It is very good to see the Cathaoirleach back, but I welcome particularly Senator Bohan who is back with us again.
Order of Business.
Senators
Hear, hear.
The Order of Business is Nos. 1, 2 and 17, motion 21. No.1 is a sessional order, as agreed by the CPP, and will be taken without debate; No. 2 is statements on early childhood education, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business until 5 p.m., spokespersons have 12 minutes, other Senators have eight minutes and Members may share their time, with the Minister being called upon to reply not later than five minutes before the conclusion of the statements; and No. 17, motion 21, will be taken from 5 p.m until 7 p.m.
I welcome colleagues back after the summer recess and look forward to a very vigorous and intense session between now and Christmas. Fine Gael unreservedly welcomes the statement this week by General de Chastelain of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning in respect of the decommissioning of IRA weapons. This is an historic development and is something we should all welcome. It has been a key aspect not only of every Government since the foundation of the State, but also a key aspect of the Good Friday Agreement, that the gun be taken out of Irish politics. We need to congratulate all concerned. The statement made yesterday by the Ulster Unionist Party also needs to be congratulated, as it has shown good leadership on this matter, unlike others. In the new segregationist politics of Sinn Féin and the DUP in Northern Ireland, it is often difficult for good authority to be recognised. I want to put on the record that the UUP did a great service to the peace process yesterday in unreservedly accepting the accounts of General de Chastelain and others.
There are other issues to be resolved and one of them is the motion that is before the House this evening, on which I would welcome all-party support. If the Government attempts to amend the motion, I understand that its representatives will discuss with me the substance of that amendment before the debate. Of course, should an amendment be put on the Order Paper, it will require the permission of the Cathaoirleach as no amendment is currently tabled. Clearly, there is a need to decommission the substantial criminal and financial arsenal which Sinn Féin and the IRA have generated as a result of ill-gotten gains and means over the past number of years. There will also be a need to demonstrate over a short period of time that the intimidation and abuse that some republicans hand out to members of their own community has stopped. Let us work to that end and ensure it is at the top of our political priorities as we go forward. Let us deliver the long sought for peace everyone needs.
I record my appreciation that the Leader has acted on her promise on the last day of the last session to hold a debate on child care and early childhood education. I am pleased to see such a debate on today's Order of Business.
I agree with the points Senator Brian Hayes has just made about circumstances in the North of Ireland. The general thinking appears to be that we will have the opportunity for a full debate on the matter next week, which I hope the Leader will confirm. It is crucial to examine the direction we take now and to think differently. I recall that when I was first elected people were not speaking to John Hume because he had opened the discussion and debate with Sinn Féin-IRA which led to many developments including those of this week. We should not forget that fact. Everything must begin somewhere.
The challenge facing us now is to recognise that the greatest difficulty in the North is old fashioned class politics. Protestant working class estates have been left without any hope, opted out of the establishment and have no trust or confidence in the political system. They see no gain, progress, improvement or future in political activity. We should recognise that what has happened in the case of Sinn Féin has been a development into constitutional democratic politics. The same process must be sold, fed and energised in Protestant working class communities in the North of Ireland. Friends of mine in the trade union movement in the North say that is the greatest challenge and most difficult task facing us. A greater value has been placed on education on the Catholic side, especially over the last three generations, as it was seen as the way to escape the oppression which was suffered certainly until 1970. A similar development is required in Protestant working class communities. We must focus on the task and seek answers. I look forward to a fuller debate on the matter next week on the confirmation of the Leader.
I remind the House that I intend to bring to its notice, as no doubt will my colleague from Kerry, Senator Coghlan, the antipathy in the town of Dingle to the fascistic manner in which its name was changed without consultation. This undemocratic approach is something we must consider in the context of empowering and enabling local people to take control not merely of placenames but of their destinies.
Níor thug mé faoi deara go raibh an oiread sin daoine ag caint faoi anim baile an Daingean. Níor gá an iomarca aird a thabhairt don feactas atá ar siúl.
While the statement is, of course, welcome and one welcomes and accepts the report of the international decommissioning body, we can only hope for progress. We could also hope for normal politics. I and, I am sure, most Members are sick of the extraordinary way a certain political party can look back at my party's record for the last 25 years and the records of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and tell us what we did wrong, whereas if we dare to mention what they were doing in that period we are promptly told we must look forward.
