Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to take up briefly the point well made by Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill. As Chairman of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee I have been contacted by several Members, including the Leader, Senator Maurice Cummins, and our leader, Senator Darragh O'Brien, who believe we should look at this in our next tranche of investigations. We are having a meeting the week after next and it would be an appropriate topic. Subject to approval by the committee we might look at the whole area of adult mental health and the knock-on effects.

I wish to support a strong point made by Senator Paul Coghlan about town zoning and the negative effects on town planning with regard to the doughnut effect. It is becoming a problem in this country. I am surprised because we have had a tribunal into planning difficulties. Yet in 2013 town planners and planners throughout our country are still allowing incredibly poor and bad zoning of out-of-town shopping centres or whatever. This is doing considerable damage to the centres of our towns. Youghal is an example of where considerable damage has been done in Cork. An example of where this has not occurred is Kinsale, a wonderful town where the people are conscious of the beautiful streetscape. They are building the town as the epicentre of what it should be. I am concerned that other towns in Cork and Kerry are being damaged. It is an area worthy of debate.

I fully support the call by Senator van Turnhout on the whole area of the appalling "Prime Time" programme we saw last night. I was talking to an international journalist who rang me looking for a restaurant in west Cork. He was tuned in to the programme last night. He cannot believe the fact that we have a Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and we have had profound problems with abuse of children in the past, nevertheless here we are in 2013 when a situation is unfolding that our crèches are unsafe. It is an incredible and appalling situation and one that must be addressed. I have great respect for the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald. She was the Leader of the Opposition in the last Seanad. I wish her well in her role but she needs to roll up her sleeves. It cannot be allowed to go on.