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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 19 Feb 2015

Vol. 238 No. 3

Order of Business

The Order of Business is No. 1, Regulation of Lobbying Bill 2014 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 1.15 p.m. and adjourned not later than 2.30 p.m., if not previously concluded; and No. 2, Workplace Relations Bill 2014 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 2.30 p.m. and adjourned not later than 4.30 p.m., if not previously concluded.

With regard to the Workplace Relations Bill, we oppose section 72, at which I ask the Labour Party, in particular, to look. Members of trade unions and workers throughout the land are very upset about section 72 of said Bill. It potentially imposes a fee on using the labour relations mechanisms in the State. It is very unfair and is not what I thought those in the Labour Party were about. They would want to get a little more influence over Fine Gael and more backbone if they want to go before the people properly next year and not simply be lambs to the slaughter.

I raise the issue of crime. I pay tribute to the officers of the PSNI who yesterday captured the viciously dangerous man in Belfast who escaped from custody in Dublin a couple of days ago. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minster for Justice and Equality come into this House to discuss this extremely urgent matter that is causing huge anxiety and stress throughout the land. The Senators opposite can be nonchalant about this matter but it is very serious. A very dangerous situation was allowed to arise in recent days. The Taoiseach has already decided the outcome of a review by denying that resource issues had anything to do with the lack of a secure Garda escort with this individual, yet the Minister for Justice and Equality has launched a review. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, would want to come into this House or the Dáil to explain what is going on. I am proposing she comes into this House to tell the people that they are or are not safe, that the Government is or is not committed to tackling crime and to tell us what is going on in this case.

There are too many mixed messages coming from Government leading to fear and anxiety among the community and it is not good enough for the Members opposite to sit there relaxed and happy with legislation coming out of the Department of Justice and Equality and celebrating what they say is the most reforming Minister ever. Where did we hear that before? We heard it about the former Minister, Deputy Alan Shatter. The ordinary duties of a Minister for Justice and Equality in terms of crime, punishment and protecting the citizen are being forgotten and it is about time we had a debate in the House to bring that back to the forefront of the Department of Justice and Equality.

Will the Senator, please, clarify the amendment?

I propose an amendment that the Minister for Justice and Equality come to the House to clarify the situation regarding crime, justice and policing in the light of the events in recent days.

I raise the issue of the Slane bypass in County Meath. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, who I acknowledge met me before Christmas about the Slane bypass - the Leader arranged this and I was thankful to him at the time because I was able to put a case to him about the bypass - was due to meet members of the Slane bypass action group today. For whatever reason, that meeting was postponed. He is going about his duties as he normally does. He was on radio this morning. I would like to know why that meeting was postponed and if the Government can give a positive signal about the Slane bypass because it has not given any signal about it, with the exception of the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, when he was Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, who announced at one point that funding would not be provided for it. We need a positive signal about the Slane bypass from the Government. The matter was in planning. It was refused by An Bord Pleanála. There was a ministerial intervention before the Government took office that was not positive, but since the work has been done, following the An Bord Pleanála refusal, there has not been a signal from Government, the decision-makers, the National Roads Authority or the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport about it, and we need such a signal.

I point out also that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, was due to meet the north Meath roads action group some weeks ago and that meeting was postponed also sine die, without a reassigned date. What is going on? Is the Minister too busy to meet these groups? Are these serious issues of health and safety not important? I assure the Cathaoirleach and the Leader that the Slane bypass is a serious matter of health and safety and life and death in my community.

I am sure all colleagues will join me, as they did yesterday, in condemning the dreadful attack on the prison officers by the escaped prisoner, Mr. Brockwell, but I am sure also that everyone will wish to join me in commending the PSNI officers and gardaí who were involved in the police operation that resulted in his recapture, as we heard last night. I am disappointed at Senator Thomas Byrne's tone. This is far too serious an issue on which to seek to score political points. It is a very serious matter.

We are trying to make sure you do your job.

It is something on which this House can unite in support of those on the front line in seeking to ensure dangerous prisoners such as this man do not evade recapture when an escape has happened and to ensure escapes such as this are prevented in the future.

The resources are available to prevent it from happening in the first place.

A measured debate on this matter with the Minister for Justice and Equality would be appropriate but not a knee-jerk debate today when there are ongoing operations and it is not yet clear what will be the outcome in terms of whether Mr. Brockwell will be returned to Britain to serve the remainder of his sentence. Fianna Fáil tabled an amendment on this issue yesterday also and I felt it was most inappropriate to be playing political football with this issue.

