Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

Last week I called for a debate on the question of the Cork-Swansea ferry. As I am not sure whether it is too late for such a debate, I ask the Leader to urgently intervene with the Minister in question since I understand a boat has been identified and there is a window of opportunity. We missed the boat, so to speak. The situation has cost the west Cork and Kerry economy upwards of €70 million this year. A boat has been identified and an entrepreneur, who had hoped to raise additional funding through American sources, regrettably had his application declined because of financial uncertainty with the banks there. It will not be good enough if the Cork-Swansea ferry is not in place for the communities I serve in that region of both Cork and Kerry. Apparently boats such as the one that has been identified, are very scarce. Only certain types of boat are capable of this ten or 12-hour journey, and can double as a passenger ferry and a freight or car ferry. The matter is extremely urgent, and perhaps the Leader could make contact with the Minister today. I am disappointed, given my own channels of investigation, about what can be done at this stage, and time is running out.

I want to add my voice and support to the matter raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Senator Maurice Cummins, on the issue of drugs. The matter of the closure of coastguard stations at Cahirciveen and Malin Head was raised last week. A substantial portion of drugs comes ashore off the south-west coast. The busiest shipping lanes off Europe pass close to Fastnet Rock, Mizen Head and the south-west coast. This year, to the good fortune of the Customs and Excise Service and the Garda Síochána, the largest haul of cocaine ever found off Ireland or the UK came ashore by accident.

Cocaine abuse is a serious issue. Rather than close the coastguard stations, a strategy of extra surveillance along the coastline should be put in place and spearheaded by the Garda Síochána, the Customs and Excise Service and all those concerned. For the one success we had this year I imagine four such consignments were landed. It is not conducive to the health of people in general and society's attitude needs to change. If the recent deaths and tragedies have a silver lining it is that people might realise that society accepts that cocaine is the in-drug and this attitude will change.