Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am reluctant to raise this again but it is not helpful to the future viability of this House that, yet again, on the main day for debate in this House, Wednesday, it appears from what the Leader said that the sitting will suspend after the Order of Business until 1 p.m., it will suspend again following the Water Services Bill until 5 p.m. and that the Water Services Bill will be the only business today.

I have had informal discussions with the Leader on this. As a long-serving Member of the House, I understand and appreciate the difficulties for a Leader in encouraging Ministers to come to the House. However, I have put forward the view that we could be very usefully engaged in debates on various issues. For example, the House has had little debate on European and foreign affairs for some time. There is as much happening outside this country as is happening inside it that could be usefully debated here. It would be helpful to the collective wisdom on all sides of the House. It would not necessarily require the line Minister to be present. A Minister of State could attend. It would at least provide an opportunity to highlight issues that are relevant to this country, particularly its role and standing in the world. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is now President of the Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs and appears daily in the media with regard to worldwide issues. That is only one example.

There are also many domestic issues that could be debated in the House that do not necessarily require legislation to generate such debates. The debates could feed into policy. Again, I appreciate that it is difficult to get a Minister to the House, but it does not reflect well on this House, its future and its impact with the general public that the sitting will be suspended for long periods on this day of the week.

I did not intend to speak for so long on that issue as I wish to raise another matter. Will the Leader convey to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, the great concern being expressed by people employed in county development companies throughout the country as a result of the Government's policy on alignment, as it is called? There has been very little clarity since the decision was made as to how the new structures will be formed. I ask the Minister to clarify the future of the jobs of those involved. Over 2,000 people are employed in county development companies throughout Ireland. In my county there are 19 to 20 people employed. I attended a lobby meeting with them last Monday afternoon and they are genuinely concerned about their future. Their contracts end on 31 December and they have no idea what will happen after that. Will the Leader convey to the Minister the importance and urgency of clarifying the future of the jobs of those very fine people in the context of the alignment of the county development boards?