The Order of Business is No. 1, Arbitration Bill 2008 — Second Stage, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business, on which spokespersons may speak for 12 minutes and all other Senators for seven minutes and Senators may share time, by agreement of the House.
Order of Business.
In The Irish Times this morning there are 14 letters about George Lee, but I would like to quote from a letter from Ms Jacinta Mangan, a special needs assistant at St. Joseph’s school in Tallaght. I ask the Deputy Leader, Senator Boyle, to respond to the letter which reads:
The Department of Education is threatening to cut the staff in our school by two-thirds. This means that the teacher numbers will be reduced from 16 to six and our special needs assistants are being reduced from 17 to five.
The letter mentions that when the Department undertook a review of the school recently, it found it to be excellent and meeting the needs of its pupils. Ms Mangan states that if these cuts are implemented, she will not be able to continue the teaching and provide the care needed by these children. She asks how this can be allowed to happen. The letter concludes:
Our school has been abandoned by the State and our elected officials but we will fight Mr. O'Keeffe and the undemocratic quango, the National Council for Special Needs, he cowers behind. There is only one chance at childhood and our children deserve every opportunity.
Where is the fairness in decision-making at Government level, which means these children will not receive the special needs assistance they clearly need and which a Government report found they need? The Deputy Leader is a member of the Green Party which prided itself on preserving education in the renegotiated programme for Government. These children were not saved by the decisions made on foot of the Green Party's recent renegotiation with its Government partners. We need a debate in this House on what is happening as regards special needs education.
During the debate on the budget we spoke about the importance of fairness in decision-making. A Fine Gael motion on the unfair decision to preserve the conditions of very senior civil servants was voted down in the Dáil last night. Public servants who are paid less than €30,000 were heavily punished by decisions made in the recent budget. We should have a debate on such matters in the House next week.
Will the Deputy Leader explain how it is fair, after years of the Celtic tiger, to impose a cutback on children with special needs in Tallaght?
I support 99% of Senator Fitzgerald's contribution on special needs education. I also read the letter this morning and the only aspect on which I take issue and on which I am sure the Senator will agree with me is the reference to the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. An examination of the role of the council in this matter would answer the Senator's question. The NSCE was charged by the Government with producing methods and timelines for implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act. It has produced one of the best reports I have read. In one four or five page section the report addresses every requirement of the Act and sets out actions, timelines and resource allocations for each aspect of the legislation. I ask my colleagues on the Government side to read the report which I will circulate and note how the timelines have been ignored and the Government has failed to make progress.
We do not need to reinvent the wheel. The National Council for Special Education has done a mighty job in committing everything to paper. The point the letter writer was no doubt trying to make was that the council had been ignored by the Government. The House should debate the four or five pages of the NCSE report on the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act. The report clearly identifies when certain steps should be taken, how many psychologists should be recruited, the timeframe within which individual children should be assessed, the means for determining individual educational plans and other issues.
I reiterate a point I made yesterday on the Order of Business. I have made the same point to colleagues in the trade union movement. Watching television images from Greece yesterday one could be forgiven for believing a revolution rather than a 24 hour national strike was under way. People believe the bitty trade union action taking place in various workplaces around the country will not lead to anything. While I hope that is the case because no one wants strike action, these actions develop their own dynamics. Small measures can lead to larger ones and annoyance among individuals can lead to a serious row which could eventually result in people losing control at all levels.
There has never been a more important time for the Government, the trade union movement, business leaders, including IBEC, and others to show a united front and act in concert to distance Ireland from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. We must move forward together. People should not delude themselves that the current industrial action will go away and nothing will happen. As Senator Buttimer stated yesterday, bush fires become forest fires and eventually develop into one raging, out of control inferno. The Government must take control. Trust is lacking between the trade union movement and the Government. All parties must act for the good of the country. I appeal to the Deputy Leader to commence the process by indicating his party's view on how this issue can be advanced.
One of the issues on the agenda at today's meeting of European Union Heads of Government in Brussels is how the Union can assist in the reconstruction of Haiti. I would like the meeting which will be attended by the Taoiseach to send a clear message to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank that Haiti's debts must be cancelled to assist in the reconstruction of the country.
