Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Exactly. Senator McDowell asked for a debate on planning. I note again that each individual local authority makes its own decisions.

The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Coughlan, will make a statement in the House today regarding the Laffoy commission and child abuse.

In response to Senator Ulick Burke's remarks, no teachers will be sacked. No public servant gets the sack, as the Senator so bluntly put it. There are offers of voluntary redundancy for those public servants who wish to avail of it. In the UK, teachers and others get the sack. It does not happen in this country, thanks to a general consensus that people in the public service are doing a very good job. The Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, raised the matter of voluntary redundancies in his comments last year on the Finance Bill and on the budget, but it has been made clear that voluntary redundancy will not be asked of teachers.

Senator Feighan spoke of his desire for the decision on decentralisation to take place by Christmas 2003. Senator Finucane mentioned the Garda and, given the particular area he comes from, he obviously has a deep interest in the issue. I join him and Senator Brennan in sending good wishes to Charlie Chawke for his recovery. The pictures of the robbery on television last night were shocking.

Senator Fitzgerald raised the bullying issue and also that of separating administration from policy making. The Department of Education and Science hopes to be more involved in policy making rather than in administration at local or national level.