Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I second Senator Coghlan's amendment to the Order of Business. I ask the Leader for a debate on the ESRI report because it seems that Senator Boyle and members of the Government, when it is convenient, can ridicule an independent body that has provided excellent reports to Government for a generation. The management of waste and the whole issue of the environment needs to be debated, but it is disingenuous of members of the Government to accept a report when it suits them and to cast it aside when it does not. The ESRI is either independent or it is not.

I also ask the Leader to invite the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Mary Coughlan, to address the Seanad. I have a specific question for the Leader. Where is the hope, the vision, the stimulus plan, the job creation package and the Government policy to get Ireland back to work again? The answer is that 13% of our fellow citizens, men and women, qualified, unqualified, blue collar, white collar, young and old are unemployed, without work. It is soul destroying, and they are being let down by a Government, which, as Senator Ross quite rightly said, has no interest in fairness, transparency and equality. It lets certain people get away with matters while accepting a bonus culture and higher remuneration and then more people are struggling.

Yesterday the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party had not the courage of its convictions to support the abolition of higher pay. Senators come into the House bleating, yet when they were behind closed doors they rolled over like Shep. Will the Leader say whether he supported the abolition of the higher pay yesterday? He did not, but sat quiet and rolled over, and his colleagues did the same.