It is also important that European leaders agree on a set of measures to help stabilise the euro currency. These measures must be fair and balanced and not show favour to particular countries. We are all aware from news reports that Greece is in crisis as the Greek Government seeks to implement budgetary changes to address the country's economic difficulties. Senator O'Toole referred to the issue. Ireland has addressed its crisis by introducing difficult measures. We have made sacrifices, some of which were necessary, and had our wages and services cut. It is important, therefore, that we ensure governments which fail to take action are not given a free ride. EU Heads of Government must show leadership on this issue. In stabilising the currency they must not show favouritism to a particular country as to do so would create a dangerous precedent in dealing with future crises.
As an engineering graduate, I welcome today's call by Engineers Ireland for a programme to be introduced to incentivise unemployed engineers to return to college to study maths. Maths and science have the potential to create a significant number of jobs and require investment if we are to fight our way out of the recession. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate on the Engineers Ireland proposal and the wider issue of access to education.
Yesterday I met mature students taking access courses at the National University of Ireland Galway whose maintenance grants had been reduced by several thousand euro in the past year as a result of Government cutbacks. Approximately 2,000 students nationwide have been affected by the cuts and many are having difficulty in completing their courses. This could result in access courses failing to attract sufficient numbers of students to be feasible next year. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate on access to education as soon as possible.
I support calls for a debate on special needs education. The sooner we have this essential debate the better. I refer specifically to Senator O'Toole's comments on the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act which is addressed in the programme for Government. Progress is required on the recruitment of speech and occupational therapists. I am also in favour of moving towards taking a rights based approach to special education needs. A rights based approach to education in general would fit in well with the Constitution and what was originally——
The Senator should move to these benches where he would be made very welcome.
I commend Senators for calling for a debate on special education needs.
I also call for a debate on the issue of Travellers' health, on which a report was published today. The health of Travellers is linked with poor accommodation. The report recommends a greater national input into the issue of Traveller accommodation because the current local authority system does not appear to be working.
Senator Hannigan referred to a report by Engineers Ireland, an organisation which is strongly focused on the concept of the green economy. I call for a debate on the green economy, on which both the Fine Gael Party and the Government have produced good documents. We need to find a way out of the current economic downturn and the green economy appears to be the best way to achieve this.
When does the Deputy Leader expect an end to cronyism and the continuing political patronage on the board of FÁS? Earlier this week the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced appointments to the new board of FÁS. Fewer than half of those appointed were required to apply for the position. A short-list of 28 people was drawn up and, lo and behold, it emerged that three of the new board members were linked to the Fianna Fáil Party, while one was a failed Green Party election candidate.
That is not the case.
Nothing has changed in FÁS which remains a symbol of excess, waste and patronage.
Is the Senator seeking a debate on the matter?
When can we expect real reform of FÁS? While its staff do great work on the ground, it is time the board worked on behalf of the people.
I ask for a debate on social partnership. I listened to Senator Hannigan's contribution. The euro is in crisis but, more importantly, the country needs everyone involved in social partnership, including the Oireachtas, to take action to remove the threat of industrial unrest. Workers, employers, the Government and all other parties must establish a mechanism to enable us to trade out of the recession. The Government has failed to listen to the Opposition and the social partners. When will it do so? When will the Green Party begin exercising itself in Government as opposed to what it doing at present, which is huffing and puffing?
Yesterday, a new salary and expenses regime for Deputies and Senators was announced. This is an important piece of the economic recovery jigsaw towards which we are all working. It is particularly important that Members of the Oireachtas are seen to be bearing the hurt the same as the public do in so many areas. Some of the difficult decisions made to date by the Government are now bearing fruit and we can see that we are being viewed internationally as a country making a genuine and focused effort to put in place the elements of an economic recovery.
At the same time, we are all aware of a simmering under the surface where the trade unions are concerned. I agree with Senator O'Toole that we must urgently address this issue. It is not sufficient to know that it is there and that we ignore it to some extent. It is far more important that an effort is made again to engage with the trade unions. Social partnership is the way forward. To some extent perhaps it has been tarnished because having seen its success in the good days, the recession is being blamed on it. I do not accept this. I believe it is possible to sit down around the table once again and look at the views of the trade unions. It is not the decisions made that are the big problem; the fears of the trade unions for the future are what are important, and this is especially true of the public service. We should sit down with all the trade unions and social partners and indicate what the coming years will involve. It is not enough to take an eye off the ball. We have made good progress but we must build on it.