We must engage in realistic politics. All of the things we all did wrong together are infinitely small by comparison with what was done in our names by these people. If they want to look forward, let them draw a curtain behind them. If they want to look back at us, I tell the House that we will look back at them. We have a great deal more to look back at and to be angry about than they do.
Speaking of being angry, there are five people still in prison who went in before the House adjourned. I do not often wave technical qualifications, but I record that in my limited sphere of knowledge the risk assessment carried out in north Mayo did not represent an example of the way good engineering should be practised in an entirely novel development. This is new. It has never been done anywhere before and should not be done like this.
These people will have to be got out of prison. It is a strange society in which five law-abiding people feel obliged to end up in prison for 90 days because of the inability of the State to listen to their needs. Ultimately, the State is responsible because it was the State that allowed this kind of project to go ahead. It is an embarrassment to us all but it should be an embarrassment to the Government in particular.
I would like to have a debate about the issues in this House in the immediate future. Let us not hide behind the fact that it is undoubtedly legal that the men are detained. It could be legal and unjust. The intentions of other people for many years were both legal and unjust. We must debate the matter at length.
It has come to many people's attention that in spite of the law which states that any aeroplane which lands in this State must provide a manifest of passengers and cargo, some aeroplanes do not do so. That is the law of the land and it is international law as far as air traffic is concerned. I would like the Leader to ascertain if it is true that certain aircraft have been exempted from that requirement. These aircraft are now widely discussed in the media of half a dozen countries, including the United States, but when they land here they are not asked who or what is on board. If that is the case I would like to know why they are exempt from the law of the land and on what basis because it appears we are in grave danger of being directly involved in facilitating the kidnap and torture of, in many cases, innocent human beings. It is time we stood up like other non-aligned and neutral countries, such as Sweden and Austria.
Something was drawn to my attention before the summer, namely, that it is no longer possible for us to know where an item of clothing we purchase was manufactured because EU regulations have changed. Many of us have a great revulsion against the idea that what we wear would have been produced in sweatshops or places where child labour is used or exploited, for instance, in Burma. We cannot know any more. Materials are imported from Burma but we do not know what they are because they are no longer labelled. I ask the Leader to ascertain how and when the rules were changed.
As always on the first day of the session there are 200 or 300 items on the Order of Business that will not be adequately discussed by any part of the Oireachtas. I am somewhat disturbed to find three EU draft directives referring to GMOs on the Order Paper. Those directives should not be agreed by Government without a proper debate in the Houses of the Oireachtas. I am equally disturbed to find that the most up-to-date report on the financial affairs of a VEC is for 1999. The idea of a six-year delay in producing a financial report even makes what the Comptroller and Auditor General has to say look less significant.
I know the Cathaoirleach and every other reasonable person will join with me in celebrating and rejoicing over the events that have taken place in the North of Ireland over recent days and in welcoming the report of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. General de Chastelain and his colleagues deserve much credit, as do the clergymen who participated. Their words were authoritative enough for the vast majority of us to accept that the arms are now completely and permanently beyond use and that is a day that many of us thought we might not see.
It is also worth recalling that on many occasions in this House we had to condemn one atrocity after another on almost a daily basis from each side of the dispute. The Cathaoirleach was a Member of the House at the time and he is aware of this. We now hope there will be a rapid advancement to the primacy of democratic politics within the North of Ireland and that the devolved powers will be restored to Stormont.
We should also recognise the key role played by previous leaders, both here and in the United Kingdom. The Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and the UK Prime Minister, Mr. Blair, deserve particular credit for the patience they have shown over an extended period and for the way in which they have facilitated the process. It would only be right for this House to recognise also the role played by Senator Mansergh in the process.
Senators
Hear, hear.
We hope the atrocities have ended. It is understandable that there would be scepticism in certain quarters although we might not agree with it. We await the report of the monitoring body to ascertain whether criminality and the other forms of atrocity committed by violent people are now discontinued for good. This will obviously be a key element in the advancement of the process.
