The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2012, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2012 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1 and to conclude no later than 2.15 p.m.; No. 3, Europol Bill 2012 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 2.15 p.m. and to conclude no later than 3 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 4, Social Welfare Bill 2012 - Second Stage, to be taken at 3 p.m. and to conclude no later than 5.30 p.m., with the contribution of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given five minutes to reply; and No. 5, motion on the extension of the Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Act 2010, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 4 and the time to be given to this debate shall not exceed one hour, with the contribution of group spokespersons not to exceed six minutes, all other Senators not to exceed three minutes and the Minister to be given five minutes to reply.
Order of Business
All of us understand this is an important week for the Seanad. I welcome that the debate on the Social Welfare Bill 2012 is scheduled over three days. It is important that the legislation is debated properly in this House. The Seanad will have more time to debate the Bill than was the case in the Dáil. I hope we will have a reasoned debate and that people will listen to the arguments put forward on both sides of the House. I look forward to putting forward our views and discussing our amendments tomorrow.
I ask the Leader to raise an issue arising with the proposed property tax with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
Colleagues on Dublin City Council now face a bill of €3.4 million - just two weeks after passing their budget - on the basis of the property tax for which the Minister says local authorities are now liable. Two weeks ago, Fianna Fáil colleagues on Dublin City Council sought a postponement of the council budget in order to get clarification from the Minister as to who would be liable for the property tax and how it would be paid. Dublin City Council owns 21,771 social housing units, all of which will now be liable for the tax, which will bring a bill of approximately €3.4 million. Fingal County Council, my local authority, has 5,077 social housing units, but it is only having its budget today. The bill for Fingal County Council will amount to approximately €1.6 million over a full year. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has approximately 4,000 social housing units and it is expected to pass its budget tomorrow.
Did the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, make any effort to consult the local authorities about this? Was there any communication at all with local authority members and county and city managers? Has his Department carried out an assessment of the number of local authority houses in each area and of the cost of the overall bill for each council? Was there any proper examination of this or did the Minister hope people would not notice these changes? As colleagues are aware, most local authorities will pass their budgets over the next few weeks. It is important and the least that can be expected that locally elected members are given some idea, before they pass their budgets, for what additional bills they will be liable.
How can local authorities pay this tax? They must either raise the rents of those living in local authority houses to pay these bills or they must cut services. Last year, when the household charge was introduced - which we supported - it was supposed to fund local government, but all local authorities were hit with a cut of €1 million in September because they did not reach their targets on the collection of the household charge. Now we have a property tax that is particularly anti-urban and anti-Dublin. Local authorities will now be asked to pass a budget to fund local government, which it will not do, and will be hit with an additional bill. Did the Department and the Minister consult the county and city managers on this? Has the Department a list of the number of social housing units in each local authority and has it calculated the approximate cost of the tax for each local authority?
Why did the Minister ignore the recommendation in the Thornhill report, which was not published for eight months, that social housing and the housing stock of local authorities would be exempt from the property tax. This recommendation has been set aside. This is not fair on people working in local authorities, particularly locally elected councillors who are expected to pass budgets without knowing the full story. I would be grateful if the Leader could clarify this issue.
On behalf of the Labour Party group, I would like to express our condolences on the enormous tragedy in the United States last week, on the deaths of 20 small children and of the teachers who tried to protect them. I am sure we would all like to express our sorrow and I ask the Leader, on behalf of the Seanad, to write and express this on our behalf.
I agree with Senator O'Brien. I am glad the Minister is able to ringfence that time for the social welfare debate. The Bill is important and has been a cause of concern for many on all sides of the House and in the wider community. I look forward to a robust and fair debate and hope we can reflect not just on the difficulties that have arisen with the Bill, but also look at some of its positive aspects and acknowledge the work that has been done by the Minister, Deputy Burton, and the Cabinet in order to contain and retain enormous levels of payment for the many people who require them.
I acknowledge the comments of the IMF overnight with regard to Ireland and what may happen next year.
I acknowledge its commitment to encouraging our European partners to implement the pledges made in regard to breaking the relationship between sovereign debt and bank debt. If we are struggling next year and growth is poorer in Ireland, given that it will potentially be poorer in the US and Europe, perhaps we will be allowed to defer any further cuts that might arise. This will obviously come into the debate early in the new year. We should certainly acknowledge what it has said.
Finally, I would also like to express our concern about the ongoing difficulties in Northern Ireland. We join with politicians there who have called for peace to be restored in regard to the difficulty over the flying of the Union Jack. Those people might stand back and consider the great damage they are doing to their reputation, both North and South.
