Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the report of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management, to be taken without debate at the conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, statements on Ireland's policy for international development, to be taken at 12.15 p.m. and to conclude not later than 1.45 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister of State to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 1.40 p.m.; and No. 3, statements on the fodder shortage, to be taken at 1.45 p.m. and to conclude not later than 3 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 2.55 p.m.

Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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It is proposed that on Sunday, cuts will be applied to the pay and conditions of staff in Bus Éireann. As the Leader is aware, SIPTU has already balloted 900 members for industrial action in this regard and it now seems quite likely this will proceed. This side of the House accepts savings need to be made, and this is a culmination of 11 long months of deliberations between all of the parties, which involved the Labour Relations Commission.

It seems that with the approval of the Minister, the company will proceed from 12 May with cuts of €9 million to pay and conditions for people in Bus Éireann whose salaries are merely €33,000 per year. As I am sure the Leader will appreciate, the proposed strike action would occur at a critical time for the students and pupils who are approaching an examination period. Some of them will have spent many years preparing for their examinations and most will have done so over the past year. Industrial action will cause them an unacceptable level of disruption. I will not table an amendment to the Order of Business on particular issue. Instead, I ask the Leader to raise the matter today with the Minister and to ask him to get directly involved in negotiations over the weekend in order to secure a solution that will avert industrial action. The action would affect approximately 114,000 students over the coming weeks.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business and invite the Minister for Education and Skills to the House to outline his intended cuts to child benefit following an earlier cut to the payment dressed up as an additional preschool year for families. Yesterday, I listened to a media report in which he stated that he wished to open the debate on the matter. From the reaction to his announcement and if he gives it more thought, then I am sure he will conclude today that the debate should be firmly closed. The modest amounts of money paid to families has been used to clothe and feed children and provide school books and very important necessities. The payment is not a luxury and is not used for other reasons. To divert the vital resource to other areas would be short sighted. No-one is better placed than the mothers of Ireland to determine where to spend money that is necessary for them. If it were available for additional preschool then I am sure that they would do it. Perhaps if this was 2005, 2006 or 2007 and we were not in a recession then implementing such an initiative would be possible. I would like the Minister to come to the House to hear a debate and listen to the Members of the House who have been in contact with a number of mothers over the past 24 hours and listened to their concerns about the proposed cut that would be unjust and unfounded.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I ask the Senator to clarify the wording of his amendment.

Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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I ask that the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, come to the House to outline his plans regarding an intended cut in child benefit.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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I thank all of the Members who contributed to the Labour Party's Private Members' business last night, the motion on domestic violence. I commend Senators Moloney and O'Keeffe for proposing and seconding the motion. The debate was comprehensive and the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, responded very well and gave a clear overview of the Government's policy on dealing with domestic violence. I hope that we can have more debates in the future.

I call for a debate, although not today, on the provision of child care. The suggested second year of a free preschool place is a positive one and would be universally welcomed. To be fair, the last government introduced the universal free one year child care initiative, albeit on a part-time basis. A remarkable 95% of parents availed of the scheme. As a parent of young children I know how attractive the new proposal is. It is attractive not only for parents who work outside of the home but also for those who work in the home because it provides a child with a year's free preschool. Early preschool education is very important for a child's development and Minister Quinn stated the same yesterday. I expect that Senators on both sides of the House will support the idea of rolling out a second year of a free school year place. It would greatly benefit children. The one year scheme has already proved popular and people have asked why not have more of the same. We need to cost and provide for the initiative. The proposal is also part of the Government's commitment to child care. It would be good to have an overall debate on the matter.

Last month, the Ministers, Deputies Burton and Fitzgerald, launched the after-school child care scheme. Child care provision after school is a real gap for many parents. The children are no longer in a preschool and will have commenced primary school. Parents wonder how they will provide after school care which is lacking around the country. The after school scheme is an important initiative that was launched by the Government. We need a proper debate on child care but it should not be conducted in an adversarial manner. Instead, we should acknowledge that previous governments have introduced initiatives that are worth supporting and extending. That was the direction that Minister Quinn's comments took yesterday which were also supported by Ministers Fitzgerald and Burton.

I again call for a debate on prison and penal reform. As the House will know, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence published a report on penal reform on 29 March. It would be timely to debate it in the coming weeks given that the Minister for Justice and Equality has published reports on prison conditions and the Joint Irish Prison Service and Probation Service Strategic Plan 2013-2015, which is a service delivery plan. It is very important to see the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service combining to provide a joint plan. It shows the way forward for the system of criminal and penal justice. It is great to see both organisations working together and providing joined-up thinking in how communities and victims are protected but also how offenders are rehabilitated in the system. I ask the Leader for a debate on same.

