The Order of Business is No. 1, Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 3.45 p.m. and conclude not later than 5.30 p.m., if not previously concluded; and No. 47, motion No. 8, to be taken at 5.30 p.m. and conclude not later than 7 p.m., with the contribution of the Senator proposing the motion not to exceed ten minutes and the contributions of the seconder and all other Senators not to exceed six minutes and a Minister or a Minister of State to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 6.45 p.m.
Order of Business
Perhaps the Deputy Leader might update me on progress on my request that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, come to the House for a debate on what the Government has termed "the local property tax", none of which tax collected in 2014 will go to the local authorities. It is important we have this debate and that the Minister explain why that is the case.
The legislation introducing the proposed statutory code of practice in respect of fair pricing for the horticulture and dairy sector has been on the A list for five sessions. As everybody knows, people in the horticulture and dairy sectors are being squeezed by the multiples and supermarkets. In Britain there is a statutory code of practice to ensure fair pricing as much as possible for this industry. I wonder why the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, informed a group in north Dublin recently that the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, was preparing legislation on a code of conduct for this area when the relevant legislation had been listed on the A list five times but had not yet come before either House. I would welcome it if the Deputy Leader followed up on the matter and informed the Whip that we were ready to initiate the Bill here.
I would also welcome the Government's view on the sale of 13,000 mortgages by former the Irish Nationwide Building Society which are held by the former IBRC and its view on the statement by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, that should these mortgages be sold to an entity outside the State, which is more than likely, they will be covered by the diluted code of conduct on mortgage arrears, even though it is insufficient following the changes made to it last year. I have been contacted by a number of people who are very concerned about who will purchase this mortgage book and, if it is purchased outside the State, whether they will be covered by the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. The statement by the Minister that he would expect that such purchaser would follow due procedure is wholly insufficient. I remind him that the loan book of the former Irish Nationwide Building Society contains a high number of residential mortgages in arrears, the holders of which need the protection of what remains of the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. I am particularly interested in hearing at what discount it is proposed to sell this loan book. If it is proposed to sell it at a 50% discount, which I am hearing is about correct for those mortgages in arrears, why has IBRC or the entity that was IBRC not offered discounts on and restructuring of these mortgages?
The Government is going to sell them to a vulture fund at a 50% discount. Would it not be preferable to offer the mortgagees, those who hold the mortgages, a discount to restructure those mortgages instead of the State selling off a loan book to try to make profit for the State? The Government is leaving the people concerned in hock and without any protection should it be sold to an entity outside the State. I take it that AIB and Bank of Ireland will not buy this loan book. Who will buy it? Why has the Government not instructed IBRC to restructure these mortgages properly if they are to be sold at 50% of their value? This is a really serious issue. Some 13,000 mortgage holders will be sold down the river by the Government. Has the Department of Finance looked at restructuring these mortgages and asked IBRC to give the people concerned a discount of 40%? Instead it will be sold off to venture capitalists and other mortgage companies. This will result in a higher proportion of mortgage arrears not covered under the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. An institution buying the loan book at a discount of 50% can repossess a house and if it gets 60% of the loan value, it will make a profit. The issue deserves a specific debate in this House. Deputy Michael McGrath has introduced legislation in the Dáil-----
The Senator is way over time.
-----to ensure the people concerned are at the very least covered by the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. It is a very serious issue and needs to be addressed. Anyone who cares about those who are in mortgage difficulties will support me in calling on the Government to instruct IBRC not to proceed with this sale and offer discounts to the people in mortgage arrears.
I believe Senator Darragh O'Brien is a little loose with language in that we all know that IBRC is in liquidation.
I know that.
These matters are not matters for the Government but for the liquidator.
The Government is washing its hands of it.
I am not sure if anyone can issue instructions. We must operate at all times within the law. In talking about vulture funds and all the rest of it, the Senator's guess may be as good as anyone else's.
The Senator knows it will not be Bank of Ireland or AIB.
All it is, with respect, is a guess.
Why not offer the discount to the mortgage holders?
On a different matter, it is good to note that NAMA-----
As I will be talking to its representatives tomorrow, the Senator should be careful.
Senator Paul Coghlan to continue, without interruption.
