Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will come to that point. The law has changed to enable single fathers to obtain guardianship in a much easier way. That is welcome. It is a point we might well raise during the debate on the children and family relationships Bill which the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs have promised, which I hope will come before the House in this term. That is a debate which will cover a whole range of issues that, hitherto, have been neglected in Irish law, including rights on assisted human reproduction, issues around surrogacy, parentage and so on. We would all welcome the introduction of that Bill.

Senator Michael Mullins raised the issue of Irish Water on which there will be a debate next week. He also sought a debate with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, on road safety. The Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill will come before the House next week or the following week. There may be some reference to the increasing number of road deaths during that debate but it would be good to have a full debate on road safety. I will raise that issue with the Leader.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh raised the detention of Margaretta D'Arcy about which I read in the newspapers. There is an issue of separation of powers and it is a matter for the prison governor to look at the welfare of prisoners. That a person should be detained for three months at the age of 79 years for refusal to sign a bond is clearly a matter of concern. The Senator also raised the issue of potential industrial action at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. As with Senator Paul Coghlan's point, that is a matter of concern that one would hope will be resolved.

Senator Catherine Noone mentioned the Central Remedial Clinic and the effect the revelations in regard to salaries have had on the amounts made in charitable donations and called for a debate on the regulation of charities. We have debated the issue here and called on the Minister many times to implement the Charities Act to ensure there is adequate regulation of the charities sector, which is the big issue underlying many of the controversies that arose before Christmas. Certainly, the Labour Party group set aside Private Members' time to debate this issue. We did have certain promises from the Minister but we might well ask the Minister to come in during the course of this term to revisit the issue and ask about progress on implementation of the Act, which would be welcome.

Senator Jim Daly raised the organ donation debate and called on Senator Paul Coghlan to inform him as to what progress has been made on the human tissue Bill.