Sean Barrett (Independent)
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Both Senators MacSharry and Bacik have raised important points on the early child care issue and how to finance that important stage in the development of a family.

The Mangan report supported universalism even when there was a case of somebody earning €250,000 per year cited as one of the examples. It did not recommend taxing the payment either. It stated that the two-tier system would impact heavily on family income supplement recipients who are low income workers. The statement yesterday by the Minister, Deputy Quinn, has been criticised by Mr. Fergus Finlay of Barnardos and Orla O'Connor of the National Women's Council. Today there is a debate taking place in the UK on whether its high cost of child care is due to the low ratio of children to providers when compared with mainland Europe. The ratio makes a difference to cost. Does it make a difference to outcomes? We need to discuss such child care issues. I support Senator MacSharry's call for the Minister to attend because the Mangan report has been left in abeyance without decisions being made. Its publication was also delayed. We need to discuss the wider issues.

Turning to an entirely different matter, to date, farmers in the Kerry Group have received €270 million for their shares which brings the sum to a total of €2.9 billion since 1993. Since 2011 the share price has risen from €28 to €45 while the rest of the economy has been in a deep recession. The remarkable aspect of the success of Denis Brosnan and his team is the role played by the then Minister for Agriculture, the late Mark Clinton, in converting a dairy disposal company to a private one. He persuaded farmers of the business potential of the Kerry Group. Sometimes the privatisation debate only goes in one direction. The privatisation of the Kerry Group has been a great success for all those involved. Originally it was an idea by Mr. Clinton long before the word "privatisation" was invented by Mrs. Margaret Thatcher ten years later. Its success is well worth noting in Irish agriculture and it is a beacon for us when the rest of the economy may not be doing so well overall.

Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)
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I ask the Leader to facilitate, over the next number of weeks, a general discussion on the current economic situation with either the Minister for Finance or the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Such a debate would cause us to reflect on economic reality. The Government came to power two years ago and held a subsequent Seanad election. In the early days and weeks that followed the establishment of a new Seanad it was admitted and conceded by everybody that there was a grave economic crisis in the country. There was also a willingness and an admission by the main Opposition party, in particular, that it needed to be constructive and recognise the responsibility that it shared in bringing the country to its economic plight while acknowledging that it could only be addressed by everybody working together.

Having listened to Senator MacSharry and some of his colleagues discussing matters such as Bus Éireann and possible changes in the way child care payments are spent, I think a degree of economic amnesia is now setting in. We need to recognise that while progress has been made in turning the economy around, we still live in a very difficult place. We are trying to renegotiate the Croke Park measure to bring about savings of €300 million, so we should not delude ourselves that the Government has wide options or any spare resources. We need to have a substantial debate on the economy in order that we can move away from soundbites and cheap political sloganeering, and reflect on the fact that we are still borrowing hundreds of millions of euro every week to keep our economy ticking over. We have to make the necessary savings and must also carry out the reform measures to which we were all committed two years ago. We need to get back to reality because I feel that, particularly on the Fianna Fáil side of the House, economic amnesia is setting in. Fianna Fáil is trying to pretend that we are back in the boom times when we have a long way to go.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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If Senator Bradford expects this side of the House to remain mute on economic issues, he is in for a surprise.

I would like to mention two issues briefly. First, No. 1, the motion on maritime spatial planning, is worthy of debate. Our fishing quota is about 4% of the EU's total, while we have 22% or 23% of the EU's fisheries area. The coastal area within our jurisdiction is many times the size of the country. The issue is worthy of debate whether it concerns fisheries, gas and oil exploration, or wave energy. While I know it has been agreed to take the motion, we should have a general debate on our coastal spatial strategy.

Second, I am calling for the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, to attend the House for a discussion on gangland killings which are spiralling out of control. Such killings are happening nearly every week in Dublin. The Minister has become somewhat immune to what is happening. Some of these gangs are operating with impunity and have no regard for law and order. Some years ago, in Limerick city, a strategy was successfully introduced to target the problem. It was operated by the Garda Commissioner as well as involving political channels, and it brought about a severe crackdown in Limerick. It was successful in that regard, but something similar is now needed for Dublin. We have seen tit-for-tat gangland killings in the capital, which are like the days of Al Capone in 1930s Chicago. The Minister should take control of this situation because it is serious. As my party's spokesperson on justice, I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister, Deputy Shatter, should attend the House as a matter of urgency to discuss the ongoing difficulties with gangland crime, especially the gangland murders that are happening almost daily.

