particularly in Drogheda, Balbriggan and Skerries. This will be resisted by hundreds of thousands of commuters who are of the view that the proposed tax is unfair in respect of a service that is inadequate and unacceptable given the level of overcrowding and lack of seating. Commuters are entitled to pay their fares only and should not have to pay a tax to park in Iarnród Éireann car parks.
I ask the Leader of the House to allow a debate on the banking services available nationwide to the public, a matter I have raised in the House for a number of weeks and on which debate in the public arena has not dissipated. It is a major issue on which it is appropriate to have a debate and about which the public is up in arms. We must respond in a broad way to the overall financial service available, in particular banking services, but specifically the availability of outlets in which to cash cheques. I ask the Leader of the House to consider this request and arrange for a debate on the matter as soon as possible.
I join Senator Chambers in calling for the disgraceful decision of Eircom to withdraw from providing a broadband technology network in the west and Border region to be addresssed. The country is divided into two regions, one of which is underdeveloped. If we do not put the necessary broadband infrastructure in place, no industry will locate in the regions concerned. Eircom's decision must be addressed at the highest level. Infrastructural development in the Objective One region is a must. The matter should be debated as soon as possible at which time the responsible Minister should outline their proposals to replace Eircom with another company to provide the necessary technology in the regions concerned.
I welcome the decision to have a debate on the allocation of £60 million to Croke Park, on which there is a broad range of views. While a great deal of money is required to fund sports organisations, it must be realised that all such organisations should benefit. That is the burning issue.
I ask the Leader of the House to call on the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House to discuss the matter of nursing home subvention. There is a major shortfall between what the people concerned receive from health boards with their pensions and what nursing homes charge. Charges have risen sharply in recent times. It is essential that the Minister for Health and Children should come to the House to address this important issue.
I support Senator Henry's comments. There is also a need for a wider debate on mental health issues in general. The housing of people with a psychiatric illness or learning disability in their own community is a welcome initiative which deserves to be supported. Such people are not a threat to anybody. I trust that the Leader of the House will allocate time for such a debate.
On the matter on which the Cathaoirleach ruled out any discussion, if the finest sports organisation in the world wishes to ban garrison games, that is its business.
Many Senators, including Senators Coogan, O'Meara, Ó Murchú, Henry, Lanigan and Lydon, referred to future Government funding for Croke Park. This matter is under very active consideration by the Government. The Gaelic Athletic Association is established in every parish. There are three such clubs in my parish. In the last 100 years no other sports organisation has done more for Ireland and the underprivileged than the Gaelic Athletic Association. Many public representatives owe their seats in the Dáil or Seanad to their active participation in the GAA. I noted, in particular, the comments of Senator Lanigan who was an international figure in athletics and is a former Leader of the House.
In a project valued at £280 million, it is obvious to any business person that the return to the Exchequer would be far greater than £60 million, taking PAYE, PRSI and VAT into consideration. The way forward, in counteracting the influence of drugs and alcohol, is through sport. I will allocate a full day for a debate in the second week of May, with the Minister in attendance, to hear the views of Senators and discuss long-term planning for sport. As the premier voluntary sports organisation, the GAA deserves the support of people of all political persuasions.
Senators Ross, O'Meara, Chambers and Connor called for a debate on industrial relations, with particular reference to the Aer Lingus dispute. In consultation with the party leaders and Whips, I am endeavouring to have the matter put in the Seanad diary within the first two or three weeks after the Easter recess. Depending on progress with this week's business, it may be possible to have a short debate before Easter. We can review this possibility during the week.
Senators Ross and Finneran called for a debate on the economy and banking, a matter I intend to place on the Order Paper for debate on Wednesday, 2 May.
Senator Ridge made a very understanding and caring request for a debate on homelessness. We have had such a debate every year since I became Leader of the House and this year will be no different. I look forward to the contributions of Senators on the very basic essentials for life, including food and overnight accommodation.
Senators Henry and Lydon expressed their views on the transfer into the community of people with a very mild psychiatric illness. I am aware that Senators support this initiative which has been an outstanding success throughout the country. Health board members, chief executive officers and officials, the Department of Health and Children and Ministers in successive Governments all deserve full credit and praise for the progress achieved. Very often these people were placed in institutions and many of them do not have anyone left at home. They can play their part again in the community, particularly in the service industries.
Senator Lanigan called for a debate on Palestine. I will allocate time for that. Senator McDonagh called for a debate on the motor trade after the Easter recess. We all know that last year was the trade's most successful year ever and, as the Senator pointed out, there seem to be a lot of second-hand motor vehicles piling up. We will allocate time to discuss the matter.
Senators Chambers and Finneran called for a debate on Eircom's alleged withdrawal of services from the Objective 1 area. This is a most serious matter and I will have an all day debate on it. I have already given my word to other Senators who requested a debate. In light of the information brought to my attention today, I will ensure that it is discussed in the House soon after the Easter recess.
On Senator Coghlan's point, I understand that the vast majority of tourist attractions are now open to the public and I note that the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and his counterpart in the North have launched a very strong campaign promoting tourism. Thanks be to God that Ireland has avoided the plague of foot and mouth disease, with the exception of one case in the Cooley area. I am assured that everything is being done to retrieve lost business. The value for money for people coming to Ireland or for Irish people holidaying here to support the economy must be very good this year. I will make inquiries about the places that the Senator referred to and come back to him later in the week.
I will pass on to the Minister Senator O'Dowd's views on car parking at CIE venues.
Order of Business agreed to.