Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Leader of the Opposition, Senator Darragh O'Brien, and other Senators raised the all-party motion on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings that was passed in the other House six years ago. The Government has sought on a number of occasions - as did, I presume, the previous Government - the relevant documentation from the British Government and the Taoiseach has sought it from the British Prime Minister. The Government will continue to try to obtain the relevant documentation, which the British Government is not currently releasing. I assure the House that the Government will continue to press this matter with the British Government.

A number of Senators raised the question of the negative publicity arising from the Garth Brooks debacle. Short-term, knee-jerk reactions, especially regarding planning legislation, will not provide a viable solution to the problem. In light of the current controversy, it appears that certain aspects of the current regulations require review, in particular, the timeline requirements for the submission of applications by event organisers, the deciding of such applications by the relevant planning authority in advance of an event or a series of events, and the absence of a specific appeals mechanism in respect of decisions on event licences, which is an issue a number of Senators raised. Judicial review is an avenue that can be pursued.

In light of the current controversy, the Taoiseach has requested the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to conduct a review of the planning regulations with a view to preventing a scenario arising in future similar to that which has arisen with regard to the Garth Brooks concerts. A great deal of time and effort has been put into bringing this event to Ireland, including by businesses such as hotels and bars, and large numbers of people from abroad had planned to attend the concerts. A great deal of work is invested in trying to attract this type of business to the country, and in that respect it is an absolute disgrace that this has happened.

A number of Senators raised the current conflict in Israel and Palestine and the unacceptable atrocities that have taken place in recent weeks. I will accede to the request to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the House to set out the Government's position on the conflict and outline the European response.

Senator Darragh O'Brien called for a report on the progress made in the pyrite remediation scheme. As the quarterly review of the scheme is due soon, we will probably arrange to discuss the matter in September.

Senator Bacik raised some of the same issues as Senator O'Brien and called for a debate on child care. She also welcomed the announcement that after-school child care is to be extended and commended all the individuals involved in the Advocacy Initiative.

Senator Zappone raised the report of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee on human rights. I compliment the Senator on her input into the report and I will ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to comment on it. It is good that United Nations publications note that the Seanad has spoken on this matter. I will request the Minister's attendance for a debate on the concluding observations of the United Nations when they become available.

Senator O'Donovan referred to the removal of the SOLAS training allowance and spoke about advocacy services for deaf people, as did a number of other Senators. I will not amend the Order of Business to have a Minister come before the House to discuss this issue today as it can be addressed at any time, with a Minister present, if the Senator raises it on the Adjournment.

Senator Hayden referred to the necessity to implement the recommendations of the report on mortgage arrears. I fully concur with her and hope it will be possible to have the relevant Minister come before the House to discuss the report and its recommendations.

Senator Quinn spoke about the possibility of having information provided online to notify people of where tax revenue is spent. I recall the Senator raising this matter with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, last year. He also noted that a significant number of job vacancies are not being filled, despite the fact that 400,000 people are unemployed.

Senator Comiskey welcomed figures on investment in farm buildings, which augur well for the future of farming.

Senator Cullinane referred to hospital waiting lists. While some people have been waiting for up to two years, the position has improved significantly since the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, took office. One need only recall the waiting lists in place when he took office. A difficulty has arisen in filling consultant posts. While the Senator argues that consultants are paid too much, consultants argue that they are not paid enough and suggest that this explains the failure to fill 20% of posts.

I agree that something must be done to address the matter.