We will talk about it tomorrow. It is good to note that NAMA is making such good progress in regard to the separate matter of the sale of its loan portfolio of approximately €2 billion. It is very much in the interest of the taxpayers that progress is made on these matters.
In travelling here this morning I was as horrified as anyone to hear all the chat on radio about that other charity, Rehab. If any charity is in receipt of State funding, everything to do with salaries and other expenses should be totally transparent. I hope we are all agreed on that point. We have had enough difficulty with the CRC and perhaps some others. This is doing untold damage to all charities. The sooner all charities are required to be totally transparent - by law if necessary - the better.
I believe Senator Darragh O'Brien made quite a reasonable proposal and hope the Government or the liquidators might consider it.
I commend the participants in and the makers of the "Somebody to Love" documentary screened on RTE One last evening. As we make laws on these issues, if anyone did not get a chance to view it, I would highly recommend that they do. The programme dealt sensitively with the issues of love and intimacy between people with disabilities and the prejudices and legal barriers they face. Section 5 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 outlaws sexual acts for people with an intellectual disability unless they are married. The provision was designed to act as a protection against exploitation, but it is now outdated and inappropriate and must be removed. It is a cruel and restrictive hangover from a different time.
Soon we will discuss the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill and reviewing this provision in the Criminal Law Act would be a timely accompaniment. Fergus Finlay has an excellent article in the Irish Examiner today. He reminds us that the Law Reform Commission has published detailed proposals to reform the law to reflect the adult rights of people who have intellectual disabilities. Will the Leader indicate whether we could have a debate on the Law Reform Commission proposals with a view towards revising the Act?
I have received notification asking me to sign a petition to the Taoiseach to introduce American anti-defamation legislation in this country. The initiative comes from the gutter press. I put it to anyone, either in the House or the public, that if they receive such a cynical petition which uses the situation of Panti Bliss and the RTE broadcast as a framework not to sign it. We do not want the American defamation system here; it is simply a licence to lie. I fought against a defamation Bill in the House. The first time around I managed to sink it. I well remember when the editors of the Irish newspapers got themselves into the House when Donie Cassidy was Leader. I was the only one who stood out against them. Everyone else took the view that they had to do what they said because people are so gutless in politics and they are terrified of the media. They will have a hell of a lot more to be terrified of if we loosen the situation even more. This is because when the Defamation Bill eventually went through, there was a grotesque rebalancing of rights in favour of corporate newspapers and against the individual. This is simply a cynical attempt to use the Panti scandal and the question of free speech to give the gutter press licence to lie. This is my answer to the people who contacted me. I will not sign it and will campaign against it.
I completely agree with what Senator Darragh O'Brien said. It is scandalous that Irish home owners who may be able to pay at least part of their mortgage should be subject to this mass sell-off by - he used the phrase that I was going to use and did not emphasise it, but I will - vulture funds from outside the country. I remember a long time ago at the beginning of the crisis saying we should establish a Department of home security to ensure Irish people were at least safe in their homes. If we have thousands of people cast adrift in order that speculative capital can make money and profiteer out of their misery, then it is a reproach. It is no excuse to say the matter is in the hands of the liquidator. It should not have got there without some provision to protect people. I do not glory in the work of NAMA or the IBRC or any of these things. As far as I am concerned, they have done sweet damn all and there is little difference between those in the current Government and the Government that they continually accuse of walking us into this mess. They have the same priorities, which is to preserve the system and let people go to hell.
Last Wednesday we had statements on the extent of the damage done by the storm in Ireland and the associated costs. At that very time there was a hurricane-like storm raging through County Kerry, whipping roofs off schools, nursing homes and private homes and knocking trees in the national park, on golf courses and across every road in the county. We were a little premature with that debate and I imagine we will be back to the topic again. We are quick to criticise organisations when they do bad. Therefore, I want to praise and commend organisations such as Iarnród Éireann. I travelled last Wednesday night from Dublin to County Kerry. It took us nine hours, but we got home safely. In fairness to Iarnród Éireann, the company supplied snacks and beverages - bar the alcohol - on the train free to passengers, which was good form. As it did not collect the tickets, I imagine it was at a significant loss for that night. The same goes for ESB Networks. We have had no power in County Kerry and some are still without power since last Wednesday.
