Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

There is no question but that we can do that.

I join with Senator O'Brien and other Senators in expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of the young girl who was brutally murdered last evening. We all wish that the perpetrators will be brought to justice soon in that case.

Senator O'Brien also raised the question of debating EU legislation in this House. On a number of occasions I have outlined the situation. We have been told by officials that the committees are dealing with EU legislation, but I have written to the Oireachtas Commission seeking some staff to allow us to debate EU legislation and directives in detail here. I have not yet received a reply to that request. I agree with Senators who say we should discuss these matters, but we must have the resources to enable us to do so. If information is put before the House we can discuss it properly. I have not forgotten the matter and we are actually working on it.

As regards yesterday's debate, I ordered the business of the House as agreed. We had two Ministers waiting last night under strict time schedules. Thankfully, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, was able to come in. I had no intention of guillotining a debate on the Education (Amendment) Bill on which we had a good discussion. The Minister returned after 6.45 p.m. to deal with the Bill. Unfortunately, however, there were very few Members present. Some Members who had sought discussions on Report Stage were not even here, which is another matter.

The Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, has agreed to attend the House again. She went over time by ten minutes but we could not delay the matter any further. Unfortunately, she was not able to reply to all the questions but she is willing to return to the House to answer those questions that were posed. We will endeavour to get her in next week if she is available to address them. Her office has been contacted already and we are awaiting a reply.

Senator Bacik dealt with the relevance of the House. I have circulated a reply from the Minister, Deputy Bruton, on the excellent jobs debate we had. The input from 30 Senators in that excellent debate will be forwarded to the advisory council on jobs. It shows how the Seanad can work properly when Members engage with the process.

Senator Zappone and other Senators mentioned the RTE documentary on prostitution. It was an excellent documentary and it was shocking to see what is going on in towns and cities throughout the country. It showed dreadful exploitation of women.

We spoke about the consultation process and we had an excellent debate on it in October. I will endeavour to have the Minister here in early course to deal with it. If legislation is necessary to root out the pimps and criminals, the resources will have to be provided to the Garda Síochána to address this dreadful problem that is so prevalent throughout the country. I will speak to the Minister for Justice and Equality, who will be in attendance tomorrow. A number of people requested that he attend to discuss the immigration programme. There will be an opportunity tomorrow to put questions to him on progress on dealing with prostitution.

Senator Keane referred to the Freedom of Information Act and the fact that NAMA is not included. We will ask the Minister about that situation. Senator Paul Coghlan took us on a wonderful tour of Kerry, as usual, and Senator O'Sullivan supported him. We all congratulate the tourism winners announced last night. Senator O'Reilly referred to the training of the Reserve Defence Force and stated that the barracks in Cavan is available. I will raise the matter with the Minister for Defence.

Senator Colm Burke raised the question of EU legislation, which I have addressed. Senator Ó Domhnaill referred to the Gaeltacht Bill. I will try to find out the status of the Bill and how soon it will be available. We are open for business and we will have a debate on it.

Senator Mullins referred to criminality and cash for scrap, which is similar to cash for gold. There is a need to curb the criminal activities involved in this. Perhaps the Minister can appear in the Chamber for an all-encompassing debate on law and order and crime, which can take in a number of the issues raised today.

Senator O'Neill referred to speed limits. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport plans a nationwide audit on speed limits to ensure that all speed restrictions are safe and sensible. The Department will shortly engage with the National Roads Authority and the local authorities to conduct a nationwide audit of speed limits across the country. While the speed limit bands are set by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, specific limits apply to particular roads, which are determined by the National Roads Authority for national, primary and secondary roads and by local authorities for regional and local roads, in consultation with the Garda Síochána. The aim of the audit is to overhaul the inconsistencies, referred to by Senator O'Neill, within countries and regions and to put an end to confusion among drivers. The process is expected to take some time but the audit will be a crucial first step. We all welcome that.

Senator Noone referred to the matter raised by Senator Mooney yesterday, the steering group and the drinks culture in the country. The Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, discussed the matter in the Chamber but I am sure she will be willing to return and discuss the report of the steering group in early course.

Senator Daly referred to the undocumented Irish. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have been in ongoing negotiations with Irish politicians in the USA. Last week, the Senator mentioned that the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was not contacted about this issue.