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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 Nov 2013

Vol. 227 No. 13

Order of Business

The Order of Business is No. 1, Child and Family Agency Bill 2013 - Second Stage, to be taken at 12.30 p.m. and conclude not later than 2.30 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed six minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 2.20 p.m.; No. 2, Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 2.30 p.m.; and No. 3, Private Members' business, Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction (Fixed Penalty Notice) Bill 2013 - Second Stage, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. and conclude not later than 6.30 p.m. There will be tributes to former Senator Bernard McGlinchey immediately following the Order of Business.

Following on from the points I made yesterday, I must mention that the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Health have apologised to Marie Fleming and her family for the lack of respect and dignity shown in reviewing her medical card eligibility, but the question that must be asked is who is going to apologise to the countless people in all of our constituencies whose cases are not as high profile as the one I mentioned yesterday? We are all aware of elderly or ill persons in our areas who have had to put up with an inordinate level of documentation and double checking in proving their illnesses. At this stage in their lives they are entitled to a little more human dignity. The State surely owes them this. I again propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister for Health come to the House to discuss this issue, the €300 million overrun - double the figure predicted by him, although not double the amount I predicted last February - and what he perceives to be the success of the special delivery unit in cutting waiting lists, which is a figment of his imagination, as the figures speak for themselves.

There has been a 40% increase in the number of people waiting for more than three months, a 97.7% increase in the number waiting for more than six months and a tenfold increase in the number waiting for more than one year. It is much more worrying that waiting lists for children have more than doubled. A total of 26,245 children are waiting for more than three months for surgery, which is fundamentally unacceptable.

I do not mean to be personal, but we must judge people on their performance. The Minister abolished the HSE board and appointed his own board and interim chief executive officer. He said the buck would stop with him and that he would run the board. He has run it for two years, but there is still a headless chicken approach, with a €300 million overrun this year and €660 million supposedly to be saved next year. It is to be saved in front-line services, yet the chief executive officers of the main hospitals have told us services are creaking at the seams. When will common sense prevail? What is the Taoiseach owed by the Minister that he is not prepared to take action and put somebody different in the Department who might have the confidence of the people and might show a little competence in managing €13 billion of their money? Nobody knows where it is going. There are overruns every year and the HSE is focusing on the Marie Flemings of this world to gather up a few shillings, while the salaries of hospital chief executive officers are being topped up with money from charities. There will be an amendment to the Order of Business every day until there is clarity and progress on this issue. Two and a half years in, this level of incompetence would not be tolerated of a committee in a town or a council and it should not be by a Government of one Department that has control of a large number of tax dollars.

A number of us raised the issue of Seanad reform on the Order of Business yesterday in the light of the announcement of proposed changes to the university panels. I am delighted the Cabinet signed off on the proposal to amend legislation on the Seanad electorate for the university panels to extend the franchise to graduates of all third level institutions. Today's newspapers report that this could mean as many as 750,000 people having a vote, which is a significant expansion of the electorate, given that the current electorate for Trinity College Dublin and the National University of Ireland is approximately 150,000. The legislation will need to be enacted well in advance of the next election to make it practically workable and it is welcome that it will be published in the new year. I understand there will be consultation, which is also welcome, but it needs to be introduced without delay. Will the Leader schedule a debate on it early in the new year?

I omitted yesterday to refer to the sad death of Fr. Alec Reid who played such an important role in the peace process in Northern Ireland. Last week, in the light of the comments made by John Larkin, the Northern Ireland Attorney General, a number of us asked for a debate early in the new year on the peace process and the difficult negotiations under way not only on how to deal with the past but also on current issues such as flags and parades. It has been some time since we had a debate on Northern Ireland issues, although I acknowledge the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has regular meetings. However, it would be good to have a debate in the House.

