Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom tacú leis an moladh atá déanta ag mo chomhleacaí, an Seanadóir Barrett, maidir le díospóireacht ar chúrsaí an Tuaiscirt.

We have called for a debate on Northern Ireland issues on many occasions. It would be timely as there are many issues of concern to us. It is obvious from some of the comments made yesterday on HGV regulation that there is a great deal of confusion, or else Members are getting misinformation from their SDLP or Unionist colleagues in the North regarding the HGV levy. It is a tax over which the Assembly has no control. I assure anybody who is concerned that Sinn Féin has lobbied long and hard to ensure the levy is not introduced. Our leadership is very much engaged on that issue. However, there is a role for both governments to play in these issues to ensure tax affairs are fully devolved to the Assembly in order that it would have full control over them.

I welcome the fact that we will have debates on employment. It is ironic that an announcement on jobs is being made today when we are being given information by newly qualified social workers that they will be employed on a graduate scheme, similar to what happened with newly qualified teachers and nurses. During the debates, it will be important to discuss the rates of pay that people are being asked to work for and the fact that newly qualified social workers are being recruited on less favourable conditions that their predecessors, which is a huge issue.

I raised a serious question that needs to be answered by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the Adjournment last night regarding the development of a fish farm on Inis Oirr and the meeting that he and the Taoiseach had with the chief executive officer of Marine Harvest, a company that could potentially win the licence for the project. The reply given by the Minister of State at the Department, Deputy Tom Hayes, was correct in that he said the licensing process must be independent, but the fact that the Minister and the Taoiseach have met one of the major stakeholders in the industry at a time when the licensing process is under way was inappropriate. I ask the Leader to use his office to ask the Minister to make a clear statement that the issue of the Inis Oirr fish farm was not discussed with the chief executive officer of Marine Harvest when they met recently and that he does not intend to discuss it when he attends the aquaculture conference in Norway in the next few weeks.