Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I share the sentiments expressed by Senator Darragh O'Brien. I would like the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to come to the House to discuss the proposals put forward. The proposal for water charges has been a plan afoot for about 18 months yet it is remarkable that it still appears that there is no great clarity about what will happen in that respect. The Minister said that water charges will be introduced and that there will be a flat fee, charge or rate from January next but nobody seems to be clear about how precisely people will be charged for water thereafter.

Senators will be familiar with the old phrase about it being Saturday night and not a child in the house washed. Having listened to the discussion on the "Today with Pat Kenny" programme today, one would be left wondering whether some families, including larger ones, would be able to afford to wash their children. In the context of water metering, which is a good and necessary idea, it is not clear whether provision would be made for families. That kind of metering system could be extremely onerous on families. There needs to be a justice dimension to this as well when it comes to charging for water. The principle that people would be charged for water consumption is valid not least when one considers what occurred during the freeze out last year when people left their taps running and so on. As somebody said, if people had to pay for that they would not be so quick to do it.

In the context of the Aer Lingus dispute, everybody must agree that the idea that we would have such an industrial action is horrible to contemplate but there are justice issues involved. In the current climate people will have to work harder for less and that will have to apply across the board in the public and private sectors. We must be mindful again of the needs of families and safety issues. The idea that people could be rostered for six out of seven days during the summer, particularly in such a sensitive area of work, seems unacceptable.

In terms of people being expected to do more for less, we would want to avoid at this time the abuse of younger workers in particular. In many professions and other areas young people are being taken on for internships and apprenticeships. In some cases they are not being paid and in others they are not even been paid expenses but they are being required to do a great deal of work, equivalent to the work for which other people have been amply paid in the past. It is important at a time when we are all buying into the idea of doing more for less that we do not end up abusing particular groups in the workplace.

I, too, welcome the proposed discussion on the needs and the rights of children, particularly in the context of the Fourth Report of the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Mr. Geoffrey Shannon. Having listened to Mr. Shannon last week and having read what he produced in his report, it is clear that he has done a great deal of impressive work but I point to one issue in particular and ask the Leader the Government's intentions on the issue of criminalising the purchase of persons in prostitution. Several years ago during the debate on the human trafficking Bill, I tabled amendments, supported by others, including our former leader, Senator Joe O'Toole, which, if accepted, would have criminalised the purchase of persons in prostitution. At that time there was a certain amount of cynicism from the Government side, a certain blasé attitude towards that. It is good to see that the tide of opinion is shifting in this area. The previous Minister for Justice and Equality, the former Deputy Dermot Ahern, said he was moving towards bringing forward legislation that would criminalise persons engaged in the purchase of persons for reasons of prostitution. It would help make the country a colder house for those who would traffic persons into our country. At a time when we have not yet seen much proposed legislation from the Government, that legislation should be made a priority. Will the Leader take that message back to Government and then tell us its intentions on criminalising the purchasers of persons in prostitution?