When Senator Ryan spoke about clothes, I was reminded of an anecdote concerning former Senator Gordon Wilson. The Cathaoirleach will recall that when the Senator was a Member, he recounted that he spent many hours in his draper's shop in Enniskillen unpicking labels on underclothing which stated "Made in Great Britain" so when people from a certain tradition came into his shop they would not be forced to buy clothing manufactured in Great Britain. I say this by way of light-hearted relief. It serves as a microcosm of the circumstances in Northern Ireland.
I was really taken aback yesterday evening when I heard a very good reporter, Tommy Gorman, reporting from the National Ploughing Championships. He said Mr. Adams was mobbed like Mahatma Gandhi. To find any comparator as remote from Mr. Adams as Mahatma Gandhi took some doing because the latter brought an empire to its knees by non-violent methods.
Hear, hear.
Last weekend I attended a meeting in my own area concerning the Rossport five issue. One would have to be moved by the family members who were present. It is worth bearing in mind that the five men concerned have now been in jail for over 90 days. Yesterday the Joint Committeeon Communications, Marine and Natural Resources had a meeting for over three hours on this issue with the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey. Many members were pretty upset that we have reached an impasse such that the five people are still in jail.
On the basis of the information that has been furnished, many of the developments concerning the offshore gas, including those associated with planning, seem to have proceeded very rapidly, and in the indecent haste defects have arisen. In this context, I hope the Minister will see some chink through which he can approach Shell to find a way to overcome the impasse and ensure the injunction is lifted. I hope he will allow decent dialogue to take place to determine whether we can solve this problem. For many people this issue has become a question of the "multinational versus the small man". It is very regrettable that it has arisen. The people concerned — innocent people from the west — may soon be facing 100 days in jail. It behoves the multinational company, Shell, which this State has accommodated considerably by way of granting it concessions, to try to give something back to remove the impasse that exists.
I would like to be associated with the remarks made by our Leader in welcoming Senator Bohan back to the House after his illness.
I want to raise an issue I have raised in the House many times, namely, the need for a debate on cancer care. I am thankful that the debate has moved on a little in that radiotherapy facilities are now to be extended beyond the level initially recommended, including in my area in Waterford. However, a problem still exists in the interim regarding designated transport and accommodation. I want the Tánaiste to come to the House to address this matter. A committee was set up three years ago. Is it still in place? If not, has it put forward its final recommendations? What is its current status? What is the position on the interim recommendations that have been put forward regarding transport and accommodation? Is the funding in place to fund whatever is recommended? This funding must be put in place as a matter of urgency because it will be some time before the roll-out of services to Waterford and other places.
Some 48 hours ago I accepted an invitation to visit Trim Castle at the request of a local councillor who was very concerned at the building of a new hotel there. I was shocked at what I saw. It is an example of our heritage being desecrated for purely commercial reasons. I was impressed that this morning the cathaoirleach of Meath County Council called for an inquiry into the abuse that occurred. I am not well enough informed about the situation but I am aware that a few months ago concern was expressed in this House when the Centre for Public Inquiry was set up. Its report was published yesterday and has provided a public service by focusing on the abuse of the development process which occurred. I believe the Leader of the House will be inundated with requests for a debate on this matter and it should be high on the priority list for debate.
During the summer recess the Taoiseach and the Government have achieved what all Governments since the foundation of the State have been working towards, the declared final, formal cessation of all IRA activity, an exclusive commitment to democracy and the decommissioning of the entire weaponry of that organisation.
It should be noted that the Taoiseach did not spend all his time pointing out the undoubted moral realities of the situation but concentrated on persuading those whose co-operation was necessary to achieve what we have now arrived at and which is of immense significance for the whole island and not just for Northern Ireland. General de Chastelain, who in one form or another has been involved with his colleagues for ten years, is also to be congratulated on his patience. It is fair to point out that a certain impatience which has been expressed in this House and elsewhere has also contributed to the result that has been achieved.
Our democracy is strong and I hope people would now recognise that, with regard to the peace process, the country has been in safe hands and has been led by people with a proper sense of responsibility who knew what they were doing.
I thank the Leader of the House for scheduling an early debate on early childhood care and education. As this is only one aspect of child care, which has finally become a priority issue, I call on the Leader to ensure the House holds regular debates on the subject.
The Parental Leave Bill, which left this House many months ago, has still not been dealt with by the Dáil. Despite the Government's protestations that it is giving this issue priority, the level of parental leave contained in the Bill is minimal and unpaid. There is a long way to go on this issue and the Opposition will need to keep a close eye on it.