I call for an urgent debate on homelessness in Dublin. I raised this issue previously in the context of what I felt was a rather bureaucratic approach by the Homeless Agency on the collection, harvesting and retention of data on the homeless. It was rather insensitive. Now, the situation has become much worse because the Salvation Army in conjunction with Dublin City Council has announced the closure of the Cedar House emergency centre for the homeless on Marlborough Street. Eight of the people in contact with that agency died on the streets of Dublin over Christmas. This situation will get much worse. The response of the city authorities seems to be to clear these untidy elements off the streets. There is no doubt that they are awkward people. These are the most vulnerable and chaotic people. The excuse being used is that the hostel is not up to standard and that the most amenable people will be put into bed and breakfast accommodation, which is often filthy and poorly run. However, the chaotic people — drug addicts, alcoholics and people with mental problems — will be left out altogether.
Cedar House provides 50 rough sleepers with a bed. Those working there hand out bedding and provide 1,000 items of clothing per week. They feed people day and night and have an outreach service. What will happen to these people? Incidentally, 40 jobs are unceremoniously gone without discussion with the employees. The Salvation Army is seen as a Protestant charity, although I do not think it is. On the other side of the city, at Charlemont, Crosscare, the Catholic agency which does such excellent work, is also being closed at the behest of the city council. I warned that this type of thing might happen when I saw the Government dismantling the Combat Poverty Agency and the Equality Authority. The vulnerable have been left voiceless. It is for the Seanad to take up this cause and colleagues on all sides of the House have called for a debate on homelessness. I call for it urgently and would like it next week. These people are vulnerable and will die. If we do not give a voice to them, we can only hang our heads in shame.
I support the call for a debate on education, in particular special needs. We all recognise the importance of intervention and the benefits accruing. Perhaps we should look at what has been achieved in recent years and how we can continue to roll it forward.
I support Senator Norris's view on the importance of raising the issue of homelessness. There are very vulnerable people with difficulties who are bounced from one authority to another. Those of us who deal with these people regularly are somewhat frustrated with the system that prevails. Having said that, great progress has been made on the number of beds available for those who go to shelters.
The chaotic ones are the problem.
Fantastic and fabulous work is being carried out by outreach workers trying to bring in people. In case the House would have the view that there are insufficient beds available for homeless people, my understanding is that the beds are not full each night. An ample number of beds are available——
It is the chaotic people who are vulnerable.
No interruptions.
——but it is difficult to bring in people. I wish to raise the failure of the HSE to reach the target on its primary care centres. I read with interest the work of the Joint Committee on Health and Children on this issue and an appropriate incentive for the construction of primary care centres is necessary.
I call for a debate on defined benefit pension schemes. According to the Pensions Board up to 80% of defined benefit pension schemes were estimated to be in deficit at the end of 2009. This is a very important issue and I would like a debate on it.
Two headlines from The Irish Times today are “Frantic EU efforts to develop conditional rescue for Greece” and “Ireland distances itself from hardest hit”, that being a reference to the high debt problems of Greece, Portugal and Spain. We have taken the necessary corrective action on the public finances, but what distinguishes Ireland from these other countries is the role played by the Opposition in supporting the Government on implementing the Stability and Growth Pact cutbacks in public finances. On “Morning Ireland” today, Daniel Gros of the Centre for European Policy Studies underlined that distinguishing feature. He stated that a deep adjustment is inevitable in Greece but it is not certain that the opposition and trade unions also understand that. When we reflect on the changes made in this economy and where we have distinguished ourselves, we see that distinguishing feature is the role of the Opposition, in particular Fine Gael and Deputy Richard Bruton who drew up Fine Gael’s economic policy and alternative budget.
In the United Kingdom, a former Minister, Jonathan Aitken, and Lord Jeffrey Archer were found guilty of perjury in separate libel actions. Here, a sitting Minister, Deputy Willie O'Dea——
I am not going down that road of perjury in the Chamber.
——who by his own admission has lied on oath——
Please.
——and apologised to the court.
I do not want to get involved in any cases that are in the courts.
This is a valid issue and I am entitled to raise the question and I am asking the Deputy Leader a question.
I am not saying that you are not entitled to raise it but I do not want to get involved in perjury.
It is not personal, it is business. I asked for an explanation of the Taoiseach's position on this and what has the Minister for Defence to say on it. Since no explanation is forthcoming, if we are to have any standards which are comparable to that applicable in other jurisdictions, the least the Minister of Defence should do is resign from office.
I am delighted to hear the Opposition has been so helpful to the Government on economic policies. It is a refreshing new disclosure by Senator Regan.
We always act in the national interest.
I recall that the Labour Party voted against NAMA and other such issues.
Questions to the Deputy Leader. We are not interested in the Opposition.
