Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

That is the position in respect of the aforementioned Bill and I do not propose to change the Order of Business thereon.

Senator Darragh O'Brien has mentioned the pyrite report several times and has asked that it be published before the summer recess. I have relayed this request numerous times to the Department and I hope action will be taken on this serious matter.

Senator Bacik and eight other Members raised the issue of a debate on children's rights and the report of the independent review group on the deaths of children. Eight Members spoke on this subject today and seven others spoke on it yesterday. While I responded comprehensively to the matter yesterday, there is no doubt but that the report's findings are deeply disturbing. Services often were willing but fragmented and were not comprehensive in their responses. The question must arise as to how, after a period of so much and such unprecedented economic prosperity, the country was left with a child protection service in need of such reform. If ever evidence was required of the scale of the challenge the present Government must face, this report provides it. If ever evidence was required as to the reason and need for an utterly reformed system of State care intervention, this report provides it. If ever evidence was required of the need to take child protection away from the HSE, wherein up to recently it was lost, and to establish a new agency, the proposed child family support agency, than this report emphasises it. Members will have a debate on the issue. I have raised the matter with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, who is quite willing to come in here and debate that report. It is simply a matter of fixing a date. However, I assure Members that this debate will be held within the next couple of weeks as the Minister is anxious to attend. Moreover, I assure Members, including Senator Norris, who have mentioned the possibility that this report, like others, might be left to rot on the shelf that this will not be the case. Quite a number of the report's recommendations already have been acted on and already have been implemented. I mentioned such cases on yesterday's Order of Business. I assure Members the Government is treating this report seriously and already has acted on some recommendations. Moreover, I am sure that all its recommendations will be implemented. I note 260 additional social workers also have been recruited.

Senator White raised the important issue of the Kernel Capital letter to The Sunday Business Post. I agree with Senator White that sales are the engines of growth of any economy. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, has attended the House on several occasions but we can ask him to attend again, on an ongoing basis, to discuss unemployment, specifically, youth unemployment, the area mentioned by Senator Reilly. We will endeavour to have the Minister attend the House to discuss those items. He has been a regular visitor to the House but I entirely agree there is a need for the House to deal with those specific items.

Senator Quinn raised the Construction Contracts Bill, Second Stage of which, I am very pleased to note, was passed in the other House. It is a matter for that House now to deal with on Committee Stage but if there is anything I can do to expedite it, I will do so. Presumably it will return to this House before the end of the summer but I cannot give the Senator any guarantees.

Senator Keane mentioned the report on participatory budgeting in the context of dealing with it at local government level. We will ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, to the House at a later stage to speak on the whole issue of local government reform. He attended previously but is willing to return at which time that matter can be discussed.

Senator Coghlan spoke about the Criminal Justice (Corruption) Bill, a very important piece of legislation, which has been published by the Government. It is very important that the public has confidence in its elected representatives, public officials, and so on. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice will debate this in early course and I hope the House may debate it, even prior to Second Stage, if necessary, and if we can have the Minister present to discuss it.

I have addressed the matter raised by Senator Ó Domhnaill in regard to Bille na Gaeltachta.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh raised another amendment to the Order of Business which, again, I do not propose to accept. It referred to the turf-cutting situation concerning which EU directives are in place. The Minister has been very conciliatory in his actions in this entire regard. The gardaí are only doing their duty and are upholding the law, which is what we expect them to do. I regret that legislators are advocating the breaking of the law. That is not acceptable. I agree with Senator Gilroy that the upholding of the law is of paramount importance and it is despicable for legislators to advocate breaking the law in any way.

Senators Comiskey and Mooney spoke about the political reunification of County Leitrim which I am sure all people from that county will be delighted to see.