Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I am sure the House is united in offering our sympathies to the families of the young people killed on our roads yesterday, and in offering our best wishes to those who were injured as a result of the carnage in County Meath. While it is far too early to draw any conclusions from the appalling accident involving the school bus, at some point in the near future there might be an opportunity for the Minister for Transport to attend the House — possibly with the Minister for Education and Science — to set out the criteria involved in transporting children on school buses. The issue has been raised on countless occasions before now. There are genuine concerns about overcrowding on these buses, in addition to the issue of seat belts which are mandatory for mini-buses but not larger buses. Another issue concerns the age of the fleet of vehicles involved in providing the school bus service. We should examine those matters over the coming weeks, while today being mindful of the terrible tragedy for those communities in County Meath, particularly in the Navan area.

I welcome what the Leader had to say about the Disability Bill. Every Member of the House has been lobbied by many groups and individuals outside the House. This is an important piece of legislation so we should take our time to debate it. I welcome the Leader's comments, therefore, that everyone will be able to contribute to the forthcoming debate on that Bill.

Some weeks ago, following the UK elections, there was a call for a debate on Northern Ireland, which was echoed on both sides of the House. The need for such a debate can be seen from today's report by the Independent Monitoring Commission, which has identified a campaign of targeting, training and recruitment by paramilitary organisations, in addition to their links with criminality. The IMC report covers not just republican paramilitaries but also loyalist ones. It is noteworthy that the commission recommends that a financial penalty should continue to be imposed on the PUP, a party that is directly linked to one of the loyalist organisations.

The publication of that report today provides the initiative for us to debate those matters, and related ones, over the coming weeks. I ask the Leader to organise such a debate.