I am sure the Deputy Leader will clarify the situation because he is well aware of the programme for Government.
The Deputy Leader will deal with questions raised.
Credit where credit is due.
Nobody here should know more about the courts than Senator Regan. The matter discussed has been discharged by the courts and no further action is involved.
Do not get involved in that. It is questions to the Deputy Leader now.
If somebody makes a point like that, it is only fair that somebody should be able to stand up for a person being accused or wronged.
The Deputy Leader can only reply to questions raised.
I am simply assisting the Deputy Leader in that regard.
Always helpful.
The Fine Gael Party should stop demonising George because he is a decent young man with a great future. The marriage did not work out. I am not sure whether it was consummated.
I will call the next speaker if the Senator does not ask a question.
Court proceedings are underway and they should be held in camera because it is the most acrimonious divorce I have come across.
This is not the pantomime; it is a serious Chamber. The Senator can put questions to the Deputy Leader if he wishes but otherwise I will call the next speaker.
No. 36 on the Order Paper, motion No. 5, was submitted by Senators Norris and O'Toole and concerns taxi plates. I urge the Senators to move this motion so we can debate it with the Minister for Transport. I raised the issue of taxi plates on yesterday's Order of Business. Dublin has 14,000 taxis and up to 60 vehicles are waiting in line at Heuston station on any given morning. This is a difficult time for the taxi industry. The motion has been on the Order Paper since March 2009. I ask those who put down motions why they cannot move them within the year. It is much easier for Opposition Senators to table this kind of motion than it is for those of us in Government.
That is a matter for the Senators who submit the motion.
I cannot move the motion. I ask Senators Mullen and Ross to withdraw motion No. 6, which refers to a national strike planned for 30 March 2009.
That is a matter for the Senators concerned.
I am merely making a suggestion as a Member of this House. I am trying to be helpful by reminding the Senators that they put forward the motions. They should either be removed or moved.
Questions should be put to the Deputy Leader on the Order of Business.
Perhaps it is fortunate that the Deputy Leader is taking the Order of Business because he may be qualified to tell us about the proposed mayor for Dublin. We understand the heads of a Bill were agreed but we will not know the details until the legislation is published. I ask the Deputy Leader to outline for the House what he thinks the Bill will contain regarding the powers of the proposed mayor. Public representatives are being caught on local radio even though we are not in a position to comment on the matter. We do not know how the proposal will work in practice. We already have four mayors who are answerable to councillors but the new mayor will have some sort of overarching role without being answerable to any council.
No. 6, the Multi-Unit Developments Bill 2009, and No. 8, the Property Services (Regulation) Bill 2009, have been languishing on the Order Paper for quite some time and there is confusion as to whether it is intended to proceed with them. Perhaps the Deputy Leader can enlighten us regarding these Bills.
I was taken by the comments of Senators O'Toole, Ó Murchú and Buttimer on social partnership. Nobody wants this country to end up in the situation of Italy, Spain, Portugal and, especially, Greece. I do not pretend to understand all the reasons behind the breakdown of trust but we certainly do not want unrest. It is welcome that Senator O'Toole, who is closely involved in the trade union movement, stated that unions have no such intention but we must return to talks. It is very bad when people do not speak to one another because, as Senator Leyden would argue, it can lead to divorce. In order to arrive at a proper accommodation, the Government should lead the return to the negotiating table.
I join other speakers in calling for a debate on special needs. We all have experience from our constituencies of cuts in hours, the insensitivity of special educational needs organisers, SENOs, in certain areas and frustration at the parrot like responses that come from the National Council for Special Education when one appeals to the Minister for Education and Science. Every case is different and some require the personal attention of SENOs, who cannot simply refuse people based on a strict set of criteria.
Approximately one year ago I called for the establishment of a commission for a fairer Ireland. Now that social partnership as we knew it has effectively fallen apart after serving us so well over the past 20 years, it would be timely to establish a commission which allows all the pillars to meet over a short period of time to tease out the issues and perhaps outline a path for the next 20 years of social partnership.
This House could play a valuable role in ratifying public appointments to State boards. In regard to so-called political appointments to the board of FÁS, the fact that people have been able to apply to be appointed to various boards is a welcome development. I have the height of confidence in the appointees and their political affiliations do not impact on their expertise or ability to do a good job. In case the Senators opposite doubt me, let me remind them that one of the best appointees to the board of NAMA is a former Fine Gael activist and insolvency accountant from Limerick. The fact that he has in the past been a Fine Gael activist does not remotely affect my opinion of his ability to do an excellent job.