Aideen Hayden (Labour)
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The Central Bank has revealed that €400 million of household debt was written down in the fourth quarter of 2012 by banks, credit unions and other lenders. We do not know the breakdown of that amount, so we have no idea how much mortgage debt was written off. It is a case of smoke and mirrors with no transparency or detail.

It was also announced that a deal has been arrived at between a number of banks and other lenders, particularly those dealing with credit card debt, that will allow people to consolidate and write down debt that involves both household or mortgage debt and credit card or other forms of debt. This is to be welcomed because, up to now, there has been competition among lenders over who will get paid. Mortgage lenders are telling borrowers not to bother with credit cards, while credit card companies are seeking payment. If the new deal is successful, it will be a way for people to avoid having to go through the insolvency process.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Finance to attend the House for a debate on the mortgage crisis and, in particular, how banks are dealing with it. The Central Bank has announced that it wants to see 750 cases resolved in the three months from June. My criticism of all this concerns the lack of transparency and the fact that borrowers have no idea what is on offer from which bank, for whom and in what circumstances. That lack of transparency is unacceptable. I reiterate my call for the Minister for Finance to attend this House to discuss the banking situation and, in particular, mortgage arrears.

John Crown (Independent)
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I have an unusual request for the Leader. I would like him to ask the Taoiseach if the Government would consider the wisdom of introducing an oath of allegiance to the Constitution for all Members of the Oireachtas. We must be one of the few parliaments in the world that does not have such an oath. We have a tradition of having large numbers of people in this country who did not respect the Constitution or recognise the Republic. It still pains me to hear people referring to the State as the Twenty-six Counties or the Free State and, though not being elected to the House, saying they are elected representatives of a real republic and not some imaginary republic.

I would have let this matter lie because I understand there are various historical sensitivities associated with the issue. More recently, however, it has come to light that there are Members of both Houses who advocate overthrowing our Constitution. There are people who suggest that we should ignore the wishes of the people in solemn constitutional referenda, two of which have given a particular verdict on a particular issue of public policy which will come before us in the near future.

It is one thing for alleged legal and constitutional experts to sit at public hearings here and basically tell parliamentarians to ignore the Supreme Court and referenda and answer instead to a higher authority. In their personal lives, people may believe that they do answer to higher authorities, but when Members attend the Dáil or Seanad to represent those who elected them, there is no higher authority. The highest authority we should recognise is our Constitution.

I believe that over the next couple of months, some people will be advocating a gentle little Irish-style coup. There will not be tanks on Leinster Lawn, but they are people who are basically thumbing their noses at Bunreacht na hÉireann and saying we should ignore it. Therefore, the Leader should ask the Taoiseach and his Cabinet colleagues to consider if it might be wise at some stage to bring ourselves into line with other mature democracies and have a basic oath of loyalty to Bunreacht na hÉireann by those who are elected in accordance with that Constitution to serve and represent the people.

John Kelly (Labour)
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I want to raise again an issue that I referred to in the House a number of months ago. According to today's newspaper reports, 8,300 people were sent to jail for non-payment of fines last year, which is a 10% increase on 2011. The average weekly cost of keeping somebody in jail is €1,260 which is €65,500 per annum. If the average fine was €500 and we are not collecting it, then that sum is lost to the economy. To compound the issue, however, we are sending people to jail at a cost to the taxpayer of €1,260 because we did not collect the €500 fine.

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, is blaming the Judiciary for sending people to jail for non-payment of fines, instead of making them do community service. However, we are sitting on legislation to amend the Fines Act so that we would have the power to deduct any fines directly from somebody's wages or social welfare payments.