I wish to raise the subject of foreign aid. I ask the Leader to call the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the House for a debate. As the months and years go by in these times of austerity, the latest issue concerns chemotherapy. The Members present may know someone with cancer. Can they imagine having cancer and having to pay €75 per dose of chemotherapy - not per day, but per dose? Remember "Prime Time" and the lady carrying her son up the stairs. Remember the number of times I have asked whether we can ring-fence a couple of million euro as a budget for paediatric home care. Remember the child in Celbridge who has Down's syndrome and who is down to a day and a half a week.
I remind the House of the recent scandal in Uganda in which €4 million went missing. It went into somebody's bank account and it has been proven this was fraudulent. We gave Uganda €33 million in 2010 and, in the same year, the Ugandan Government spent $740 million on six very smart fighter jets - I cannot even pronounce their name, but they are some type of nuclear fighter jet. That $740 million was spent on fighter jets while Irish Aid gave €33 million to the Ugandan Government, of which at least €4 million was used fraudulently.
Let us go back to Bertie Ahern and our reputational interest. He was right in those times of rich and plenty to put Ireland up on the world stage and he was right to think of our reputational interest. Today, however, we have to think of our citizens. Each and every Senator is meeting people month by month, week by week, who are in need and desperation, people who are about to default on their mortgages, with all of the emotional and financial stress they must suffer. We plan to spend €624 million on foreign aid in 2013, which represents 0.53% of GDP. Perhaps we could begin to think of shaving this down to 0.5% in 2013 and forget the 0.03%, which would save approximately €24 million. I will let Members put that €24 million in their pockets for the next three days and imagine what they might do with it. Ten years ago, Africa received seven times the amount that was given to Europe under the Marshall Plan following the Second World War. To go back to my 0.5% idea, those Members who are interested in our standing in the United Nations and in our reputational interest will be interested to know that we are still perhaps the ninth or tenth per capita charity giver of foreign aid in the world. As a matter of urgency, will the Leader grant us a debate on foreign aid in the new year? Can we make plans for the next five years until we get our own country ship-shape? Charity begins at home.
Following on from Senator O'Brien, I ask that we might take, on Thursday perhaps, a half-hour debate to pass No. 12, which concerns violence in the Congo. It will cost us nothing but will give support to those brave people, including Irish people, who are working there to prevent this kind of violence. I will reserve my comments on the Social Welfare Bill for the debate later today.
I am glad Senator O'Keeffe raised the issue of the killings at Sandy Hook, which were appalling. It highlights the problem of violence, which is not confined to the United States of America. Many years ago, Professor Skinner demonstrated how when the population of rats increases beyond a certain level, violence breaks out endemically. The same is true of humans. We are seeing this type of mass turning on innocent victims all over the world, including in China. It has been said that gun culture in America is a problem. I do not understand how a gun can be connected to culture. It is not connected to my understanding of culture. It is a culture of death. Americans are a frontier people and go back to that all the time but they should properly confront their history. Their country was founded upon the massacre of the indigenous people. A gun, the Winchester rifle, played a crucial part in that. That needs to be looked at.
One can see the impact of the removal of the human element from the equation. For example, the drone mentality under President Obama which links into video games. I never thought that 20 years after I opposed censorship of videos in this House I would again be speaking of the need for debate on the desensitisation that occurs when children are exposed to games in which they are rewarded for inflicting violence and obliterating people. I was horrified to hear Mr. Henry McKean say on Newstalk that the most popular games among children of a school in my area which he visited were the most violent ones and others in which people are hurt. Children are innocent. They say these things honestly. We need to honestly confront this problem. People must first be dehumanised before they can kill. We heard recently that civilians in the North of Ireland had been declared to be legitimate targets. We also heard through the media that a nurse in London had taken her life because she was declared fair game. I do not blame the two hosts of the Australian station because they are part of a system and were also desensitised. Behind this lies the idea that people can be stripped of their humanity and have violence inflicted upon them. This can be done through the media or with drones.
The issue of rendition was raised in this House a number of years ago by a number of Senators, including the then Leader. Various sources denied this was happening. I draw their attention to the case last week in which Sami al Saadi was awarded €2.2 million. He was kidnapped and tortured in the most brutal fashion, with the assistance of the British. His wife and family were also kidnapped. Sir Mark Allen who was responsible at the British end sent a telegram to his Libyan counterpart congratulating him on not paying for the air cargo. That is the way the wife and children of Mr. al Saadi were described by Sir Mark Allen, an arch hypocrite who blogs as a Christian. We need to confront the problem of violence and not only in the context of America, although tragically America is ahead of the rest of us in this matter.