The appalling treatment of Marie Fleming and Tom Curran by the HSE is awful. The bureaucracy they had to encounter is troubling, given the difficult position they are in. However, as the Tánaiste said, we need to move to address the core issue for them - the right to die - and to examine again how we can ensure legislation is amended to bring it within the terms of the Constitution to make sure we allow defences to the current offence of aiding and abetting suicide where somebody is the position of Marie Fleming and Tom Curran. We owe it to them to look carefully at that issue, on which I would like to have a debate in the new year.

I noted at the weekend proposals to demolish houses on ghost estates. Can that issue be debated and fully appraised in order that is not an instinctive reaction? The estates in question have been the subject of planning permission; there are access roads, pipes for water and sewers and sites have been cleared, while some buildings have had foundations laid and so on. Recent sales of houses on a ghost estate in County Monaghan show there is a market for them. People trade low housing cost against the massive debts some have, unfortunately, incurred which we are trying to alleviate in other deliberations. Commuting costs are declining and there will be a reduction in energy costs because of the agreement with Iraq last weekend and fracking which has changed the energy scene. It might, therefore, be possible not to knock down these estates and ensure these are places where people want to live. The United Kingdom is debating the issue of high speed trains and what is regarded as wasted commuting time and it is proposed to provide Wi-Fi in order that train travelling time can become working time. Perhaps commuting is less of a disutility than debt which is a major disutility. People might trade houses to live further away on so-called ghost estates and this issue should be evaluated fully.

I congratulate Roddy Doyle on winning the novel of the year award and the other authors, John Banville and Michael Harding. At the ceremony former US President Clinton joined the House in more tributes to Seamus Heaney. He paid the ultimate tribute to him when he named his dog Seamus, as in man's best friend. We had tributes to Mr. Heaney in the House and this was a continuation of the nation's tribute to our great Nobel prize winner.

When will the Coroners Bill 2007 be brought before the House? It has been on the list for some time and needs to be dealt with shortly because the current process is outdated and archaic. It needs to be freshened up.

Ba mhaith liom cur leis na nótaí comhbhróin a bhí anseo inné ar bhás Alex Reid, an sagart a rinne an oiread ó thaobh cúrsaí síochána a chur chun cinn ar a bhealach deas, ciúin féin. Ba mhaith liom comhbhrón a dhéanamh lena chairde ar fad sna Redemptorists.

I join in the condolences on the death of Fr. Alec Reid who played such a central but quiet role in the peace process. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I convey my condolences to the Redemptorist community, in particular, and his confreres. I concur with Senator Ivana Bacik that a debate on the North would be useful at this stage in the light of the "Panorama" documentary last week and Ann Cadwallader's book on the atrocities that occurred there. There was much more to the conflict than has been brought to light and I would welcome a debate on the issue.

I find it strange that Fianna Fáil Members are jumping up and down about the problems in the HSE, given that their leader set it up.

It was obviously a flawed model from day one, but that does not allow the Government off the hook. The health service is in crisis and we need a debate on the issue immediately.

I call for a debate on the issue of homelessness. The figures provided by Focus Ireland are stark and startling. A total of 16 families a month are becoming homeless and there has been an 18% increase in the number seeking support, to 9,237 so far this year, which is 1,500 more than last year. We are subject to a great deal of spin on how everything is turning around, green shoots, etc. but many people are in dire straits, particularly those who are finding it hard to keep a roof over their heads and meet their everyday bills. We need to consider more constructive ways of supporting them. A debate on the issue of homelessness is vital to allow us to put forward our thoughts on how this might be done. I would welcome such a debate in the near future.

I also raise the issue of the increasing numbers of people becoming homeless. Ahead of Focus Ireland's annual conference today, it highlighted an 18% increase in the number seeking support in the first ten months of the year. More significantly, there has been a 50% increase in the number presenting as homeless in the greater Dublin area and a doubling of the number of families presenting as homeless. The four organisations behind the MakeRoom campaign are seeking an end to long-term homelessness. Threshold, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Simon have all reported an increase in the number presenting as homeless. A recent report from the citizen information centres highlighted that one of the emerging issues was that the profile of those presenting as homeless, which would more typically have been single men and persons experiencing substance and alcohol abuse and so forth, had changed and that more families were presenting.