I dissent from the sentiments expressed by Senators O'Toole, Ó Murchú, Coghlan and Buttimer regarding the public sector. If politicians are to earn their money, they must mediate among the differing needs of society. The public sector went out of control during the boom years. Any correction is bound to be bloody and difficult. It is easy to implement social partnership in boom times but it failed the first test in the recession and it fell apart. Before we can talk, the reality check has to go in hard. There is still a huge gap between the public and private sectors. Ask the Halifax workers whether they can walk back into a permanent and pensionable job like a certain prima donna who allegedly left to try the free market of politics. They have no such safety nets. Everybody knows that is the dialectic or rhythm of life.
Edmund Burke noted that anybody who gets an emolument from the public purse will not give it up voluntarily. Public sector workers received emoluments from the public purse and the gap still stands at between 26% and 30%. Before we speak to them, we have to know they understand there will be no return to the gravy train. They must do a hard day's work for their pay like everybody else. Members of the Oireachtas have now accepted the need to give value for money but the public sector is not giving value for money in many areas. Many public servants would welcome a reformed system which rewarded those who do a hard day's work on the basis of merit and fired time servers if necessary. The Government should not sit down with the public sector until the unions assure it that reform will be on the agenda. Furthermore, I deplore the decision of the Minister for Finance to allow 600 of them off the hook. That sort of sweetheart deal ties the hands of those of us who have rightly criticised the gravy train over the years. It was a mistake by the Government and it should be rectified.
Along with 600 other people, I attended a lecture in the Mansion House last Monday given by Dr. Craig Barrett, former chairman of Intel. Dr. Barrett spelled out the reasons why Intel invested in Ireland 20 years ago. We had a large and highly educated cohort of young university graduates and were competitive and bursting with fire to be the best in Europe and to escape our Third World situation. He gave a frightening assessment of our current position. Ireland is no longer competing on the world stage. The reasons Intel came no longer exist, other than the corporation tax. Dr. Barrett said that, sadly, our standard of education is only average, our broadband development is poor and our average investment in research and development is weak. A total of 600 policymakers were in the room. I do not know whether other politicians were in attendance besides me.
I call on the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe to come to the House to discuss what Dr. Barrett said. What is his vision for the future of education? Dr. Barrett said that the nanotechnologies of the future on which industries will be based are dependent on science and mathematics. Naturally, we will always need the humanities, but we must increase our standard of education in science. He said that 35% of mathematics teachers in secondary school are not even graduates in mathematics and science. They are not qualified to teach it. He also succinctly said that when the Fianna Fáil-driven Government——
Time, Senator.
I am a republican socialist by nature. I watched closely the Fine Gael Government of the 1980s. I feel very sorry for my colleagues on the Opposition benches because their leader cannot afford to blow it any more. I said to my colleagues today that if Fianna Fáil is given a chance in the next 12 months, we will be back as the leaders in government. This country's success to date has been due to the pragmatic vision of Fianna Fáil. Let us take for example, Donogh O'Malley, the visionary in education in the 1960s who gave free secondary education. We must raise the standards of mathematics and science. The universities are half asleep. Dr. Barrett said we need UCD and Trinity College to be like Stanford and MIT——
I thank the Senator.
——and to produce entrepreneurs who will produce the nanotechnologies and companies of the future.
Time, Senator. My hands are tied.
The singular failure of the Government and the failure of politics at the moment is the failure to create jobs in this country. The fact is that in the region of 437,000 people are out of work and 60,000 young people emigrated last year. Those statistics are frightening. They are a shocking indictment of what we are doing. For that reason I support the proposition by Senator Ó Brolcháin that we have a full debate on green technologies, green energy and green solutions to the jobs crisis.
There is great potential for jobs in wind energy. We could become a net exporter of energy. There is also great potential for jobs in wave energy. There is further potential for jobs on the 100,000 acres of fallow land that could be used for the production of bio-fuels by farmers. That potential exists at national level.
At a more local level communities can come together in the same way as the co-operatives of old to put in place microgenerators. More grant aid could be provided for insulation and solar panels. A huge amount could be done to create jobs. If one does not create jobs, one does not generate economic activity or revenue and one will never restart the economy. I urge the acting Leader to set aside a minimum of one day — a number of days if possible — to discuss in a focused way how we can create jobs from the green energy sector. That area could become a net creator of jobs and we could become net exporters of energy. The rising cost of oil and the finite supply thereof makes this an imperative.
