Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I beg the indulgence of the Cathaoirleach and the Leader. On today's Order Paper is an item to be taken tomorrow, namely, a motion re the new prison in north County Dublin. I would like some help. Paragraphs (i) and (ii) of subsection (e) refer to markings A and B on the map left by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in the Oireachtas Library. This sounds easy, but the map is in the middle of three large boxes of environmental impact assessments. I need to see it, but I cannot get my hands on it. No one is hiding it from me, but neither I nor the people in the library can find it. If we are to discuss a matter that affects people — I have a conflict of interest, which I will explain tomorrow morning — we must have access to the map. We have been trying to get it from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform for the past while, but have failed to do so.

Three or four of the matters seeking the Adjournment of the House relate to schools. Going from memory, at least two of them have been raised on the Adjournment previously and one may have been raised three times previously. This reflects a significant level of frustration. Will the Leader arrange for the Minister for Education and Science to attend the House to let people know what is occurring in their areas? We are tying up the time of the House with Adjournment matters simply to access information on behalf of ordinary people who are trying to build new schools or school extensions. They are not criminals or terrorists and are not trying to undermine the system. They are trying to get information. This situation applies to Senators on both sides of the House, as we are all trying to get information. Why can there not be transparency and access?

I wish to comment on an issue raised by my colleague, Senator Coghlan, yesterday. It was understandable that he asked about the strike in Cork and why union management could not show control. Senator Fitzgerald raised the same issue this morning. Their questions are reasonable. I have tried to get to the bottom of the issue. The problem has been created at Cork where there is a local interpretation by management and workers of a national agreement, which they have implemented in their own way without telling anyone else. However, given that there is a row, no one knows what is the agreement. If people must have their butts kicked, there are as many on the management side as there are on the union side involved. They are at ground level rather than on the union side.

I would be the first to state that this situation is unacceptable. National agreements are designed to provide good, top of the scale public services for the people. I would like to hear an answer as to which agreement was signed off on and who broke it, but it is because there will be no answer that the situation remains the same one week later. I guarantee the House that no Senator could tell me what is causing the dispute in Cork. When is the last time there was such a dispute? Since it is a cover-up between management and the people on the ground, we are not being given the full information.