Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Alex White, McFadden, Ó Murchú, Norris, Regan, Harris, Ross, Boyle, John Paul Phelan, Buttimer, Callely, MacSharry and Wilson expressed their strong views on the difficulties being experienced and called for an urgent debate on the economy. I intend to inform the House tomorrow morning when this debate will take place. It will be next week and I need to finalise the day. It will be an all-day debate and I look forward to all Members of the House making their contributions. It is long overdue, as has been said by colleagues. I have been endeavouring to have it take place. Now that the Finance Bill has been published there is no reason it should not proceed.

Issues have been highlighted in the House today regarding FÁS and the good work that has taken place down through the years. That work has been exemplary to say the least of it and all our communities have benefited greatly from it. I know the Tánaiste is committed to ensuring value for money from FÁS by maximising the use of our scarce resources in the current challenging economic and employment circumstances. It is for that reason that, following concerns highlighted in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General into the procurement practices of FÁS, the Tánaiste has requested that the Comptroller and Auditor General report further on the effectiveness of the management and control systems across the FÁS organisation in general. The purpose of the examination, as we all know, is to examine and report on the activities of FÁS's corporate affairs since 2000 and to ensure the necessary public procurement procedures exist to prevent or detect irregularities and wrongdoing.

In addition, the Tánaiste has begun a review of the effectiveness and efficiencies of the labour market programmes, including those provided by FÁS. A steering group managing this review includes officials from the Departments of Finance, Social and Family Affairs, and Education and Science, FÁS and Skillnets, and will be supported by Forfás. It is expected that this review will be completed in mid-2009.

I understand the Committee of Public Accounts is due to resume its examination of FÁS this week in the context of the original report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. It has been requested by Senator Ross and others that we should discuss FÁS in the House, including its achievements, responsibilities and future prospects from now to 2020. As has been mentioned on many occasions, it receives funding of €1 billion a year, €20 million per week, which is a huge sum of money. The challenges facing FÁS are the woes of the world and the challenges facing the nation to upskill and reskill our workforce, especially all those unfortunate to lose employment in the past 12 months or longer. As a Government, a nation and as the two Houses of Parliament, I know we will be forthcoming in giving FÁS all the support we can.

The Comptroller and Auditor General is there to reassure the House regarding any difficulties being experienced. As mentioned today the Committee of Public Accounts, chaired by the eminent Member, Deputy Allen, of Fine Gael, will show true transparency in order that we can get the best value for money we possibly can. When our backs were to the wall in the 1980s, FÁS rallied to the call in glowing terms. It formed the backbone of our communities and gave the men and women of Ireland at the time a reason to get out of bed in the morning and have something to look forward to by having a little work in which to participate while retraining and upskilling. I wish it well in its future deliberations and the challenges it will need to face in coming years.

Senators Keaveney, Wilson and MacSharry were all concerned about their areas. As my parish is the last parish in Leinster on the Ulster border, I certainly know the challenges facing them. It is not all one way. We have cheaper petrol and diesel and have been getting our fair share of people coming across the Border to fill up their tanks and avail of the low prices on our side of the Border. We are in a time when everyone is watching his or her spending. People should support their own communities by purchasing in their own communities, particularly in the villages, to the best possible extent.

As I know, having chaired the committee which reviewed the grocery order review, and as Senator Coghlan, the deputy leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad, who served on that committee and who is present, knows, along with many other colleagues, an island nation experiences difficulties in bringing in produce, whether by air or by sea. Prices are slightly cheaper in the multiple stores in the North than they are in the South. Anyone who is licensed to trade in these territories know that the North's licensing area is taken as the UK, which has a market of 60 million people. In equating that to the licensing market of 4.5 million people in the South, differences come into play. The manufacturing costs of the products on the shelves is a little lower in the North because it has the licensing area of a market of 60 million people in the UK.

It is a trying time for anyone with a family business. We recommend that everyone support them in any way possible. It comes down to simple matters. Collections and fund-raising take place in parishes and people automatically go to the local store or local shopkeeper for money for these. Those shopkeepers are the backbone of communities so why, therefore, should we not support them and thereby support communities? One can travel miles from one's local area to go shopping but one will not get support for one's fund-raising efforts there. All these matters are important to communities and community life in general. Long may community life continue as we have known it down through the years on this beautiful island of Ireland.

Senators O'Malley and McFadden called for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to attend for a debate on domestic violence, for which I have no difficulty in setting aside time. Senators McFadden and Callely expressed strong views on road safety. I sympathise and send our condolences to the family of those involved in the shocking accident that took place on the Cummerstown Road in my area this morning. I know the road well. The accident involving the unfortunate family occurred just outside the village of Collinstown. The motor vehicle turned over and the mother of four was killed instantly and her four children were in the vehicle with her. It is an appalling tragedy especially coming up to Christmas but it is an appalling tragedy to happen at any time. I send our condolences to the family on their loss following the shocking tragedy that took place this morning.

Senator Keaveney referred to the obesity study report and said that products should be properly labelled in terms of the information content, details of which she pointed out to the House. I have no difficulty in arranging for a debate on this matter at the earliest possible time.

Senator Regan called for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to outline his proposals on the matter of legally held guns, and this matter was also raised by Senator Callely. I know the strong views of the Minister on this matter. I will pass the views of the Senators on to the Minister and, if a debate on it is required, I have no difficulty allocating time for one.

Senator John Paul Phelan asked if I had a difficulty in getting Ministers to attend the House. As the Deputy will know, the Minister, Deputy Smith, came to this House just hours before he departed for the United States last week. We had a lengthy debate, sought as a matter of urgency, to which Members on all sides of the House contributed. I have no difficulty in getting Ministers to come to address the House. It is only a matter of it fitting in with their diaries. Any Whip or leader of the groups would know that this is the norm for running the business of both Houses.

I can pass on the views of Senator Callely in regard to matters pertaining to Mr. Justice McMahon. Senator MacSharry expressed his strongly held views on the roll-out of BreastCheck and he must be commended on his determination to address the plight of the people of the north west. I will again pass on his strong views to the Minister, as I do every week. It is to be hoped that it will not be too long until that is put right and the people in the north west get their entitlement to that service. It is urgently needed and I fully support the Senator in his call for its provision.

Senator Quinn advised the House that if we reduced our intake of salt, it could save up to approximately 900 lives per year in Ireland. This is an alarming statistic that does not cross one's mind. I thank the Senator for informing the House of that and will pass his views on to the Minister.

I congratulate the city council and everyone associated with the winning team who secured that Dublin city will be the European city of science for 2012. This will present a marvellous opportunity for us to show our European colleagues our past achievements and how seriously we take science and technology, research and development and everything that goes with it because the future employment of our young generation is based around the importance of science and technology.