Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re arrangements for the address to the House by Mr. Jim Higgins, MEP, on Thursday, 16 May 2013; No. 2, statements on wind energy, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business and to conclude no later than 1.20 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed six minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed four minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate no later than 1.15 p.m.; No. 3, statements on the OECD review of the Irish pensions system to be taken at 3 p.m. and to be adjourned no later than 4 p.m., with the contribution of each Senator not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply no later than 3.55 p.m.; No. 4, Seanad Bill 2013 - Second Stage, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. and to conclude no later than 6.30 p.m.; and No. 35, Seanad Electoral Reform Bill 2013 - Second Stage (resumed), to be taken at the conclusion of Private Members' business, with Senator Crown to have two minutes to reply to the debate.

David Norris (Independent)
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Can the Leader clarify whether the Minister will conclude the debate on the OECD review or if it will continue another day?

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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I am hoping the Minister will come to the House another day to debate the matter as only an hour has been allocated to it.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I remind the House that Senator John Crown has only one minute remaining on his Private Members' Bill.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome today's schedule to some extent. While it is slightly heavier than usual, it is worth reminding ourselves that the reason there is a deficit of legislation before the House is the related deficit of legislation before the Dáil.

But for the fact the Dáil has Question Time and more extensive statements, it would not be doing a whole lot either. It is about time the public realised there is hardly any legislation coming from the Government. The Government is not producing legislation. Controversial Bills, like the property tax Bill, will be rushed through towards the end of the term. This week, it became apparent that Fine Gael and Labour councillors will be able to increase the property tax substantially despite the promises made by the Minister. It was included in the Bill but it did not come out in the debate.

Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael)
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Or decrease it.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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We would love to see that. It will not happen.

Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael)
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Dublin City Council says it will reduce it.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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We are coming towards the precipice again this term. Controversial legislation is likely to come before us at the end of the term. It will be rushed through and passed because of the Government's massive majority. It is about time people were informed that little or nothing of any substance is going on in the Parliament as a whole. It is about time people realised that and about time the Opposition highlighted it. It is about time the Government did something about it and legislated to improve people's lives.

We are looking for an urgent debate on the changes to the health service mooted yesterday. In that vein, I propose to amend the Order of Business to have an urgent debate today about the small hospital framework and the proposed grouping of hospitals in the two reports published yesterday by the Minister for Health. It is important to have the debate today. The reports are very vague and we do not know what will happen. Specific commitments have been given to a number of hospitals, including Kerry, Wexford, Letterkenny and Waterford. I congratulate the Leader on the representations I assume he made in respect of Waterford.

There are winners and losers in this report. Among the losers are Clonmel, Kilkenny and Castlebar, of which there is no mention in terms of the retention of services. Navan is being downgraded yet today Deputies are reissuing promises about the accident and emergency units despite the fact that the report is very clear that the accident and emergency units will be reduced in status and hours. There is a major question mark over the regional hospital for the north east, which was promised in a front-page article in The Meath Chronicle two weeks before the election. At a briefing session last night, the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, denied any knowledge of this. There is also considerable doubt about services at Sligo hospital although there is a suggestion it will be linked to Letterkenny, which is specifically mentioned for the retention of services. We need a debate to clarify exactly what is going on, who asked for what, who got what and whether this is being done for political interests, in the interest of consultants or in the interests of patients. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business.

With regard to the price of oil and gas and specifically motor fuels, a European Commission investigation started with dawn raids on a number of premises in the UK. There are serious concerns about the price of fuel in this country. Taxation is one aspect of this but another is the pricing of oil companies. It is opportune for us to have a wide-ranging debate on this without straying into the European Commission investigation. We could examine the price of fuel and why we are paying very high prices in the country.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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It would be good to have a debate on the hospital reconfiguration plan, which has received a broad welcome, although we do not think it should be today. I add my welcome to it. It is an ambitious plan with a clear objective of delivering high quality and safe patient care and maximising good outcomes for patients. The concept of centres of excellence has, by now, been accepted by everyone-----