I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. We heard much about the rip-off Republic during the summer. Contained within the covers of this report are very startling and serious facts demonstrating how taxpayers are being ripped off wholesale and how public money is being wasted.
I ask for a debate on the issue of the national treatment purchase fund and the serious anomalies revealed by the Comptroller and Auditor General. There is a worrying report that facts relating to the costs of treatment have not been released by the Department of Health and Children at its own request.
It is important that full information on the expenditure of taxpayers' money on this fund is revealed as soon as possible. The Minister should also come to the House and be accountable to Senators on this matter.
I too wish to refer to the report of the international commission led by General de Chastelain. I generally associate myself with the remarks of Senator Mansergh. We should recognise the efforts made by the people, both those in government and those within the republican movement and what it means to them, who brought this development about. We should also recognise the courage and integrity of the two clergymen witnesses, Fr. Reid and the Reverend Harold Good, both of whom I have known for many years. They are men of monumental integrity and I would take their word on anything. I regret that anybody would doubt it for a moment. In particular, Reverend Harold Good showed enormous courage coming from where he came and standing up and saying up what he said. He deserves all our thanks.
I hope it is not ungenerous or ungracious in the middle of all this euphoria to make the point that while we welcome the fact that the war is over, we should not allow people to rewrite history and suggest that it was ever a good war in the first place.
Hear, hear.
It was an entirely unnecessary war which has caused damage that will last for generations. If its purpose was to remove partition, it has made that more difficult. Furthermore, if its purpose was to protect Catholics in the North, why did more Catholics die than members of any other congregation? Having said that, this development marked a good day for our democracy and I congratulate and thank those who participated in its achievement.
I agree with everything said regarding the International Commission on Decommissioning and congratulate everybody involved. I hope we will not have to wait too long to see the various loyalist paramilitary bodies follow suit.
Will the Leader avail of this opportunity to inform Senators of the Government's current thinking on the future of the Great Southern Hotel Group? The chairman of the Dublin Airport Authority has spoken on several occasions, including recently, on this matter. Members of the House would have seen various press reports on the possible doubling of losses in this regard. The chairman of the authority is saying effectively that it must exit this loss-making business and that it is not part of its core activity. What is the Government's position on this? Is there a clear clash between the Government's thinking on this matter and the board's possible decision? Is it the case that the Government is simply waiting for the political climate to be favourable, so to speak, to permit the board to proceed with a decision which it appears to have already taken? I would like to hear the Leader's view on this matter.
I very much agree with what Senator O'Toole said regarding Dingle. I look forward to moving the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill in our joint names. I hope it will have the support of Senators on the Government side. I am sure all Senators on the opposite side of the Chamber would agree that it is a most basic and democratic right for the people of Dingle to decide on this matter for themselves. I do not see how anyone would want to deprive them of that.
I would like the Leader to inquire from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform as to the possibility of introducing a gun amnesty. For some time we have seen reports on the television and in newspapers, on a weekly basis, of people having been killed. There is a distinct possibility that if a gun amnesty were introduced, as happened in other states, guns would be handed in that would never be used. Given that the introduction of such an amnesty has been successful elsewhere, we should examine this possibility.
I ask the Leader to request the Minister for Transport to come to the House to discuss the possibilities of using ethanol and biodiesel and also to raise this matter with the Minister for Finance. Currently, with the decoupling of payments to the farming community and much land being used in terms of REPs, it just does not seem right that land is being underutilised when we have a wonderful opportunity to replace imports without any objection from the European Community; this is also necessary for our national economy. Such a measure would feed into the economy and more than pay for itself.
I ask the Leader to arrange a debate in the near future on funding for the improvement of infrastructure in the BMW region. Over the past few days we have seen a clear equity imbalance between the 68% that is spent in the east and south east of the country, as against the remainder, which is accounted for by the BMW region. At a time when agriculture is in serious decline and the flight from the land is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, the Government must decide to create a balanced playing field as regards improvements in infrastructure and employment opportunities. There have been dramatic job losses in the western region, from north to south, over the recess period. I ask for an early and urgent debate as regards the BMW region.