I support those who spoke previously about innovation and job creation that are necessary for the economy. I am conscious in particular that the existence of this Chamber potentially has a question mark over it. What we do in this Chamber and how we do our work for the next term will be important. I suggest to the Deputy Leader that we continue to have debates on the economy, in particular on innovation and jobs.
I am conscious that the Taoiseach has made it clear that we need to get back to 2004 levels for us all to be competitive. On that understanding, there is room for social partnership. We must all realise that we need to go back somewhat to become competitive because the only safe job is a competitive job. We all need to be competitive. With that in mind I will continue to ask for a direction on social partnership that we could discuss in the House under the guideline of becoming competitive. We should also discuss jobs, in particular innovation. In the past Europe has lost out on significant opportunities. Now the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science is an Irish Commissioner. With that in mind, there is great potential. We would serve the country well if we continue to have regular debates on jobs and in particular on innovation.
We, in particular Senator Bacik, have called on a number of occasions for a debate on the Prison Service. One of the areas we should debate urgently is the early release of dangerous prisoners due to limited space in prisons. I was impressed by the case of an American who was given to a 27-month sentence, plus 1,500 hours of community service and a $400,000 fine. That is all very well. What was interesting was that he was instructed that his 27-month sentence was to be served at home. I am not sure of the details but he was not a dangerous criminal.
It is interesting to realise that there are options other than prison. One of them is electronic tagging. We have talked about the issue previously. I do not believe the system is in use in this country. I am not sure whether the example I have outlined involved electronic tagging. However, it suggests there are options open to the Department and to judges in terms of the sentences they give. Community service has been used by some judges as part of a sentence. What really impressed me is that in this particular case the man in question was sentenced to 27 months at home. If we are to have a debate on the Prison Service we should include a measure such as that as an option. I do not know how it works and I am not sure how easy it is to enforce but it is an option we should include. It would be worthwhile to have a debate on the Prison Service in this House soon.
In the light of this being Engineers' Week and in view of yesterday's discussions on education and what Senator White said about the state of higher level mathematics and science at leaving certificate, I draw attention to an interesting proposal made by the engineers that perhaps some consideration should be given to those engineers who are unemployed. It was suggested that they could be given an in-service course on how mathematics should be taught, especially to those students preparing for senior cycle and to study science and engineering at third level. We could bring forward that suggestion. Perhaps the Minister for Education and Science would consider the proposal as it is a concept which should be examined. It might not work but it is worth considering.
On the debate on social partnership, we have to accept that there may well be a role for social partnership but the parameters have changed dramatically and it will now have to be very much secondary to the political decision-making process. My analysis is that social partnership is fine once the political leadership exists and once the dialogue and decision making begins and ends with the politicians. The big difficulty we had in the past decade or so is that cosy deals were being done behind closed doors and the Oireachtas was totally excluded from the important decision making. Many of those decisions have left the country in the perilous state it is now in. The job of politicians is to lead. I have stated previously that in recent months the Government has shown a degree of leadership. Much more leadership is required to save the country. It will not save Fianna Fáil but it is necessary to save our country.
Will the Deputy Leader arrange a full debate on the future funding of agriculture? I seek this in the context of Europe being the best friend of Irish agriculture. However, funding post-2013 will be determined over the next few years and, regardless of potential restraints at EU level, significant funding will be available to the industry. We have an enormously interesting debate ahead of us on this matter because the decisions we will take politically on the spending of those moneys will decide the future fabric of rural Ireland. They will have to be tough because we cannot please everybody but we will have a significant opportunity to shape the future of rural Ireland by the decisions we make on how that money is allocated. Billions of euro will be provided per annum. One system is in place currently which is up for review. I hope it will be reviewed and changed but we need an inclusive public debate on the issue because an entirely new structure will be put in place in 2013 and the Houses of the Oireachtas have a significant opportunity to decide what the future lay of the land will be throughout rural Ireland.
Finally following years of campaigning and advocacy, BreastCheck has been rolled out throughout the country but, unfortunately, it is only available to women aged over 50. Surveys were compiled recently by Dr. Juliet McAleese and it is extraordinary that out of 600 unfortunate women who received the devastating news that they had been diagnosed with breast cancer, 400 were aged under 50. These women are usually in the midst of rearing their children or in the prime of their careers. Socially and financially, this is devastating for the State. I will embark on a campaign to ensure women under 50 will be covered by BreastCheck and will be able to avail of mammograms. A number of my friends have been diagnosed and some have died in their 40s because this service was not available. Will the Deputy Leader intervene on behalf of this significant group in our society to ensure BreastCheck is available to them? This will be cost-effective in the long run. I call on the Minister for Health and Children to come to the Chamber to discuss this issue. I accept great inroads have been made through centres of excellence but prevention is always better than cure.