I rise today to raise the issue of the price women pay for motherhood. An OECD report published this week indicates that the gender gap in Ireland widens as women have children. Irish women begin to earn less than men after they have children. I am speaking not about equality between men and women but about the earning potential of women after they have children. The OECD report also indicates that men in Ireland work 344 minutes per day in paid work and 129 minutes per day in unpaid work, which amounts to 473 minutes work per day, while on the other hand women in Ireland work 197 minutes in paid work and 296 minutes in unpaid work, which amounts to 493 minutes work per day, which is more than the number of minutes worked by men yet the earning potential of women is reduced when they have children. There is a need for a wide-ranging debate not only on closing the gender gap and women in the workforce but on women and men in child care, paternity and maternity leave and the ambience of why this is happening and not only in Ireland. It must be a central strategy of every government to create more sustainable economies and inclusive societies.
That applies to every society in the world. The world's population is aging and this challenge can only be mastered if all of the talent available is utilised. I call for a debate on this issue, given that we are due to debate the Social Welfare Bill today and especially whether the cut to child benefit is fair or unfair and whether the payment should be universal or otherwise. I would like the issue of childcare to be debated separately in the Seanad. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, has taken the matter under her wing and is doing a great job, but she must be helped. This report gives her much more ammunition. She is doing what she can and has done a great deal-----
The Senator is over time.
I call for a debate on child benefit and hope the Leader will agree to my request.
I have great respect for Standing Orders, but with the Cathaoirleach's indulgence, I hope he will allow me to acknowledge the death of a great Kerry hero, Páidí Ó Se, who is being buried today. It is no boast that he was a personal friend of mine because he was a personal friend of everybody in County Kerry and loved and respected the world over. Something has left the hearts of Kerry people today. Laoch mór na ríochta ab ea Páidí agus ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.
I support the leader of my party in the Seanad, Senator Darragh O'Brien, in his comments on the property tax. The fine detail trickling down does not make for good reading. All local authorities are being hit with an unexpected charge and from what I hear from rural areas in Munster, it appears county managers are to put the charge on ratepayers. I do not know if this is a temporary matter intended to be considered later, but ratepayers are suffering enough. They pay enormous rates; they are the only ones who have been paying water charges during the years; business is not great and now it seems they will have to pay property charges for those living in local authority housing. This has to be looked at and I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, to come to the Seanad to clarify the position. Will this continue, or will local authority tenants be hit with increased rents at a time when they are suffering just like everybody else? Clarity is required.
Like Senator Mary Ann O'Brien, I was outraged to read in the national media that cancer patients were being charged €75 for chemotherapy. I wish to put something straight. Under the Health Acts, if a person goes to hospital, he or she is charged €75 on admission. If he or she stays in hospital for a period of up to ten days, he or she pays €75 each day. After ten days, even if a person has to stay in hospital for an entire year and does not have a medical card, there is no further charge. I refer to outpatient services. If a person who does not have a medical card attends to undergo chemotherapy, he or she must pay €75. For repeat visits in respect of the same illness the person concerned should not have to pay a further €75. This is an underhand charge introduced by the HSE. I do not believe it is legal and it is certainly not justifiable. There are very many people who potentially have terminal cancer and the stress this will cause them must be taken into account. The HSE must rethink. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, to consult it and come to the House to tell us whether this charge is justifiable?
I raise concerns expressed to me in Armagh on Saturday about the future of the Church of Ireland College of Education. The symbolism shown by the Government in moving to shut down this college appals me. Anybody who has been to the North of Ireland lately knows the unintended consequences of concerns about flags have led to renewed violence on the streets. This matter was raised on the Adjournment on 4 December and the reply read by the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills indicated that the Minister had made it clear to the college authorities that although he could not support them in remaining on the current campus, he was happy that they should engage in negotiations. The symbolism shown in not funding the college or in moving it off campus given the current circumstances in Northern Ireland appals me.
Will the Leader make time available early in the next session for a full debate on all of the matters concerned and on the costs and benefits which arise from the continued operation of the college in question?
I join the calls for a debate on Irish Aid in the new year. There is a need for balance in respect of this matter. I was particularly concerned to read at the weekend that a Member of this House called for 75% cut in Irish overseas aid. We are concerned here with the world's poorest people. I refer to those who live in refugee camps, whose lives have been ravaged by war and conflict, who have been affected by natural disasters and who, in many cases, live under very corrupt regimes. These individuals lack the very basic necessities of life such as food, clean water, housing, medical supplies and access to any form of health services. I accept that there have been scandals and the fraud which occurred in Uganda represents a case in point. However, that matter has been put to rights and the money involved will be refunded to Ireland.
