Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I note Senator John Gilroy's points on the crime figures he mentioned and will endeavour to have the Minister for Justice and Equality come here to discuss them with the House.

Senators Jillian van Turnhout and John Crown referred to the Bill on smoking in cars with children. I gave a firm commitment that Report Stage of the Bill would be on the agenda on 2 April and it will be. If the Senators are suggesting it be deferred until next week, I will accede to their request, but I cannot give a commitment that the amendments will be ready. I will certainly table it for next week rather than this week and we will amend the Order of Business tomorrow in order that there will not be a gap.

Senator Jillian van Turnhout also referred to the Children First Bill. It is very near completion and will be brought to the Cabinet for approval to be published before the Houses rise for Easter.

I note Senator David Norris's points on the GAA and negotiations with Sky. It is a matter for the GAA to decide what it wishes to do, but I am sure many would share the Senator's opinion.

Senator Michael Comiskey referred to the allocation of €3 million for various projects in north Leitrim, while Senator Denis O'Donovan seconded the amendment to the Order of Business.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan spoke about Fingal County Council's decision on the question of a directly elected mayor in Dublin. That is a decision for the council. The matter will be referred back to the Minister who has said it may be discussed again after the local elections in May.

Senators Sean D. Barrett, Terry Brennan and Paul Coghlan mentioned the good news that the Government had reduced the travel tax from 10% to 3% and abolished it from yesterday, as announced in the budget. They also welcomed the move by Ryanair to open 20 new routes. This will result in many more tourists being brought to the country which can only benefit from it.

Senator Barrett proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 11 be taken before No. 1." This is to allow him to publish his Bill which will be dealt with tomorrow. I have no problem in acceding to his request.

Senator Michael Mullins referred to the need to restore confidence in An Garda Síochána in order that we could get down to discussing the issues of the day, in particular job creation. On Thursday we will have a debate on small and medium-sized enterprises.

I am sure we will have a large attendance to discuss the issue as in recent weeks many have asked for a debate on it.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh called for a debate on GP services. We will certainly ask the Minister to come to the House to discuss the issue. Quite an amount of progress has been made on primary care centres throughout the country. I am sure the Minister will be quite willing to come in and discuss GP services.

Senator Sheahan raised the need for vigilance when bringing money to banks and the difficulties with parking. It is certainly a serious matter which should be discussed by the banks and local authorities.

Senator Quinn raised the question of releasing moneys from personal pension funds. As he rightly pointed out, the Government took a first step on this in last year's budget before Britain decided to take further action. I am sure the Minister will have it under review when the next budget comes up.

Senator O'Neill raised the fair fares campaign and the need to address the anomaly whereby students between the ages of 16 and 18 are charged more for public transport than those aged 18 who have student cards, and there is a huge difference in the amount of money charged. This should be addressed and I will certainly bring it to the attention of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Senator Daly raised the human tissue Bill. I have no news and, as he stated, it is unlikely the Bill will be addressed in this session. Whether it will be addressed before summer I am not sure. I do not think there has been significant progress on it.

Senator Paul Coghlan welcomed the announcement of the €1.1 million investment in Killarney House, a matter which he has addressed on many occasions.

To answer Senator Crown, I have given a commitment on deferring the legislation he mentioned. I note his points on children waiting for hearing tests. There is no question that the waiting list is unacceptable.

Senator Jim D'Arcy welcomed the announcement by the Minister of Education and Skills of €60,000 for the anti-bullying campaign for parents. This was very successful last year when 105 anti-bullying parent training sessions were attended by 3,300 people nationwide. It is a very serious issue and I am glad the Minister has announced further funding for it.

Senator Michael D'Arcy raised the difficulties between the HSE and St. Vincent's hospital with regard to consultants' pay and contracts, and called for the matter to be addressed as a matter of urgency. I am sure the Minister is well aware of it and I will certainly bring the matter to his attention.

Senator Mullen gave the findings of his commission of inquiry, which we note, but we will wait for the findings of the other commission of inquiry before having a discussion.

Senator Conway called for a debate on the ambulance service. I have sought such a debate from the Minister and I am awaiting a response in this regard.

Senator Ó Domhnaill raised the haulage charge in Northern Ireland. I do not accept his comments the Government has done little or nothing to seek an exemption. This is totally incorrect. The Government has made moves but legislation was introduced in the UK House of Commons. The issue was raised in the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in the past two days.

The MPs from the United Kingdom agreed they would ask the relevant Minister to look again at that legislation.

Senator MacSharry raised the issue of 24/7 cardiology services in hospital groups. This is the case in Sligo Regional Hospital. It is also the case in Waterford Regional Hospital. One is unlucky if one gets a heart attack in the south east during the weekend as one must be moved to Cork. This has been an ongoing issue, and was the case long before this Government took office. The Government is trying to address the problem with the appointment of additional cardiologists in Waterford. I am sure the case is similar in Sligo. The issue will not be solved overnight. It is not a case of gillie, gillie and one has a 24/7 cardiology service. If only we could do that. The Government is working on the issue in order to address the matter.

Senator Bacik raised the matter of the recording of telephone calls in Garda stations and the commission of inquiry. I understand the Taoiseach has outlined further information on the issue of telephone calls to prisoners, which is another very serious matter. This may have to be addressed by the commission of inquiry also. The terms of reference of the commission of inquiry will make for interesting reading. Senator Hayden made similar points.