We had three days without power, which was a severe inconvenience. Staff from ESB Networks - they brought people in from Northern Ireland also - have worked day and night to restore power to all the homes in the county. I wish to compliment them, the council staff and eircom for all the work they have done. When a red alert is forecast such as occurred last Wednesday in County Kerry and Cork, we need to have a policy in place for schools because we cannot have the children come to school in the morning and then leave it to the principals to try to get them home safely and contact all the parents to come and collect them. It is not fair on the principals. When the Minister for Education and Science has time, perhaps he might come here for a debate on the issue. We might be able to draw up a policy whereby parents would know that schools would be closed in advance when a red alert occurred in order that they could make alternative arrangements.
I believe most Members have received in the past few weeks telephone calls and other correspondence from very concerned postmasters and postmistresses, particularly in my own part of the country, where predominantly rural post offices operate. Their main concern is that there is a real threat to the withdrawal of business from post offices, as a result of the Government's policy on e-commerce. I appreciate that there are two sides to this story, but it is incumbent on the Government to enter into discussions with An Post about the charges for the administration of the cashing of cheques in post offices, which I understand to be much higher than the simple electronic transfer of social welfare cheques into bank accounts. As a result of these high charges - I do not have the figures to hand - it is incumbent on the Government to remove the threat now hanging over post offices, especially rural post offices, although I understand it is an urban problem also. Some 80% of social welfare clients hold bank accounts, which means that as the Government is actively encouraging e-commerce as a policy, nearly all of those clients will collect their money through their bank accounts rather than from the post office, as is currently the case. If that trend continues, the future viability of rural post offices will be questionable. I ask for a debate on this issue in order that we can get clarity on it. However, ultimately my request is for the Government to enter into negotiations with An Post about the administration of the cashing of cheques in post offices, the charges for which I understand to be higher than that going through electronic transfer into bank accounts, which obviously has very severe implications.
I ask the Deputy Leader to have an urgent debate in this House because the beef industry is in crisis. It takes four to six weeks for farmers to get animals into factories at what is a very depressed price. On the best advice they had received about Food Harvest 2020, farmers, especially dairy farmers, were asked to produce bull beef. Around 1.5 million animals are to be slaughtered this year in Ireland, which is around 30,000 animals per week. Factories are not able to cope with these numbers as we do not have the markets for them. Unfortunately, in the next four years, we are going to see a rise of 300,000 cattle to be slaughtered, even though we do not have the markets for them. We have seen the headlines about new markets in Libya, Lebanon and Japan, as well as the Gulf states reopening for Irish beef, but what are Bord Bia and the factories doing? They do not seem to be sourcing these markets that are now open to us. We have a crisis. As farmers are not going to stay in beef production at the current price, we need to have an urgent debate in this House which I ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to attend. I also ask that he immediately bring the farm organisations and the factories together to see how this issue can be resolved.
Given the current weather conditions of storms and rain, we may be facing a crisis in farming, as we had last year, in a very wet spring. As animals are still in sheds and unable to move to factories, it is important that the markets we have been promised are reopened immediately, especially for live exports. We have live exports, but we do not have the markets for them. I call for an urgent debate on the beef industry.
I note what is believed to be disputes among members of the Cabinet about health insurance. I suggest to the Leader that we have a Green Paper because there are issues about health insurance where a large number of people have medical cards, some have entitlements as taxpayers and others bought health insurance in what used to be a more competitive market than it is now. Perhaps there are issues that need to be thrashed out, other than one Minister criticising another. A Green Paper might be the appropriate vehicle to discuss the issue.
I support Senator Pat O'Neill's call for a debate on the beef industry. Everything he has said is true and of grave concern in the agriculture sector. I support also the call by the acting Deputy Leader, Senator Paul Coghlan, for total transparency on section 38 and section 39 organisations which are receiving significant amounts of State funding. There should be no secrets about salaries or other benefits. We politicians have to put all information on our earnings in the public domain and the same should apply to anybody in receipt of funding from the State purse.
