Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom chomh maith gach ádh a ghuí ar fhoireann na hÉireann agus iad ag imirt in aghaidh na hIodáile anocht. Tá údar misnigh agus dóchais againn agus tá súil againn go ndéanfaidh na leaids an-jab agus go n-éireoidh go geal leo san imirt anocht.

I also draw the attention of the Leader to the motion we put on the Order Paper recently about the committee on Seanad political reform. We had hoped it would be moved on very quickly. We saw a Dáil committee being set up almost immediately to consider reform of the way in which the Dáil functioned. We have been calling for this to happen in the Seanad and for the 42 newly elected Seanadóirí to be part of that process. We understand, obviously, that other groupings have asked for different debates on Seanad reform, but the fact that we want a committee to be set up which would include not more than 20 other Members of the Seanad and the Cathaoirleach to consider this issue is extremely important. It is important that we be seen to take leadership on the issue of Seanad reform. It was never intended to be a committee that would go on ad nauseam. We envisage a finite timescale of a few weeks in order that reviews of Standing Orders could be undertaken. It is quite clear to me from speaking to everybody, all Senators, old and new, that there is a sense that we really need to review Standing Orders as quickly as possible to do whatever we can within our remit through the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, etc. I will not, therefore, call for an amendment to the Order of Business at this point, but I may do so tomorrow if we do not have some clarification as to when the motion might be debated and moved forward.

I also call for a debate on the fishing industry in Ireland. I note that my colleague, Liadh Ní Riada, MEP, has met the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Michael Creed, on the issue of super trawlers. She has raised the possibility of banning them from our waters because of the impact they are having on the domestic industry and the fact that there is a sense that there is very little regulation and that they do not seem to be inspected as much as those in the indigenous industry. There was also an Oireachtas joint committee report on sustaining rural and coastal communities which made some fantastic recommendations on fisheries and the maintenance of rural communities. It had cross-party agreement and is something we could bring forward and discuss again. The issue of fisheries agus cúrsaí iascaireachta ar fud an chósta would, therefore, be the subject of a very important debate for us to have as soon as possible.