That has changed and far more families are presenting as homeless. The issue that is being highlighted by all of the organisations is that a housing problem is now influencing the number of people presenting as homeless. From Threshold's access housing unit I am aware of the significant difficulty in finding proper accommodation for people who are homeless and getting them out of the situation they are in.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, on having protected the budget for homeless services this year, but the difficulty is that there are greater calls on the resource and a significant increase in the number of people presenting as homeless. I ask that she be invited to come to the House to discuss the increasing numbers presenting as homeless and how we can guarantee housing supply for vulnerable people.

A few weeks ago I raised the issue of an Irish student living abroad with his parents who wishes to attend university in this country. He was told he would be treated as a non-Irish citizen. It seems outrageous that he would have to pay very high fees on the basis of being considered a non-EU citizen. The same situation has occurred again. I am sure it is an anomaly and that it was not the intention. A man who lost his job three years ago went to the United Arab Emirates as he could not find work for his particular skill in this country. His youngest daughter accompanied him. She is now doing her leaving certificate in that country and has applied to go to university in Ireland. She is being told she will be treated as non-EU citizen because she has lived abroad for three years. The man in question had lived in Ireland all his life. He went abroad three years ago when he lost his specialist job and his daughter is now being treated as a non-Irish citizen. She was at school in Ireland in a Gaelscoil. She is a fluent Irish speaker, as are her sisters and brothers.

When I checked out the matter the response I was given is that under the terms of the free fees initiative eligible students are those who are first-time undergraduates and hold EU nationality or official refugee status and have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved course. The student in question has not been living in Ireland for three of the past five years. Because of that, even though she is a fluent Irish speaker and, like all her sisters and brothers, grew up in Ireland and was at school here, she is being treated as someone who is not even an EU citizen. I am sure that is an anomaly. It should not apply to Irish citizens. I am not sure where to go from here but it seems to me that the ruling should not apply and that it was not the intention that it would apply in such cases. We must do something about it. I urge the Leader to draw the case to the attention of the Department of Education and Skills or whoever it is that handles such matters. I will supply him with all the details. I am sure this case is an anomaly and that it can be solved, but it seems outrageous. I am aware of just two cases and I do not know whether there are many others, but something should be done to deal with the issue. I do not believe that was the intention behind the measure, and it should be corrected.

It is important that we have a debate on health, because reforms are taking place. It is easy for Senator MacSharry to criticise the Minister, but his party was in government for 14 years and had the opportunity to bring stability to the system.

I was never in government.

Unfortunately, we-----

Nobody made me Minister.

(Interruptions).

Senator Burke should be allowed to speak without interruption.

We inherited a system whereby in 2003 it was agreed that by 2012 there would be 3,600 consultants. In fact, when Fianna Fáil left office the number was short by 1,100. The Minister has to deal with the fallout from the system that was introduced to deal with junior doctors. More than 2,000 of the 4,900 junior doctors are only on six-month contracts. The Minister is providing necessary reform so that we can have stability in the service.

A series of initiatives have been introduced to ensure we get value for money from section 38 and section 39 organisations. In the 2012 budget, €3.27 billion of the total amount of €13.3 billion was paid to organisations that are not under the control of the Department or the HSE. The Minister has put in place necessary regulation and procedures to ensure full accountability for taxpayers’ money. While reform is taking place, I accept that it is a slow process. We are not going to dismantle a system Fianna Fáil worked on for 14 years, making it unworkable. We will not be able to provide proper value for money for the taxpayer overnight. The Minister is doing a good job.

