Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Hannigan, Boyle, Cummins, Coghlan and Regan outlined their serious concerns regarding the court case in Kerry. The articles in the newspapers this morning dealt with various strong expressions regarding support for the victims of crime. I have no difficulty in having a debate to help assist the victims of crime. The most hurtful thing of all, apart from the acts that violate the victims, is that they were not believed and, in fact, that they were verbally abused. Anything we can do to improve that situation and help the victims of crime, we will do.

I have already committed that the Ryan report will go for further consultation and discussion, and I can allow time for the Murphy report to be dealt with, as colleagues have requested today.

I send our best wishes to the Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan, who was hospitalised yesterday and who had intended to be in the House this morning to take the Bill. I certainly want to see him back to full health in the very near future, please God. We send him our best wishes from the Seanad.

Senators Fitzgerald, Hannigan, Boyle and O'Reilly raised the issue of the world climate change conference taking place in Copenhagen last week and this week. All the world leaders, including the Taoiseach, are arriving there today to participate this evening and for the remainder of the conference. We hope progress will be made. The issue is a serious challenge to the world. I hope, as Senator Boyle said, that we will be able to review and debate progress. It is my intention that we will have an opportunity for Senators to express their views on the conference, with the Minister present, in our first weeks back after Christmas.

I join with Senator O'Toole in regard to his comments on the Minister, Deputy Mary Hanafin's, total commitment to the House in being here for almost the entire debate on a very difficult social welfare Bill.

Senators O'Toole, Hannigan, Cummins, Norris, Ormonde, Buttimer, Quinn, Coffey, Walsh and Coghlan all expressed their view regarding the imminent opening of the magnificent new M9 road, which has been awaited for a long time. As I said in the House yesterday, the Minister, Deputy Martin Cullen, played a major part in having the funding put in place so this could happen. I will certainly pass on the strong views of the Senators to the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, who we have to congratulate in regard to all he has done for road safety and all the major investment that has taken place, which has resulted in a transformation. As someone who used to drive about 65,000 miles a year for 18 years in my other employment before I came to the House, what a change there has been in the infrastructure of the roads system. In my memory, no road was ever opened in the week after Christmas, but the road in question will be opened in January or early February and we look forward to it being open. I will pass on the strong views of colleagues from the south east to the Minister after the Order of Business.

Senator Boyle called for a debate on the position of Ombudsman for Children. His call is timely. I commend the reappointment of Ms Emily Logan who has done tremendous work and is doing the State a huge service.

Senators Hanafin and Ormonde spoke about Seanad reform. I have given a commitment that we will have on the agenda an update on the North-South ministerial meetings once a month and legislation and proposed changes to legislation coming from the European Union. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has given a commitment in this regard. He has been in the House already and we have started the process. Keeping this issue centre stage will be part of the monthly agenda for the leaders' meetings. As colleagues have correctly pointed out, the Seanad can take a lead role in assisting and helping the Government and Departments and bringing to the attention of the people the issues and decisions being taken in their interests at EU level.

Senator Norris commented on the role played by the United Nations in Kosovo and the dangers to children and women. I will pass on his strong views to the Minister after the Order of Business, views we fully support regarding the Turkish Government's decision. We all agree with him. I heard him on radio this morning expressing strong views regarding the relocation of the Abbey Theatre to O'Connell Street, on which I congratulate him. Any Irish person worth his or her salt would have to be proud of his expressions on the issue.

Senator Ó Brolcháin raised the matter of the western rail link. I will have no difficulty in having it debated in the House at the very earliest possible time after the recess. He also asked for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to come to the House to update it on his proposed plans for the new position of directly elected mayor of Dublin. I will have no difficulty in allowing such a debate to take place.

Senators Quinn, Walsh, Wilson, O'Reilly, Healy-Eames and Glynn all expressed their views, especially those who have first-hand experience, on the huge success of the applied leaving certificate. If it is not broken, it should not be fixed. As a member of the Irish Hotels Federation, I will do everything I can to have the proposal corrected. I am sure Fáilte Ireland wants to do the right thing and while the institutes of technology certainly can play a part, the others have also been making a huge contribution. Hospitality has been our trademark as a nation. It is like our music, it is a world brand. Irish peope are known throughout the world for their céad míle fáilte and they have made their mark everywhere they had to emigrate to during the years. Certainly, we want to be able to help and assist. As Senator Wilson said from personal experience, who better than Senator Feargal Quinn to speak with authority on this issue? I certainly will have an urgent debate on it and will have the Minister present in the first two or three weeks following our return.

Senator Regan raised issues related to NAMA which he asked the Minister to clarify today. I will endeavour to do this, but as the Minister for Finance is not available, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance will be here when we can try to tease out the issues about which the Senator inquired.

Senator Healy-Eames will be well aware that yesterday I gave a commitment in the House that we would keep the flooding issue to the fore to see how we could correct it and how the funding, particularly from the European Union, would be used to help and assist a major national plan to deal with the issues that had emerged in the Shannon basis and for the people of Cork city. Major funding will be needed and we will not be able to do it without the help and assistance of our colleagues in the European Union.

We had the MacSharry report proposals on home repossessions and will keep the issue to the fore every month in the coming year because we must assist those who have been good payers, playing their part and, through no fault of their own, have lost their jobs and now find themselves in a difficult position.

We have discussed and debated the Murphy and Ryan reports and given a commitment that the issue will be discussed in the House very often when requested and we think there is a need to do so. I have no difficulty in again making that commitment.

Senator Twomey asked about biomedicines and the challenges facing this industry for a cost of €300,000. I will pass on his strong views to the Minister after the Order of Business.

Senator Corrigan asked about the new Children First guidelines and the Constitution. The Joint Committee on the Constitution has agreed a wording on the proposed constitutional rights of the child. That is to be welcomed. I will have no difficulty in debating the matter in the House after the recess.

Senator McCarthy brought up an issue, in respect of which we all are experiencing extreme difficulty. Moving the applications unit for the over 70s to Finglas at the time was seen as a cost saving exercise, but there is the simple issue of answering the telephone. When someone over 70 years of age wants to have his or her medical card application discussed, he or she cannot even get an answer on the telephone. That is completely unacceptable and we must send the strongest possible protest from Seanad Éireann to the Minister for Health and Children about this lack of service. We will have the Minister present in the House after the recess and this is one issue on which we can certainly make our strong views known to her.