There have been several cases of repeat offenders who have no intention of paying their car insurance, car tax or television licence fees. They are simply going to jail at a cost to the taxpayer and the money is not being collected. Instead of talking about cutting the pay of employees in the Department of Justice and Equality, why are Members allowing this waste of money to happen? I call on the Leader to urge the Minister for Justice and Equality to speed up the introduction of this legislation in order that the State can begin to collect money that is there to be collected, rather than spending money by sending people to jail.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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A Government Member, who I will not name as he has left the Chamber, spoke of amnesia, soundbites and slogans. He best summed up where the Government is at itself on a range of issues at present, given the litany of broken promises on child benefit, college fees, the creation of thousands of jobs each month and recently on health issues and the extension of free general practitioner, GP, care to people participating in the long-term illness scheme. It is time for Members to have that debate on the health services for which I have called many times. The Government promised to bring in universal health insurance but, instead, we will get a private health insurance model based on the Dutch model, which I believe will deepen inequalities in the health services. While the Government has promised a lot, people are getting the same widespread health inequalities and the same excessive GP fees for those who cannot afford to get private health insurance and who cannot get medical cards. People experience the same lengthy health waiting lists across hospitals in this State, and I can provide examples from where I live in Waterford, where outpatient waiting lists are very long and people wait three years before seeing a consultant. While people can be treated very well and promptly on entering the system, the problem pertains to waiting to see a consultant and getting into the system. In addition, the Government has effected widespread cuts in hospitals across the State. While the Government has promised a great deal and while its constituent parties engaged in soundbites and slogans before the last general election, it now suffers from the same amnesia of which one of its representatives has accused the Opposition. Consequently, it is important to have that debate on health care and I ask the Leader to ensure it is held in the coming weeks.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I wholeheartedly endorse everything said this morning by Members' learned colleague on the benches opposite, Sean Barrett, regarding the Kerry Group. I recall some of the story told about the then Minister for Agriculture, the late Mark Clinton, and his persuasive powers with the fledgling Kerry Group and with Denis Brosnan in particular. He spoke of how shares have risen from being worth €28 to their present value of €45. I recently forecast in this Chamber that it would rise to €50 or €51 in the short term. However, that is beside the point. I remember when the shares in question were worth only 52p each and I urged farmers to buy all round them. Sadly, some of them did not do so but in any event-----

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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Why is the Senator smiling?

Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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Will he sell at €50?

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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That is on the record, but in any event-----

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I thought the Senator was obliged to declare an interest. How many does he have himself?

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I wish to pay tribute not just to Denis Brosnan but I salute everything Sean Barrett has said.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Senator Barrett.

David Norris (Independent)
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It is a great example of trivialisation, where somebody is doing well as the country is going down the drain.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Senator Paul Coghlan, without interruption, please.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I pay tribute to Denis Brosnan, to Hugh Friel who succeeded him and to Stan McCarthy, who is doing a wonderful job at present. Moreover, I greatly welcome that further dilution in co-operative shares in the Kerry Group from 17% to approximately 13%, as well as the boost for the farmers of County Kerry, the south and nationwide because of what they are suffering due to the fodder crisis and the many other things they must face at present. I also salute a development which is good for the Irish economy, namely, the recently announced expansion in Glanbia. Perhaps in time it will become another Kerry Group, and I say "well done".

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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I must join the senior Senator from County Kerry in congratulating the Kerry Group, as well as the Senator himself and all those who have invested so wisely. Members will be aware that talks are ongoing at present under the auspices of Mr. Kieran Mulvey to try to rescue the Croke Park agreement. It is the fervent wish of everyone in this House that these talks will come to fruition because industrial stability will be vital to the ongoing economic recovery, as the alternative is too awful to contemplate. In that respect, I compliment David Begg, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, who issued what I regard as being a remarkably conciliatory statement over the weekend. Members may have heard him being interviewed on a Sunday radio news programme and that was the tone we need. Moreover, the old Irish seanfhocal, "Is binn béal ina thost", applies to the other side and I welcome the temporary silence of the Minister for Howlin, which is a great relief because he certainly was very ham-fisted in his attempts to bully the unions in the previous talks. I hope I am not deluding myself but I believe the signs are good. I ask the Leader to convey the good wishes of the Seanad to all sides in the talks in the hope they will be successful. I also second the amendment proposed by Senator MacSharry.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I call Senator Moran.

David Norris (Independent)
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Senator O'Sullivan should name the Minister for howling, because it seems to be a new appointment.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Senator Moran, please. Senator Norris, have you not indicated your wish to speak?

David Norris (Independent)
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Yes.

Mary Moran (Labour)
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I welcome the visitors to the Gallery, as well as the sixth class pupils of Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School, who were invited here this morning by Senator Bacik. They are welcome and I hope they will enjoy their tour of Leinster House and will see how the House works.

I wish to raise an issue I appear to raise on a monthly if not a weekly basis, namely, the question of symphysiotomy. I ask the Leader to ascertain the current status of the Walsh report and when Members can expect its publication. While Members had several discussions on this question last month, I seek a definite date because it appears to spread out each month and I do not want it to fade away.

In addition, I wish to raise two issues that are of extreme importance to children and which relate specifically to them. The first concerns orthopaedic paediatric services throughout the country and specifically to orthopaedic paediatric services in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, which is supposed to provide centre of excellence level care. Following queries I made to that hospital, I discovered that more than 506 children are waiting for orthopaedic paediatric consultations on that list. There has been no paediatric orthopaedic surgeon in that hospital since January, and to my knowledge, none has been employed there to date. When querying this lack, I have been told there are only eight paediatric orthopaedic surgeons in the country. A debate is needed on this issue. Children are being diagnosed with problems with their hips and cannot afford to wait for one or two years to have such problems rectified. Consequently, this is an urgent matter.