Last year I published the Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill to ensure all medical practitioners have insurance. Cosmetic consultants are holding a conference in Dublin today and tomorrow which will be attended by a large number of consultants from the United Kingdom, where new regulation is being introduced on cosmetic surgery. We must introduce legislation to deal with the issue in this country. The Bill I proposed deals with some aspects of the matter but I recall the Minister said we would have a new Bill to deal with the entire area by the end of December. Could the Leader inquire of the Department when it is likely that the medical practitioners (amendment) Bill, which will introduce compulsory insurance for all medical practitioners, will be published? I ask the Leader to respond to me on the matter.

Perhaps the Taoiseach would consider making Senator Burke Minister, as he has a better command of the figures.

Senator Wilson should be allowed to speak without interruption.

I second Senator MacSharry’s amendment to the Order of Business. I would welcome an invitation from the Leader to the Minister for Health so that we could discuss the many crises and issues that exist currently in the HSE and the health service. I refer in particular to the shortage of GPs that we now face, which will become more serious in the years ahead. I would appreciate it if the Leader could facilitate the attendance of the Minister for Health at an early date so that we could address all of these important health issues.

I wish to refer also to the contributions of Senator Hayden and other colleagues on this side on homelessness. I would very much welcome a debate on the matter. It is obviously becoming a major crisis when one sees the type of person now presenting as homeless. It is no longer only single people with an addiction to drugs or alcohol who are homeless. When families begin to present as homeless it is evidence of a major crisis that must be addressed immediately.

I would also like to debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, her plans regarding so-called ghost estates, as raised by Senator Barrett this morning. The initial proposal is to demolish up to 44 ghost estates, but there are many hundreds of ghost estates throughout the Twenty-six Counties, and if money was spent on some of them they could provide housing for those who desperately need it.

Yesterday was a small step, but none the less an important one, for survivors of symphysiotomy, with the announcement of the appointment of Judge Yvonne Murphy to supervise the compensation scheme. While I was disappointed that yet again the Walsh report is not forthcoming and will not be published until another report has been commissioned, I believe this is a positive step. I understand that under the terms of reference the judge will have six weeks to liaise with all of the women and the insurance parties and report back to the Cabinet. I hope we will have a speedy response from the Government to bring closure to the dreadful ordeal these courageous women have suffered for many years. As we are aware, time is not on the side of the women. I hope that yesterday’s announcement will signal the beginning of the end of a very long journey for these courageous women.

What happened to Marie Fleming was reported yesterday and it was very courageous of the family to express what happened. It was dreadful and should not have happened. We can all say we inherited the difficulties in regard to medical cards and each side can blame the other. However, we must remember the people who have been refused medical cards. These people come to us for help every day. People in wheelchairs and who are seriously ill go through this ordeal. Discretionary medical cards should be based on the long-term or terminal illness or on the disability of the person involved, rather than on the family income.

The Government has announced the level of bids for Bord Gáis Energy is unacceptable. It is fantastic that we will not have a fire sale but will get the best value for these companies and that brave decision must be welcomed.

I am concerned about speculation in the media about the depletion of our fish quotas. I understand that if what is being proposed in terms of a cut to our quota in fishing off our coastline materialises, we will see a loss of €70 million to the Irish fishing industry. Why is this happening? We should be fighting to increase rather than decrease our quotas. We must fight because fishing is a growth industry.

In regard to medical cards, I suggest to the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, that it is long past time for it to set up some sort of customer feedback panel to find out how customers are being treated. A lady on my local radio station this morning, Clare FM, was in a very distressed state because of how she was treated by the PCRS. If the service set up some sort of structure for it to get feedback, it would learn from the experiences it is putting people through. This issue is becoming a crisis and needs to be grasped. The Minister would be better off staying in his Department to sort that out than coming in here to listen to the ranting and raving we heard this morning.

I agree with Senator Conway in regard to the difficulties being experienced as a result of the decision taken by the European Commission and notified to the Irish authorities last Friday in regard to the fishing quotas. These will affect the pelagic fishing stocks and the white fish sector and will cost, according to BIM figures, approximately €70 million in lost revenue. It will also cause the loss of between 400 and 500 jobs, between processing and fishing and will see a reduction in the north west, of approximately 23% in the number of fish that can be caught. This will cost the economy in that area approximately €1 million, not to mention the processing sector.