Will the Leader see whether the Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill might resume Committee Stage in this House before Easter? We are awaiting the drafting of Government amendments to this important Bill, which will reform section 37 of the employment equality legislation to ensure teachers, in particular, will not face any discrimination by their employer on grounds of sexual orientation. It is a very important Bill. I was promised that it would be back before the House before Easter. We have been awaiting the resumed Committee Stage for some time now and I ask the Leader to make inquiries as to when it will be before this House.

I welcome the article in The Irish Times today by former Supreme Court judge and former Senator Catherine McGuinness on the issue of gender equality in academic employment. She notes that Professor Jane Grimson, former TCD Bryce provost, has been appointed to chair an independent task force at NUI Galway to look into this issue. With other colleagues in this House, I had raised this issue in the light of the successful case taken by Micheline Sheehy Skeffington against NUI Galway. Therefore, I very much welcome the fact that NUI Galway is taking proactive steps to address issues of gender inequality at third level.

There are some very worrying figures quoted in the article by Mrs. Justice McGuinness in terms of the pay gap and the low number of women at senior level in academia. While many of us are very much aware of this, it is an issue that needs to be highlighted and in respect of which we need to be proactive. Action needs to be taken in this regard.

I support the comments of the Senators yesterday who spoke in support of the plain packaging legislation in relation to cigarettes. I note there are further reports today regarding JTI Ireland's threatened litigation. I note also that the Australian research often quoted against plain packaging legislation has now been questioned on the basis that it was commissioned and funded by a large cigarette company. The plain packaging legislation introduced by the former Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, needs to be supported. We need to speak out on this issue where possible.

According to a report published yesterday by the Small Firms Association, absenteeism is costing this country approximately €1 billion per annum. The report also states that when other costs such as replacing staff and a lack of productivity are taken into account, absenteeism is a huge cost to us. Yesterday, steps to address the sick note culture in Britain were announced. It is an initiative worthy of consideration by us. If what the SFA has in mind is this proposal then let us ensure we do not sit on it. It appears to me that it takes too long to get things done here. I would hate to think that a solution was available to us but we chose to sit on it rather than doing anything about it. I urge the Leader to draw the attention of the relevant Minister to that initiative and, perhaps, to provide time for a debate on it at some point in the future.

Senator Mary White drew attention the other day to a particular issue in relation to the battle against obesity, in respect of which I am not sure she got a great deal of attention from our point of view. We are all supportive of anything that helps to reduce obesity in Ireland and make us a healthier people. The legislation mentioned by the Senator, in relation to which there is much opposition, provides for the inclusion of calorie content information on restaurant menus. The difficulty, apparently, is how this can be done. It was pointed out that in the United States every meal at a top-notch restaurant is different because individual meals are prepared at the request of patrons, while restaurant chains, be they hamburger joints such as Supermac's and McDonalds or some other chain prepare the same meals every day. Therefore, the legislation in America applies only to restaurants that have five branches or more. That seems to make sense. I can see the difficulty in having to produce a separate menu and calorie information for every meal. I urge that we do take steps to combat obesity but that we do so in a logical and sensible way. The American system would, in my view, be the route we should go.

I support the remarks of Senator Feargal Quinn and also the remarks made by Senator Mary White yesterday or the day before about the obesity issue. I draw the attention of Senators to the claim being made by restaurants that someone will have to sit down and calculate the number of calories in every meal on every menu. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has an online tool, menucal.ie, which will calculate at the touch of a button how many calories are in any meal. I know this because I have done it.

Yes. If one types in exactly what is on the menu, one can get the calorie content at the touch of a button. It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel to get the calorie content of each item. It is possible to get the information on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland menucal.ie facility.

I call for a full debate in this House on the drugs issue. At a meeting yesterday of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality we heard the experiences of a very intelligent woman, Ms Marie Metcalfe, who has spent 16 years working in a community drugs project. The assistant Garda Commissioner, Mr. John Twomey, was also in attendance. Reference was made during the meeting to a recent headline in the media stating that kids were out selling drugs because gardaí were busy at water protests. Ms Metcalfe said that while she welcomed that two new drugs units were set up in the Dublin before Christmas last, resources are lacking. She also noted that the situation had worsened recently because gardaí had to leave particular areas to police anti-water-charge protests. The assistant Garda Commissioner confirmed that the water protests did require resources and that this resulted in resources being taken from other areas. He also stated that while An Garda Síochána was committed to tackling drugs as part of the national drugs strategy, it was not possible to have gardaí in two places at the same time. People need to consider which is the important issue - a €160 water charge or the damage caused to communities by drugs. I would welcome a full debate on the drugs issue.