I also wish to mention briefly services for children with Down's syndrome. A presentation was given the other day in the audio-visual room by parents who are concerned about resource hours and care for children with Down's syndrome. I echo their calls that the Minister for Education and Skills should consider ensuring that all children with Down's syndrome would have the maximum of 4.5 hours of resource teaching per week.

David Norris (Independent)
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On the question of privatisation, as a good old pinko, I bring to mind the words of Oliver Goldsmith:

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay.

We could examine the entire issue, from a left-wing to a right-wing approach, and pick out what could be good from each.

I commend Senator Hayden on her comments on various schemes, including pilot schemes. We need a critical voice in Seanad Éireann and it is great to hear an intelligent critique of what is happening as opposed to carping and destructive criticism. The pilot scheme, which I believe will involve 700 people, is another attempt by the banks to wrest complete control from the people and dump debts that were largely caused by their stupidity, folly and greed on the credit unions, which cannot sustain additional burdens. Let us not fool ourselves; nothing will be wiped out unless it is to the banks' advantage. This scheme does not have a snowball's chance in hell of working.

Caít Keane (Fine Gael)
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I seek a debate on early childhood care and education. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, made a positive speech to the House about two months ago in which she outlined the benefits of early childhood care and education. In the United States, where early childhood care began 30 years ago when it was not fashionable here, it has been demonstrated that it delivers a return on investment of ten or 20 to one.

The Minister for Education and Skills did not announce a cut in child benefit yesterday but a proposal to reallocate funding to be put to good use in early childhood care and education. Dr. Nóirín Hayes, in conjunction with the Dublin Institute of Technology, has produced an up-to-date report on the issue. Just two weeks ago, a study was published which showed the benefits of early childhood education for 1,000 children in west Tallaght. The Minister's statement yesterday outlined how to make good use of money. Early childhood care and education has been demonstrated to be one way to spend money wisely. The Minister also noted that the changes required could not be made overnight because we do not have in place an adequate early childhood care and education infrastructure because the sector has been treated as the poor relation for years. We should ascertain if infrastructure can be provided for quality preschool education and training. While excellent training is being provided in this area, it will also be necessary to upskill trainers. There is a difference between minding children and high quality care and education. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on this issue as soon as possible.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I, too, support Senator MacSharry's amendment, primarily because I share Senator Bacik's sentiment on the need to provide a second year of free child care. As chairman of the Leitrim county child care committee, I will declare an interest in this matter. The County Leitrim committee is under severe threat as a result of the decision to withdraw much of its funding. Unless the ongoing reductions to funding are arrested in the next two years, there will be wholesale mergers of county child care committees. Such a development would not be conducive to efficient delivery of child care services. As to which Minister should come to the House for a debate on child care, while that is a matter for the Leader to decide, unlike my colleague, Senator MacSharry, who called for the Minister for Education and Skills to come before us, I am inclined to the view that we should invite the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs should come to the House.

I ask the Leader to raise with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, and his Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, the continuing lack of support shown to the Irish music industry by the national broadcaster, RTE. I raise this issue because last Sunday evening I was invited to attend a function in Letterkenny hosted by Mr. Shawn Cuddy, a singer from County Laois who is popular both here and overseas. Each year for the past 19 years Mr. Cuddy and other Irish country music singers invites visitors to take part in a weekend of entertainment. I was astonished, on arriving at the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny, to find more than 450 visitors from Scotland and England were attending the event. They each spent more than €500 on average over the weekend. One will not hear the music of Shawn Cuddy, Mike Denver or Declan Nerney on national radio, although it is played on local radio stations. These and many other singers provide entertainment and give pleasure to many people, while generating spending in the economy. I raise this issue as it is the year of The Gathering. Having spoken to the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, about the matter, I call for a debate on with the Minister, Minister of State or Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte. Whereas RTE television acknowledges Irish country music, it is necessary to stir up the powers that be in RTE radio because it is an outright scandal that an industry that supports the economy does not receive support from the national broadcaster.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I join Senator Ned O'Sullivan in extending good wishes to all those who will take part in talks on Croke Park II over the weekend. I hope for the sake of the country and economy that a satisfactory conclusion will be reached. I ask staff at Bus Éireann to consider the implications of a strike. The company is making heavy losses and must make cost savings. I doubt if there is any public support for strike action, which would have serious implications in terms of discommoding children and disrupting school examinations. If the strike proceeds and the company loses further money, it may not survive. I appeal to everybody involved to ensure that common sense prevails.