I agree with Senator Mary White's comments about the role education can play in competitiveness and, in particular, about what Dr. Barrett, formerly of Intel, said in this regard earlier this week because this man knows what our county needs to be competitive. However, I reject what she said about our party. We do not need her pity. We are not asking for it nor do we need it. For her to stand up and talk about the performance of our leader when her leader presided over the waste, incompetence and the policy failures to which Dr. Barrett referred last Monday night is more than can be tolerated.
Hear, hear.
Her leader presided over the drift and lack of direction which Mr. Barrett decried and deplored and that must be recognised.
We need to have a debate on education. A cohort of young people in our society about whom we had a debate last night, need action more than pity. Two thirds of young men living in Limerick county and city are signing on and it is the same in other counties while 22,000 men aged under 25 in Dublin are sharing the same experience. Colleagues referred to what is happening in Greece but I would sound a note of caution because repeatedly we see pride before the fall. It must be recognised that our country is still on the edge of a precipice. Thank God we are on the right side of it but we must be vigilant and decisive in ensuring we do not end up in the same place. In a week in which we have heard many discussions about the role, purpose and value of politics, we should pause and recognise what is happening Europe-wide. Politics should fuse the idea of self-interest with the idea of solidarity and that is the direction the EU could take with Greece. It should be recognised and praised if it goes in that direction.
I thank Members for their contributions. Senator Fitzgerald referred to an issue raised in a letter to The Irish Times about a school in Tallaght. I am afraid I cannot respond directly but if the issue is reducing teacher numbers, which is affecting special needs assistants, SNAs, I suspect it is linked to the pupil-teacher ratio, which has been restored to its 2008 level. Demographic factors might be at play but I will seek information in this regard.
We await the review of SNA system. As I have said previously on the Order of Business, some issues relate to the transfer of assistants to individual students and carryovers in individual schools. It is to be hoped the review will answer many of those questions. On the wider issue of a debate on special needs, Senator Fitzgerald was supported by Senators O'Toole, ÓBrolcháin, Callely and MacSharry. The issue is raised regularly on the Order of Business and we should see how such a debate can be facilitated. Senator O' Toole, in particular, mentioned the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, which the programme for Government partially addresses. All Members would like the legislation to be fully implemented as soon as possible and a debate would help that process.
Senators O'Toole, Hannigan, Buttimer, O Murchú, Regan, Coghlan, Donohoe and Harris called for a debate on social partnership and it is important that we have such a debate. Senators Bradford and Harris expressed different views about the role of social partnership. It is accepted that if it is restored in some form, it cannot be an alternative to decision making by the Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Hear, hear.
It has to be a consultative process and it has to take a form in which the social partners feel they are involved but decisions are made as they have to be made. The present difficulty with social partnership is based on the fact that decisions have been made by the Government that were unpopular and, for many elements of society, unacceptable but they were the right decisions that needed to be made.
Hear, hear.
On that basis, I hope a restoration of social partnership will take account of how decisions need to be made in the future. That said, economic development will be predicated on stability in our economy and that requires the involvement of the social partners. The decisions we have made have put a distance between our economy and those of Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Senator Donohoe is correct that the road we are taking for economic advancement could be tricky. We might be on a W curve instead of a U curve in our economic development. Events in Greece could take us down the wrong road.
Senator Hannigan also raised this issue and, as he said, the stabilisation of the euro is important in this regard. In the context of the EU Summit this morning, the Greeks should not be given gifts at this stage. If Greece is to recover, it must take the type of action we have taken as a society and an economy and the eurozone will benefit subsequently because of that.
Senators Hannigan, Mary White, Donohoe and Hanafin mentioned the topic of innovation and the need to support engineering, in particular, as well as focusing on the educational basis of maths and science subjects. Senator Ormonde also mentioned this subject, which should be the focus of an important debate in the House. The Government's own smart economy document is concerned with how we can achieve this, and the subject will benefit from the contributions of all Members of the House.
Senator Ó Brolcháin raised the question of Travellers' health and the issue of the green economy. He was supported in his call for a debate on the green economy by Senator O'Reilly. I would like to see such a debate take place. It is important that we have a proactive, positive debate on the economy in the House.