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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The parties on that side were slow learners.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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------and that people need to see hospital reconfiguration.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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The parties on that side objected to, and opposed, the cancer services------

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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To be fair, that was-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Byrne should allow Senator Bacik to speak.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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If Senator Byrne will allow me finish, I was trying to be fair, as I always am, by saying it was a concept initiated by the previous Government. It is not a concept that belongs to this Government. It is now established and understood in the health services that it is the best way to deliver good outcomes for patients.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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It is now understood. It took the parties in government a while to learn.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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I also call for a debate on the terms of oil and gas exploration. We should welcome the announcement by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, to review the fiscal terms on oil and gas production and he is seeking expert advice on the best way to ensure maximum fiscal gain for Ireland. It is in line with the Labour Party manifesto commitment to initiate a wide review of the tax regime for oil and gas exploration. It is an area around which there is the major concern about the terms on which oil and gas exploration companies have been able to conduct drilling and investigations. It is good to see a review of it. It would be good for the House to debate the terms on which oil and gas production should take place. I ask the Leader for a debate before the summer recess.

I welcome the announcement by Dublin City Council that the dublinbikes scheme will be expanded to Kilmainham and Inchicore, on one side, and to the North Wall quay on the other side. The dublinbikes scheme has been an enormous success in terms of increasing the number of people cycling in the city. It is good to see that there will be 950 additional bicycles in this major expansion, which will be completed by July 2014. It will create extra jobs but it is also a major asset to our capital city. I welcome the expansion.

Feargal Quinn (Independent)
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I agree entirely with the Leader's deft handling of the Order of Business. Managing two Seanad reform Bills on one day in the House is not easy. The second Bill, by Senator John Crown, will only take one or two minutes but it is great to get it behind us.

I refer to the number of people jailed for not paying their television licence fee. The number increased by 50% last year. I knew people did not pay their television licence as it has a 15% non-compliance rate. That 50% more people are going to jail for not paying their television licence fee means there must be a better solution than the one we have. This is particularly the case when the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, says that next year he will do away with the television licence in so far as everyone must pay a licence fee irrespective of whether they have a television set. It will increase the number of people who go to jail. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, is already concerned about the number of people going to jail. I had no idea so many people were going to jail for not paying their television licence fee.

I refer to what has been announced about substituting low carbon streetlamps in Scotland. The savings arising from 100% low energy streetlamps are considerable. In Aberdeenshire, 40,000 streetlamps were costing a substantial sum, £1.6 million, and streetlamps made up 10% of the total carbon footprint of Fife Council. The measures, which include investment of £350 million in low carbon measures, will reduce energy bills by £900 million in respect of streetlamps alone. I have not heard this being discussed and it is something to which we should draw attention. Scotland set the example and we can learn from it.

Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the deal done on discards in Brussels after a marathon session. I congratulate the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for chairing the meeting. This will address the issue of badly depleted fish stocks. It is immoral to see millions of tonnes of fish being dumped overboard just because fishermen were not complying with quotas. The deal will mean a ban of 93% of discards immediately and a full ban by 2019. The reforms will help sustain the stock into the future. It is welcome news for the fishermen around our coasts.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Higgins report published yesterday. I was displeased with the way the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, handled himself in terms of briefing the media first before briefing Oireachtas Members. He left us waiting for our briefing and the briefing took place outside of the Oireachtas, not in the Oireachtas, which was disrespectful to all of us.

In contrast, Professor Higgins gave an excellent presentation on the report, on which he should be commended. It is important that Members have a debate on this issue. The Leader is aware the new configurations will have profound applications for acute hospital services across the State for generations to come and not simply for decades. There are some positive aspects of the report, which I welcome, but people also have real and genuine fears on the establishment of these groups or trusts. They pertain to how they will operate, the composition of their boards, their democratic accountability or lack thereof in respect of them and the fact that having six autonomous groups competing against one another for patients and services potentially will have implications for smaller hospitals. The Leader and I are from the south east, where there was real concern that two hospitals in the region located in Wexford and Kilkenny would be taken out of the south-eastern configuration and placed in a new grouping with hospitals in Dublin and regarding the consequences that might have for Waterford Regional Hospital in the long term. All these issues must be teased out properly. People have genuine, real concerns and fears about all this and Members have a responsibility to ventilate them properly, as well as to challenge and question the Minister. I again ask the Leader to arrange for such a debate and that it would take place as soon as possible.

