I join all the Members who expressed their sympathy to the families of the fishermen lost in the accident off the west Cork coastline. The skipper of the vessel was a fellow county man of mine, from the small village of Bunmahon in Waterford. Our hearts go out to all the families. Likewise, we extend our sympathy to the family of Mr. Aengus Fanning, editor of the Sunday Independent and a very influential figure in Irish journalism.
Senator Darragh O'Brien asked about a strategy to deal with the issue of mortgage arrears. I will endeavour to have the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, come to the House to address the issue.
In regard to an interdepartmental committee on Europe, there has been constant speculation as to whether there will be a referendum. One does not put all of one's cards on the table before going into the negotiating room. That is not how one operates in negotiations. The Government is working very well on the matter, but the question of a referendum has not yet been decided upon. Moreover, the advice has not yet been given. As Senator Paul Coghlan observed, it is better that we have the final text in order to decide whether a referendum is necessary. We should not rush our fences on such important issues. There must be proper consideration of these matters in order to avoid rash decisions.
Senator Ivana Bacik has called for a debate on the report of the expert group on the ABC case as soon as it is published. I will be pleased to facilitate such a debate. The Senator also seeks a debate on the need for a waste strategy. Waste collection services in Dublin are a matter for the local authorities, but we can have a broader debate on the need for a waste strategy with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, in due course.
Senator Jillian van Tunhout asked that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, update the House on her plans to hold a referendum on the issue of children's rights. The Government's legislative programme, issued last week, attempts to accurately reflect the position of legislation in the process at a particular point. The heads of the legislation relating to the children's rights referendum have not as yet been cleared by the Cabinet. However, work on the Bill is ongoing. It is a top priority for the Government, as confirmed by the Government Chief Whip this morning. The stated position of the Government is that the referendum will be held in 2012.
Senator van Turnhout also raised the important issue of accommodation for young offender. I will ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs or the Minister for Justice and Equality to come to the House to address that issue at a later stage.
Senator Quinn and other Senators raised the issue of generic drugs and the possibility of reducing costs in this regard. The Senators also mentioned blood tests, X-rays and the use of the Internet in regard to education on health. This is an important issue, one that must be addressed, particularly given the comments of Senator Crown and others on the pharmaceutical industry. Senator Crown has mentioned that seven out of ten of our top selling drugs are due to come off patent in the coming years, which creates a problem. The Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, is addressing the issue of generic drugs. It is hoped Senator Crown will expand further on his ideas in this regard during the debate on Thursday. We look forward to that debate.
Senator Healy Eames spoke about education matters, including DEIS and small rural schools and guidance counsellors. She also highlighted the issue of senior academics refusing to take a pay cut. It is disgraceful that some of them have not even replied to the Minister's request. I agree that their salaries should be benchmarked against those of their EU counterparts. It is not acceptable that they can live in ivorytowers when the Taoiseach is prepared to take a cut and have his salary capped at €200,000. The people concerned, who are well heeled, should take such a cut. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Quinn, to attend for a wide-ranging debate on education. The Minister will be in the House next week to deal with legislation.
Senator Leyden asked about the position of the Registration of Wills Bill 2011. While the principle of the Bill was acknowledged, there is no question but that the Bill was technically flawed, which is the reason it has not been dealt with. I will ascertain for the Senator whether the Government intends to introduce a Bill in that regard.
Senator O'Keeffe welcomed the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, of road improvement grants of €100 million and spoke about the dangerous condition of the N4 which has not been included in the roads improvement programme. I will try to ascertain the reason for this for the Senator. I am sure every road is prioritised by the National Roads Authority. I will try to get some further information for the Senator.
I have already addressed the issues raised by Senator Crown, including putting in place tax incentives for further research and the recommencement of our own pharmaceutical industry. I am sure the Senator will raise this issue again during Thursday's debate on job creation when all Senators will be given five minutes to put forward their ideas. The House will be flexible but Senators should stick to ideas for job creation rather than straying into other areas. It is hoped that following that debate the leaders of the various groups will put together bullet points in regard to ideas put forward by their Members which can then be presented to the relevant Ministers. This will show that this House is meaningful. Many Members are capable of coming up with ideas to create much needed jobs.