There must be transparency and we must ensure that Irish Aid funding does not end up in the hands of corrupt regimes. Irish missionaries and those who work for Irish NGOs are placing their lives at risk on a daily basis for the poorest people of the world. Irish people have always shown their concern for the poor - probably as a result of what happened in our country in the 1840s - and they give very generously to many organisations which work in the Third World. While I wish to ensure that our money is properly spent and that there is full accountability in respect of it, we must also ensure that we do not by our actions deprive the very poorest of the world of the very basic necessities of life.
This is an important week for the Seanad. We will be debating and voting on two important items of legislation, namely, the Social Welfare Bill and the Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill. While it is welcome that the Social Welfare Bill will be debated over three days, I do not believe that enough time is being allocated in respect of the debate on it. I refer, in particular, to Second Stage, for which two and a half hours have been allocated. I listened very carefully to what many Senators on the Government benches have had to say on this issue in recent days and weeks in the media. They have appeared on every national radio station imaginable and have spoken about wrestling with their consciences on issues such as cuts to child benefit and the respite care grant. These individuals should be given the opportunity to make contributions to the Second Stage debate on the Social Welfare Bill in order that they might place their views on the record of the House. All of the Sinn Féin Senators want to contribute to the debate on this hugely important legislation, which will have profound implications for many families who depend on child benefit.
I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that at least three and a half hours should be allocated for the Second Stage debate on the Social Welfare Bill and that if anyone signals a wish to contribute, he or she should be allowed to speak. I will wait to see what the Leader has to say in respect of this matter. The Social Welfare Bill and the Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill are both extremely important and we should ensure that they are properly scrutinised. That is what we are elected to do. We can show the worth of the Seanad by ensuring that we do our jobs. It would be a bad day for the House if Senators, be they on the Government side or in opposition, who want to contribute to the Second Stage debate on this profound Bill will not be able to do so as a result of the short amount of time which has been allocated.
I wish to refer to the residents of Priory Hall who, for the second year in a row and on foot of a High Court order handed down in October 2011, will spend Christmas out of their homes. Many of these people continue to pay mortgages on their properties. I ask that the Leader invite the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to come before the House to discuss what is going to be done for the residents of Priory Hall. The State has ultimate responsibility in respect of this matter, particularly as it has overall responsibility in respect of building standards. It was a failure to comply with those standards which has placed the residents to whom I refer in the position they currently occupy. I would like the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to explain what is being done for the residents and to outline how it is proposed to rectify the damage caused to the properties they own. This is no laughing matter, particularly as the properties in question will never be capable of being sold on the market. Something must be done for the residents of Priory Hall.
I concur with the remarks of my colleague, Senator Ned O'Sullivan, on the late great Páidí Ó Sé, a man I knew very well and for whom I had a great grá. There is huge rivalry between Cork and Kerry football, particularly in west Cork, but mingled and tingled with that rivalry is a great respect, and he was somebody for whom I had great respect. I had great camaraderie with him and I met him on many occasions. I concur with what Senator O'Sullivan said.
On behalf of the Fianna Fáil members of the House, I wish to convey our deep condolences to the people of Connecticut on the terrible tragedy that occurred in the school there. I travelled to Connecticut earlier this year to attend a wedding and I visited my nephew and some family and friends. When one is aware of how close people one knows are to where that tragedy occurred, it acutely brings home the terrible tragedy that unfolded.
I would like to second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Cullinane that more time be allocated for the debate on the Social Welfare Bill.
I primarily wish to raise a matter we dealt with in the Seanad Public Consultation Committee last March in our report on older people. A demand was made by many organisations such as Older and Bolder to rectify the problem regarding habitual residency clause to provide for a person who comes home to care for a loved one. A few such instances were raised with me in my constituency. Such a case was highlighted today on "Today with Pat Kenny" by Councillor Bell, a Labour Party councillor from County Louth, which involves a woman who returned from England, having given up her job, to care for her sick mother who was waiting for a liver transplant. I ask the Leader and the Labour Party members to put pressure on the Minister to have this anomaly moved off the stage. It is causing hardship and pain and it was an unintended consequence of legislation that was introduced to stop the trafficking of people to this country from eastern Europe and other places to avail of our generous social welfare benefits. I know the Minister concerned will be in the House this week and I ask if this anomaly can be rectified. That lady in County Louth and other people with similar cases, which are replicated throughout the country, do not deserve to be excluded because of the tight provisions of the legislation. An amendment to the legislation would be appropriate to make sure that genuine cases are not damned, so to speak, by legislation that was never intended to adversely affect them.