I welcome the launch yesterday by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation of the St. Patrick's Day Promote Ireland programme. Some 27 Ministers will take part in more than 100 business events and 80 high level political meetings in 35 cities in 23 countries. As we are all aware, 2013 was all about recovery. We have now exited the bailout and we want to send a clear message that Ireland is stable, vibrant, innovative and open for business. I welcome the emphasis on North America, from where about 80% of our foreign direct investment comes. We want to see this continued and accelerated. We welcome all the jobs created in the past year and those that will, I hope, be created in 2014. Clearly the cities of Dublin, Cork and Galway are doing reasonably well, but major towns, such as Ballinasloe, suffer from high levels of unemployment. We want to see the benefits of the recovery spread into the regions where employment lost in the past decade can be gradually restored as Ireland recovers from the economic crisis.
Many Senators have referred to the controversy concerning the section 38 and section 39 organisations funded by the State, but in respect of which we have not had full accountability and transparency. I agree with the Government party Senators who have called for that accountability because there should be no secrecy when it comes to the salaries of any organisation which is partly funded by the State. The reality is that there is secrecy and that we do not have accountability and transparency. It took until yesterday to get the information from Rehab in respect of the salary of the CEO of that organisation. It took months of wrangling, public debate and comment before Rehab stepped forward and put the information into the public domain. Many people will be astounded and outraged at the overall package of €272,400 for the CEO of that organisation, which is more than the Taoiseach is paid and more than the Heads of State of many countries in Europe are paid and is three times more than the salary of most charity heads in the State. A salary on that scale cannot be justified at a time when services for people with intellectual and physical disabilities are being cut across the State, including by the organisation concerned.
We need to hold another debate on the toxic culture of bonuses, top-ups, bailouts, pensions, dig-outs and cronyism that has passed for politics in the State. Such a regime has been in place at the top of far too many organisations ranging from the banks and now, it seems, to some charities as well, especially at a time when many families are trying to service Celtic tiger mortgages with austerity Ireland incomes. That is the reality for the majority of working families, yet they have seen heads of organisations and heads of charities receiving outrageous payments. Such payments need to stop. It needs to end. We who work in the political system must bring such behaviour to an end. We cannot act as Pontius Pilate all the time and wash our hands of responsibility. We must take responsibility. If the State funds these organisations, there should be service level agreements to ensure the salary caps in the public sector are also applied to these organisations. This is not rocket science. We just need the political will to make it happen. That needs to happen very quickly if we are to restore confidence in charities generally but also in public life in the State.
Last week the Leader responded to my request to arrange a debate on public sector reform and we had a very good debate on the matter. Yesterday, I discovered a document entitled, Promises, Commitments, and Delivery: Mid-Term Review of the Programme for Government, prepared by the Disability Federation of Ireland. I am sure Senator David Cullinane's request could be included in the following debate. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate to take place in the near future on the document prepared by the Disability Federation of Ireland. The document makes a lot of sense and acts as a reminder of the commitments the Government made. It is also a reminder of whether we, or the Government, are keeping up with the commitments. A debate would give us an opportunity to talk about disability and the disability promises that were made in so many other ways.
There is one other important topic. Senator Pat O'Neill referred to the beef trade and I wish to raise the issue of milk quality. There is a concern among veterinarians in Ireland that what has happened in recent years has left a danger that our quality of milk will be lower than it has been and lower than what is available in other countries. Until the year 2002, antibiotics were available across the counter. Legislation was introduced in 2003 which meant that antibiotics for animals were no longer available across the counter unless a veterinarian had been on the premises or farm once during the previous 12 months. There is a concern that 12 months is far too long because in Denmark the period is only 30 days and the reason for a shorter period is due to scheduling regarding the animal remedies regulation. The matter is worthy of consideration. I ask the Deputy Leader to bring the matter to the attention of the relevant Minister. I assume that would be the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Perhaps the Minister for Health might consider the matter also because we are talking about a concern that the quality of milk will deteriorate in the years ahead. Milk is an important export for Ireland and nothing should prevent us from being at the top of the world league table for milk quality.
Like Senator Paschal Mooney, I am deeply concerned about the proposal to hand over social welfare payments to banks, but not for the same reason as he stated. Such payments are the main function of a number of post offices and the proposal is liable to lead to their closure. Functions of banks, as far as I am concerned, can mean a lengthy wait. I have experienced the matter on three occasions in the past fortnight because I had to complete functions - queries or whatever else - with my bank that could not be done online but needed my personal attention. I had to wait on each occasion. I waited for 35 minutes on one occasion and 40 minutes each on the other two occasions. During that time I witnessed people in wheelchairs, people with walking sticks and elderly people having to wait to carry out such business that I am sure 80% of people can conduct online.