I compliment everyone involved in the well organised service held in Arbour Hill yesterday to commemorate the 1916 Rising. It was a most tasteful and inclusive ceremony, with, I understand, a much reduced military involvement. The State should be proud of the event. I could not help thinking of a woman whose home I visited the previous night, having passed away in her 107th year. May Coughlan was ten years old at the time of the 1916 Rising and during yesterday's ceremony I recalled the many events which occurred during her lifetime. I am sure the Cathaoirleach will not mind if I extend my sympathy to the Coughlan family on the death of May Coughlan, one of the oldest people in Ireland who passed away peacefully and had full use of her faculties until very recently. It was people like May Coughlan who laid the foundations of the State, which is enduring great difficulties from which I have no doubt we will emerge.

On a lighter note, as a people who are mad about sports, I extend our good wishes to Alex Ferguson who brought pleasure and joy to many people.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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The matter was raised on the Order of Business yesterday.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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Now that he has time on his hands, perhaps he will get involved in the campaign to save the Seanad.

Feargal Quinn (Independent)
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I urge the Leader to give serious consideration to the suggestion that the House hold a regular debate on the economy. I read about an interesting development in the United States where it has been proposed to provide for a legal right to rent. Repossession is one of the biggest threats we have to the family home. Under this new right to rent concept, a person struggling to pay a mortgage of €1,000 per month would be given a legal right to reduce the repayment to perhaps €300 per month for a period of, for instance, three years. At the end of the three year period, the mortgage holder would recommence payments of €1,000 and pay a rent to the bank for the three-year period during which the mortgage repayment was reduced.

They pay a rent to the bank for those three years. The bank ends up getting money and having cash coming in although it has to wait three years longer to get the full amount, or close to it. However, the concept of the right to rent as a legal right has attracted some very serious people in the United States. It is not one I have heard suggested in Ireland but I believe we should give serious consideration to it. A debate on the economy, including the opportunity to suggest areas such as that one for working upon, would be of huge benefit to Irish citizens.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I wish to highlight the innovative thinking of the Railway Procurement Agency which operates the Luas. It is marketing cables, bridges, stops and other infrastructure on the light railway network to telecoms operators. I do not suggest that all semi-State transport companies should take a similar approach but this is an innovative move by the RPA which is expected to yield significant sums for the company. According to the RPA, the Luas infrastructure has the potential to support the delivery of a range of communication and wireless services, particularly as it penetrates busy parts of Dublin city. My question is - why should we stop at the Luas? Other State-supported agencies and transport networks should undertake an audit to find out if there is any benefit to be had from a co-ordinated approach in marketing their infrastructure potential to telecoms operators. Consider the potential that exists in the Irish rail network, for example, which links almost every major town and city in the country. Ultimately, this adds to the value of our transport system and could deliver significant benefits for consumers. This is something we could usefully debate in the House when the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, attends here.

Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)
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If it has not been done already, I second the amendment proposed by Senator Denis O'Donovan. I have always believed that the Proclamation of 1916, while it may be one of the shortest charters of independence in the world, was very much ahead of its time in the foresight it demonstrated in cherishing all the children of the nation equally, the compassion it showed and in demonstrating what people have to do in order to be dutiful in so far as the nation is concerned. That is very important and much of it is enshrined in our Constitution. There is a charter of which we can all be so proud, which has helped us through so many difficult times.

Senator Crown raised an interesting, perhaps a novel point, and the Leader might consider having a debate on it. At times we think only about legislation but do not always think about what happens when the same legislation is implemented. I think, for example, of people who are living in abject poverty and yet are left on their own. I refer to people who put money into Anglo Irish Bank so that in their twilight years they might have a pension. Despite this, because the State made a decision to wipe out Anglo Irish Bank, their pension fund is also gone-----

David Norris (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)
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-----as we have seen in the media in very recent times. Remembering that the family is the basis of society, I think of families where parents cannot send their children to school properly clothed, ensure they are fed or give them warmth. This all arises from our duties as legislators. Either we take legislation to insulate us or we take the Constitution. If we are going to open up the duties of legislators, as was suggested by Senator Crown, we should not confine this to a very small section of our duties. Let us open it up and see if, as legislators, we upheld the Constitution when we fulfilled our duties to all the people and all the children of the nation. Whatever debate takes place at the Constitutional Convention or in the health committee in respect of forthcoming legislation, there would be nothing wrong if this House were to debate the Constitution in a broader sense, its relationship to legislation and vice versa.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I raise the issue of the Civil Law (Missing Persons) Bill, which I have published, and do so in regard to the recent case in County Tipperary of a person who had been missing for two years whose remains were found in a slurry tank. This highlights the situation that where a body is not found a death certificate cannot be issued and nothing can be done with a person's estate until a period of seven years has passed. The Law Reform Commission published a detailed 166-page report in January so the groundwork on this has been done. My Bill was drafted on foot of that report. I have already written to the Minister for Justice and Equality about this but I ask the Leader also to make representations to him. It would be appropriate at this stage. We could start the debate on the issue and if the Department wishes to add to the Bill as published there is no reason that could not be accommodated.