Also, I support the call made by Deputy David Stanton at yesterday's meeting for the appointment of a Minister of State with responsibility for drugs and the establishment of a mini Criminal Assets Bureau in this area. This is such an important issue and we should have a full debate on it.

I second Senator Thomas Byrne's request that the Minister for Justice and Equality be asked to come to the House. She tends to get good publicity all the time. However, in terms of the prisoner escape issue, she is responsible for two prison officers having been injured during the transfer of a criminal from Portlaoise Prison to Tallaght Hospital. It is most irresponsible. At the end of the day, the Minister must accept responsibility for this. That is what Fianna Fáil had to do when in government. When in government, Fianna Fáil was held responsible by the Opposition at all times. As far as I can see, the Government just gets away with anything, but its day will come. The day of reckoning - for whom the bell tolls - is on the way.

Does the Senator have much experience of that?

I commend the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, for his trip to the Gaza region, although it did not receive much coverage. It was very courageous of him to go there. I would like to ask the Leader if he will arrange for the Minister to come to this House for a general discussion on the regional situation in Gaza, Palestine and Israel and for a separate discussion on the situation in Azerbaijan, which does not get much coverage. Between 25 and 26 February 1992 - 23 years ago - 613 men, women and children were killed in an atrocity in Khojaly. A serious conflict is ongoing in the Nagorno-Karabakh area, but it receives very little coverage. A debate on the issue in this House would be worthwhile. Last Monday night, 16 February, I had the honour of launching the premiere of a film, "Endless Corridors", which is narrated by Jeremy Irons, in the Light House cinema in Dublin. It is worth seeing.

I welcome the recommendation of the new ambassador from the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Tahir Taghizadeh, who has been assigned to London and Dublin. While Mr. Taghizadeh presented his credentials last November in London, he has not yet been given the opportunity of presenting them here. When an ambassador is assigned to a country there should not be a delay on the part of the Minister responsible in providing that ambassador with an opportunity to present his or her credentials to President Michael D. Higgins. I rang the Department yesterday. The matter is under way. I would like to see more action by the Government when it comes to trade, foreign affairs and relationships. It is wrong that the ambassador has been left waiting for the past few months to present his credentials to the President. There is trade involved.

The Senator is way over time and must conclude.

I am constantly showing how ineffective the Government is. It is inefficient and not progressive enough. I am trying to assist it in its work.

The Senator is way over time.

I rang the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before raising the matter in the House. I hope the Leader will provide an opportunity for the Minister to come to the House to discuss important foreign affairs and trade issues.

There is a need for a change in the way in which local area partnerships are being funded.

There was a protest yesterday outside the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in which some 300 community workers and their unions, SIPTU and IMPACT, protested about this issue. I have raised it with a couple of political colleagues and noted it has very much gone under the radar. This is because there was no consultation process put in place before the change to the manner of funding was made.

Traditionally, funding for the local area partnerships has gone through the local and community development programme. As this is now being changed, funding will fall under the social inclusion and community activation programme. It is administered in a completely different way. What is actually happening is that local area partnerships must now bid for their funding. For example, two very prominent north-side partnerships are actually bidding against each other. This is ridiculous and is very disrespectful to the work of the community area partnerships. I suspect the objective is to force mergers between the various local area partnerships. This fails to recognise the importance of the fact that they are actually community based. Many of the partnerships are very involved on the front line with adult literacy programmes, homework clubs, community child care, employment activation and many other important initiatives. I ask the Leader, as a matter of urgency, to raise this issue with the Minister.

The result of the bids process was supposed to have been announced yesterday but has now been put off for a week. The bids that are taking place currently are for projects from 1 April to the end of the year. Aside from the fact that announcing funding on 1 April for projects that are already in place is absolute nonsense, it will mean a significant number of community employees will lose their jobs. That is the bottom line. When the result comes out next week, projects in parts of Dublin with dire unemployment, such as the whole north side, will simply collapse because they cannot be funded.

I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Gerald Nash, on establishing the Low Pay Commission and nominating Dr. Donal De Buitléir as the chairman. The commission's economists are Ms Mary Mosse from Waterford Institute of Technology and Professor Donal O'Neill from Maynooth University. We have a problem with low pay and increasing inequality. The Minister of State has chosen wisely.

I wish the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, a speedy recovery from his eye ailment. As Lord Kitchener said, "Your country needs you." This applies where the Minister is concerned.

