Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I join the Leader of the Opposition, Senator O'Brien, in complimenting the new group that has been formed in the House. They are excellent people and will do a great job here.

We are all appalled at the recent murder of a gentleman in Donabate. We extend our sympathies to the family of the gentleman in question and hope that the Garda Síochána will apprehend somebody at an early stage for this vile crime.

There were requests last week for a debate on the programme for Government. Rather than having a wide-ranging debate on the programme, we should break it down into various areas such as finance, education and so on, in order to have more focused debates in each area over the coming weeks. That might satisfy everybody and people can have a say on particular aspects of the programme for Government.

Senators Ivana Bacik, Jillian van Turnhout, David Norris, Jim Walsh and Terry Leyden, among others, referred to the report of the UN Committee Against Torture on the ill-treatment of residents in Magdalene laundries. The Cabinet will discuss this matter on Thursday and have proposals afterwards. I will be inclined to accede to the request for a debate after the Cabinet meeting but not today after the Order of Business. Therefore, I do not propose to accept the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Leyden.