Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Leyden, Harris, Buttimer, Keaveney, Walsh, Mullen, Doherty and Hanafin all expressed views regarding Ministers and Ministers of State going abroad for St. Patrick's Day. This is the ideal time. We are a very small nation among the hundreds of nations of the world. To get a time on the calendar to market our country is difficult. Every year IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland pick the ten days before St. Patrick's Day to market Ireland plc, as has been said this morning. What a success we have had. Senator Keaveney asked me how many minutes we would get on RTE television at prime time. I understand we would get 40 minutes of advertising time for what it costs to send abroad all our Ministers, Ministers of State and everyone else who is marketing Ireland. As Senator McFadden knows, I consider it a great honour and privilege to have participated in such events when I was chairman of Westmeath County Council.

It is important to consider how seriously we are viewed abroad during that ten-day period. Senator Hanafin referred to our culture and very few nations can claim their music is a brand name, but Ireland can. Let us work on the positive aspects.

I congratulate Senator Fitzgerald on raising this matter on the Order of Business, but all Taoisigh and Ministers must go abroad for such purposes. Failure to do so would mean that we were not fulfilling the opportunities worked for by Enterprise Ireland's representatives and our diplomatic staff abroad. Our embassies and consuls-general strive for months in advance to try to make this ten-day window of opportunity work, especially on television. As we all know, television accounts for 70% of media penetration, while radio accounts for 20% and the remaining 10% is fragmented among the print media.

Those are the opportunities that arise when Ministers travel abroad, so it is dishonest to say they are being given carte blanche in this respect. Travel undertaken by Members of the Oireachtas is always subject to a detailed itinerary. On St. Patrick's Day it is not unusual for a Minister to work for 20 hours. I certainly know the Taoiseach does this always when he is in Ireland. That is the sort of heavy workload undertaken by our public representatives whose diaries are mind-boggling. They carry out a punishing schedule on behalf of the Irish people. I am speaking from experience. I hope newer Members of the House will not reveal their inexperience in such matters in future.

Senator Fitzgerald referred to the high cost of child care, which is a major challenge for society. She correctly said that those concerned will be meeting the Minister in the coming days. I will have no difficulty in arranging for such a debate in the near future.

Senators O'Toole, Coghlan, Boyle and Walsh all called for a debate on corporate enforcement to be attended by the Minister of State, Deputy McGuinness. This is a worthwhile request and I agree with some of the sentiments that have been expressed. I will endeavour to provide time for such a debate after the Easter recess.

Senator Hannigan and others expressed concern about the cost of deportation. I will pass on their views to the Minister. If Senators feel they need a debate on this matter we can discuss it with the party leaders at one of our weekly meetings before the first sitting day after the Easter recess.

Senator Leyden mentioned the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, which will come to the House after Easter. As the Taoiseach informed the Dáil yesterday, voting will take place in the second week of June. The Taoiseach also said he is consulting Opposition leaders with a view to reaching a consensus on the date for the referendum.

Senators Coghlan, Norris, Donohoe, Boyle and Walsh called for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to review the abolition of the groceries order. The former Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business — of which I was Chairman and Senator Coghlan was also a member — was unified in its opposition to the abolition of the groceries order.