The Order of Business today is No. 1, Ordnance Survey Ireland Bill 2001 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil ] – Report and Final Stages; No. 2, Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Bill, 2000 – Second Stage, with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed 20 minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed 15 minutes, and Senators may share time; No. 7, European Communities and Swiss Confederation Bill, 2001 – motion for earlier signature, to be taken without debate, not earlier than 1 p.m.
Order of Business.
Can I presume on No. 7 that the Bill has not been passed in the other House yet?
That is right.
Are we assuming that it passes today in the Dáil?
We know it will pass in the other House.
We can be certain of very few things in these Houses. Will the Leader clarify the situation in regard to the pensions Bill? Will it be taken this session? Outside the House I have heard that there are difficulties with the writing of the second half of the Bill which is coming in under the guise of amendments on Committee Stage.
Will the Leader reconsider allowing a non-contentious debate on the implications for Parliament arising from the recent High Court decision? There is total uncertainty about the workings and rights of committees and there is a strong case to be made by Members for what we believe is the rightful role of committees and of Parliament. Yesterday the Leader told me that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform did not think it was a good idea. I do not care what he thinks of it, but I ask that we, as a House of Parliament, have a debate on a subject which is being debated in every other medium in the country.
I support Senator Manning's call for a short debate on the threat to the committees within the Oireachtas. We should also debate, as soon as possible, the situation in Afghanistan. Yesterday at the sub-committee of the foreign affairs committee representatives of UNICEF and Oxfam informed us that the actions of US military forces and others will put the lives of humanitarian aid workers in grave danger. Who will distinguish between people from abroad there? This issue needs to be addressed urgently. Apparently, more and more US planes are stopping in Shannon so we must be looked on as involved in the war. There are many Irish humanitarian aid workers working in the area, one of whom I met last week on his return from Mazar-e-Sharif. It is a dangerous place and I do not like to see other nationals put our people in such grave danger by what must be described as actions outside the Geneva Convention.
I too support Senator Manning's call for a debate on the implications of the High Court decision. I see no reason the Leader should not agree to such a debate which has such cross-party implications for the institutions of both Houses. Before an appeal takes place we should have the opportunity to debate the implications of the decision.
I agree wholeheartedly with Senator Henry's call for a debate on the Afghan war and the position as the war comes to an end. There seems to be an increasing number of atrocities taking place as the last remnants of the Taliban defence break down. We should discuss the implications of that and how peace will be won. Can the debate be extended to include the question of Palestine and the Palestinian people? Today is the international UN day of solidarity with the Palestinian people and last night an Irish-Palestine solidarity campaign was established under the auspices of that great advocate for East Timor, Tom Hyland. The situation in Afghanistan has wider long-term implications in relation to the Palestinian question so I ask that the debate on Afghanistan be extended to include the issue of Palestine.
It has emerged that only £3 million of the £11 million voted by local councils for recycling purposes last year was spent on recycling. The remainder was put to other public works. This has serious implications and I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to the House to discuss the issue. The spending of money, voted for one purpose, on other areas makes nonsense of our waste management plans and undermines the work of democratically elected local councillors. It is a serious issue which must be tackled and discussed.
I join Senators Manning and Costello in appealing for a debate on the possible constraints on Oireachtas committees in investigating issues affecting the public or involving public funds. Such constraints should be resisted but we should first debate the issue to arrive at the correct balance.
I was not aware of the figures given by Senator Quill, but if true and moneys were not spent where intended, it is unacceptable. The Minister should know about it and there must be internal ways to establish the facts.
Some time ago, the Radiological Protection Institute completed its report on radon gas, which the Leader is concerned about because one of the highest gas concentrations is in his own area. This issue will not go away and is worthy of debate in order to ascertain what can be done to diminish the ill effects of the gas on people. Is there funding available, for example, to assist people in reducing exposure to these hazards?
I ask the Leader to invite the Minster of State, Deputy Mary Wallace, to discuss the issue of disability. Many fine pieces of legislation were introduced by this Government which impacted positively on people with disability, but the area of employment needs attention. That Government agencies have not yet reached the 3% quota is worrying. Either there is still a stigma attached to disability or a reluctance by employers to take changes on board. This House could make a meaningful contribution through a debate with the Minister of State.
I join my colleagues in calling again for a debate on Afghanistan. The House will remember that I made this call yesterday on the Order of Business. Can the Leader give us an indication when it will be held?
