Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Irish people, irrespective of their politics, do not take kindly to threats, bomb threats and violence against elected representatives or anybody else. I thank the Members for their comments in that regard. Senator Mooney mentioned that issue, and also the fact that Senator Leyden had raised the question of the murders in Jerusalem.

Senator Healy Eames rightly pointed out that it is the duty of Government to provide the climate for businesses to thrive and that is what the Government has done, as has been proven over the last three years. Over the three years prior to this Government taking office we had job losses of over 250,000.

We have created more than 70,000 jobs net since then. We held a good and comprehensive debate on small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, yesterday in which a number of Senators took part.

Senator Byrne raised a matter that was also raised on the Order of Business last week and this week, namely, the 50% increase in registration fees for nurses. In this regard, I do not propose to accept the Senator's amendment to the Order of Business, but the matter has been brought to the Minister's attention.

Senator Walsh referred to yesterday's debate on the adoptive rights Bill. He also raised a number of valid points concerning divorce and many other issues. I understand that the children and family relationships Bill will be introduced soon, presenting an opportunity to debate these matters.

Senator Crown sought additional Private Members' time. I will investigate the possibility. I would not have much of a problem with it and hope to be in a position to allocate further time in the coming session.