If this function is handed over to the banks, it will lead to longer queues and longer waiting times in them. I call on the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, to come to the House to discuss the issue.
I, too, wish the Taoiseach and Ministers every success in their trips abroad for St. Patrick's Day. It is particularly encouraging that some of cynicism that surrounded these announcements in the past has been somewhat diluted on this occasion. With modern means of communication, bad news travels as fast, if not faster, than good news; therefore, when we have a good news story like St. Patrick's Day and when many countries throughout the world wish to join in a celebration of our heritage, we should take that on board as something very positive which will, I hope, act as an antidote for some of the bad news which has emanated from this country in the past. I do not know how other Members feel, but when I watched the news on television and saw that many important global sites would be lit up with green lights, one's first reaction could be to say, "So what", which is very symbolic in itself but we know that would not happen if there was not respect for this country and our heritage. People want to embrace it with us. In the past, we availed of these trips to have dialogue with business people and others and many good stories came out of it and many jobs came to Ireland as a result. Perhaps it is a sign of increased maturity as a people that we are now working as a team when it comes to this exercise of Government representatives travelling abroad. Our wish is that the message sent from Ireland is also good news. There are aspects of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations which do not do us any good. Let us be fair about it. By saying that in the House, I am not providing a news story to spread throughout the world as it is already well known. All of us who have an opportunity to communicate a message to the broader public on what happens on St. Patrick's Day should make the point that one can enjoy oneself but that one does not have to do so in an anti-social way and in a way that impacts negatively on others, in particular older people. If we all send that same message abroad, there is a very good possibility that when we come back after St. Patrick's Day and assess what has come out of the celebrations, we will all feel the better for them.
I support Senator Terry Brennan's call for a debate with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resource, Deputy Pat Rabbitte. If what he said is true, it is not ideal. I do not know what other people's experiences of the banks are, but they do not seem to want to deal with individuals, which is a big problem. If we expect that people will receive the service they currently get in the post offices in the banks, I do not think that will happen.
I pay tribute to the late Patrick Scott who passed away last Friday morning. Scott was defining figure in Irish art for more than 70 years and the timing of his death could not have been more poignant as it was on the eve of his retrospective exhibition in the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is entitled Patrick Scott: Image Space Light and it is a testament to his extraordinary career, life and achievements as an artist. He will be sorely missed by all in the arts community and beyond. However, his legacy will live on with his wonderful work.
I concur with the comments on St. Patrick's Day.
It would be in a way negligent of the Government not to send representatives to countries from a tourism and trade point of view. Ministers represent us well when they are abroad. There is a perception that this is all done for fun but this is significantly hard work. I commend Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú for his comments in this regard, with which I agree.
I am disappointed by the response from the Rehab Group yesterday evening. Following weeks of requests, the chief executive officer's remuneration package was disclosed. While it was good to get details of the CEO's salary, it was disappointing that the group swiftly shut the door by declaring that the total remuneration of all its top executives would not be made available until 2016. This is not only about the Rehab Group or the CRC. As the Tánaiste said earlier, all section 39 charitable organisations should be fully open and transparent and should divulge the salaries of all their executives. Almost 95% of charitable organisations engage in fund-raising and everything they do is above board. They declare all the salaries they pay and it is only fair that all of them should be open and transparent.
I commend RTE for screening the programme, "Somebody to Love", last night. It was heart rending and beautiful. It was relevant in the context of what has happened in the past few weeks regarding equality and what we want for our society. The programme portrayed how people with an intellectual disability felt about love and romance and how they wanted to be treated as equals. It was fitting because in recent weeks we have had all the breaking news about homophobia and so on and how people express themselves. I hope we can look at all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, intellectual disability, colour or creed, being treated on an equal footing.
Senator Darragh O'Brien raised three issues. First, he sought a debate with the Minister for Finance on local property taxation. The Leader has sought to have the Minister come to the House for a number of debates and I am informed that his office is in discussions with the Department of Finance to have the Minister in the House next week. The date has not yet been confirmed, but we hope to have further word tomorrow. We will let the House know exactly when the debate will take place.