I propose that we consider taking very soon non-Government motion No. 14. It is not in my name but in the names of other Senators and concerns Aer Lingus. What we now have is the refusal of the chairman of Aer Lingus to disclose the vote at his board when the takeover was agreed. There is substantial evidence of utter collusion between the two airlines. They were singing from the same sheet when in to see us one week after the other. There is evidence in the UK courts that Aer Lingus and British Airways blamed Ryanair for not allowing them to sell the Heathrow Airport slots. They then told us they never wanted to sell the slots. There is a smell from this deal. I was most disappointed to see members of the Fine Gael Party being chatted up on the front page of The Irish Times today and claiming they favour the deal. We have not debated the issue here and have to hear both sides. That is not happening.

Back to the 1990s again.

What one gets is a PR-driven takeover whereby we, representing 25.1% of the shareholders, are not even given a prospectus as to why we should agree with this. We should not consent to any done deals being promoted in the media. The situation is getting more serious by the day and it is time that we had a full debate in this House. There is a motion tabled that I believe should be taken.

I am pleased to announce this morning that the Minister for Health is establishing the national rare diseases office. Both Senator Jillian van Turnhout and I have been raising this issue for some time. The Minister confirmed in a reply to a Commencement matter I raised this morning and in a reply by letter that €100,000 has been provided this year for setting up the office, and €200,000 for 2016. I welcome that. It is long overdue and will be a valuable part of developing a comprehensive programme for dealing with rare diseases. I welcome it very much. Getting the national rare diseases plan published was a positive move on the part of the former Minister, as is acting on the plan now.

Let me respond to Senator Thomas Byrne's comments on the Minister for Justice and Equality. In Cork we are building a new prison. For 14 years, Fianna Fáil was an office with plenty of money and procrastinated over the problem. The party kicked the matter from one constituency to another. We are building the prison. We do not look on to ascertain the general mood and the way the wind is blowing; we actually do the work.

We resourced the Irish Prison Service to make sure dangerous men would not be allowed to escape.

It is fine to talk about it; we actually act, not talk. We deliver.

A dangerous man escaped-----

(Interruptions).

Senator Colm Burke to continue, without interruption.

We are delivering in that area. The Senator should keep that in mind the next time he criticises the Minister for Justice and Equality.

I was at the protest yesterday outside the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in support of all the community workers about which Senator Aideen Hayden spoke. She is correct regarding all the issues she raised. There are real concerns over the realignment process, the future of jobs in the sector and the erosion and undermining of the bottom-up approach to community development, not only by the current Government but also by the previous one. All of this came from the Putting People First legislation that the former Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, dealt with in this Seanad. The Labour Party supported it. We tabled a series of amendments on all these issues.

It was not meant to work like this.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh and I tabled many amendments on all these issues and all were voted down by the Labour Party, including, I suspect, the Senator. It would be interesting to examine these amendments and what was said in the Seanad at the time to see who has been proved right.

I suggest to Senator Aideen Hayden that she contact her ministerial colleague, the very Minister who is imposing what she is complaining about.

I commend to the House a document published by Sinn Féin today displacing JobBridge. It would be useful to have a debate on such issues. There are significant concerns over many of the labour activation programmes and measures in the State. There is very real concern that the JobBridge scheme itself is beyond repair. It displaces paid work, depresses job creation, facilitates wage avoidance and normalises work for low or no wages. In fact, it ties in with the, Think-tank for Action on Social Change, TASC, report published on Monday, which shows we have a problem with precarious employment and underemployment. Many employers are taking advantage of JobBridge to take people on to do what should be paid work. That should not be happening. We propose an alternative model. We should have a debate on all these issues. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the broad issue of labour activation measures. Let us have a constructive debate on what is working and what is not.

I raise the issue of turf cutting on raised bogs, particularly in County Roscommon where three bogs, Callow Bog, the Float Bog and Bellanagare Bog, were designated. Many people might have been happy to take the compensation at the time it was offered but there are many who are not happy to do so. They were promised relocation to other bogs but it now appears, three years later, that the National Parks and Wildlife Service is saying relocation is not an option for them. The former Minister, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, was in this Chamber in 2013 and made a commitment that if people did not want to take the compensation and if relocation was not an option, he would go back to the European Union and seek de-designation of the bogs. I call on the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, to come to the House to debate this issue and outline what she will do for the turf cutters. What has happened has been grossly unfair to them and there have been heavy-handed tactics to date. The matter needs to be resolved and it will never go away.

I seek a cross-party debate on the future of Cork Airport. My colleague in the Dáil, Deputy Michael McGrath, has outlined that Cork Airport business has contracted rapidly in recent years to a point where its future viability is at risk. The number of passengers is declining annually and crisis point has been reached. I met representatives of Cork Chamber of Commerce, who want an all-party consensus approach to dealing with the issue. We deserve a debate on this, before the Easter recess if possible.

