Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Hanafin and Hannigan called on the Minister to consider the issue of high mobile telephone charges. I will pass the matter to the appropriate Minister, and the issue is the responsibility of ComReg and the communications joint committee. Those who are members of that committee might take up the issue with the chair of that committee and see if they can get an urgent debate on the matter. The Minister and representatives from ComReg and mobile telephone operators could be all in the one room to discuss the matter, and major progress could be made.

Senator Corrigan requested that the Minister come to the House to discuss the spending of the €50 million allocation in the budget for disabilities and I hope this could happen. This might be mentioned by the Senator on Second Stage of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, as the Minister will be present.

Senator Callely called for a debate on the economy, particularly as it relates to the construction industry. I read in a newspaper this morning that a bunch of apartments in Ashtown were completely sold out because the price was reduced by €100,000 per apartment. It appears, therefore, that if there is value for money, the market is still sound. There is a serious challenge ahead for the construction industry, which was a major player in the first and second parts of the Celtic tiger. I have no difficulty in getting the Minister to come to the House after the Christmas recess for a debate.

Senator McCarthy called for the appropriate Minister to approach sympathetically our Irish emigrants who are now returning, particularly with regard to social welfare contributions. This is timely because the Minister will be in the House this morning to take the Social Welfare Bill. Perhaps this very point can be made to him at this festive time of Christmas. We are fortunate that we were able to gain employment and have a job in Ireland in our lifetime. I was at school in a class of 37, 31 of whom emigrated. I believe three came home at the end of their working lives to retire in Ireland. That has been the case in every village and town across the country up to the past 12 or 14 years. As someone who worked in the postal service, I know what it was like to deliver the registered letters with the money from the husbands being sent home to the wives to rear the families in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. What the Senator has said today is certainly true from my experience.