Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 6: To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and drugs last met; and when the next meeting is scheduled. [24375/05]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 7: To ask the Taoiseach the membership of the Cabinet committee on children; and when it last met. [26486/05]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 8: To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and drugs last met. [27308/05]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 9: To ask the Taoiseach the membership of the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and drugs; when it last met; and when its next meeting is scheduled. [27691/05]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 10: To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and drugs last met. [30209/05]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 11: To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet sub-committee on drugs and social inclusion last met. [32458/05]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 11, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on social inclusion and the Cabinet committee on children last met on 5 October 2005. The next meeting of both committees is scheduled for tomorrow.

I chair both the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and the Cabinet committee on children. Their membership includes the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children and the Ministers for Education and Science; Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Finance; the Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Justice, Equality and Law Reform; Social and Family Affairs; and the Ministers of State with special responsibility for children; housing and urban renewal; drugs strategy and community affairs; and equality issues, including disability issues.

In addition, the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism is a member of the Cabinet committee on children and the Minister of State with responsibility for labour affairs, including training, is a member of the Cabinet committee on social inclusion.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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It strikes me there are more people on the sub-committee than in the Cabinet. In view of recent experiences in this area, is there an argument for reorganisation of Departments so a single Department focusses on needs of children in all respects as responsibilities for these needs is currently scattered across several Departments? The experience of successive Ministers of State is that they have been fighting an uphill struggle to focus on the needs of children.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The National Children's Office co-ordinates aspects of various Departments and that is probably as good as one can make it. I am not saying that cannot be improved upon because everything can always be improved through more input. Neither I nor the Minister think the idea of a separate Department for children is worthwhile because one cannot take children out of the education or health sectors. Therefore, if there was a separate Department for children, one would still be dealing with health and education aspects through the relevant Departments. I certainly agree with making the role more powerful but the current Minister has such a role, as did the previous one. It is important to build the National Children's Office which can co-ordinate work across Departments. To do otherwise, through the establishment of a Department of children, would not be meaningful.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Taoiseach tell us the terms of reference, if any, for the Cabinet committee on children? Does the committee deal with the issue of child care? Has the Taoiseach put before that committee the report of the National Economic and Social Forum on child care and early childhood education? Will the Taoiseach ask the Cabinet committee on children to consider the need for child care and early childhood education to be the special preserve of a single ministry in the future? Will the committee consider such a proposal rather than the current situation whereby issues relating to children are scattered across a raft of different Departments?

When Members ask questions relating to the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and drugs they are often referred to the line Minister. Will the Taoiseach clarify whether the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is a member of the committee on social inclusion and drugs? If the Minister is a member of that committee he should accord Members of this House the courtesy of a response when questions are put to him on the specific area of drug abuse, rather than resorting to the diatribe of abuse he directs at my Sinn Féin colleagues.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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That does not arise on Taoiseach's Questions.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Indeed it has arisen.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is a member of that committee, which deals with all social inclusion issues across a range of Departments. Obviously, child care and related issues are discussed at that committee. As I said in reply to Deputy Rabbitte, children's issues are being dealt with by the National Children's Office. As is obvious from recent issues, the equal opportunity programmes involve both the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Health and Children. Cabinet committees operate on the basis of achieving interdepartmental co-operation on matters that are not specific to any one Department.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Taoiseach urge consideration of a single Department for children?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I said to Deputy Rabbitte, I do not think it is workable because one cannot take the child from the family or remove children from the health and education sectors. Rather than have a duplication of effort, it is better to co-ordinate such efforts. Specific issues can be dealt with by the Minister for Health and Children, but one cannot duplicate the entire effort. When necessary, the Minister for Health and Children can co-ordinate people from various Departments, which is a more efficient way of dealing with it.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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In addition to examining whether lessons can be learned or future mistakes avoided, will the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and drugs take stock, given the result of the French referendum on the EU constitution, of the problems in France where rioting has occurred for the past 13 nights? Some 1,200 people are in custody in France, many of them on the basis of social exclusion as they would see it. Perhaps the committee needs to meet more often, given that its social inclusion remit does not appear to be fulfilled, particularly as one quarter of Irish children remain at risk of poverty according to CORI and the ESRI.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy should put a simple question. We cannot have a debate on the issue.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I have a simple question as follows. Given that the ESRI has clearly indicated that people with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty, does the committee on social inclusion pay attention to monitoring the lives of such people?

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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What is discussed at the committee is not a matter for the Taoiseach to respond to during question time. That has been the ruling of my predecessors and myself for years.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Could the committee meet more frequently, given that it has a larger work volume than it appears to be able to get through?

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can the committee meet more frequently, Taoiseach?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The committee meets monthly and the various Departments deal with its agenda. Much of the cross-departmental work deals with the Disability Act 2004, sectoral plans, the Comhairle Bill, the multi-annual investment plans and the Disability Services Bill. The latter measures have all been designed to put more resources into the disability sector.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It has been accepted for a long time that cocaine addiction is best treated by counselling services. Is the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and drugs satisfied that the growing cocaine problem is being dealt with by——

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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As I pointed out to Deputy Sargent, that is a question for the line Minister.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I am not asking the Taoiseach to specify them, but are any new initiatives planned to cope with the relatively recent phenomenon of cocaine abuse?

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is a matter for the line Minister, as I have pointed out to Deputy Kenny. It is not a matter for Taoiseach's questions.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I am merely asking a general question, Sir. Last weekend alone, we saw three gangland killings.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy should table a question for the appropriate line Minister.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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There were three killings last weekend alone.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy has made his point, but it is not appropriate to do so during Taoiseach's questions. That has been a ruling of the Chair right back to the establishment of question time.

I have received a number of notices under Standing Order 31, but does the Taoiseach wish to reply to a question?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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He is moving into overtime.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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We do not have long left, Taoiseach. Do you wish to reply to Question No. 12?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will provide a short reply.