I, too, add my voice to that of Senator Thomas Byrne on the Garda issue and the prisoner escape. This is not a knee-jerk political reaction. I remind the House that yesterday the Taoiseach, perhaps inadvertently but certainly in throwaway jocose remarks, said there was no issue with Garda resources. The prisoner who escaped had been flagged as a flight risk. On four separate occasions the prison officers were denied an armed Garda security arrangement.

Yesterday at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, I listened and was astounded by what a lady from the north-east inner city had to say. She said, in a debate on gangland crime, that because of the closure of a Garda station and a lack of resources, the drug problem was spiralling out of control in the city. She had no axe to grind politically. The problem was mainly due to Garda resources. We are coming to a stage in the country where too few gardaí will be available to us. I do not refer to gardaí with all the buttons, but to those who patrol our streets. The situation is at a crisis. A few recruits came from Templemore recently. We need a debate to reassure the public about Garda resources.

If the Taoiseach's remarks yesterday were unfounded, as I think they were, this is a very serious issue. Everybody in the city knows that gangland crime, murder of any description and the prisoner escaping are the result of a lack of resources. It is appropriate for the Opposition to look for a debate on the issue. The Minister should come before the House today. It is a very serious issue. Two prison officers were seriously injured. We cannot allow that to continue. We must address the situation. Our raising this issue is not a political gimmick. It is a serious matter of the most urgent concern which imposes on us an obligation to raise such issues in the House.

I strongly agree with Senator Cáit Keane in calling for a full debate on drugs, the drug culture and the availability of drugs. Garda resources and policing are very much linked to crime. Gangland crime in Dublin is linked to the drugs culture. In rural parts of the country the majority of crime is linked in some way or other to the drugs culture and industry. It is a major industry and something that needs to be seriously addressed. If the Criminal Assets Bureau is not adequately resourced, resources should be made available to it to tackle the issue. I would like the see the Department of Social Protection take a keener interest in where some of those who appear to have a significant amount of wealth without any clear evidence of gainful employment got their money. It is a mystery to me. I am aware of people who are in a position to buy expensive cars and vans and pay for them in full in cash without having evidence of a job. This needs to be examined. It is my view that a lot of the wealth that is circulating in some communities is inextricably linked to the drugs industry. I support the idea of having a Minister of State with responsibility for tackling the drugs culture. We need a major debate on this issue in the House because it is devastating the lives of many young people and destroying families and the fabric of society throughout the country. I appeal to the Leader to organise an urgent debate on this very serious matter.

I have often, along with others in the House, had occasion to criticise the media for various reasons over the years. One thing for which The Irish Times deserves great credit has been its longtime sponsorship of its debating competition which has done so much to encourage excellence in debating in third level colleges. In that regard, I hope the Cathaoirleach does not mind if I acknowledge the presence in the Visitors Gallery today of Professor Brent Northup of Carroll College in Helena, Montana who has been a stalwart supporter of the debating competition. He is here with William Courtney, the current individual debating champion. I hope the House will join me in welcoming them today.

I highlight an issue which is causing undue financial hardship to young people who are returning to Ireland to work. The sad reality is that in recent years tens of thousands of young Irish men and women have left our shores to find work. As everybody knows, as the economy soured and weakened, the numbers leaving grew. The flow of young people from our shores has somewhat reversed in recent months. Many young people find upon their return to find work in Ireland that when they try to buy a car and set out to make a living, they are hit by enormous car insurance bills. At a recent funeral in Mountbellew I spoke to a woman from Aughrim who described how her two sons who had returned from Australia are self-employed and living in a rural area. They need cars to work and were shocked to find that the time they spent driving claims-free in Australia and England did not count. Those years are not transferable and are not recognised by insurance companies in Ireland. They are being hit with premiums of up to €3,500, which is absolute madness when one considers that those young people are not responsible for the economic failure which forced them away in the first place. Why should they be indirectly penalised in this way on their return?

The young people to whom I referred have about 23 years of claims-free insured driving between them. They are in their early 30s and are being treated as new drivers because of the gap in their insured driving record. Despite their attempts to show that they have been driving safely in Australia and Britain, the insurance company hit them with large bills. I would like the Leader to communicate this growing problem to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in order that he can issue guidelines to the insurance companies to recognise safe driving abroad as reckonable when calculating insurance premiums. It should not be beyond our wit and ingenuity to solve this problem. It is a serious injustice to young people who are trying to get started again in our country. Anything less than statutory guidelines will result in them being penalised. I would be very grateful if the Leader could inform us as to what the Government can do about this matter.

I support my colleagues who commended the Garda and the PSNI on recapturing the criminal in Belfast. It is to be hoped he will not be maintained in this country at the taxpayers' expense. I hope he is sent back to where he belongs and serves his sentence.