This issue was discussed yesterday at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which was attended by the Minister, Deputy Coveney. We must all wear the Irish jersey, whether in opposition or government, and must put up as strong a case as possible against the Commission's proposal. The Commission is trying to give concessions to Iceland and the Faroe Islands on the mackerel quota. This is a disgraceful proposal on the part of the Commission. Instead of implementing the trade sanctions it had been promising for over 18 months, it is now conceding and providing Iceland and the Faroe Islands with additional stock. This is totally unacceptable and will wipe out a large proportion of the pelagic sector within our fishing industry. This cannot be accepted. If the Minister is available to come to the House ahead of the meeting of the Council of Ministers, we should avail of that opportunity. However, I will not press that now. The Minister, BIM and the Marine Institute need our support now. We must work with each other to try to overcome the Commission's proposals.

I support Senator MacSharry in regard to the ongoing cuts in the health area. One issue I find alarming and which I have experienced in my constituency concerns the letters individuals are receiving in respect of medical card reviews. If the proposals go ahead, some 70,000 people will lose their medical cards. In other words, the equivalent of the number of people it takes to fill Croke Park aged over 65, will lose their medical cards. This is a huge number. If there was an all-Ireland in Croke Park, we would be talking about the massive crowd. The equivalent of that massive crowd will lose their medical cards as a result of the assessments taking place currently.

There are massive difficulties across the health system and across various tiers within the health sector. I would love to have a debate on hospital funding, the role of consultants and, most important, the medical card issue. I fully support our health spokesperson, Senator MacSharry, who has been keeping this issue to the fore.

I support the call made by a number of Senators for a debate on homelessness. It is important we have a debate on this issue. A basic need for every citizen is a roof over his or her head. I welcome the call for the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to come to the House to debate this issue.

I want to raise the issue of medical cards and medical card holders who continue to be charged for blood tests by their local GPs, despite the fact that over €370 million is spent by the HSE on the provision of blood test services, none of which is offset against GPs. I acknowledge the efforts made by the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, on this issue. He answered a number of parliamentary questions over the past few months and has indicated to the Lower House that 14 GPs were called to heel on this issue, a number of whom were required to pay back the money charged to medical card patients. However, evidence I have shows this practice is still going on. Why does this problem persist when both the GP contract holders and the IMO have been informed this money should not be charged? There is also a provision in the new contracts for GPs regarding this. Why is it that some of the cases being investigated have not been brought to conclusion? Will the money be returned to patients and how will that be done?

The relationship between GPs and patients is a special relationship and the fact patients are being charged incorrectly for blood tests puts a strain on that relationship. It is difficult for patients to ask their GPs not to charge them or to ask for a refund. We need a better system in place. I suggest that notices be put up in all offices of GPs with State contracts to the effect that no charges will be made for blood tests. This will help clarify the matter. We need clarity on this issue as it has not gone away, despite the efforts made by the Minister of State.

I would like to be associated with and wholeheartedly agree with the tributes and sentiments expressed regarding Fr. Alec Reid of Clonard monastery. He was truly a giant of a man in regard to the peace process. He was effective, in his quiet way, in steering it along the course it took and in bringing it to fruition. Like Senator Bacik, I would welcome a debate on the peace process. The process needs nurturing at this time. We will not say it has stalled, but there are many issues, such as the flags, parades and legacy issues which are exercising the minds of those involved in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and Committee A of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. A debate on this issue would be timely.

These are very timely, as has been suggested. The report of the US special envoy, Richard Haass, is due to be concluded by Christmas and, hopefully, will be issued in the new year. I suggest the two matters could be taken together.

Will the Leader consider a separate debate on the Smithwick report on collusion which will be delivered to the clerks of both Houses this Friday?