I welcome the news announced by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, yesterday that a grant scheme will be provided for people who want to upgrade their septic tank. I particularly welcome the fact that it is targeted at people on lower incomes, those with an income under €50,000, who will be able to apply for up to 80% of the cost involved and those with a higher income than that will be able to apply for up to 50% of the cost involved. It is a very good scheme. There was considerable scaremongering here and in the other House and across the country when we discussed the registration of septic tanks, which was a requirement to comply with an EU rule that has been in place for many years. I am particularly pleased about this development because it is a matter I and many of my colleagues have been pursuing for up to ten years. This announcement is good news. It will create jobs and if there are problems with systems the required works with help the environment and it will be good for the country in general.
I draw the attention of the House to an American investment company, Franklin Templeton, which invested €8.5 billion in Irish bonds last year because its investor, a man called Mr. Hasenstab, decided that he had confidence in Ireland. At a time when those in other countries were saying "look at what is happening in Europe, we do not have confidence in any of those countries", he said that his company was going to take an investment decision. That company invested €8.5 billion in Irish bonds at a time when the Irish rates were way over the top and he has made a great deal of money on his investment and for his company's pension funds. The reason I mention that investment is that we in Ireland need to have that sort of confidence in ourselves. I find that too often too many of us say we will save rather than invest or start a new business. Our savings are now very high, much higher than they have been for many years.
The reason is that many people are saying they do not have confidence. If we could only instil in Irish entrepreneurs confidence to invest in the country, we could demonstrate the same success with our investment as Mr. Hasenstab has demonstrated with his.
I can understand the feelings of Senator Mary Ann O'Brien on foreign aid. Senator Mullins put very well his point that Ireland is one of the wealthiest nations in the world and that there are people starving and dying elsewhere. There is an onus on us to look back at what happened in Ireland during the Famine days, during which we criticised others because they did not help us. Those people in Africa who are starving and dying from hunger will have every right to look back on us in some years and label us a wealthy country that decided to reduce its investment in foreign aid. We must continue to invest and we have a responsibility to do so. The people in Africa deserve this.
Let me continue on the subject of foreign aid. We must proceed very carefully. When circumstances are rough here, it is very easy to consider easy options. I support the call for a debate on foreign aid in the new year. The debate should be balanced. Let us face the fact that Africa had resources that were exploited by the West. Consequently, we are doing a little bit through foreign aid to correct the imbalance and help the natives of African countries to help themselves. We really need to be careful. As Senators Quinn and Mullins said, we, too, have responsibilities. The debate will be interesting.
I join others in expressing horror over the slaughter of innocents at the weekend in Newtown, Connecticut, and the slaughter of the heroic teachers who did their best to defend them. I taught in a school not too far from that area. I can only imagine the warmth, care and love that was interrupted so rudely and harshly by gunfire and slaughter. It would be very wise for the Seanad to send its condolences to the affected families.
A political point needs to be made, namely, that it should not require a tragedy of this scale for governments and politicians to take action. It is only now that something will be done about the gun culture in the United States. Sometimes lobby groups can shout very loudly. People elect politicians and expect them to do what is right and just. Each day in this country, we are challenged in this regard. There is a lot to be learned in a very stark and horrible fashion from what has happened in the United States.
Let me refer to last year's Social Welfare Act. Significant changes were made to the lone-parent family payment in that legislation but it was only this week that lone-parent families have been notified by the Department of some changes being made, with effect from 1 January, and others that will come into effect from next summer. The latter changes have been postponed. It was awful for the Department to write to affected individuals about the earnings disregard and other changes only a week before Christmas, although these changes were flagged by the Government in its budget last year. Some of the changes were made a number of years ago. Why is the Department of Social Protection only writing now to those who are statistically the most vulnerable in society? Lone-parent families are the most vulnerable and poor. What is occurring is shameful. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business so the Minister for Social Protection can discuss this matter in the Chamber for 15 minutes in advance of our consideration of the Social Welfare Bill.
I concur fully with the remarks of Senators O'Donovan and O'Sullivan on the appalling shootings and murder in the school in Connecticut.
I echo the Senators' remarks on the sad passing of that great character Páidí Ó Sé, who was always so full of wit and humour and who was wonderful company. The Cathaoirleach played against him in a famous game in the 1970s.
