Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not just south County Roscommon, but the whole of rural Ireland that is being decimated. It is one of the major failures of the Government.

I agree with Senator Mullins's comments on Ibrahim Halawi. It is a disgrace and sad reflection on the justice system and on the Administration of President el-Sisi in Egypt that once again Ibrahim Halawi has been incarcerated because of the failure of the legal system there.I also join with the Senator in condemning the bombing of the hospital in Afghanistan. The US has previously chastised the Russians for what they were doing in Syria. The bombing of the hospital in Afghanistan by a US military aircraft is, in my opinion, a resigning matter at some level within the US Administration. We have not seen or heard anything in that regard.

What we have been hearing recently about NAMA, in particular its proposed sale for €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion of loans which it purchased for €31 billion, is alarming and warrants debate in this Chamber. The private equity companies and others who are buying those loans are making 50% to 100% profit on some of those loans. This is the result of a failure by the State to properly set targets. I believe NAMA should be seeking, at a minimum, a 50% return on that investment.

On the Seanad by-election, I have no doubt it will be overtaken by a general election. It appears very obvious now that the Taoiseach is set to cut and run. Despite the best wishes of the Labour Party, it will be cut adrift to stormy political waters within, probably, the next two to three weeks.

The self-congratulatory comments from the Government benches, of which I am sure we will hear more over the next few weeks and during the election campaign, ring very hollow to the many people who have been badly affected by the failures of this Government in particular. The situation in relation to the banking inquiry, which was mentioned by Senator Norris, is a good reason to call a general election now. The establishment of that inquiry was a political ploy by Government. I would welcome a debate on that.

This Government has also failed to bring about any public service reform. Irish Water speaks for itself. The people will give their verdict on it when approached on the doorsteps. Homelessness is now at an unprecedented level and measures to tackle burglaries have been a complete failure. The current Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, and her predecessor, Deputy Shatter, have been two of the worst Ministers for Justice in the history of this State, yet they are being applauded by Members on the Government benches for all they have done.

We also need a debate on the issues of bankruptcy and insolvency. Repossessions are being ratcheted up. This Government is running to the public now in order to avoid any fall-out from its failure to manage the banks whose actions resulted in the crash of the banking sector.