Second, the Senator queried the status of proposed legislation to deal with fair pricing in the horticulture and dairy sectors. I can check where it is on the A list and when it is likely to be brought forward. I am not aware of its positioning.
Third, the Senator raised the serious issue of the sale of the Irish Nationwide Building Society mortgage book currently held by IBRC, Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, and security for the 13,000 households concerned. I agree with him and others that it is a serious matter. Special liquidators have been appointed to oversee the liquidation of IBRC for the benefit of all creditors of the institution. They are conducting a valuation and sales process regarding all IBRC's assets, including the residential mortgage portfolio. The key issue is whether mortgage holders who were in arrears with the bank will continue to enjoy the protection of the Central Bank code of conduct on mortgage arrears. The sales process is not due to be completed until next month. A number of colleagues, including the Senator, speculated about vulture funds, but we do not know who the purchaser will be. It could be NAMA, National Asset Management Agency, and the Minister has advised that should the portfolios be sold to the agency, it is likely to apply best practice and that no borrower will be in a worse position.
The Minister is aware of the concerns of borrowers and has instructed his Department to examine the issue in consultation with the Central Bank with a view to bringing forward a solution. He has also informed the Dáil that the Department is aware of another mortgage book that has been purchased by an asset management group not covered by the CCMA, code of conduct on mortgage arrears. That group has met the Central Bank and the Department and indicated that it intends to adopt the CCMA to manage the acquired loans. It believes following the code is in its best interests and those of its customers, as well as forming part of its core strategy. We do not yet know whether the purchaser will be NAMA or a private sector purchaser. It is expected, however, that it would abide by the code as it would likely be in its best interests in dealing with customers. I am sorry that I cannot provide any more information, but that is as full an answer as I can give. I agree, however, that it is a matter of real concern.
Senator Paul Coghlan raised the matter of IBRC and noted the progress made by NAMA in the sale of the loan portfolio. With Senators Catherine Noone, Michael Mullins and David Cullinane, he raised the issue of Rehab’s salary disclosures and, more generally, the need for the regulation of charities. These issues are emerging as a result of a Health Service Executive, HSE, audit of section 38 agencies, hospitals and disability agencies. The audit is ongoing, but the majority have confirmed that they will co-operate with the compliance statement process. There is an ongoing process which has been well reported in the newspapers. The HSE is confident that there will be compliance.
Senator Katherine Zappone referred to the “Somebody to Love” documentary screened on RTE last night and, in that context, asked for a debate on the need to review the application of criminal legislation in respect of sexual relationships for persons with intellectual disabilities. It would be a good debate to have in the House. The Law Reform Commission has made proposals in this area which could be included in the debate which I will ask the Leader to facilitate.
Senator David Norris referred to a petition, of which I was not aware, concerning the US defamation laws. The petition, I think, is being put around by a particular newspaper. I will certainly not be signing it, thanks to the Senator’s advice.
We might all be in the same boat.
We will have a full debate this afternoon on the issues of homophobia, free speech and censorship, thanks to a motion tabled by Senator Katherine Zappone which has cross-party support.
Senator Marie Moloney referred to the recent storms. We all sympathise with her on nine hour journey to County Kerry last week. We all join with her in paying tribute to the ESB, eircom and local authority staff who have worked so hard to restore power and services. All Members express sympathy to the family of Mr. Michael O'Riordan, the eircom worker who was tragically killed while restoring telephone services to households in Glengarriff in west Cork. The Senator also raised the issue of schools closing during the bad weather and how information in this regard was passed on to parents. She might wish to raise this as a matter on the Adjournment with the Minister for Education and Skills.
Senator Paschal Mooney sought a debate on the issue of postmasters and postmistresses with the hand-over of social welfare payments from post offices to banks and, more generally, the move to e-commerce. This issue was also raised by Senators Catherine Noone and Terry Brennan. Debates have been sought on banking which the Leader is trying to facilitate. In that context, we could also debate the issue and online banking. Like many others, we have all been frustrated by the absence of real banking staff when we go into a bank. Online banking, however, when right, can be very convenient, including for those with mobility issues.
Senator Pat O’Neill called for a debate on the beef industry and the crisis for beef farmers with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Minister will attend the House tomorrow for a debate on the greyhound industry. We might ask him to facilitate a debate on the beef industry, too.