The case in County Tipperary I highlighted is not the only case where this has arisen. There are a number of other cases where families cannot deal with the estate because there is no legislation covering that issue. I ask that the matter be brought to the attention of the Minister, that on the next occasion he attends the House we might raise it with him and that we try to move forward the Bill as currently published.

Katherine Zappone (Independent)
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I proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, namely, that No. 16 be taken before No. 1.

Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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I second Senator Zappone's amendment to the Order of Business.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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I ask that the Seanad take up the clear invitation of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, to have a debate on the provision of early childhood care and how it should be funded. The Minister has made it clear he wants such a debate and we should take him up on his offer and invite him to the Chamber for a specific debate on the funding of early childhood care and the provision of an additional year.

Mary White (Fianna Fail)
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I apologise but I must leave to attend the committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. My colleagues who were Members of the previous Seanad will know that as a policy-driven Senator I drew up a policy paper on a new approach to child care. I held public meetings in the city and got the opinions of parents and grandparents who figure prominently in the care of small children. One of the key areas was the dire need for free preschool education. I do not like to blow my own trumpet but I was very much part of the introduction of the free preschool year which was introduced for every child aged between three years and three months to four years. I was among other people but am proud of my personal achievement in driving this through. Fianna Fáil began the delivery of free preschool education.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Senator MacSharry raised the issue of Bus Éireann which is in a very difficult situation. It has accumulated losses of €27 million in the past five years, a position, the House will agree, which is unsustainable and which places the viability of the company at risk. According to the Labour Court and the trade unions' independent financial assessors, Bus Éireann is in a very precarious financial situation and its viability is under threat. According to the Labour Court, significant reductions in the company's cost base, including payroll costs, are essential to ensuring its future and to protect employment within the company. The issues involved have been subject to deliberations for 11 months and the Labour Court has also adjudicated. Following this adjudication there was further engagement with the Labour Relations Commission. The future of the company must be secured for the public which depends on its services and for the benefit of its employees.

Bus Éireann also runs commercial Expressway services which are currently loss making. Legally, the State cannot support these services. Their viability can only be secured if these savings are achieved.

Bus Éireann has confirmed to the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, and the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, that the company remains open to engaging with the unions. It would be the wish of everybody that the management and unions use the short period available up to 12 May to engage in further dialogue to ensure the necessary savings are introduced and the provision of bus services for the public is protected. Hopefully the management and unions can sit down and reach some agreement. It would be regrettable to have a disruption of services as mentioned by Senator MacSharry.

A number of Senators mentioned early preschool child care and called for the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, to come to the House today. It would not be practicable for him to come here today because of his workload, but I will certainly invite the Minister, Deputy Quinn, as requested by many Senators. He has indicated that he would like a debate on the subject. Senator Keane mentioned that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, came to the House only about seven weeks ago to debate the same subject. I will certainly invite the Minister, Deputy Quinn, to discuss the situation also. Hopefully we can have him here in early course to debate that matter.

Senator Bacik called for a debate on the penal reform report and the joined-up thinking between the Probation Service and the Prison Service. I will invite the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, to the House to discuss that very important penal reform report that has been published.

Senator Barrett also spoke about the high cost of child care. He also outlined the success of the Kerry Group whose privatisation was ahead of its time in that regard. He also mentioned the involvement of the former Minister, Mark Clinton, in that company.

Senators Bradford, Quinn and others called for a debate on the economy. Senator Bradford pointed out that we spend over €1 billion a month more than we are taking in. Unfortunately that is the sad state of the economy and it needs to be addressed. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, has given a commitment to come to the House - I know this will not please people - in early July for an overall debate on the economy and banking. It will be well in advance of the budget. I know it will take longer than people would have expected to have that debate, but the Minister has given a commitment to be here early in July for such a debate.