I think the Cathaoirleach was in the forwards and he was right full back on the day; he was in the back line anyway. I think Kerry won that game. It is a frightfully sad passing and we all send our deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife, Máire, and his family.
I raise a matter I referred to last week. I am sorry Senator Ó Domhnaill is not here because Senator Ó Domhnaill-----
The Senator is not supposed to refer to somebody not in the House.
Senator Darragh O'Brien is a model of decorum and he should understand that it is an abuse of privilege. Senator Daly must either put up or shut up. He cannot come into this House and make the outrageous allegations that were made here last week regarding former officials of HSBC being employed by NAMA, which is unfounded, that one of them left and that a lucrative contract was awarded to a firm he is associated with. Those allegations are untrue and unfounded. The Senator involved should come in here and substantiate those allegations or be man enough to withdraw them.
He will.
Ba mhaith liom cur leis an nóta cómhbhróin atá déanta ag mo chomh Sheanadóirí maidir le bás Pháidí Uí Shé, fear mór peile, gan dabht, ach fear mór Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta chomh maith. Aireoidh muintir Chiarraí uathu é, agus muintir Chorca Dhuíbhne, ach go háirid. Déanaim comhbhrón lena chlann, lena chairde agus le gach duine eile a bhfuil aithne acu ar Pháidí. Go ndéana Dia trócaire air.
I concur with Senator Comiskey who spoke about the announcement made by the Minister, Deputy Hogan. It is great that he has succumbed to the pressure from the Opposition on this issue because he certainly did not indicate during the debates that he would make grants available. The only issue I would have is that he has not gone far enough. I do not understand the reason any of the rural dwellers in question-----
He did say at the outset that-----
Senator Ó Clochartaigh without interruption, please.
Give credit where credit is due.
Senator Ó Clochartaigh without interruption.
He has only gone 80% of the way; he should have gone 100%. There is no reason rural dwellers should have to pay the 20% tax which now will be imposed on septic tanks.
I call on the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, to come to the House because there are a number of issues we should raise and debate with him.
The promissory note.
I do not know whether that is his area of responsibility-----
It seems to be.
-----not to mention expertise. A communications charge was mooted but it seems to have gone by the wayside. I did not hear any talk of it in the budget. It is certainly a cost that would impact on households and families and I would like to find out whether it is the intention of the Minister to go ahead with the intended communications charge.
While he is in the House the Minister could let us know the position on the national wind energy strategy and whether he intends to bring one forward. Also, he might indicate whether he has made up his mind on changing the oil licensing regime in this State as recommended by the joint Oireachtas committee.
I join my colleagues in urging a balanced debate on the issue of foreign aid. I concur with the comments of Senators Mullins, Quinn and Healy Eames on that. We are all acutely aware that it is an extremely tough time to be a citizen in this country but we are dealing with people who are concerned about mortality. Much of the investment and the money we pay goes towards the fight against child mortality and a good deal of work is being done in the first 20 months of a child's life, including the time from when they are conceived. In dealing with such issues we must be balanced in our approach and I would welcome a debate on the issue in the new year.
I urge caution in the hunt for a new chief executive officer for the National Consumer Agency. It is proposed that that agency be merged with the Competition Authority in the coming months. I understand that legally a CEO is required for the agency but in circumstances where money is tight I would have thought that a job which attracts a sum of between €130,000 and €137,000 but will be obsolete in a few months may be one we may wish to forgo.
I urge that the merger be expedited rather than continue the hunt for a CEO to take over the National Consumer Agency.
I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Thomas Byrne. I join Senators in welcoming the announcement yesterday by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, that he will provide some grant aid towards the mediation works required to be carried out on septic tanks. Like Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh I am glad he listened to the Opposition because over many months during the debate in the House we pointed out that the scheme was unworkable unless grant assistance was provided.
He should listen to us more often. We will dig him out of that hole.
I very much welcome the fact that eventually he listened to the Opposition and now he should listen to us in respect of the property tax and the water charges. He can take the credit once he listens.
When is it intended to take the Education and Training Boards Bill in the House given that an announcement was made some months ago regarding the amalgamation of VECs and the names of the CEOs of the newly formed education and training boards. We have a situation where CEOs in charge of VECs will be moved to other counties to preside over the newly formed education and training boards, yet they do not know when this will happen. In a sense, they are like dead men walking. They have responsibility for the committees to which they are attached but have been designated to the education and training board areas. Perhaps the Leader will clarify the position.
