Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business today is Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. No. 1 is a motion which was referred to the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food for consideration and it has completed its discussions. These regulations concern a reduction in the disease levies applied to milk deliveries for processing and cattle slaughtered or exported to facilitate the eradication of TB and brucellosis in cattle. The rates have been reviewed in light of the improving disease situation and, as a consequence, a reduction in the cost of the scheme. This item is to be taken without debate; No. 2, Health Bill 2004 — Report and Final Stages, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business and to conclude not later than 1 p.m.; No. 3, motion for earlier signature of the Health Bill 2004, if passed by this House, to be taken immediately without debate on the conclusion of No. 2; No. 4, Social Welfare Bill 2004 — Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 2 p.m. and to conclude at 4.30 p.m.; No. 5, motion for earlier signature of the Social Welfare Bill 2004, if passed by this House, to be taken immediately without debate on the conclusion of No. 4; and No. 6, Appropriation Bill 2004 — all Stages, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. and to conclude not later than 4.45 p.m. I will explain the procedure for the latter item as it may seem alarming to Members. The Bill is only being presented and the debate on all Stages will take place when we return. This has happened previously in this House on several occasions.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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On next Tuesday?

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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The Leader to continue without interruption.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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I am talking about today's business. No. 7 is a motion for earlier signature of the Appropriation Bill 2004, if passed by this House, to be taken immediately without debate on the conclusion of No. 6. There will be a sos from1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

With the Cathaoirleach's permission, may I read the message on a card from Frank Lane to the Seanad? It reads:

Dear Mary,

Many thanks for all the kind words spoken about me in the Chamber. Please thank all the Senators and staff for me. I have been given a copy of the tape. It was an honour and a privilege to have worked in the Houses of the Oireachtas for so long. I loved every moment of it. Best wishes to you all and a happy Christmas.

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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"We want the elderly to be able to live out their retirement in dignity and security without having to worry about the State confiscating their savings." Those words were spoken by the Tánaiste, Deputy Harney, in 1996. She was in Opposition then but now she is Tánaiste.

I want to refer to the health charges and the €2,000 refund to be made to patients. I am appalled that the entire amount charged is not being refunded. We would be appalled in this House if this was a question of the banking institutions and the recent controversies concerning excessive charges applied to customers.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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That is a matter for tomorrow's business.

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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It may well be so.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator will have an opportunity tomorrow to air his concerns about this matter.

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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We would be adamant that such money should be appropriately refunded. In this context, the people concerned are entitled to a full refund.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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That is a subject for tomorrow's business at which time the Senator will have an opportunity to make that case.

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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We had a debate in this House on Aer Lingus some time ago. During that debate we were promised that a decision would be made prior to Christmas when the sub-committee had concluded its deliberations and made a decision on the future of the company. We now understand this decision has been deferred, possibly to the end of the January. If procrastination means anything, what is happening is certainly not good for Aer Lingus. The Minister has a most responsible position. I am sure the type of publicity surrounding this issue is not helpful to him in making decisions. I welcome the Taoiseach's decision at long last to ask a senior retired public servant to investigate this issue, in respect of which information is being drip-fed on an ongoing basis. That is damaging to politics.

I ask Members to contrast this situation with that in the UK reported in this morning's newspapers where a Cabinet Minister has resigned because he fast-tracked a visa application for a nanny. I want Members to contrast that situation with what is emerging here, given that the proposed €2,000 refund is equivalent to three days pay for a private adviser.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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That is a matter for tomorrow's debate.

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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We want ethics in this debate.

Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
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That claim is way off the mark.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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I cannot allow that. It is for tomorrow's debate.

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach has decided to bring this issue to finality.

Joe O'Toole (Independent)
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I draw the attention of the House to a recently published report on the treatment of immigrant workers, in particular immigrant domestic workers. If it portrays the image of post-Celtic tiger Ireland, it is an image which reflects badly on all of us because it would mean we have produced a greedy society and that vulnerable foreign workers with poor English are being exploited and bonded in terms of labour to unscrupulous employers who treat them badly. A significant debate must take place on this issue.

