Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Senator will have.

I welcome the really good news from the Kerry Group yesterday and I join with others in congratulating the group on the announcement of 900 jobs in the immediate future. It is a reminder of the strength of the agrifood sector and it is a really good boost for public morale as well as for the economy.

I join with colleagues who called for a debate on the report of the Ombudsman for Children. We said previously that after the children's referendum on 10 November, we might ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to come to the House for a general debate on children's rights. It might be worth looking at the report of the Ombudsman for Children then but before that, the Minister for Education and Skills will come to the House. Many of us have called for various issues to be addressed during the debate with him and I note that 47% of the complaints to the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, in 2011 concerned education. Some of the issues she raised in her report will be of relevance in the debate with the Minister for Education and Skills and we might be able to cover them then.

I ask the Leader again if we might have a debate on community policing and street crime, something about which we have spoken previously. I condemn the shooting yesterday of the 16 year old boy in Crumlin. It was shocking and again highlights the problem of street crime. I spoke yesterday about the purple flag initiative and the huge improvements in safety on the streets brought about as a result of co-operation between community police and local businesses in cities and towns in Britain and Northern Ireland. It is an initiative we might look at introducing here to avoid these sorts of horrific incidents.

There is some danger to Bewleys and its signage on Westmoreland Street. Starbucks is apparently seeking to have the old mosaics removed. That is regrettable and I hope Dublin City Council will not allow it. It is a very important part of the heritage of the city and it is very nice to still see the stained glass, the signage and the mosaics from the Bewleys café on Westmoreland Street and it would be a shame to see it removed.