Dan Boyle (Green Party)

Senator Hannigan referred to the proposed deferral of tax cuts. I am not too sure whether he wants to put that ahead of the areas of increased public spending to which he referred. One cannot square that particular circle. The arts funding to which he referred is something which, to be fair, the Government has increased significantly in recent years. Last year alone, funding to the Arts Council increased by 30% and that was one of the largest increases in allocation. I am confident that even in the current climate, additional resources will be made available in that area.

Senator John Ellis called for a debate on electoral boundaries. As these are by tradition decided independently, they are rarely rejected by any given Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I suspect the boundaries will be accepted in their present form. The call for a debate might be best taken when the full boundaries are decided for the local elections, which it is anticipated will happen in April or May. The legislation that will follow for the Dáil, European and local elections will probably be done in a single Bill. It will provide the ideal opportunity to negotiate these areas.

Senator Joe Reilly referred to the increase in the cost of television licences and the inflationary impact of decisions of Government. In reality, the decision on television licences is one of the few areas of public services costs that has any impact on a decision of an individual Minister. It is the establishment of regulatory bodies that determines prices in areas such as electricity and gas supply. A new Oireachtas committee has been established to deal specifically with how the regulators are performing. It would provide a better forum in which to raise these matters.

Senator John Hanafin asked the Minister for Transport to come to the House to discuss a number of issues. Senator Déirdre de Búrca asked the Minister for Education and Science to address the concerns regarding new regulations on the teaching of English in gaelscoileanna. Another education request was made regarding the situation in Dublin 15, a matter that has arisen on the Order of Business on several occasions in recent weeks. Either we will ask for a number of debates in this area or, if the Minister is available, we will seek a more general debate on education.