We must monitor the behaviour of the Western forces there. It is worrying that American officials talk of deporting people from the United States jurisdiction to others with no restriction on torture, which calls into question Western values. Also, in the bombing of the prison, the initial aggression appears to have come from a CIA agent who taunted and provoked the Taliban prisoners and shot three dead. He was then torn in pieces, which is savage but he provoked it. To bomb several hundred prisoners, many of whom were shackled with their hands bound behind their backs, was disproportionate and breaks all the codes of civilised behaviour. We should debate it.
Although the Palestinian-Israeli question is an important related issue, I respectfully disagree with my colleague, Senator Costello, and suggest that it be treated separately in another debate which I would also call for.
We should have a debate on the impact of the recent High Court ruling on committees, which means that they will be paralysed. The Committee on Public Accounts, for example, has done great good to the reputation of the Oireachtas and it would be tragic if such work, which is seen and appreciated by the public, were to be hamstrung by this decision. I hope that the Supreme Court will give a ruling soon, and, if necessary, a referendum should be held.
I support Senator Kett's call for a debate on disability, particularly the area of employment. I add education as well as, very often, work experience as part of education is essential to finding employment afterwards. I support also Senator Quill's call for a debate on recycling and how the money raised from local charges is spent.
I support the demand for a debate on the implications of the High Court judgment on committees. The public are interested in the outcome.
I first support the idea of a debate on Afghanistan. Legislators in any democracy, seeing the desecration of human lives there, would question the wisdom of such an approach to settling international disputes. It is important that we express our views on this issue.
I ask for a debate on the whole insurance industry, the review body of which is to report soon to the Minister. The recent decision to allow the Circuit Court to deal with claims of £70,000 is worthy of discussion as it means that claims can be higher. The Minister should outline to this House his views on the industry.
I too support the call for an early debate on Afghanistan where there are worrying signs. We ignore the humanitarian issues at our peril as they will cultivate the seeds of future conflict. Apart from these, there are questionable military actions which will also come back to haunt us in future debates.
I support Senator Quill's call for an urgent debate on refuse and its disposal. It is unacceptable that only £3 million of the £11 million was taken up. Whether the Department is to blame or the local authorities, it is very serious.
It is the local authorities.
Most local authority members do not realise that this is so since, if they did, they would do something.
I also support Senator Chambers and seek a debate on insurance. This was raised by several speakers, including Senator Manning, and it is dear to the Leader's heart also. There should be a debate on all aspects of it, from public liability to car insurance.
Like Senator Kett, I call for a debate on disability, specifically on employment. I ask the Leader to ensure that, when the Minister of State appears before the House, she is prepared to address the concerns about the failure of successive Administrations in this area. Does the stigma, which still exists, promote an administrative attitude which views it as a nuisance to deal with people with disabilities? Is it blatant discrimination or deplorable indifference?
I ask the Leader to raise with the appropriate Minister the issue of the scrapping of RTE radio's Sunday sports programme. It is a disgrace.
Hear, hear.
It states in one of today's newspapers that the Fairyhouse races on Sunday will be televised by the BBC but that our television stations will not do so, which is also wrong. Licence payers have—
That is not a matter relevant to the Order of Business.
I think it is because I am asking the Leader to bring it to the appropriate Minister—
It is for some of us.
—to ensure that our own sport is televised in our own country. It is a disgrace that it is being broadcast on another country's television channel. RTE's bad management can send four people to cover a series in America when one would have done, but they cannot afford to televise sport at home.
I also support Senator Chambers's call for a debate on insurance. It is disturbing to see fraudulent claims being made, such as that against Mr. McDonagh of Supermac's where youngsters threw water on the floor so as to slip on it and make a claim. There are other people making fraudulent claims too relating to accidents, etc., and the insurance companies are inclined to settle before going to court.
These are points which can be made in the debate that is being sought.
I will certainly do so.
Last week, I asked the Leader for a debate in the near future on waste management. I again ask him to make time available for this. Senator Quill has outlined some of the problems with recycling, but last week the issue related to illegal dumps. We now urgently need a very comprehensive debate on waste management.
I too welcome the many calls for a debate on the insurance industry. There have been some frightful scams and scandals in the insurance industry, quite apart from the apparent inequity in many of the quotations being offered. Such a debate would be timely.
I join my colleagues Senators Quill and Gibbons in calling for a debate on waste management. It is an issue that requires constant monitoring and we should never lose sight of it.
I support Senator Kett in his call for a debate on the issue of disability. It is now 20 years since the year of the disabled in 1981, which had a major impact on the disabled here. Unfortunately, while major progress was made that year and in the immediate aftermath, this has slowed quite dramatically since. Like many areas of Irish life, there is a deficit between aspiration and reality. It is always left to somebody else to implement those aspirations. This is an issue that needs to be addressed and a debate would be appropriate. I look forward to the Leader arranging such a debate.