I join with Senator Kenneally in calling for a debate on cancer care. While Senator Kenneally and others who live south of a line from Dublin to Galway can celebrate the imminent roll-out of radiotherapy services, those of us living north of that line do not have the same privilege and cannot look forward to it. I ask the Leader to invite the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, to the House. I ask the House to impress on the Minister the need for radiotherapy services north of the line from Dublin to Galway. Consistently, on so many issues of essential and critical infrastructure, the north west in particular has been overlooked and left until last. Is it possible, for once, to lead from the front and set out a timeframe whereby we will introduce radiotherapy services for the north west?
On the issue of the Rossport five, I attended the committee meeting alluded to by Senator Finucane. Senator Ryan also mentioned the issue. I am sorry he did not take the time to come to yesterday's meeting to hear of the many things the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, is doing. I ask the Cathaoirleach to please bear with me because it is highly regrettable and traumatic for the Rossport five who are in prison and their families. I commend the Minister for everything he is doing within his powers. That is all that he or the Oireachtas can do. He cannot interfere in the legal process. I very much hope the steps he has taken may lead to a successful conclusion whereby these people may purge their contempt.
Much has happened since the summer recess. A great number of services throughout the country have not only been cut but amputated, especially in the area of health and services for the elderly.
That is right. It is bad.
It is bad for democracy when we see Parliament in recess for almost four months——
Longford has remained closed for the summer.
——and dictatorships taking over. That is the situation and I ask the Leader to——
The Senator is out of order.
——review matters so the Oireachtas might perhaps resume midway during the summer recess to deal with such issues, of which there are many.
The Senator still expects to be there next summer.
In my constituency of Longford-Westmeath the Minister for Health and Children is still trying to delay the completion of phase 2B of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital, Mullingar.
The Senator is out of order. That is a matter for the Adjournment, so I plead with him not to refer to it.
I call on the Leader to invite the Minister for Health and Children to the House for a debate on the maladministration of the health service throughout Ireland.
That matter will be dealt with this evening.
As from 1 October a new EU regulation will require sheep for export to have a double tag. This affects, in particular, farmers along the Border and Donegal farmers in particular who, on an annual basis, export approximately 70,000 sheep to Foyle Meats in Derry. The current position is that the Department does not issue tags and sheep farmers do not have a second tag for their animals. The requirement to tag sheep was unnecessary given that a herd number would be sufficient to ensure traceability but the requirement to tag twice is ludicrous.
As a result of this policy, sheep farmers in County Donegal will be required to send sheep south which plays into the hands of the meat factories. The issue of dictatorships was raised. Meat factories have been acting like dictators in determining prices and driving farmers off the land. If farmers in County Donegal are forced to send in excess of 70,000 sheep to meat factories in the south, prices will be driven down further, more farmers will be driven off the land and the farming industry will be driven further into the ground. I am aware the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan, is ploughing a lonely furrow in Cork these days. I ask the Leader to intervene to ensure she abandons the requirement to have a second tag as it will drive more farmers in County Donegal off the land. Foyle Meats is located just ten minutes from the Border. This ridiculous bureaucratic nonsense must stop.
I ask the Leader to try to arrange a debate as quickly as possible with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, on the recycling of farm plastics, which is a major issue, particularly in the west. A recycling system initially received support from the Government and the plastics industry but the group involved in the collection of levies appears to have run out of money. Farmers paid for plastics at the time bales were made and now have piles of plastic in their yards. They are concerned they may not comply with the REPS regulations and the detrimental impact this would have. Will the Leader arrange for the Minister to come before the House to outline concrete proposals to alleviate the current problem? It would be wholly unfair to expect farmers to pay again for the destruction or recycling of plastics when they have already made a financial commitment to this end.
I join my colleagues in welcoming the final act of decommissioning by the IRA and congratulate Senator Mansergh on his role in the pursuit of peace. Many practical decisions made in pursuit of peace were, however, unfair. I refer specifically to treatment of the SDLP, the true democratic party in Northern Ireland, which has been sidelined by the British and Irish Governments for too long. The Fine Gael Party met a delegation from the SDLP last Wednesday. The simple reason the party was sidelined was that it did not have guns. I appeal to the Government to ensure the SDLP is treated fairly once again. Now that the gun has been removed from Irish politics, it is time for the true democratic parties to reassert their claim.
