John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I thank the Leader for arranging a debate on the world trade talks this week. I also wish to raise the issue of housing, which I raised last week, and the shortfall experienced by many local authorities, not just the collapse announced in Dublin with regard to social and affordable housing. Many local authorities have seen a significant cut in their allotted funding for social and affordable housing. The local authority in my area of Kilkenny has been advised not even to take Part V units that have been completed but rather to seek money from developers so that works that are already under way can be completed. That is certainly not what was envisaged when Part V was initially brought into play. It would be opportune for us to have that discussion.

I was charmed to hear Senator Ó Murchú defend his constituency colleague and former Senator, Deputy Mansergh, and his role as Minister of State with responsibility for the arts. I will mention the name of a former colleague of mine, the former Senator, Feargal Browne, who on a number of occasions in this House when he was a Member raised the issue of drug driving. A report commissioned and published by the insurance company Hibernian contained some startling information about the proportion of drivers under the age of 30 who had driven while under the influence of drugs. About one third of those surveyed stated that they had driven while under the influence of drugs. I call for a debate during which we should examine the possibility of introducing a drug driving test. There is a test in existence in Australia and we should consider introducing it here. The same survey indicated that 96% of those under 30 would not consider driving while under the influence of alcohol, which is a very contradictory finding vis-À-vis the issue of drug driving.

I join Senators Mullen, Healy-Eames and others who have expressed their outrage at the discovery yesterday that five girls from Kenya have disappeared without a trace. I wish to express my absolute horror at the fact that they went missing last July but we are only now hearing of it. The girls have been missing for ten months and it is completely unacceptable that they would just disappear off the face of the earth while in the care of the HSE. We should have a discussion on this issue at the earliest possible opportunity.