Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the 12 Senators who spoke. I join the Cathaoirleach on behalf of everyone in the House in paying tribute to a former Clerk of the Seanad, Mr. Jack McGowan-Smyth, who died at the very honourable age of 94 years. As the Cathaoirleach rightly said, he was Clerk of the Seanad for 15 years and served with distinction. The Cathaoirleach has made reference to the fact that he was the author of two books, of one of which we should all be aware, The Theory and Practice of the Irish Senate. To his wife, Christine, and extended family, I send our sympathy, our comhbhrón, on his sad passing.

I will be happy to have the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, come to the House to discuss the matter raised by Senator Catherine Ardagh. It is fair to say the Minister, in the budget and the action plan for housing, has increased the moneys available for house refurbishment. In that context, I am disappointed to hear that in the Senator's constituency moneys have not been available. In my constituency of Cork South-Central and that of Senator Colm Burke, Cork North-Central, we have seen Cork City Council putting national moneys aside for the refurbishment of houses. I will be happy to have the Minister come to the House to discuss the matter. The Senator is right that there is a need for us to expedite the refurbishment of vacant houses. There is no reason for houses to remain vacant in many parts of the country for an inordinate length of time. I share the Senator's concern in that regard.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell referred to the Defence Forces. I assure him that the Minister of State, Deputy Paul Kehoe, has given a commitment to come to the House to discuss the issue. To be fair to him, he has been a very good Minister of State with responsibility for defence who has been willing to work with all stakeholders in the Defence Forces. We have seen an increase in the budget. The issue of pay is one the Senator has addressed repeatedly in the House. He represents his nominating body quite well and it is important that he do so, but it is equally important that we recognise that, with the restoration of pay and conditions, the Government is also recruiting to the Defence Forces. I hope the Senator welcome this. He makes a fair point that there is a need for a wider debate on the role of the Defence Forces in a new European Union post-Brexit and dealing with conflict around the world. I will be happy for the Minister of State to come to the House to discuss the issue and thank the Senator for raising it.

I was going to say Senator Rose Conway-Walsh was back to her old "chestnut", but that would be the wrong word to use. She referred to Commissioner Vestager's appearance yesterday at the finance committee to discuss the Apple ruling.Many people's views on this issue differ from those of the Senator. It is a question of how state aid is applied. I think it is being used in a spurious way by the EU. It could be a way of getting at our very good corporate tax rate.