Rónán Mullen (Independent)

Listening to various interesting contributions which have been made today, one wonders if the wheels of government and administration are coming off or are grinding to a halt. We hear the Minister of State with responsibility for children is apparently at loggerheads with the HSE about accessing information on children who have died in care. What is coming across very strongly in the context of last night's television documentary and the very pertinent comments made by Senator Feeney and others about the bad deal - we heard much last year about the fair deal for older persons - is evidence of a very bad deal for older persons in society. It is interesting and ironic that we are saying this in Say No To Ageism Week and at a time when we learn that 23,000 people in Ireland are subject to elder abuse, whether sexual, financial or physical, or neglect. As a society, we must ask what are our priorities and who we are going to prioritise Surely it was always a sign of a civilised society that its most vulnerable members are prioritised even in times of economic crisis. Our older persons should be top of this list.

I was disturbed to learn that a friend who was due to represent Ireland in ten days' time at a Junior Chamber conference in Denmark was told by the Passport Office that it cannot guarantee she will be able to travel. What type of message is sent about Ireland when an Irish delegate cannot attend an event because the Passport Office would not process her application? We all get caught short on occasion but ten days appears a reasonable period within which one could expect a passport application to be processed. I ask the people who are holding it up and making life awkward for people - my friend may be out of pocket by up to €1,500 - to be aware of the message they are sending abroad. While I know life is difficult and hard choices are being made, people should try to serve their country to the best of their abilities. They are not serving their country by allowing that kind of message to be transmitted abroad.