Most other forms of work involve agreements between organisations such as IBEC and ICTU, management, unions, workers, Government and otherwise, in regard to the nature of the job, and general definitions are agreed on what would be normal working hours, etc. We have never had such agreements for domestic work because work practice was decided within the household and arrangements were in place that suited many people in many different ways. However, we cannot allow a situation to continue in which, to our shame, workers are being made to work slave hours in a manner which reflects badly on all. It is not a criticism of any individual but of all that we have allowed this situation to evolve, and it is not a trade union matter any more than it is a community matter. We should discuss the issue and I ask that the Minister of State responsible for labour matters, Deputy Killeen, be invited to debate it next month or on Tuesday next, if the House sits.

In an age of political correctness, matters often go over the top. I have stated many times in the House in debating matters such as ethics, standards and similar issues that we must be careful not to run with every media demand for more demanding standards for politicians. Part of the nature of our job as public representatives is to make representations. Perhaps I am in a minority of one, but I think it appalling that the former British Home Secretary, Mr. David Blunkett, found it necessary to retire because he made representations and fast-tracked a matter. I hope we would never allow a situation develop in Ireland where we would become so politically correct that such a minor involvement in a successful representation becomes a cause for somebody to resign.

Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)
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We are a long way from that.

Joe O'Toole (Independent)
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We must be careful when passing legislation which makes increased demands on public representatives because it could become ridiculous.

Brendan Ryan (Labour)
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While Senator O'Toole has a point, a fundamental of effective democracy is that people take responsibility for what is done in their names. The former British Home Secretary, Mr. Blunkett, stated: "[Any] perception of this application being speeded up requires me to take responsibility." Whether that responsibility should have extended to resignation is a separate issue.

While I do not wish to raise tomorrow's business but the manner of Government, an important memo in the Department of Health and Children apparently never got as far as the then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin. He was responsible for a failure to manage the Department so that important issues came to the attention of the person responsible. This is a failure of management for which the person in charge of the Department was responsible. While the outcome is perhaps a separate issue, if one does not run a Department so that important matters which have significant implications are drawn to one's immediate attention, it is because one is incompetent or one has a policy of avoiding being told so one can avoid responsibility. Neither approach is a way to run a Department. I contrast the sensitivity and acceptance of responsibility of David Blunkett with the determination of various people to pretend they have no responsibility for the situation in our nursing homes. Who is responsible-——

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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Nursing homes are a matter for tomorrow's debate.

Brendan Ryan (Labour)
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I am not speaking on the issue but on the way the Government does business, which is by postponing and avoiding responsibility. That is not the way to run Government.

The European Union will today decide — I gather the decision will be positive — whether to open negotiations with Turkey to join the EU. It is an extremely significant day. One of the ideas that has always floated is that the Seanad ought to be the House where European issues are debated. If negotiations with Turkey are to open, it would be useful for the House to have a sensible, intelligent debate on the issue in the new year. It is a major new step for the EU, and one of which I am in favour, provided I am satisfied Turkey is a modern, liberal democracy, operating to the same standard of human rights as other member states. I have no interest in the religious persuasion of the EU member states. However, this move has serious implications. In the spirit of having the Seanad as the House in which European affairs are debated, I ask that we debate this matter in the new year.

John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)
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Picking up on the last point made by Senator Ryan, it would be useful if the House were to debate the issue of opening negotiations between the EU and Turkey. Yesterday the Joint Committee on European Affairs adopted a report which recommended that the negotiations would open and the decision on this is being made by the EU on 17 December.

Senators McDowell and Ormonde and I recently visited Turkey to consider matters there. We were all very impressed by what we saw and the advances being made at official level to bring the law in Turkey into line with European norms and to improve human rights. We all agree there is a long way to go and that negotiations will be long and difficult. However, it is appropriate that the Joint Committee on European Affairs found that negotiations should begin and its report might form the basis of a debate in the House in the new year, which I recommend to the Leader.

I agree with Senator O'Toole's remarks in regard to the report on the treatment of migrant workers which was presented to the Joint Committee on European Affairs yesterday. The case studies in the report make very depressing reading. It is like returning to rural Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s when some workers were almost in bondage. Some of the workers who came to Ireland more recently paid significant sums to come. When they arrived, they thought they would get reasonable wages but were deducted for everything and asked to be involved in practices in which they never expected to be involved. It is a matter that needs to be discussed. Allied to that, we should debate an issue which has arisen on several occasions, that of whether work permits should be held by the employer or the employee. Perhaps we could deal with this after the Christmas break.

Joe O'Toole (Independent)
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I support that.