I join those on all sides who have called for a debate on evolving events in Afghanistan. Everybody was shocked and appalled at the scenes we saw on television last evening from Mazar-e-Sharif. A debate on Afghanistan could also include discussion on the possible role for Irish peacekeeping troops in that region in the post-Taliban period, which is thankfully rapidly dawning.
Having made reference to our peacekeeping troops, I ask the Leader to convey the congratulations of the Members of this House through the Minister for Defence to the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces on the wonderful work they have done in Lebanon over the past 23 years and the success of the magnificent standing down parade we saw in Dublin last weekend.
It is good to see the all-party support for debates on insurance and Afghanistan. I ask the Members to be equally supportive of my call on the Leader to have a debate on advertising aimed at children. In the run up to Christmas it is appropriate to consider this area and examine the research, which indicates this is extremely dangerous and exploits one of the most vulnerable sectors of society. We should have such a debate between now and the Christmas recess. I hope that Members from both sides of the House will support me in trying to initiate a ban in Ireland and throughout the EU.
Various Members have called for a debate on waste management. We must look at the way people deal with their waste. In the past three or four weeks, I have seen many people sweeping up leaves from their gardens and putting them in plastic bags. Once in plastic bags, they remain there in the dump and they never deteriorate. However, if they had been put in a compost bin—
On a point of order, is this gardeners' question time or the Order of Business?
I was wondering that myself.
It is quite obvious that Senator Manning does not do much gardening. It is also quite obvious he does not know—
Do you have a question for the Leader of the House?
Could the Leader tell people like Senator Manning that many county councils are providing bins at a reduced price—
These are points which can be made during the debate which is being sought.
It is a load of rubbish.
May I ask that people like Senator Manning put their rubbish in compost bins, rather than—
Senator Lanigan, you are being disorderly. If you have a relevant question to put to the Leader of the House, please put your question through the Chair.
I call on the Leader of the House to ask the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to carry out a major advertising campaign informing the people that county councils are providing compost bins at a reduced price.
That is not a relevant question. I ask Senator Lanigan to resume his seat.
Senator Manning asked about the Pensions (Amendment) Bill. I discussed this with the Minister this morning and the Committee Stage will be taken on the first sitting day after the Christmas recess. Senator Manning had already indicated that there were problems that needed to be overcome.
Senators Manning, Henry, Costello, Coogan, Norris and Ormonde called for a debate on last Friday's High Court decision. Yesterday, I outlined the Government's position. However, I am prepared to discuss this with the leaders after the Order of Business to see how we can progress this proposal.
Senators Henry, Costello, Norris, Chambers, Ó Murchú and Ó Fearghail called for a debate on Afghanistan. I have no difficulty in allowing this and will endeavour to arrange it next week. Senators Costello and Norris called for a debate on the Palestinian situation. I will allow time for this also.
Senators Quill, Coogan, Ormonde, Burke, Gibbons and Lanigan called for the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to come to the House to clarify why £11 million was allocated for recycling and, as Senator Quill has stated, apparently now only £3 million has gone to local authorities. I will ask for the Minister to clarify this and we will have a substantial debate on waste management.
Senator Coogan again called for a debate on radon gas. In the west of Ireland and in north Leinster, particularly Westmeath, radon gas levels are very high. I had given a commitment that this will take place before the Christmas recess. However, due to the high volume of legislation before us, it appears this will now be taken during the first week after the recess.
Senators Kett, Ormonde, Liam Fitzgerald, Chambers and Glennon called for a debate on disabilities in the presence of Minister of State, Deputy Mary Wallace. This is very worthwhile and I have no difficulty in allowing time for this also. Senators Chambers, Burke, Rory Kiely, Coghlan and Cox again called for a debate on the insurance industry. As I have said in the House before, this is of the utmost importance. I have spoken to the Minister and I hope we can have the debate before the Christmas recess.
I will pass on the views of Senator Rory Kiely to the relevant Minister regarding the RTE cutbacks, particularly in sport. At a time when we are endeavouring to encourage all our young people away from alcohol and drugs, sport is the one alternative we should support. I add my voice to the Senator's request that RTE should reconsider its one great tradition. One of the longest running programmes on RTE radio is the Sunday afternoon sports programme which has always been professionally presented.
Senator Ó Fearghail offered his congratulations to the Minister for Defence and the Defence Forces on their 23 years service in Lebanon. I want to be associated with those congratulations. Senator Cox called for a debate on advertising. That is a worthwhile request and I do not have any difficulty in leaving time for that.
Order of Business agreed to.