Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

It is a different bell. I would be very worried about the lift not so much because one might be late for a vote but because one could get stuck in it. I know there is a panic or emergency button but it would not work if there were no electricity.

Senator Bradford said the sugar industry could be wiped out. He apologised for having to leave. He is gone to tell his constituency in Cork what he said in the Seanad. I am delighted to hear this. He also said Garret FitzGerald and Austin Deasy toured Europe to ensure we were subject to correct treatment at a particular time in our agricultural history.

Senator Maurice Hayes said sufficient time should be allowed for a full debate on the Garda Síochána Bill and he shared the Minister's view that we should press on with it. My job is to ascertain whether a decent amount of time can be allowed for considering it. We are trying to achieve this. I reiterate that I would not have it on my conscience that we rushed the Bill in the House.

Senator John Paul Phelan called for a debate on the Common Agricultural Policy and the sugar industry next week. He expressed dismay at the Revenue Commissioners' interpretation of legislation exempting first-time buyers from stamp duty if the property they are buying is under a certain value. He asked about the status of the medical examination in primary schools. I did not know it is no longer carried out. One used to get one's injections in school. Maybe someone with children of a schoolgoing age will tell us rather than having the Senator look back with fondness to his time in school.

Senator Feeney called for a debate on cystic fibrosis. I would very much like this and I will create a slot therefor in the autumn.

Senator Browne called for a debate on the sugar industry and referred to corporate greed. He does not believe Greencore's protestations over a rail depot. On the question of MRSA, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, is set on dealing with the audit of the hospitals. We are now told there many other bugs that one could contract, some of which sound very exotic.

Senator Browne also called for a debate on child care. Yesterday Senator O'Toole asked me if we could have such a debate quite soon after the recess. I know many other Senators want such a debate. I agree with Senator Browne regarding schools. The challenging environment of school, in which a child might be from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. or 2 p.m., may not be the correct environment in which a child should remain. I accept this point very strongly. I believed from the beginning that the approach the Senator described was an odd way to deal with the matter. We will see how the debate develops.