We have called for a debate with the Minister for Justice and Equality. There were two robberies in my locality in the past four or five weeks and which were obviously carried out by the same gang. Many people have dogs in their properties and in each case the dog on the business premises continued to bark. In one case the wife went to the door to see why it was barking. She was then accosted by four people wearing balaclavas who went into the building. They locked her and her children into a small bathroom and broke the handle of the bathroom door to ensure they could not get out or ring anybody. In both instances when the husbands came home, they found the intruders had robbed the house. It is obvious the same four people were involved in both incidents which took place five miles from the Border. Within five minutes the intruders would have been in another jurisdiction. I called to a house recently but the woman living there did not answer the front door. She spoke to me instead through a bedroom window. She did not know who I was. I commended her on doing that, but things are now at a stage where one cannot open one's front door if one does not know-----

Is the Senator supporting the call for a debate?

I am calling for a debate to alert people to the dangers. These things are happening in many counties.

We cannot expect gardaí to police every house in the country. I do not know whether one should keep a dog, but if the dog bit any of these people they could make a claim.

Cé hiad na pleananna atá á gcur in áit ag an gCeannaire maidir le Seachtain na Gaeilge ó thaobh díospóireachtaí in san Teach seo? Will the Leader outline what plans are being put in place for Seachtain na Gaeilge in the Seanad regarding debates through the medium of Irish? They need not necessarily be about the Irish language but they should be conducted in Irish.

I note an article in The Irish Times today which reports that since the downturn in 2008, the number of people packing their bags and heading down under in search of work has soared, peaking at 18,200. There are similarly large figures for emigration to other countries. In the case of New Zealand, the figure has increased steadily from 3,131 in 2006-07 to the peak of 4,961 in 2012-13. In Britain, a total of 16,750 Irish people registered for a national insurance number for work in the United Kingdom in the 12 months to September 2014, and almost 18,000 temporary workers and their family members travelled to the United States in 2013. There is a huge diaspora abroad.

I appreciate that the Government has appointed a Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora. He has had a number of months to settle into his office. I understand a policy on the diaspora is being formulated. Ministers will be sent to all parts of the globe during the St. Patrick's Day week to engage with our diaspora and to discuss the issues relating to Ireland, but I hope we can have a debate before then about diaspora policy. Rather than it being launched during that week it would be good if the Houses could have a debate in order that Members could have an input into that policy. There are many issues surrounding voting rights for emigrants. These rights have been promised and were discussed by the Constitutional Convention. Will we have that referendum in order that people can vote in the presidential election in 2017? With regard to supports for emigrants, there are huge issues regarding homelessness, mental health and so forth. Senator Rónán Mullen raised another interesting issue relating to emigrants who are trying to return. There are issues with social protection, insurance and so forth. I have called previously for a debate on the diaspora with the Minister of State, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, and hope we can have it before the annual exodus of Ministers to the four corners of the earth in order that they can convey our opinions on the diaspora and what we should be doing from a policy perspective on its behalf.

Chun cur leis an méid atá ráite ag an Seanadóir Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, beidh tuarascáil an chomhcoiste maidir leis an nGaeilge á seoladh an tseachtain seo chugainn. Bheadh sé an-oiriúnach dá mbeadh seans againn é sin a phlé le linn Sheachtain na Gaeilge.

Regarding the point made by Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, I understand that the report of the Oireachtas joint committee on the Irish language will be published next Tuesday. Perhaps the Leader might agree to have a debate on it as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge. First, it would be very helpful and, second, it would give us the opportunity to indicate our support for the Irish language, not in any type of cosmetic way but in a way that was practical and helpful. The Leader might consider this request when he is planning the schedule.

I raise the issue of regional development, specifically with regard to IDA Ireland. As Members know, the local authorities now have an economic development role within their jurisdictions following the Local Government Reform Act 2014. I realise it is not easy to turn a tanker quickly, but the oil tanker that is IDA Ireland has been very slow and reticent in facilitating rural Ireland. It is a criticism that I strongly believe. In recent years IDA Ireland has been disposing of assets, primarily land, throughout the country. I am told that in many cases the land was provided by the local authority for IDA Ireland to develop jobs on it. IDA Ireland is now disposing of these lands and is rationalising its land back. I understand the commonsense of this, but, as a result of the latest legislation passed by both Houses, each local authority has the capacity to advance economic development, and there is now no land available for many of these authorities. It is a peculiar scenario. IDA Ireland was given land by the local authority, sold it and now the local authority is attempting to generate economic development. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, to come to the House to address the sale of land assets that were provided for IDA Ireland by local authorities. Something should be done about this. It is unfair and unreasonable that this is happening. I can offer the specific example of my native town of Gorey, County Wexford. The local authority provided land for IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland later sold it and moved on. It has admitted it has no responsibility for Gorey. However, it took the money and used it for its own purposes, which I consider very unfair. I urge the Leader to invite the Minister to the House as soon as possible to discuss this matter.

