Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator O’Loughlin spoke at the outset of the Order of Business and paid tribute to and congratulated the women’s football team and wished them well as they depart for the World Cup. There was a reception last night attended by many Members of both Houses with Vera Pauw and her team to wish them well. It is fantastic to see the team doing so well and they are great role models for young girls right across the country. We hope they have a successful World Cup.

The Senator acknowledged the work done by UCD students in putting a report together on student accommodation which highlights many issues. The Senator also welcomed significant funding for Newbridge Family Resource Centre but used the word “challenges” in respect of the spending timelines being applied to such funding. It can be difficult for an organisation to comply with such requirements.

Senators Seery Kearney and Hoey raised the briefing on drug and alcohol task forces they both attended in Buswells Hotel today. I will request a debate on the issue, which will be for the term after the summer recess but it is an important topic for us to discuss. Drugs are in every community, town and village and are having a very negative impact on people of all ages. I believe the average age for a person attending addiction services to deal with cocaine, for example, is 33. The idea it is all very young people is not accurate. These are people who are working, in full employment, and it is a different picture from what is generally thought. There is a challenge there for us as a country to meet, so we will have that debate in the new term.

Senator Craughwell spoke about the cybersecurity briefing and conference he attended in the University of Galway yesterday. He has asked for an embassy or a representative office to be established in Taiwan as it produces a significant amount of chips which will be required for future cybersecurity efforts.

Senator O’Sullivan raised a particular governance issue regarding the Arts Council and has asked the Minister, Deputy Martin, to deal with that issue, especially in light of what has been happening in RTÉ. We need to ensure all public bodies receiving State funding are properly run and that there is value for taxpayer money.

The Senator also outlined significant issues in having the Minister attend for a Commencement matter, which I was not aware of until today. I suggest that the Senator resubmit the Commencement matter and I would certainly hope the Minister would attend to answer questions on it.

Senators Burke and Cummins both raised issues regarding septic tanks. I completely agree that the €5,000 grant is completely inadequate as the cost of repairing or replacing a septic is probably around €20,000, so it is just unaffordable. With the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report outlining that our water quality is deteriorating and is going in the wrong direction, we have a great amount of work to do in that regard. We should be assisting people in making those changes.

I take on board the points made by Senator Cummins about the registration of septic tanks and the 2013 date. Again, we want people to access the grants and to be able to carry out the works because it is good for the environment. That needs to be addressed. I suggest a Commencement matter, as I know the Senator wished to submit one. We have tomorrow and next week as well, so it is to be hoped we will have the opportunity to hear from the Minister on that. If we do not get any response back between this week and next, we can look towards having a debate in the new term to try to deal with the issue in more depth.

Senator Kyne spoke about the engagement in the Committee on Health this morning with the Dental Council and the Irish Dental Association on the outdated legislation. Perhaps a Private Members’ Bill might be appropriate on that issue with a view to updating the legislation to get the debate going. Certainly, if contact is made with the Minister, I am sure he will engage on that aspect of the matter. From this House we could potentially introduce legislation or get the debate going ourselves as opposed to waiting for a Government Bill or for the Department. That might be worth considering. Again, I suggest that a Commencement matter be submitted to begin with to see if we can get a response from the Minister as to what his plans might be to address what appears to be quite old legislation in an area which has advanced quite a good deal since 1985 with respect to the types of technology is now used in dental care.