I concur with Senator McHugh's comments on bureaucratic madness. It is particularly evident in County Donegal where sheep being exported to the North must be transported 25 or 30 miles south to be inspected and retagged before being driven a further 25 or 30 miles back across the Border, although the destination meat factory is located just ten minutes away. As a result of this practice, sheep are sometimes not slaughtered on the day following inspection.
Senators will be aware of the problems encountered with regard to school buses during the summer. The two issues which arise in this context are the three for two policy and continuing problems associated with private bus operators used by Bus Éireann. I understand one of the main grievances of the private operators is that Bus Éireann refuses to negotiate with them as a group, despite the fact that they have a representative body. I ask the Minister to instruct Bus Éireann to negotiate with this body. This is a democratic country and these people should be represented by their own groups. Every other organisation in the country is represented by its umbrella body and these people deserve the same treatment. We must deal with this issue soon because it will arise again.
The raising of the issue of school transport will be welcomed by everyone in the House, although the issue was badly timed and mishandled. It was grossly unfair on the VECs, Bus Éireann and the parents and children to have such pressure put on them in July and August. The decision will be implemented for primary school children next year and will be done over a year and a half. The decision to do it was not wrong, the timing was wrong. Lessons must be learned from this and I urge the Leader to speak to the Minister for Education and Science and suggest to her that she write to the VECs and Bus Éireann and thank them for the great work they did in difficult circumstances during the summer. Hopefully we will get an assurance that lessons have been learned from this fiasco when the same policy is being implemented for primary schools.
I do not often agree with the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, but I was in full agreement with him when he spoke on Sunday about the terrible drug problem. Since I came into this House, I have been to three funerals in Carlow of people who have died from cocaine use and many other families are affected by it. We should debate the misuse of drugs.
Senator Brian Hayes welcomed General de Chastelain's report on decommissioning and the response of the Ulster Unionist Party to it. The UUP welcomed the report and stated it would return to the issue when fuller details become available. The UUP response was statesman-like.
The Private Members' motion will be amended by the Government but because the Cabinet was meeting this morning, the amendment will be printed on a supplementary Order Paper. We have conveyed that information to the staff of the Seanad Office.
Senator O'Toole wrote to me last week about early childhood education and Senator O'Meara was vociferous about the issue before the recess. Senator O'Toole also praised John Hume and said that old fashioned class politics were now developing in the North, something that will take time to root out. A weariness has crept in, North and South, about the debate. We all say it is wonderful but it has been going on for so long. Senator O'Toole also raised the issue of An Daingean-Dingle. He could move No. 18 on the Order Paper, his own Bill, and we could work out a time to debate it.
Senator Ryan welcomed the report of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. He mentioned Shell and the Rossport five. He also asked me to find out if all flights must have a manifesto detailing the people and material on board and if any flights are exempt from such provisions. I will find out. He further asked about the closure of sweatshops, now that the EU does not require a declaration on the origin of clothing. None of us would like to be associated with the purchase of clothes from sweatshops but we do not know about it. The Senator also claimed some EU directives are not being debated in the Oireachtas and that there has not been a report on the finances of the VECs since 1999.
Senator Dardis welcomed events in Northern Ireland and paid particular tribute to the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister but he rightly poured very cold water on the comparison made by RTE's Northern editor between Gerry Adams and Mahatma Ghandi. One worked by peaceful means and the other did not.
Senator Finucane asked about the meeting of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on the matter involving Shell.
We will see if the Minister will attend to discuss this issue. Senator Kenneally echoed the welcome to Senator Bohan on his return to the House. He also wants the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children to attend regarding transport and accommodation for the recently publicised radiotherapy plans.
Senator Quinn wrote a very good article in this morning's edition of The Irish Times on the relevance or otherwise of the Houses of the Oireachtas. However, as he has left the Chamber, he cannot receive the compliment personally.
The Leader can tell him later.
He will hear of it.
He will. The Senator also referred to his visit to Trim to examine where a new hotel is being built. He also said Members were rightly not enthusiastic for the Centre for Public Inquiry. We are not enthusiastic about it because we do not know what it is about. Now we see there will be another Comptroller and Auditor General. Senator Quinn asked for a debate on this issue and we will see what can be done.