Senator O'Donovan spoke about deferring today's proposed motion establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management. I understand that motion must be passed today. When a national parliament receives a subsidiarity note from the Commission, it has eight weeks to submit a reasoned opinion. Ireland's opinion must be returned by 13 May. By submitting a reasoned opinion along with other member states we are having our say in the matter in informing the Commission that it should not have a role in this matter and it is more appropriately addressed by the member state itself. I cannot accept Senator O'Donovan's amendment to the Order of Business - if it was an amendment - in that regard. However, I will endeavour to have a debate on the subject as the Senator requested.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Senator O'Donovan's amendment related to gangland crime.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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I cannot accept the amendment on gangland crime. He also mentioned that the motion on maritime spatial planning should not be taken without debate. I cannot agree to that for the reasons I have outlined, but I will try to have a debate on it at a future date.

Senator Hayden spoke about the Central Bank and stated that €400 million of household debt has been written down. She rightly sought more transparency. While we laud the figures that have been outlined, there is a need for greater transparency from the banks in that regard.

Senator Crown suggested that Members of the Oireachtas should sign an oath of allegiance to the Constitution and Senator Ó Murchú called for a debate on the matter. It is certainly something that could be debated in the House, perhaps in the context of the Constitutional Convention. When we have reports on that, we could include that item in that debate. It is a novel suggestion from Senator Crown.

Senator Kelly spoke about people being jailed for non-payment of fines. The Fines Act has been passed by the Oireachtas, but I understand there have been difficulties with its implementation and we will certainly try to find out the details of those difficulties. I understand that issues of computers and compatibility are delaying the implementation of the Act. I agree that there is a need for an attachment of earnings for people not paying fines. It should be deducted either from salary or any other means people have. They certainly should not be sent to jail, especially given the cost involved in doing so.

Senator Cullinane raised a number of items which were raised on the Order of Business yesterday. I can assure him that free GP care is still firmly on the Government agenda and will be delivered on. He also mentioned the lack of jobs. Some 1,000 jobs a month net are being created in the private sector, compared with a loss of 250,000 jobs in that sector prior to the Government taking office. So there are significant improvements. Let us look at the glass being half full rather than empty all the time.

Senators Paul Coghlan and O'Sullivan also complimented the Kerry Group. Senator O'Sullivan also wished that the talks led by Mr. Kieran Mulvey will be successful. We all hope those talks will bear fruit. The last thing we want is to have disruption in the public service which certainly would not benefit the public. We hope those talks will reach a successful conclusion.

Senator Moran spoke about symphysiotomy, which she has raised on a monthly basis. She asked when Dr. Walsh's report would be published. I will try to get an exact date if I can elicit that information from the Minister and report to the Senator on it. She also raised the question of orthopaedic paediatric services and services for children with Down's syndrome. I suggest that she table a motion for the matter to be taken on the Adjournment and get a direct response from the Department.

Senator Norris spoke about privatisation and we know his views. Obviously there are significant differences on the Independent benches in that regard.

David Norris (Independent)
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Polite and respectful.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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He also called for a debate on the economy and as I mentioned the Minister, Deputy Noonan, will be here early in July.

Senator Mooney asked for the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, or the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, to intervene in the issue of the lack of support for the Irish music industry by RTE radio stations in particular. Again that matter could be raised on the Adjournment.

Senator Mullins complimented all those involved in the Arbour Hill commemoration and also raised other local matters.

Senator Quinn spoke about a mortgage break and what happens in the United States.

We can have those discussions during our debate on the economy.

Senator Noone called on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline to the House how he intends to deal with the disruption during construction of the new Luas lines. I will ask the Minister for an update in that regard. Senator Ó Murchú advised us to take our duties as legislators seriously. I think all of us would agree with the sentiments he expressed.

Senator Colm Burke spoke about the Civil Law (Missing Persons) Bill and the report by the Law Reform Commission on the difficulties of dealing with the estates of people who are missing. He raised valid points and we will try to have the Bill introduced to the House in early course. I will accede to Senator Zappone's request to deal with No. 16 before No. 1 and accept her amendment to the Order of Business. Senator O'Keeffe called for a debate on early child care. I will ask the Minister for Education and Skills to come to the House to discuss that issue. Senator White will also be taking part in that debate and she outlined her concerns on the matter.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Senator Mark MacSharry has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, "That a debate with the Minister for Education and Skills on his proposals to cut child benefit be taken today". Is the amendment being pressed?

Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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It is.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Senator Denis O'Donovan has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That a debate on gangland crime and gangland murders be taken today." Is the amendment being pressed?

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Senator Zappone has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 16 be taken before No. 1." The Leader has indicated that he is prepared to accept the amendment. Is the amendment accepted?

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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I accept the amendment.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Is the amendment agreed? Agreed.