Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Yes. Senator Ormonde called for a debate on auctioneering and congratulated the Minister for Health and Children on her imaginative scheme for care for the elderly.

The weather on Sunday was dreadful but I thoroughly enjoyed Senator Ross's article in the Sunday Independent. It was a clever piece in which, under the name Seán de Rossa, he applied for an auctioneer's licence and received it in six weeks. He spoke of auctioneers handling vast sums of other people's money without being supervised. They have always had immense political clout. It is not just a few cowboys. Last night's "Prime Time Investigates" programme showed auctioneers are already in breach of the Data Protection Act by exchanging intimate information about property deals.

Senator Mooney spoke feelingly about the apprentice killed on a caprice in Finglas today. He was killed because he just happened to be in a particular place. He got himself a good training. Senator Mooney also referred to the students in Teheran who shouted out that there was a Holocaust. I do not know what they are at in Iran. I heard an imam this morning on the radio claiming there were 60 people killed in the Holocaust.

Senator Terry added her voice to the condemnation of the terrible killings in Dublin and gun crime. Senator Hanafin called for a debate on nursing homes. The Minister for Health and Children has already stated she wants a debate on the subject. He spoke of the attractive nature of long-term bonds which would be productively used in the care of the elderly. He also spoke of the situation in Iran.

Senator Tuffy is against lowering the age of sexual consent. She wants a further debate on this and the child protection report. She called for a referendum to give more emphasis to the rights of the child in the Constitution. My fear is that this will be inadvertently linked to the furore over the lowering of the age of sexual consent. It will be muddied up in it when the rights of the child stand on their own merits.

Senator Glynn called for a debate on planning enforcement and the completion of housing estates by developers as the taxpayer and the innocent end up paying for it. He also called for a debate on the recently published nursing home proposals of which he is in favour. We must check the small print and see what the proposals really mean.

Senator Coghlan called for a debate on auctioneers. Senator Jim Walsh called for a debate on the Competition Authority's report on the legal profession. I cannot understand why the legal profession does not see it as a good move. Maybe we were lazy, but we have adopted the same format as used in the Dáil to discuss the various tribunals and reports on the Garda. Senator Walsh believes we should have included the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, the murder of Seamus Ludlow and the bombing of Kay's Tavern in Dundalk. On matters such as this, the Seanad takes its lead from the Taoiseach's office. I will see if there is a chance to include the reports on collusion between security forces and loyalists.

Senator Quinn claimed that after the recent gun crimes many are in fear. He believes there will be a regime of reprisals for today's murders. Senator Mansergh is glad, as is Senator ÓMurchú, that 16 Moore Street will be preserved. He also welcomed the proposals on care for the elderly from the Minister for Health and Children which he thought were enlightened and progressive.

Senator Feighan spoke of today's Finglas murders. He also pointed out that when he was a shopkeeper he chased criminals from his shop. A similar incident to that in Kilkenny could have happened to him. The Garda is the only barrier between us and criminals.

Senator White praised the Minister for Health and Children. She spoke of the repugnant depiction of the Minister in one of today's newspapers. We need a press council to deal with such matters. It was awful and I could only think of how the Minister would feel looking at it. We are supposed to have thick skins but we have not.