Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator O'Keeffe raised Google and the right to have one's information removed, which is an EU ruling. It is a matter which should be addressed and, I am sure, will be addressed.

Senator Quinn raised all the good news on the economy and jobs and the need to keep our eyes on the ball. I can assure him that such is the intention of Government. The Government has removed quite a lot of red tape in relation to small business and will continue to do so for the remainder of its term. Senator Paul Coghlan raised the Construction Contracts Act 2013 and the need for further regulation, and that measures should be expedited in that regard.

Senator O'Donnell raised Quality and Qualifications Ireland's proposed fee of €5,000 to community development organisations in education. I would suggest that this matter also should be addressed by way of an Adjournment matter to get all of the facts in that regard but I would agree with her that those who are providing these services should not be charged a fee similar to that for universities.

Senators Landy and O'Sullivan raised the Indecon report on the greyhound sector, highlighting many difficulties. There certainly are difficulties in relation to a number of issues, including finance and regulation. I will call on the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Tom Hayes, to have a debate on that matter as soon as possible.

Senator Cullinane raised the invitation to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to address the Seanad. I have invited them in the past and I will renew our invitation to both of them in the near future. I agree with the Senator that the Haass proposals need to be addressed by all sides sitting down and addressing many areas of difficulty, in particular, parades and flags which were addressed by Mr. Haass. I can assure Senator Cullinane that the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister are in constant contact and there is no question of forgetting the Good Friday Agreement and all the proposals contained therein.

Senators Noone, Walsh and many others raised the problems with the Garth Brooks concert. I would agree with the sentiments expressed that in future no tickets should go on sale before a licence is issued.

That is an important point and if necessary, legislation must be amended to address this matter. I note the points made by several Senators on the boost given to the economy by hosting concerts such as those proposed by Garth Brooks and it is important for the tourism industry. However, there is a question of planning and licensing and I note that planning is a reserved function of the manager rather than the council. I believe the proposal to have an appeal system to the Minister is politicising him again. It actually is looking for somebody to go to friends in high places to deal with the issue, with which I certainly would not agree.

Senator Colm Burke spoke on the €57 million per day being spent on social welfare and praised the Tánaiste on her efforts to tackle fraud in recent years. He also raised the report regarding career paths for doctors, the need to publish and make available that report to Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, as well as the need to address urgently the matters contained therein. I agree with the Senator in that regard. Senator Moran raised the issue of 3,000 children awaiting referrals for mental health services. This undoubtedly is a major issue and the Minister has assured Members in this Chamber several times that money is ring-fenced for the purpose Senator Moran mentioned. Perhaps I can get the Minister back into the House to address this matter.

Senator Mary Ann O'Brien referred to the proposed national children's hospital at the site at St. James's Hospital. The Senator raised this matter in the House approximately two weeks ago on the Order of Business. The question of the location of the children's hospital has been debated for quite a long time over many years. The decision has been made and the most important thing is to have in place a proper national children's hospital as soon as possible. If the Senator seeks further information and debate on the matter, she might also consider an Adjournment motion, which I suggested two weeks ago.

Senator Mullins referred to the restoration of funding for the advocacy group for the deaf. This matter was also raised by Senator O'Donovan and again, I suggest that the Senator should table an Adjournment motion on this issue. Senator Mullins also raised the Action Plan for Jobs and complimented the Minister, Deputy Bruton, on his efforts in this regard, whereby more than 65,000 additional jobs have been created over the past 12 months. Senator O'Sullivan referred to the role of the voluntary sector in working with local authorities on economic development in particular. Even during the debate in this House, the Minister has outlined the position with regard to the voluntary sector and working, and he has issued several statements on this issue. Senator Brennan raised the need to tackle homelessness, as well as the number of boarded-up local authority houses. I assure the Senator that the Government has provided significant funding to local authorities to address this matter and to get those houses back into habitable conditions to let to people on the local authority lists. I also note his point on the universal social charge and the anomalies in the system, which I am sure he will bring to the attention of the Minister for Finance.

Senator Mullen spoke on protecting the post office network. The Government is fully agreeable to protecting the post office network in any way it possibly can. Moreover, I note the social welfare contract for more than €60 million was granted recently to the post office network. I believe there is a problem in respect of electronic transfers payments, which appear to be going to banks rather than post offices. I suggest that were they to go to post offices, the Department would have greater control rather than the money going to banks and people simply being paid one week after the other. However, were the payments to go to the post office, they could be stopped by the postmaster in the post office were a social welfare officer to check and discover that some fraud may be taking place. I am aware the postmasters are anxious to do this but I assure the Senator that the Government is fully committed to maintaining the post office network. I provided figures some months ago on the last three years of the previous Government, during which more than 200 post offices were closed down nationwide. Only 17 have closed during the three years in which the present Administration has been in office. Consequently, I believe people should get their act together and have the facts and have their ducks in a row-----