John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)
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Finally, it is spurious to make a comparison between the money owed by banks and subvention to nursing homes. However, as you stated, a Chathaoirligh, that matter will be discussed in more detail when the Bill comes before us.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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This morning we received a report from the commission on electronic voting. As I understand it, the commission restated its criticism of the system and is unable to recommend its usage because of ongoing concerns with its reliability and trustworthiness, and due to the need for the people to have confidence in the system. Will the Leader arrange for an early debate in the House and will she make a statement on the matter? Perhaps it could be taken next Tuesday, although I have no doubt the Leader will comment on the remaining sitting days in her response.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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Will the Leader in the new year arrange for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come to the House to debate the question of missing persons? From 1977 to 2004 over 50 Irish people went missing and have not been traced. The members of the Garda Síochána have been very active and are doing a tremendous job in tracing missing persons. However, many are feared dead and their graves have not been traced. At this time of year, a debate might jog memories for many who know the missing people. We know the names such as Philip Cairns, Mary Boyle, Rory Aherne and Annie McCarrick.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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I do not think the Senator should mention the names. He should just refer to missing persons.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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Such a debate in the new year would provide an opportunity of highlighting those families who have been affected by the disappearance of over 50 people. Many of them were murdered and their graves have not been traced. At this time of year it is hard on the families involved. There are people out there who know what happened. They should come forward and co-operate with the Garda Síochána to bring those responsible to justice as quickly as possible.

David Norris (Independent)
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I support my colleagues who raised the issue of migrant workers. It is a matter I have raised previously on the Order of Business. During the debate on the Immigration and Naturalisation Bill, I brought the question of work permits to the attention of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. As a result of the fact that work permits are in the possession of employers, they are frequently withheld and employees are told the permits may be cancelled. It is a form of blackmail and the working conditions of migrant workers are close to slavery.

I heard a woman on the radio this morning who had to sleep on a mattress in a passageway. She worked 12 hours a day looking after children and fulfilling domestic tasks, before being taken out to do contract cleaning to earn money for her employers. It is an appalling situation. The work permit issue should be examined.

I am also seeking a debate in the new year on the issue of licensing laws and practice. I got into trouble for saying this before but I have to say that in the area in which I live it is a serious matter. Yet again in today's newspapers there is a report of a licence being granted over the objections of local people and the Garda Síochána. It may be that it was mandatory to grant the licence but I do not know.

In the past, such licences have been granted over the objections of the Garda Síochána, local authorities and local residents. The reports are horrifying. They refer to elderly stall-holders being attacked and abused. When stall-holders arrive in the morning they find excrement and urine under their stalls. This is dangerous and unhealthy. Why should people have to put up with it? The whole of Parnell Street is littered with off-licences.

I ask the Leader to request the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make inquiries about five people known as the "Miami Five". I have always deprecated the use of geographical locations and numerals to suggest that people are innocent but this is what these people have been called. They are detectives and, as such, agents of the Cuban state, who have acted in light of the fact that Cuba has been subjected to severe bombing attacks by people from Florida, with American assistance. One of the people involved in the orchestration of these operations, a man named Orlando Bosch, admitted to being implicated in the bombing of an aeroplane in which 72 civilians were killed. He was pardoned by the former US President, George Bush senior.

Finding this offensive, the Cuban Government sent people to locate information in Miami about possible further bombing attacks on the scale of Omagh. The information was then passed to the American authorities who did nothing about the people who were planning the bombing, but arrested the detectives who have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The case is ongoing. I ask the Leader to request the Minister for Foreign Affairs to examine the possibility of sending observers to this case. It is time the world knew about the kind of double standards America has with regard to terrorism. This was a case of a state protecting itself against terrorism.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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I think the Senator has made his case adequately.

David Norris (Independent)
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Those people have been jailed for protecting their own civilian population.

Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise with the Leader the story in today's newspapers concerning the report by the Environmental Protection Agency about harmful elements, including e.coli, in many local authority water supplies. The EPA has stated that up to 50,000 households could be affected. The newspapers state that many local authorities are turning a blind eye to this water pollution.

We have had a number of radio and television programmes on the situation concerning the many Irish emigrants in Great Britain. RTE's "Prime Time" did a special report on the matter recently. We have been informed today that €7 million is being allocated next year to Irish emigrant welfare groups in Britain. I welcome that development which represents a 60% increase on the funding provided hitherto. I hope the money will be put to good use.

Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)
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I endorse what Senator Kitt said concerning the EPA report on the quality of our drinking water. It is particularly noticeable that the worst problems are in the BMW region, including counties Sligo, Cavan, Leitrim and Mayo. That clearly indicates that the infrastructural funding that was promised for the west to upgrade group and public water schemes has failed to materialise. I ask the Leader to request the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to attend the House for a debate on the drinking water problem. Some 60% of local authorities have failed to monitor their water plants. It is an alarming figure. The discharge of aluminium nitrates and e.coli into the drinking water supply is causing serious health problems. If one Department is causing difficulties for another, it is time for us to take immediate action. I am calling for the Minister to attend the House at the first opportunity to explain why the BMW region is not getting its fair share of funding to upgrade water supply facilities.

Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)
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I pay tribute to the emergency services, including mountain rescue teams and lifeboats, which operate mostly on a voluntary basis. They work at some considerable risk to their own safety, often endangering their own lives in order to rescue people in difficulty.

I would welcome a debate on Turkish accession to the European Union. I find it hard to understand that in the vigorously secular French Republic, prominent politicians — although, to be fair, not the President — are against Turkey becoming an EU member state on the grounds that it does not share our Christian values. It is even more incomprehensible and appalling that the German Christian Democrat Party has declared its total opposition to Turkish accession. One would think that, with all the work Turkish guest workers have done in building up the country over the past 50 years, Germany, above all states, would be more sympathetically disposed to Turkish EU membership.

Our own system of managing immigrant labour from outside the EU does not do us much credit. We need to debate the matter. We should refine the system so that we do not have a form of indenture or quasi-slavery.

Mary Henry (Independent)
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I support Senator Kitt and Senator Ulick Burke in asking for an early debate on the EPA report on water supplies. Every year the public supplies come out very well, yet, despite a large amount of money being spent on private supplies, 25% of them are still contaminated by human faeces, which is disgusting. We should add to that debate the influence of the non-enforcement of regulations governing the cleaning of septic tanks in some areas. An additional factor is the influence of the increased building of one-off houses, all of which have septic tanks, despite the fact that engineers state that the soil in certain areas is unsuitable for such tanks.

Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Leader to arrange a debate in the new year on education. I compliment the Minister for Education and Science on her new initiative under which she is providing funding for all schools to invest in CD players. Music, and culture generally, are important to the education system.

Many Departments have lo-call numbers whereby people outside the Pale can phone up for the same rate as a local call. The Department of Education and Science is the only one that does not have a lo-call number. When I contacted the Department of Defence, it did not even know it had a lo-call number. As a matter of priority, all Departments should be made aware that people living outside Dublin would appreciate being able to phone them without having to pay national call rates.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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The date for the changeover to metric speed limit signs is 20 January and this will cause much confusion.

John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)
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Where was the Senator when the Road Traffic Bill was discussed?

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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Much work has gone into this and many agencies have worked together on it. On non-national roads the speed limit will be decreased by 10 km/h.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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The time to raise that was when the House debated the Road Traffic Bill. We cannot waste time going back over that issue.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I want to ask the Minister to be lenient——

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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That should have been dealt with when the Road Traffic Bill was discussed here.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I accept that.

Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)
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There have been many requests to the Leader for debates in the new year, so we will be very busy. I wish to ask the Leader for a debate on waste management and particularly litter control, the problems that occur when people dispose of refuse in good faith to unregistered collectors and dumping on roadsides. There is a recent and more worrying trend of dumping illegally on both sides of the Border by what were understood to be registered collectors of refuse.

I also support the comments of Senators Henry, Ulick Burke and Kitt on drinking water quality. Substantial funding has been made available by the Government to improve water quality but local authorities have failed to spend it. A message must go out to local authorities that when money is made available they should spend it and spend it well.

Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)
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Will the Leader of the House arrange for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come to this House in the new year to discuss the very important issue of press freedom? He has on a number of occasions, including in this House, given his views on the press, but there is a very important and current issue of freedom of the press and sources, on which I do not intend to comment, that raises major issues for us as Members of the Oireachtas but also in particular for the media as it operates in Ireland. It would, therefore, be useful for us to hear from the Minister.

The same Minister has spoken regarding proposals to introduce a green card system for skilled workers. My concern, shared by Members of the House, is that there would be no protection for unskilled workers in that context in light of reports of how foreign domestic workers are treated here. I ask the Leader of the House, therefore, to ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come to the House in the new year, whenever he is available, to speak on that issue.

Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)
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By 2036 we will have more than 1 million people over the age of 65. Given the Government's incompetence lately, it is vital to have a debate early in the new year to discuss policies for caring for the elderly and predicting in advance the impending difficulties that will arise from having such a huge ageing population.

The Government's recent behaviour would not inspire confidence. Until yesterday it was going to force people who were wrongly charged to apply in writing for money which was theirs in the first place. It has seen sense and rowed back on that ridiculous idea. However, we are still very uncertain as to what exactly it is doing——

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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That is not appropriate now, as the Senator is well aware.

Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)
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The Leader might indicate when it is planned to take the Bill to correct that mistake by the Government and what steps will be taken over a period of time.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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I do not know what the Senator is talking about, but I believe a Bill is being introduced here tomorrow.

Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)
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I would be willing to sit next week because I would not trust the Government at this stage, and the more time we have the better.

Feargal Quinn (Independent)
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I do not want to be accused of scaremongering. However, two reports were issued recently, one from the World Health Organisation and the other from the Harvard School of Public Health. While quite frightening, they are also a reminder that we can do something about the issues outlined. One relates to the danger of an outbreak of H5N1 avian flu and the possibility of a pandemic. The Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organisation suggest that such a pandemic could cause 7 million deaths, but we can do something about it. Yesterday the Harvard School of Public Health issued a report that it had done an investigation and discovered that very few countries had stockpiled the anti-viral drugs that are necessary. Japan and Australia do not have sufficient drugs. The dangers of this disease have not been publicised. We are not aware of the huge dangers of a pandemic such as that which occurred in 1918 when between 20 and 50 million people died as a result of flu. I would like the matter to be drawn to the attention of the Minister for Health and Children.

Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)
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I wish to be associated with the remarks of Senator Mansergh regarding voluntarism in the context of the coast and cliff rescue and emergency services. As an island nation we rely heavily on voluntarism.

Senator Lydon and I raised the issue of roaming charges last week. I am delighted that after our strong representations O2 has decided to refund roaming fees charged over the past six months. Perhaps this will be the start of a more competitive operation between Vodafone and O2.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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What is the Senator seeking?

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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A refund.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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The matter should be appropriate to the Order of Business.

Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)
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I congratulate Senator Lydon and, without being too smug, I congratulate myself as well.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Chair will agree that everybody is in great form today. I cannot understand it, given some of those who found their voices this morning. I am talking about the Government side, not the Opposition Members, lest they throw a hissy fit.

Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)
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We might yet.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Finucane, the Acting Leader of the Opposition, spoke on care for the elderly and drew some comparisons. He also raised the issue of Aer Lingus and suggested there should be a decision before Christmas. He welcomed the appointment of a person, not from this House, to carry out public scrutiny of a particular matter.

Senator O'Toole asked for a debate on the recently published report on the treatment of immigrant workers, particularly those in domestic employment. I agree with the Senator. I launched that report yesterday evening at 6.30 p.m. at SIPTU headquarters. I received a copy of the report two days ago and have not been so angry for a long time. Its contents reveal wicked practices. Bonded labour is a mild term for what is happening. People pay €1,000 to a recruitment agency to come into domestic employment. There is nothing wrong with domestic employment. We all do it. We clean floors in kitchens, wipe babies' bottoms, wash curtains and everything else all the time. However, these women are brought in with no firm areas of employment, hours or wages laid down. Some of them were there yesterday. I commend the marvellous work the migrant centres are doing. They in turn commended the debate in this House on the amendment to the equality Act this year. For the first time, migrant workers in domestic employment have the right to go to the Equality Authority to have a claim investigated. I agree with Senator O'Toole that it would be a good idea for a joint committee to investigate what could be done. We talk about what happened in Boston, New York and Chicago in the 1890s and 1900s where the women of Ireland went and became nannies and nursemaids. While the men dug railways, roads, viaducts and drains, the women reared the citizens of the United States, and we complain that they were not paid proper wages. The same is happening in our midst. There is no point in people claiming that, because they do not employ such people, the issue is not their concern. It is society's business.

David Norris (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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I urge all Members to read this report. It is scarifying and awful that women and men with whom we are acquainted are employing people in that awful way. As a result of what such employers would discern as their employees' lower status, the latter are treated inhumanely. I heard recently of a woman who arrived at 10.30 p.m. on her first night in a job and was presented with a list of 27 items that her employer required to be completed by the following midday. The first item was an instruction to clean the dog, after which the employee was to mow the neighbour's lawn.

