Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Now the Cathaoirleach is talking. Let us do it.

I wish, first, to congratulate the Minister for Education and Skills for his decision to have history at the centre of the curriculum. It is from where we come, who we are and, frankly, helps us move towards our destiny. I thought it was a fantastic initiative by the Minister to put a line in the sand and say history was important to who we were and what we were about.

There are two other matters I would like to bring to the attention of the House. The first is that last week I invited Rowing Ireland into the audio-visual room in Leinster House where it made a presentation. Senator O'Mahony was among those who were present. The representatives of Rowing Ireland also spoke to the Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport. Rowing is a minority sport in Ireland, but it is the most successful Irish sport internationally. Four boats have qualified for the Olympic Games, even though Rowing Ireland receives less than one fifth of the funding provided in countries such as New Zealand. Rowing Ireland is in dire straits and in need of more money, but it is not only a matter of throwing money at the problem, it is also a matter of seeing how the Government spends the money. The greyhound industry receives roughly €16 million per year. Rowing receives €600,000 per year. There is something wrong. This is not a political matter and I want everyone to come together. Let us invest in the people and give our rowers a fair crack of the whip. Some 30,000 kids in Ireland are rowing on a weekly basis; it is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and especially popular in County Cork where the Leader is from.

The second matter I wish to raise is insurance. The more I bring up this topic, the more small businesses and communities approach me and say they cannot keep going. Everyone here knows of local communities that have to close down or cannot continue their summer festival because of the cost of insurance. I understand what Senator Conway-Walsh is saying about insurance. We must do something radical. IPB Insurance which insures most, if not all, city and county councils in Ireland is processing an estimated €436 million worth of claims. How many social houses could be built and how many people could be taken off the streets with that money? How many hospital wards could be opened and how many doctors could be employed with it? It is about how we spend money. I am not saying all of the claims are not legitimate, but there is certainly a percentage of them that are not. What can we do? I recently introduced the Perjury and Related Offences Bill, supported by my colleagues, Senators Boyhan and McDowell. The Bill passed through the Seanad with uniform support and is now before the Dáil. I ask each Senator to influence his or her colleagues in the Dáil to have the Bill pass through as speedily and quickly as possible. Let us push it on to get it done and finished. It does not only cover insurance, it also covers telling lies under oath.