Seanad debates

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

11:40 am

Photo of Denis O'DonovanDenis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I rise to second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Darragh O'Brien on the medical cards issue.

I ask the Leader to ascertain what is the current status of the proposed Fisheries (Amendment) Bill, which rows back somewhat on the fisheries Bill 2006 and with which I had a significant issue. I have been asking for more than 12 months for a debate on the fishing sector. The summer is coming and the weather is calm. During the storms of the winter many fishermen were without an income for prolonged periods and were unable to get fish assist payment. They were living on crumbs. I ask for a debate on the fishing industry and on the situation of the inshore fishermen. I ask that the debate be held as soon as is practicable.

We should have a debate on job creation in rural Ireland. The Government, with some merit, crows loudly when jobs are created in places like Dublin, Galway or Cork city, but in huge areas in the Leader's county of Waterford, in west Cork, parts of Kerry and the west, no sustainable jobs have been created in the past four or five years. That issue is worthy of debate. It is a significant loss that there is no senior Minister dedicated to rural affairs. The jobs situation in many parts of rural Ireland is acute and the only answer in those areas is widespread emigration, which is a sad substitute for jobs. I hope for a positive answer from the Leader with regard to a full debate on those issues.

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