Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are days where we should have good news stories. There is a good news story being announced at 11 o'clock today. We passed Second Stage of the Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013 earlier this year and it has been announced today at 11 o'clock that HIQA has been asked to form an advisory board to look at best practice on defibrillators and what should be done, how often they should be checked and how the training should take place. They must report back by September. That is something that was initiated in this House and I am delighted to say it is now taking place.

Another Bill that was introduced in this House, which was taken over by the Minister some years later, provided for a ban on passports for sale. Twenty years ago there were scandals about passports being sold by Government. We initiated a Bill in this House, which later became law through a different Bill, to ban passports for sale. However, Malta has just announced that it plans to sell passports for a figure of €650,000. These passports will be not only Maltese but European, entitling the bearer to have a passport for all of the 28 countries in the European Union. That is a dangerous development. Three other countries, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal, sell a residency permit if one invests in a property in those countries. That is not quite a passport, but the Maltese one is a passport and creates a competitive situation for the future. We should voice an opinion in that regard. It is not a correct way to proceed.

I will add a word of thanks for the debate on the Critical Utilities (Security of Supply) Bill 2013 last night. I found it an interesting debate. While we adjourned it at the end rather than pushing it to a vote, it means that we will be able to discuss the matter in the future. I appreciate all those who got involved in the debate. It adds to the stature of the House.