Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

The Senator will have to ask him. Ladies do not tell.

Senator Coghlan commented on the community employment schemes. Senator Glynn raised the issue of bullying in schools. It would be very difficult to have a template to deal with school bullying and it should be up to the management board in each school to develop polices in that regard. It is a huge and growing issue. Senator Glynn also spoke about planning and about the smoking ban. He declared himself in favour of the proposals of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin.

Senator O'Meara spoke strongly on the smoking issue, about which I heard her talk on television during the summer. I agree that the Hanly report is overdue. With regard to No. 15, the Senator called for a debate on the future of local radio and I will try to arrange it. Apropos reports, we will have a period of perhaps two or three weeks when we will be awaiting Bills. The more reports we can debate which are meaningful to Members, the better.

Senator Minihan referred to the Cork School of Music and also called for a debate on planning. We have tried very hard to resolve the issue of the Cork School of Music. I support the Senator's call for a debate on the Middle East, which would be very useful. I also agree with his comments on the recent actions of the Garda in the light of the murder of Detective Garda Jerrry McCabe.

Senator John Paul Phelan called for debates on transport, community employment and local radio. Senator Ó Murchú rightly said that in Cahirciveen the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, laid out the Government stance on planning and we support it. Each individual county draws up its own development plan, subject to the county council executive. That is where strong input should be made.

I must explain to Senator Bradford and to many others that we telephoned the private office of the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, to ask if it would be in order to debate in this House the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. We put it on the initial agenda but then got a call informing us that Standing Orders did not allow us debate that report. When the select committee, on which there are no Seanad Members, makes its report, we can then debate it. I would have been very keen to have a debate on the original report.

Senator McDowell asked why the work on the DART should take so long.