Senator Sean D. Barrett inquired about a Green Paper on private health insurance. The Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, writes in The Irish Times today on the imminent publication of the White Paper on universal health insurance. As the Senator raised a slightly different issue, he might want to communicate directly with the Minister on the idea of a Green Paper on private health insurance.
Certainly, a Government White Paper is imminent on the move towards universal health insurance and the stages being taken towards delivering the single-tier health service. The Minister has set out in the newspaper today very clear steps by which progress will be made on universal health insurance. With regard to the position on private health insurance in the meantime, the Government has clearly stated its commitment to keeping health insurance affordable for as many people as possible. There has, as we all know, been a drop in the number of people with private health insurance, but, in international terms, Ireland continues to retain a high level of voluntary private health insurance. The issue is trying to keep it affordable while we move towards the universal health insurance system.
Senator Michael Mullins called for a debate on the beef industry and supported Senator Paul Coghlan on the section 38 and section 39 agencies. He also complimented the Tánaiste and the Government on the launch of the St. Patrick's Day programme and welcomed the fact that so many visits would be made by Ministers. I know there will be an emphasis on North America this year. Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú also raised this issue, as did Senator Catherine Noone. Senator Ó Labhrás Murchú put it fairly when he said there was much less cynicism about the story of visits by Ministers. I believe we all now accept how important these visits are and the great economic and social benefits and the benefit to the image of Ireland that they bring. We all very much support this. There are somewhat fewer visits to Britain, with one to Britain and Scotland or, I should say, to England and Scotland by Ministers. However, we will have later this year-----
Britain, I am glad to say, still includes England, Wales and Scotland-----
I thank the Senator for his clarification.
-----ruled over by Her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, by the grace of God.
I do not think I would go that far.
Even if Barroso does not like it.
Do not forget Northern Ireland.
Yes, Senator Paschal Mooney has just mentioned Northern Ireland.
I say it with a tear in my eye.
Senator David Norris has just given me a nice segue into what I am going to say next, that we will later this year have the very welcome visit of President Michael D. Higgins to Britain to meet its Head of State. We will, of course, have ongoing and very close relations with the British authorities. Nonetheless, there is an emphasis this year on business with North America which is very welcome, as other colleagues have mentioned.
Senator David Cullinane spoke about the Rehab issue which I have covered.
Senator Feargal Quinn mentioned the need for a debate on the Disability Federation of Ireland document, of which I am not aware. I will certainly ask the Leader to arrange a debate on it. The Senator also raised the important issue of the quality of milk. We might have the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the House for a combined debate on dairy and beef farming. The Senator raised a very real concern about the increased use of antibiotics and the detrimental effect it could have on milk quality.
Senator Terry Brennan raised the issues of social welfare payments being handed to banks and the closure of post offices. He called for a debate on post offices with the Minister, Deputy Pat Rabbitte.
As I said, Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú raised the issue of the St. Patrick's Day visits programme by Ministers. He also spoke about the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. We all welcome the fact that a full programme will be launched this Thursday by the St. Patrick's Day committee which will be setting out the full programme of cultural and family-friendly activities that will be taking place all across Dublin. It is a national festival taking place in the capital city, but , of course, there will be many parades and other events taking place around the country. The answer to concerns raised about the way in which the parade and other festivities are run is not to close down funfairs or stop family-friendly activities but to ensure we control and regulate anti-social behaviour. To my mind, it is largely the excessive consumption of alcohol which has been the real cause of criticism in the past and that is not the fault of the St. Patrick's Day festival organisers. We will see an excellent programme launched this Thursday, to which I look forward, as I am sure others do.
Senator Catherine Noone raised the issue of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations and also paid tribute to the late Patrick Scott. I am glad that she raised that issue because it was extremely poignant that he died just before the opening this week of the big retrospective exhibition of his work at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. It promises to be a great exhibition and it is very sad that he did not live to see it. He was a hugely important artist for Ireland and it was very nice to hear all of the tributes paid to him over the weekend.
Senator Mary Moran raised the issue of Rehab. I have dealt with that issue. She also referred to the RTE programme on persons with an intellectual disability, on which we will look for a debate in the light of what she and Senator Katherine Zappone said.
Order of Business agreed to.
Sitting suspended at 3.30 p.m. and resumed at 3.45 p.m.