I cannot believe this type of situation is happening. We hear people blithely talking about their Filipino au pairs and one wonders if they are involved in this type of behaviour. The report is obligatory reading and we should have a debate on this issue in the House.

Brendan Ryan (Labour)
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Hear, hear.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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As has been suggested, it would be a good idea to ask the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, to come to the House for the debate.

Senator Ryan spoke about an important memo that never came to the attention of the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin. Senator Ryan suggested that the Minister should run the Department so that those items do come to his or her attention. He also asked for a debate in the new year on the question of Turkey's accession to the EU. Such a debate would be appropriate. I see Senator McCarthy is laughing and thinking that the turkey will be finished by that time. I immediately knew what he was thinking. Does he remember former Deputy Alice Glenn?

Senator Dardis pointed out that the Joint Committee on European Affairs has voted to approve Turkish accession to the EU. He also spoke about the report on migrant labour and work permits. There is a good article on this issue in one of today's newspapers.

Senator Coghlan asked for a debate on the report by the Commission on Electronic Voting. The Clerk of the Seanad is a member of the commission and we have received the report. Senator Coghlan also asked about the arrangements for the debate on the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2004. I will speak about that later.

Senator Leyden asked for a debate on missing persons and has kindly supplied me with material on this issue. Such a debate would be useful. It must be a very emotive issue for the families affected, particularly coming up to Christmas when the unoccupied chair is especially noticeable.

Senator Norris asked for a debate on the issue of work permits. He also raised the issue of arrangements for off-licences and the fact that so many such licences are now available. He also spoke about the campaign to free the so-called "Miami Five" and said that the House should ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to send somebody to scrutinise the situation.

I admire Senator Kitt's stamina. He was in great form last night.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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That observation is not relevant the Order of Business.

John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)
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What goes on tour should stay on tour.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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There is no harm in putting it on the record.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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He is a great musician.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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We do not play music in the Seanad.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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I take that back. Senator Kitt is always in good form.

He raised the issue of water supplies and the report of the EPA in this regard. He also spoke about Irish emigrants in the UK. There was a good article in The Irish Times recently by Ms Róisín Ingle which was heart-wrenching to read. She wrote about elderly Irish people who have been in the UK for decades and for whom a return to Ireland remains an impossible dream. Their perception is that people in this country no longer understand them.

Senator Ulick Burke spoke on the water supply issue and observed that the greatest problems in this regard exist in the BMW region. He asked that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government come to the House to address this issue.

Senator Mansergh spoke about the emergency rescue services. All Members will join in his sentiments. We only think about such services when they provide vital assistance in an emergency rescue situation. In regard to the question of Turkey's accession to the EU, Senator Mansergh wonders about the attitude of France and Germany. He also spoke about our system of semi-slavery or bonded labour.

Senator Henry spoke about the water supply and the condition of septic tanks. She observed that the incidence of one-off housing has given rise to problems in this area. Septic tanks have been installed for such housing in cases where soil analysis has indicated that the soil is unsuitable. New methods of percolation are available, however, such as that involving the installation of a raft.

Senator Cox raised the issue that there is no lo-call telephone number in the Department of Education and Science. Senator Feighan spoke about metrication. The debate on this issue took place in the House during our consideration of the Road Traffic Bill 2004, as the Cathaoirleach observed. Senator Moylan asked for a debate on waste management and illegal dumping and also commented on the problems with the supply of drinking water.

Senator O'Meara asked that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform come to the House for a debate about press freedom. She also asked about the fate of unskilled workers in the context of the Minister's proposal for a green card system for skilled workers. This matter is worthy of a debate in this House, to include a consideration of all the attendant issues.

Mary White (Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Browne asked when the legislation relating to the case of elderly patients who were charged for long-stay residential care will come before the House. Senator Browne observed that the number affected, at 2,026, is significant. I suggest that leaders of the other parties meet me immediately after the Order of Business to decide what time is needed for discussion of the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2004. We need to move away from shadow-boxing and ascertain the plan for tomorrow and possibly next week.

Senator Quinn spoke about the two recent health reports and observed that few countries have stocks of the anti-viral drugs necessary in the case of an epidemic. The Senator is correct and it is an important issue. Senator McHugh spoke about volunteerism and administered a small pat to his own back.