Much debate is taking place on social welfare and health care. On the issue of health care, Health in Ireland: Key Trends in 2012 shows the changes which have occurred. We speak negatively in respect of the health care system here but we need to look at the positive aspects. There has been a 36% reduction in the number of deaths as a result of heart attacks, stroke and certain diseases and an 8% reduction in the number of deaths from cancer while at the same time the health service has continued to grow in terms of providing services. For example, the number of day procedures has increased from around 350,000 per year to more than 880,000 per year, a 149% increase. Also the number of outpatient visits to hospitals has increased from 2,185,000 to more than 3,583,000 per year, a 64% increase in outpatient appointments in a 12 month period. While there has been ongoing criticism of the health service and the services provided these changes have occurred. In the debate we need to look at the positive elements. I accept we must continue to improve the service but let us not forget the progress made. In regard to foreign aid, I have visited a number of countries and has been in hospitals where the basic essentials are not available, such as electricity and water supply, and where HIV is running at 40%. In one country I visited there were 700,000 children under the age of 12 where both parents had died as a result of HIV; that is the difference between what we are dealing with in our health service and what those countries are dealing with in their health service or lack of health service. It is important to consider those issues on any debate on social welfare or health care.
I echo the comments of my colleague, Senator Colm Burke, a point raised also by Senator Quinn and others. It would reflect badly on us as a country, even in a time of crisis, if we were to forget our obligation to try to be a beacon in a world where there is much deprivation.
That is disgraceful.
Withdraw that remark.
Let me draw the attention of the House to the comments of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald and the UN rapporteur. How dare he call Ireland's maternal care into question and draw comparisons between it and the care in India? India is sadly a death trap for women in terms of maternal care.
How could Senator Mullen link the death of children in Connecticut with this debate?
This is a serious mistake on the part of Senator Mullen.
I think it is very important to find a way to challenge robustly any attitude or culture of neglect or disrespect for the unborn without attacking people. We can criticise what people say. In conclusion, Senator Fitzgerald suggested that people would be making false clams about women feigning suicide. However, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch talked about women feigning insanity to do what they believed was the right thing to do in the circumstances.
I am very worried about the Government's attitude. I want to promote a culture of best care for women and their unborn children to patients. I am worried about the attitude to that at the highest level of Government.
Before I call the Leader I would like to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the young innocent children in Connecticut and to their teachers who were slain.
I wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the wife and family of the late Páidí Ó Sé who was a legend. His achievements should not be underestimated. I was at the receiving end of his might in the mid-1970s.
I join with the Cathaoirleach and Members of the House in expressing our sincere sympathy to all the families of the young children who were massacred in Connecticut. It was a dreadful thing to happen.
I also extend sincere sympathy to the family of the late Páidí Ó Sé, who has been a larger than life figure in the GAA over many a year.
Senator Darragh O'Brien raised the question of whether the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government consulted the county and city managers of local authorities. My information is that it did but the Senator will be able to elicit the information he requires when we debate the property tax later in the week. I am sure the Senator will get the answers to all the questions he posed this afternoon.
Senator Susan O'Keeffe welcomed the statement of the IMF. I am sure we welcome the statement on growth. Senator Mary Ann O'Brien among other Members spoke on foreign aid. Her contribution differed from that of almost all of her colleagues as she suggested we should cut our contribution. I read a newspaper report that another Member was supposed to raise a proposal that we would cut our aid by 75%. I think the suggested 75% cut is absolutely ludicrous. Our NGOs do tremendous work with foreign aid. I agree that we should have a debate on foreign aid.
I will arrange a debate early in the new year - probably in early February - with the Minister of State, Deputy Costello, on that matter. Senator Norris also raised the issue of foreign aid. He has fought for increases to overseas aid, as well as having more transparency. I also note his comments on the violence inherent in video games. It is certainly a problem not just in America but across the world. It is a matter we should look at in this House.
What about a debate on the Congo?
We can certainly do that. We can have a debate on foreign aid also.
Senator Keane called for a debate on closing the gender gap and the recent OECD report in this regard. Senator Kelly raised the matter of charges for cancer patients. It is a matter which should be addressed. I understand the charge referred to is not a new charge but has been in place for some time, although that is not to say it is correct. Senator Barrett raised the future of the Church of Ireland College of Education. The Senator could table this as an Adjournment matter and get a full response from the Minister for Education and Skills. Senator Mullins outlined the benefits of foreign aid, which I have already addressed.