Senator O'Neill welcomed the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, that no further tolls will be introduced during the next few years. He also called for a debate on fuel costs. The issue of fuel costs, raised in committee by the Irish Road Haulage Association, deserves further discussion. I will endeavour to have the Minister come to the House to discuss the issue, as well as the issue of diesel laundering which was raised by Senator Quinn and other Members. This practise is causing major problems not alone in collecting moneys for the Exchequer but in an environmental context.
Senator Cullinane and other Members called for a debate on the health service plan. I will endeavour to have the Minister, Deputy Reilly, come to the House to address the problems raised in that regard. The Government faced difficult choices in setting the health Estimate. It has set as its priority the maintenance, to the greatest extent possible, of services within the resources available. Everyone will accept that the combination of saving measures, including the absence of extra funding to meet unavoidable extra costs, service needs, plus the further reduction in the numbers employed will inevitably impact on services across care programmes. The Government is committed to developing a universal single tier health service which guarantees access to medical procedures based on need rather than income. This continues to be the aim of the Government.
Senator Kelly raised the issue of processing medical card applications and pointed to the difficulties being experienced with pharmacies and so on. I acknowledge that there is a problem with delays in processing medical card applications. I do not believe 85% of applications are dealt with within ten to 15 days. I do not know from where that figure comes. I know that people are experiencing significant delays, particularly in respect of discretionary medical cards for people with terminal illnesses who would normally be given medical cards. These applications are being delayed and choked up in the system. I agree with the Senator that this issue needs to be addressed.
Senator Walsh called for a weekly debate on economic issues. It may not be possible to arrange on a weekly basis for a Minister to attend the House for a debate on economic issues. However, I will endeavour to do so. The Minister, Deputy Noonan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, have been in the House on many occasions in recent months.
Senator Comiskey raised the important issue of carbon monoxide poisoning and alarms on mobile phones and so on. Carbon monoxide and radon gas are causing problems. We need to highlight these issues by way of an information campaign in order that people are aware of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and so on.
Senator Daly called for a debate on the EU treaty. One does not go into negotiations putting all one's cards on the table. The Senator also spoke about democracy. Democracy has always prevailed with parties on this side of the House and that will continue to be the case. The Government is campaigning and negotiating with its colleagues in the US on the introduction of a waiver for the undocumented Irish.
A number of Senators called for a debate on foreign affairs. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Gilmore, will be in the House on 2 February for a two-hour debate on various issues. The points raised by Members can be raised during that debate.
In response to Senator Whelan's remarks regarding Irish Water and a consultation process, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, will be in the House next week to address the issue of the establishment of Irish Water. This will provide the Senator and other Members with an opportunity to contribute to the debate on the issue.
Senators White and Ó Domhnaill spoke about the loss of public nursing home beds. As Senator White noted, there will be an extensive consultation process in that regard.
Senator Moran referred to the decision made by Diageo, as well as delays in the ambulance service. She indicated her intention to raise both matters on the Adjournment and I encourage her to so do. Certainly, it is a serious matter if it takes 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the scene of an accident.
Senator Byrne mentioned items pertaining to EirGrid and the electricity infrastructure that can be debated with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, when he comes into the House.
Senator Colm Burke raised the issue of nursing homes, as well as the question of houses not registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board and the consequential loss of income to the Exchequer and the PRTB. This is a matter on which greater emphasis should be placed and those who have not registered their houses should be pursued. All landlords are aware they should be registered with the PRTB if their houses are rented. This matter should be followed up by the relevant authorities.
Senator Bradford mentioned the practice of holding debates on legislation in advance, with particular reference to the proposed referendum on the Seanad and the relevant Oireachtas committee. I ask those Members who are members of the aforementioned committee to call for such a debate on the issue at that committee.
Senator Mooney spoke about a foreign affairs matter. I believe I have dealt with it, as the Tánaiste will attend the House.
Senator Sheahan discussed the Croke Park agreement and the cuts made as a result of it. I believe I have dealt with most items raised and apologise if I have not addressed each item raised by Senators.
