Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not know of anyone who is not. Linked with the contributions of Senators Rónán Mullen and Brian Ó Domhnaill, as Leader and a former Chairman of the joint committee on the protection of life during pregnancy, I respect the right of every Senator to have a different viewpoint from mine.It is important that we cherish the right to speech and to one's opinion. I will not, as Leader, in any way try to curb freedom of speech in the House or in debate. Perhaps in my remarks yesterday I was not specific enough; I was referring to the pro-life movement in general rather than to a specific group. There was, and is, outside money being given to the movement. They brought Members of the Oireachtas abroad and they brought people into the committee system to discuss Bills. They had advisors from America during the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill legislative process. Who they were representing or who they were here on behalf of is a moot point. The point is they were here and money was coming in. Philanthropy is a very good thing. It has been the hallmark of our society. I hope we all welcome individuals, groups and organisations receiving money for the betterment of the lives of people.

Senator Hopkins raised the issue of young farmers and the national reserve scheme. I would be happy to have the Minister, Deputy Creed, come to the House regarding that. It is important that young farmers are able to stay on their lands. I would be very happy for the Minister to come to the House regarding that issue.

Senators Devine and Noone raised the issue of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. I commend Senator Black for her presentation in the AV room yesterday. The Bill will be coming back to the House. It is about public health and the misuse of alcohol. All of us who are public legislators accept we have a duty to protect all of our citizens. We must get legislation that is right, that will reduce the harm caused by alcohol and reduce the impact it has on the lives of people. People gave personal testimony yesterday of their lives being tarnished and ruined by alcohol. None of us will stop the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill doing its work. Minimum unit pricing is coming in and there are restrictions in terms of advertising. There is discussion about one part of the Bill. The important point is the Minister is sincere. I chaired the health committee that did pre-legislative scrutiny on the Bill. We need to have a huge conversation about alcohol misuse, availability, price, advertising and how we can change the culture and ethos around the misuse of alcohol. We should all work together on that.

Senators Mulherin and Ó Céidigh raised the very important issue of planning, in particular for the Apple location in Galway. I sincerely agree with them on the matter. I commend Councillor Peter Feeney who held a rally in Galway last week. It is important we allow for the development of facilities such as the Apple one in Galway because we need to take jobs out of Dublin and the big urban areas and into rural Ireland. That is why we welcome the announcement that the majority of jobs created in this calendar year have gone outside the metropolis.

Senator Ó Domhnaill referred to free speech. I referred to that already. I would be happy to have the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade come to the House on the issue of the Rockefeller Museum. Senator Norris is right, no one is immune from international law. We should all work to uphold it.

Senator Ó Domhnaill's Private Members' Bill on the diaspora will be in the House next week. I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, who is just back from a trip to the US. Senator Lawless will be back next week. It is something we need to keep on the agenda. The Government is committed to this. The question is how we arrive at the end result. I take the point.