I join colleagues in calling for a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, on ghost estates and homelessness. It would be great if there were some joined-up thinking to see if we can marry the real need for the provision of housing for homeless people and the surplus housing dotted across the country. Now that the banks are beginning to lend a little, people are getting more courageous and may be in a position to buy houses on offer at much reduced prices, there are opportunities that could help alleviate many of the housing problems experienced by people on low incomes and the homeless. The increase in homeless numbers is a grave concern for all of us.

I welcome yesterday's significant announcement made by the Minister of State, Deputy O’Dowd, that the national groundwater vulnerability map has been drawn up which aims to protect vital water supplies. We all know how crucial water supply is. This mapping project was undertaken over the past seven years by five geologists, recording information along 40,000 km of road and covering more than 50,000 sq. km of area. This will be used by local authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, consultants and individuals to better understand and manage land use and development that has the potential to impact on groundwater supply. Hopefully, this project will result in less damage being done to our water supplies. I compliment the Minister of State on this initiative and the five geologists involved in it.

Senator MacSharry raised many items relating to the health service. Many of these were addressed yesterday. There is no question that next year will be a challenging year in the health services. They have funding of €13.263 billion in current expenditure and €397 million in capital expenditure for 2014 while savings, which have been outlined, amount to €666 million. There is a determination by the Health Service Executive, HSE, and the Minister for Health to ensure the budgets and savings are tightly monitored through 2014. The goal, wherever possible, is to cut the costs of services rather than the level and quality of the services delivered, as well as accelerating the rate of reform in the sector.

That is easier said than done and it will be a very difficult task. The HSE’s annual service plan has been given to the Minister and he has a further 21 days until Monday, 16 December, to consider it. I am sure the House will debate the plan when it is announced. The Minister is working on this, unlike a former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach who called the Department "Angola" and the party’s current leader who ran out of it because he was knocked over by the many reports on it. I am sure there will be plenty of debates on health over the coming months.

Senator Bacik inquired of the legislation to extend the university franchise for the Seanad. There is no question of that legislation coming in before Christmas, as was suggested by some newspapers. We will have it some time in the first half of next year. She also called for a debate on Northern Ireland, as did Senators Ó Clochartaigh, Wilson and Paul Coghlan. I will try and facilitate such a debate.

Senator Barrett and several others raised the issue of ghost estates and demolishing houses in them. I understand that ghost estate houses will not be demolished in areas where there is a demand for houses. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, is more than willing to discuss this problem and that of homelessness, as raised by Senators Ó Clochartaigh, Hayden, Wilson, Conway and Mullins.

Homelessness is a major problem. The most recent rough sleeper count conducted in April revealed 94 people sleeping rough in the Dublin area. Figures from the November count will be available in the coming weeks. Regardless of the number, the Government believes no one should need to sleep rough. In the short term, the cold weather initiative operated by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, in partnership with voluntary organisations, has begun and will increase emergency bed level accommodation in the Dublin region. At a more strategic level, the Government has set itself the goal of eliminating long-term homelessness by 2016. As part of that policy, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing appointed an oversight group to review actions on homelessness and recommend actions that will assist in reaching the policy objective. Work by the group is well advanced and its report will be published in several weeks. There is an immediate short-term issue to ensure, particularly in winter, sufficient emergency accommodation available in the Dublin region. This is a priority for Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and the voluntary organisations in partnership with it. We must ensure there is a focus on the elimination of long-term homelessness.

Senator Sheahan asked when the Coroners Bill 2007 will be brought before the House. I will have to find out about it and get back to him.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh raised the recent death of Fr. Alec Reid who played an important part in the peace process. We should all acknowledge this role.

Senator Hayden also raised the issue of homelessness and housing supply.

Senator Quinn inquired of the eligibility rules for third level grants and the residency requirements that a student must have lived three out of five years in an EU member state. I have come across this problem myself, only to meet a stone wall in trying to solve it. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister for Education and Skills.