Senator Cullinane called for more time on the Social Welfare Bill. I believe two and a half hours is more than sufficient for Second Stage. As the Leader of the Opposition stated, I insisted it was broken up and that we have separate days for Committee and Report Stages. Before, we would have taken Committee and Remaining Stages on the same day. Two and a half hours is more than sufficient for Second Stage and there will be ample time on Committee and Report Stages to tease out problems in the Bill. I do not propose to accept the amendment to the Order of Business in this regard. When we had a debate on the report of the expert group on the A, B and C judgment several weeks ago, I was told we would need four days of debate on the subject, but it did not even last the two and a half hours allotted to it. We want to be careful what we are asking for as it might be granted.
Senator Hayden raised the plight of residents in Priory Hall. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to come to the House to give us an update on the resolution of this matter. Senator O'Donovan raised the matter of the report of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee on older people, which recommended resolving the problem that arises due to the anomaly of the habitual residency clause. The Senator should raise this matter with the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, on the Social Welfare Bill. It is an anomaly that should be plugged and, hopefully, this can be done in the Social Welfare Bill.
Senator Comiskey welcomed the announcement by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government of grants for the upgrading of septic tanks. I remember the long debate we had over several days about the septic tank legislation. The Minister said at the time he would probably introduce a grant scheme for remediation but only until the registration process was completed. He has done it now but he is still castigated for it.
We would have supported the legislation at the time if he had agreed to the grants then.
This announcement has been welcomed begrudgingly on some parts of the Opposition benches.
We pushed the Government very hard on the issue.
That was our principal demand.
Senator Quinn raised the matter of the American investment fund that has bought up €8.5 billion in Irish bonds and the confidence this shows in Ireland. He suggested we should have that confidence ourselves, including those who invest their money in new business and act as entrepreneurs.
Senator Feargal Quinn has been to the fore in advocating that AVCs should be allowed to be used for that purpose. The decision to accede to this request in the budget has been welcomed by all.
Senator Fidelma Healy Eames also referred to the slaughter of innocent children and teachers in Connecticut.
Senator Thomas Byrne proposed an amendment to the Order of Business which I do not propose to accept. The Minister for Social Protection will be in the House to debate the Social Welfare Bill 2012 and the issues arising can be discussed in that context. I do not see why we need to arrange a meeting 15 minutes prior to the debate on the Bill.
Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh welcomed - wholeheartedly of course - the septic tank grant.
It should be 100%.
In regard to the communications charge, that is a matter which could be raised on the Adjournment.
Senator Diarmuid Wilson asked about the educational training boards legislation. It will be brought before the House in late January or early February.
Senator Colm Burke spoke about the massive increases in numbers and procedures in the health service for several years, including the increase in the number of outpatient appointments. A lot has been done, but, as the slogan goes, there is a lot more to be done in that regard.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
The large increase in the number of procedures should be highlighted.
Senator Rónán Mullen linked the deaths of the children in Connecticut with the issue of abortion here.
They are the Government's proposals.
The two issues should not have been mentioned in the same breath.
The Leader needs to rethink his position.
We deserve more than that type of comment in this House.
It shows how casual the Government is about unborn children.
Senator David Cullinane has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That at least three and a half hours be allowed for the Second Stage debate on the Social Welfare Bill 2012."
Senator Thomas Byrne has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That 15 minutes be allowed prior to taking No. 4 to discuss the changes in payments to single parents as a result of budget 2011, of which recipients are now being notified." Is the amendment being pressed?
Yes.
Tá
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Crown, John.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Mark.
- Leyden, Terry.
- MacSharry, Marc.
- Norris, David.
- Ó Clochartaigh, Trevor.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Donovan, Denis.
- O'Sullivan, Ned.
- Power, Averil.
- White, Mary M.
- Wilson, Diarmuid.
Níl
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barrett, Sean D.
- Bradford, Paul.
- Brennan, Terry.
- Burke, Colm.
- Clune, Deirdre.
- Coghlan, Eamonn.
- Coghlan, Paul.
- Comiskey, Michael.
- Conway, Martin.
- Cummins, Maurice.
- D'Arcy, Jim.
- Gilroy, John.
- Harte, Jimmy.
- Hayden, Aideen.
- Healy Eames, Fidelma.
- Henry, Imelda.
- Higgins, Lorraine.
- Keane, Cáit.
- Kelly, John.
- Landy, Denis.
- Moloney, Marie.
- Moran, Mary.
- Mulcahy, Tony.
- Mullen, Rónán.
- Mullins, Michael.
- Noone, Catherine.
- O'Keeffe, Susan.
- O'Neill, Pat.
- Quinn, Feargal.
- Sheahan, Tom.
- Whelan, John.
- Zappone, Katherine.