Senator Thomas Byrne proposed an amendment to the Order of Business similar to the one proposed yesterday. As I mentioned then, there is an ongoing Garda investigation of this matter. I appreciate that it is very serious and have asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will be in a position to come to the House, even for a short time next week. That request is with her. She has given an undertaking that when the sizeable amount of legislation she has in hand and ready to be introduced in the House has been completed, she will be willing to have a comprehensive debate not only on this issue but also on law and order, a debate many Senators have requested. Unfortunately, I cannot accept the proposed amendment to the Order of Business.

With regard to the Slane bypass, Senator Thomas Byrne said that an appointment had been broken. I am sure a simple telephone call to the Minister's office would indicate why he could not attend this meeting and why he did not attend another. As the Senator is aware, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is very busy. He is required to be in Parliament to address matters such as Aer Lingus and many other transport issues. I do not suggest the Slane bypass project is not as important as these, as it certainly is to the people concerned, but I am sure the Minister will rearrange the meeting in early course.

Senator Ivana Bacik asked about the resumed Committee Stage debate on the Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill. I do not have good news in that regard. There is nothing planned and it will be after the Easter recess before I will have news on the matter. The Senator also welcomed the proposals relating to gender inequality at third level and the committee that had been established. They are welcome. I also note her points about the plain packaging of tobacco, an issue which was raised by a number of Members yesterday, in support of the Government's stance on the issue.

Senator Feargal Quinn spoke about absenteeism being a major problem, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. He also referred to the measures announced in the United Kingdom yesterday. We will be dealing with Committee Stage of the Workplace Relations Bill today when the matter could be raised. I am sure the Senator will get an opportunity to raise the points made directly with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

The issue of calorie counts on menus was referred to.

It has been highlighted that some restaurateurs have difficulties but food chains do not. Senator Cáit Keane mentioned the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's website menucal.ie which will easily calculate the calorie count. I appreciate that there will be difficulties for some restaurateurs in adhering to the proposed calorie counts on menus, but I hope sense will prevail and that there will not be heavy-handedness when it comes to implementing the scheme.

Senators Cáit Keane, Denis O'Donovan and others spoke about drugs and gangland crime, issues which have been debated for some time by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. A report will come from the committee and when it is complete, we undertake that it will be debated in the House. This may give an opportunity for the Minister for Justice and Equality to come to the House to discuss the issues of drugs, gangland crime and law and order.

Senator Terry Leyden called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to come to the House to debate the situation in the Middle East. The Minister has come to the House twice already this year to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine. The Senator also called for the Minister to discuss the situation in Azerbaijan. I would like the Minister to come to the House to discuss the situation in Northern Ireland also and have requested that he do so, even though he has come to the House on a number of occasions to discuss the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine and other areas of conflict.

Senator Aideen Hayden spoke about local area partnerships bidding for projects. I appreciate what she stated in that regard, but there is a need to avoid duplication. I understand what she stated about funding being put in place in April for projects already up and running and the difficulties which may accrue as a result. I hope the matter can be teased out with the relevant Minister.

Senator Sean D. Barrett complimented the Minister of State, Deputy Gerald Nash, on his appointments to the Low Pay Commission. Those involved are eminent individuals. I note the Senator's comments on Aer Lingus, a matter which is being debated by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications. I assure the Senator that there are no done deals with anybody. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport will consider everything which will come before him and a decision will be made by the Government at that time, not beforehand. I assure the Senator that there are no done deals and that nothing has been entered into.

Senator Colm Burke welcomed the establishment of the national rare diseases office and complimented the Ministers involved. He also outlined the Government's position on the construction of the new Cork Prison, which is long overdue.

Senator David Cullinane spoke about JobBridge and new proposals from Sinn Féin, many of which are a rehash of the policy of the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English. There are some good points among them, which I appreciate. They are not like Sinn Féin's budget proposals which can be found in the fiction section of any good bookshop. We welcome its proposals in this regard, even though many of them are a rehash of what the Government has in place.

Senator John Kelly spoke about turf cutting and raised bogs. We have had debates on this issue and perhaps the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, might come to the House to discuss it. I do not believe she has come to the House to discuss it.