Senator Buttimer mentioned the new FÁS board. We have passed a Bill that will, it is to be hoped, bring about better governance in FÁS. The new board is formed in a very different way from the old board, which ironically was formed indirectly based on nominations by social partnership bodies, and it is going into a new set of circumstances in which its members will certainly not be given concert tickets but must restore the organisation's damaged reputation. Anyone appointed to the board will go in with that knowledge and, I believe, with the level of duty to public service that will achieve what needs to be done. However, I ask the Senator to refrain from using a phrase he used today and which I have also heard used by his colleague Deputy Varadkar and see constantly in the media. There is no such thing as a failed election candidate. There are unsuccessful election candidates.
Senators
Hear, hear.
Everyone who participates in public life, who puts himself or herself forward on a ballot paper, seeks support from voters and is willing to serve in public life, deserves encouragement and support. Phrases of that nature do not help.
On a point of order, a Chathaoirligh.
That is not a point of order.
What is the point of order?
A defeated candidate is a failed candidate. I was one myself.
A Senator
What about George Lee?
He was not a failed candidate.
No.
The old pals' act still reigns. That is the bottom line.
There is to be no interference.
I am not interfering with him at all. The old pals' act still pertains.
Senator Buttimer is not a failed candidate, for God's sake.
Please. There are to be no interruptions.
I was a failed candidate at the last general election.
The Deputy Leader without interruption.
Senator Ó Murchú mentioned the new expenses regime in the Houses of the Oireachtas, a reform that is intended to reflect the new realities in public expenditure. The Senator stated that he hoped it would inform the changes that need to occur in social partnership.
Senator Norris asked for a debate on homelessness and cited a number of homeless agencies in the capital region. Such a debate will be useful. It is one of the undoubted truths of the decline in economic circumstances that those with the least in our society suffer most. This House needs to reflect the nature of that problem and discuss how we can solve it collectively.
Senator Callely also mentioned homelessness, as well as the failure of the HSE to meet its targets for primary care centres and the question of how we can better meet such targets. We can talk to the Minister for Health and Children with regard to addressing this issue. In addition, the question of defined pension schemes was mentioned. The Government intends in the coming months to release a national pensions framework which will form the basis of a debate in the House.
Senator Regan, as well as discussing the public finances of Greece, lauded the role of the Opposition in dealing with the economic crisis. Undoubtedly, the Opposition can and does play a role, and these are difficult times. I would like to think the Government is also stepping up to the plate and making the decisions that need to be made. As we face further difficult decisions in this regard, I look forward to stronger and more open co-operation from the Opposition.
Senator Leyden asked for a debate on taxi plates and mentioned a motion on this topic on the Order Paper. In the first instance, motions are the responsibility of Members who place them on the Order Paper, but I will consider the need for a debate on taxi licences and services and arrange one as soon as possible.
Senator Coghlan asked about the Bill establishing the office of a directly elected Lord Mayor for Dublin. The heads of the Bill have been approved. I am not sure whether the initial deadline of June can be met; it depends on the passage of the Bill through both Houses of the Oireachtas. However, the intention is to hold an election this year at the earliest possible opportunity.
When will we have the Bill?
The intention is to mirror the office of Lord Mayor of London in the UK, in which a mayor assumes executive responsibility over a wide area, while incorporating the existing system.
Will he or she have real power?
It will start on the same basis as the London mayor and develop as time goes on. The nature of the Bill will form a useful discussion in the House. It will be a development in local democracy in this country.
Senator Coghlan also asked about the status of the Multi-Unit Developments Bill and the property registration legislation. We are waiting for the appropriate Department to contact us with regard to starting Committee Stage. The Multi-Unit Development Bill has already passed Second Stage in the House. It will be useful for both of these Bills to pass as quickly as possible.
Has it left the Attorney General's office?
No interruptions, please.
No. Both Bills are the responsibility of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. We will provide the relevant information to Members. The Department must be prepared to take amendments and deal with the debate. That is what we are led to believe. As soon as they are ready, both Bills will be back before the House.
Senator McFadden asked about the full roll-out of the BreastCheck service and the age limitation for users of the service. Her points will be forwarded on. I cannot say whether the decision to limit the age of users is resource-linked. I do not believe it is politically inspired; it is informed by medical advice. However, the Senator's points are well made and I will find out whether they can be responded to by the Minister, either directly or from the floor of the House.
I thank the Deputy Leader.
Could the Deputy Leader respond to my question on green jobs?
I did.
Order of Business agreed to.