Senator Colm Burke raised cosmetic surgery regulations. The Minister had said the medical practitioners (amendment) Bill would be in before Christmas but it is not likely to be in before the summer. That is the latest information I have from a legislative meeting I attended. Hopefully that can be expedited. If not we may have to proceed with the Senator's Bill. Senator Wilson raised the shortage of GPs and other health matters, which we can deal with when we have the Minister in with us.

Senator Moran welcomed the appointment of Mrs. Justice Yvonne Murphy to deal with the ongoing matter of symphysiotomy. We all hope this can reach a satisfactory conclusion for all concerned as speedily as possible. The fact that Mrs. Justice Murphy has to report back within six weeks will help to progress the matter, which should have been progressed before now.

Senator Conway spoke on the Bord Gáis Energy sale which is not going ahead because the Government has not received a proper bid. We will hear much more about that in the coming weeks. Senators Conway and Ó Domhnaill spoke on fishing quotas. This is the time of year for negotiations and the Minister was rightly praised last year by all concerned in the fishing industry for his efforts on the deal which was required and which he secured. He built his case based on scientific evidence. I am sure he will do the same this year and has the support of all sides of the House in those negotiations.

We will have a debate on the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction (Fixed Penalty Notice) Bill 2013 here this evening and some of those points will be raised again with the Minister. Senator Ó Domhnaill mentioned pensioners losing medical cards. Some 97% of people aged over 70 have medical cards and it is expected that 97% will have them even after the cuts and amendments to the medical card scheme.

Senator Landy spoke about charges for blood tests to GPs for people who have medical cards. Those questions could be addressed to the Minister of State, Deputy White, directly to give clarity. If that is not possible, Senator Landy could put down an Adjournment debate matter to get the clarity he requires. Senator Paul Coghlan called for a debate on the report of US special envoy, Richard Haass, when it is published. He also outlined that the long overdue Smithwick report will be presented soon. We can arrange a debate in this House on that matter. Senator Mullins raised the new national groundwater vulnerability map system, which is very significant and will benefit everybody involved and local authorities in particular.

Senator MacSharry has moved an amendment to the Order of Business: "That a debate with the Minister for Health on the administration of the medical card scheme, the overrun of budget and waiting lists be taken today." Is the amendment being pressed?

Amendment put:
The Seanad divided: Tá, 16; Níl, 26.

  • Barrett, Sean D.
  • Byrne, Thomas.
  • Crown, John.
  • Cullinane, David.
  • Daly, Mark.
  • Leyden, Terry.
  • MacSharry, Marc.
  • Mooney, Paschal.
  • Ó Domhnaill, Brian.
  • Ó Murchú, Labhrás.
  • O'Sullivan, Ned.
  • Power, Averil.
  • Quinn, Feargal.
  • Walsh, Jim.
  • White, Mary M.
  • Wilson, Diarmuid.

Níl

  • Bacik, Ivana.
  • Brennan, Terry.
  • Burke, Colm.
  • Clune, Deirdre.
  • Coghlan, Eamonn.
  • Coghlan, Paul.
  • Comiskey, Michael.
  • Conway, Martin.
  • Cummins, Maurice.
  • Gilroy, John.
  • Hayden, Aideen.
  • Henry, Imelda.
  • Higgins, Lorraine.
  • Keane, Cáit.
  • Kelly, John.
  • Landy, Denis.
  • Moloney, Marie.
  • Moran, Mary.
  • Mulcahy, Tony.
  • Mullins, Michael.
  • Naughton, Hildegarde.
  • O'Donnell, Marie-Louise.
  • O'Neill, Pat.
  • Sheahan, Tom.
  • van Turnhout, Jillian.
  • Zappone, Katherine.
Tellers: Tá, Senators Ned O'Sullivan and Diarmuid Wilson; Níl, Senators Paul Coghlan and Aideen Hayden.
Amendment declared lost.
Order of Business agreed to.
Barr
Roinn