Senator Mansergh raised the matter of the Northern Ireland peace process. The Taoiseach concentrated on persuasion which I believe is his forte. I join with others who have paid tribute to Senator Mansergh. From what Fr. Alec Reid, the Reverend Good, Albert Reynolds and others have said, it is clear he was at the very heart of the process. It was great to see this expressed. Great lustre shines on the House that such eminence is in our midst. I thank Senator Mansergh. While I know he will blush and give out to me about this, I wanted to congratulate him.
Senator O'Meara raised the issues of early childhood education and the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill. However, the Bill is only in the Dáil now. In the last parliamentary term, one of her colleagues suggested we should franchise out our facilitators for getting Bills through the Dáil. Next week, Senator White will introduce a Private Members' Bill on flexi-time for working parents which will add to the debate. The Government and potential Governments must approach this complex issue carefully. It is not about throwing tax reliefs at this, that and the other. Children are complex human beings and parenting is a complex operation, as Members are aware. Not enough emphasis has been placed on the father and mother who elect to stay at home as childminders. There is no doubt that a constitutional issue is involved and woe betide any Government that would seek to ameliorate one side of the equation and not the other. This will be a complex debate and we will have to be very careful in approaching this issue. Senator O'Meara also wants a debate on the national treatment purchase fund which would be useful.
Senator Maurice Hayes gave recognition to Senator Mansergh, Fr. Reid and ReverendHarold Good. While not taking from Fr. Reid, Reverend Good was so definite that one could not but believe him. Senator Maurice Hayes made the point, rightly, that it was an entirely unnecessary war. However, this week is still a good week.
Senator Coghlan raised the issue of the Great Southern Hotel Group. I want to know why he and I did not meet this summer. I did not receive any invitation.
I heard the Leader was holidaying in Athlone and Mullingar and points in between.
Castlepollard?
That has gone to the other constituency.
As it is no longer in the constituency, what would I be going there for?
(Interruptions).
The Leader to reply on the Order of Business.
Senator O'Meara wants to hear the Government's thinking on the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill. While I do not know, I will endeavour to find out.
Senator Hanafin raised the issue of a gun amnesty. The Criminal Justice Bill will be before the House soon and it may be relevant to debate this issue in that context. The Senator also requested a debate on the matter of biodiesel. Senator Ulick Burke raised the issue of improving infrastructure funding in the BMW region. I attended the launch of the Ballaghaderreen Summer School where instructive seminars addressed the flight from the land and job creation. Some 900,000 extra jobs have been created, which is wonderful.
Senator MacSharry called for debates on radiotherapy services in the area above the Dublin to Galway line and the Rossport five. He said the Minister can be commended on the way he dealt with the matter in committee, which I am glad to hear.
Senator Bannon asked for a debate on what he calls the nationwide abandonment of health services. I do not think that is appropriate. The Senator has been active over the summer and is preoccupied with those issues.
Senator McHugh has also been busy. He was married and I congratulate him. We were thrilled by the pictures. He raised the double tagging of sheep and wants the matter taken up with the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan. I will be glad to do so.
Senator Dooley raised the issue of the recycling of farm plastics. I thought that was settled when the agricultural community agreed to pay a levy but it now appears to be unravelling. The Senator called for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, to come to this House to debate the matter.
Senator Feighan welcomed the IRA statement. Last week eight Fianna Fáil members spent a day with the SDLP.
As did two Fine Gael members.
Sir Reg Empey of the UUP was here the previous week with three or four of his colleagues for a debate. Sometimes I think the perception of being excluded is more important than what is actually happening.
Senator Scanlon is also interested in double tagging.
He has already been tagged.
The Senator deserves congratulations on his recent nomination. He will be busy too. He raised the issue of private bus operators. I know that is an important issue in his area. I will try to get the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy de Valera, to debate the matter.
Senator Browne raised the issue of school transport. The VECs were blamed unfairly, as was Bus Éireann, because policy decisions were a factor in what was happening. We all agree with one seat, one child, but I thought it applied only to secondary schools because primary school children were generally smaller and could squeeze in a bit. The principle of one seat per child is good but there were not enough buses and there was significant controversy as a result. I saw the Senator featured in The Irish Times on the subject. We were all busy during the recess. Let nobody say we were not active.
Senator Bannon wants us to be here more often but he will be busy soon with his own convention.
Order of Business agreed to.