Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

I join colleagues in wishing the Minister for Finance and his team well in his deliberations, probably well into late hours of tonight. Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Hannigan, Boyle, McFadden, Ormonde, Norris, Ó Murchú, Healy Eames, Dearey, Coghlan, Ellis, Harris, Ó Brolcháin, Buttimer, MacSharry, Donohoe, Keaveney, Phelan, Bradford, Mullen, Hanafin and Quinn once again expressed their serious concerns about the events which have taken place in recent days. I join Senators who have confidence in the resilience of the people who are waiting to play their part in any way they can. The Houses of the Oireachtas has a duty to allay the uncertainty and the fear among some people and to make decisions as quickly as possible in the best interests of our people.

Ireland is a very small player in the European Union but it is a very strong country in terms of its total commitment to the European Union. We could not have a better ambassador representing our country than the Minister for Finance. It is a difficult situation and, as has been said by colleagues, when the international gamblers and speculators enter the fray and want to make easy money because Ireland is seen as a small player in the European Union, the European Union must decide for itself.

We all know the issues. The people, the entrepreneurs and those who have proved employment for a long time are ready and waiting for the banks to start to lend for good sound projects awaiting funding. The recovery will not be sustainable unless it is through employment.

Before the Order of Business, the party and group leaders and I discussed leaving time aside to allow Senators to express their concerns and views. We will leave time aside tomorrow after the tributes to our late colleague, Kieran Phelan, for a debate with the Minister or the Minister of State present. We have no difficulty sitting any day or night. No matter how much time is needed, every Senator will be given the opportunity to speak during these defining days when the decisions of the Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas will be made which will have ramifications for the coming years. Please God we will be in a position to make the right decisions and we will be thanked for them by generations to come. How many times have we heard about the decisions taken by the late Mr. Charles Haughey, Mr. Michael Mullen and Mr. Ray MacSharry in 1987 which gave us the vibrant economy we have had for the past 25 years or so? On the views expressed by Senators Ó Murchú, Ellis and Harris, I have taken note of those exceptional contributions on the matters about which I just spoke.

Senator Hannigan spoke about communities coming together in County Meath. I fully support his views in this regard and wish well the community which got together yesterday. I have been in Donegal South-West for the past few days and it was uplifting to see how the people of that county are addressing their problems and getting on with it. Their great strength is that of their communities.

Senator Boyle welcomed the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, which I fully support. She is a Nobel peace prize winner and spent 15 years under house arrest. I hope she will bring many opportunities and hope to the people of her country given the sacrifices she, like Nelson Mandela in South Africa, made. I hope she is as important a guiding light and an inspiring person. What she has done will certainly be appreciated and will change the people of her country in the future.

Senators McFadden, John Paul Phelan and other colleagues raised the issue of the single farm payment, on which I have received representations. I will give the House the up-to-date position on it from the Department on tomorrow's Order of Business.

Senator Ormonde spoke about the importance of having a debate on the IT industry, the challenges it faces and the opportunities that exist for its development. She said that as a food producing country, our food industry could be a world leader and it has achieved a great deal. I have no difficulty in having a debate on this matter. The Senator also called for a debate on third level education and on why some students are quitting courses in institutes of technology after completing the first year. I have no difficulty in arranging for the Minister to attend a debate on this matter.

Senator Norris asked that I contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs on a student issue he outlined to the House. I will contact the Minister's office after the Order of Business and report to the Senator directly on it.

Senators Dearey, Ó Brolcháin and Keaveney called for a debate on energy, our ability to be self-sufficient in meeting our energy needs and on the opportunities for development that exist in the sector for us as an island nation. I gave a commitment last week to have such a debate. As was outlined by the Senators, there is great potential and opportunities to develop this sector. It is where our future lies in terms of restoring our economy. This is one of the planks of our economic recovery to which we can look forward with much optimism and hope. I hope to arrange for such a debate very soon if it is possible with all the legislation that is due to come to the House.

Senator MacSharry congratulated his local team on winning the cup. I am a Shamrock Rovers supporter myself. It was an incredible game and four penalties were missed in the final analysis, but be that as it may, I congratulate the Senator and Sligo Rovers on winning the cup. It was a terrific game.

Sport is important in uplifting the spirits of our people. The Cathaoirleach was a keen sportsman and he led his county in the field of dreams in his time. Sport is as important for our people as is, as Senator Keaveney has often said, our music. It is important that people are allowed and able to celebrate and that they can return to the joys of celebration in this regard.

Senator Keaveney spoke about the Rape Crisis Centre report, abuse, domestic violence and all the serious issues she outlined to the House. I have no difficulty in arranging for such a debate.

Senator Glynn expressed his serious concern regarding road deaths and road accidents involving young males in particular. I have no difficulty in arranging for a debate on this matter at which the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, would be present in the House. I welcome the speed cameras which came into operation from midnight last night. The speed cameras represent the biggest spend in decades on making our roads safer. A total of 197 people have lost their lives on the roads this year to date. While that is a very high figure, when I was chairman of the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, of which Senators Leyden and Brady were members, more then 400 people a year died on our roads at that time. I am glad that the hard work of our committee has been taken seriously by the Department and the Road Safety Authority and that now we have the lowest number of road fatalities in more than five decades. That speaks for itself. I congratulate everyone involved and wish them well. I hope that common sense will prevail in this regard.

Senators Prendergast and Mullen called for a debate on mental health services, A Vision for Change and changes in the budget for mental health services. As we all know, no one is privy to what changes will be announced in the budget, but I have no difficulty in having a further debate on A Vision for Change, for which Senator Prendergast has called on many occasions.