I note the points made by Senator Denis O'Donovan about Cork Airport and law and order which I believe I have addressed. We have many recruits in the Garda College in Templemore which we reopened and more are to come. There will be a constant flow of gardaí coming on stream.

Senator Michael Mullins spoke about justice and law and order issues and investigating people with the trappings of wealth with seemingly no evident means of income. This is something the Garda and the Criminal Assets Bureau are constantly examining. I appreciate the Senator's comments on the link-up with the Department of Social Protection in this regard.

Senator Rónán Mullen spoke about the cost of car insurance for those returning from abroad. It is strange that evidence of no claims bonuses produced by people who were driving abroad is not taken into consideration. This is a matter which should be addressed. It is wonderful to be speaking about people who have come back; many people are returning to set up their own business in the country. I appreciate what the Senator stated and will bring the matter to the attention of the relevant Minister.

Senator Terry Brennan spoke about burglaries in his area. I note his points in that regard.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh spoke about Seachtain na Gaeilge. We will have the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, in the House on 11 March to discuss the Irish language strategy, a point which was also raised by Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú. The Minister of State, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, has been invited to come to the House to discuss various issues, including the diaspora strategy and policy. I hope to secure a debate with him before St. Patrick's Day.

Senator Michael D'Arcy spoke about IDA Ireland and the disposing of assets over a number of years and local authorities not having land for development. This could be the subject of a Commencement debate in which the Senator could get the answers to the questions he has raised.

Senator Thomas Byrne has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, "That a debate with the Minister for Justice and Equality on crime, justice and policing, in view of the circumstances surrounding the escape of a prisoner from custody during a hospital visit, be taken today." Is the amendment being pressed?

Yes it is because this is too urgent to leave until next week.

Amendment put:
The Seanad divided: Tá, 15; Níl, 22.

  • Byrne, Thomas.
  • Craughwell, Gerard P.
  • Crown, John.
  • Daly, Mark.
  • Leyden, Terry.
  • Mooney, Paschal.
  • Mullen, Rónán.
  • Norris, David.
  • Ó Clochartaigh, Trevor.
  • Ó Murchú, Labhrás.
  • O'Donovan, Denis.
  • Power, Averil.
  • Quinn, Feargal.
  • White, Mary M.
  • Wilson, Diarmuid.

Níl

  • Bacik, Ivana.
  • Bradford, Paul.
  • Brennan, Terry.
  • Burke, Colm.
  • Coghlan, Eamonn.
  • Coghlan, Paul.
  • Conway, Martin.
  • Cummins, Maurice.
  • D'Arcy, Jim.
  • Hayden, Aideen.
  • Healy Eames, Fidelma.
  • Higgins, Lorraine.
  • Keane, Cáit.
  • Kelly, John.
  • Landy, Denis.
  • Moloney, Marie.
  • Mulcahy, Tony.
  • Mullins, Michael.
  • Naughton, Hildegarde.
  • O'Neill, Pat.
  • van Turnhout, Jillian.
  • Whelan, John.
Tellers: Tá, Senators Paschal Mooney and Diarmuid Wilson; Níl, Senators Paul Coghlan and Aideen Hayden.
Amendment declared lost.
Question put: "That the Order of Business be agreed to."
The Seanad divided: Tá, 27; Níl, 12.

  • Bacik, Ivana.
  • Bradford, Paul.
  • Brennan, Terry.
  • Burke, Colm.
  • Coghlan, Eamonn.
  • Coghlan, Paul.
  • Conway, Martin.
  • Cummins, Maurice.
  • D'Arcy, Jim.
  • Gilroy, John.
  • Hayden, Aideen.
  • Healy Eames, Fidelma.
  • Higgins, Lorraine.
  • Keane, Cáit.
  • Kelly, John.
  • Landy, Denis.
  • Moloney, Marie.
  • Mulcahy, Tony.
  • Mullen, Rónán.
  • Mullins, Michael.
  • Naughton, Hildegarde.
  • Norris, David.
  • O'Neill, Pat.
  • Quinn, Feargal.
  • van Turnhout, Jillian.
  • Whelan, John.
  • Zappone, Katherine.

Níl

  • Byrne, Thomas.
  • Craughwell, Gerard P.
  • Crown, John.
  • Daly, Mark.
  • Leyden, Terry.
  • Mooney, Paschal.
  • Ó Clochartaigh, Trevor.
  • Ó Murchú, Labhrás.
  • O'Donovan, Denis.
  • Power, Averil.
  • White, Mary M.
  • Wilson, Diarmuid.
Tellers: Tá, Senators Paul Coghlan and Aideen Hayden; Níl, Senators Paschal Mooney and Diarmuid Wilson.
Question declared carried.
Barr
Roinn