Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I support the comments of Senators Quinn and Wilson in regard to the value of the leaving certificate applied. It is a programme I have studied and worked with, and I see it as an underrated programme in our sector. It is particularly useful for students who have a practical bent. It also has quite a higher order critical thinking element, which needs to be explored.

I have three requests for the Leader for the new year, three priorities he has previously committed in the House to keeping on a rolling agenda but which have perhaps slipped off the agenda. The first is the flooding crisis. At present, I am having an average of three meetings a week on the flooding crisis. The people affected are still displaced from their homes. A report out yesterday showed the Government has only paid out €500,000 of the €10 million. Where is the money? There is a bigger issue here, namely, the prevention of flooding in the future. I ask the Leader to keep that commitment on the agenda.

The second is the threat of home repossessions. When I saw the hurt caused to people who were put out of their homes by flooding, I saw something that was bigger than a death for some families. Can one imagine what it must be like for people who are now looking down the barrel of a gun at losing their home? We must keep that on the agenda, as Senator MacSharry said. Bearing in mind people's levels of indebtedness, it is critical and urgent.

Third, there is the issue of child abuse. The House has not done its duty in this regard. The Ryan report and the implementation plan remain undebated, as is the case with the Murphy report. If we do this country one service, it will be to put the child protection guidelines on a statutory footing so professionals or anyone who suspects child abuse is enabled to report it safely with a view to intervention.