Jimmy Harte (Labour)
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I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on an issue I raised recently regarding a provision within the insolvency legislation, whereby VAT will be charged for the service. The Minister might come into the Chamber to clarify this point because I have investigated the issue and found the same situation arose in the United Kingdom. The position there was challenged and VAT is not now charged in the United Kingdom on the provision of the same type of service. Many couples and families who engage with the personal insolvency system will be hit with a 23% VAT charge on the cost and while one is told this will be borne by the banks, in effect such costs will be borne by the client. Consequently, I ask the Minister to consider this point and I will forward to him the legislation from the United Kingdom that overturned the tax authorities' interpretation of it. However, the Minister or the Minister of State should come into the House to explain the reason VAT is being charged here for a service, whereas it is not being charged in the United Kingdom for an identical system.

Second, on the property tax, if the Opposition read the legislation everyone knew it contained the 15% provision. It was not a story released on a bank holiday Monday.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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It was a bombshell.

Jimmy Harte (Labour)
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It was not. The Labour Party group in Dublin City Council has committed to reducing it. I have not heard the Fianna Fáil councillors make such a commitment.

Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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This is the Seanad.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Through the Chair.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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That promise will be taken in the spirit in which it was given. It will be broken.

Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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I second the amendment proposing that the Minister come to the House to debate aspects of the hospital groupings as a transition to independent hospital trusts. It is what it does not contain and certainly, I congratulate the Leader and his colleagues. The south east definitely won its political argument, not least for maintenance but to be enhanced to being a university hospital. In that regard, well done to the Leader in this regard. However, the report does nothing to address the blatant disregard for the patients of the north west, in the context of how the clinical programmes, which cater so well for 80% of the population, completely ignore the health of the people in that area. The region lacks both cardiac catheterisation facilities and cancer services despite all that is known - I need not mention again all the broken promises made before the election. When I asked Professor Higgins last night about commitments and about what would be the position in the future for the population of 250,000 people served by Sligo Regional Hospital and Letterkenny General Hospital, he simply expressed the hope that this synergy would continue. However, it simply cannot be managed from University Hospital Galway, where the consultants themselves readily admit that hospital is beyond capacity. At present in Sligo, at particular times it takes an hour to get an ambulance. One hears talk of an air ambulance which, in the winter, for example, will fly up to 3 p.m. I hope people can time their heart attacks because otherwise, they are dead.

As for last night's briefing, I completely agree with my Sinn Féin colleague. It was a urination on the Houses of the Oireachtas to brief the media, the unions and everyone before the people's representatives. Thereafter, Members were brought to a hotel across the road, only to wait for an hour as the Minister arrived late. Then I had Professor Higgins, for whom I have the utmost respect, tell me the road between Galway and Sligo will be improved in the fullness of time. Is such a level of disdain and absolute contempt what the people who, on foot of the pre-election promises, are expecting Senator Ivana Bacik's centres of excellence, must accept? This document is a sham. It does nothing for the people of the north west, who had better make sure they do not have heart attacks or expect cancer treatment until the road is done up in the fullness of time, in the words of Professor Higgins.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator's time is up.

Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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How dare he? Another amendment to the Order of Business will be proposed tomorrow until this debate takes place and until Members receive a level of commitment that the people of the north west of Ireland are truly equal to the rest, rather than George Orwell's definition in which some people are more equal than others.

Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael)
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As Members speak, workers in the Pfizer plant in Cork are being briefed on the proposed consolidation of the operations in Cork in particular. Pfizer employs 2,500 people in this country and this news comes as no surprise, as the company had flagged that it would be consolidating in light of products going off-patent and because getting drugs to a manufacturing point now is becoming extremely difficult and competitive. My thoughts, and I am sure those of all Members, are with the workers and their families today, as they wait to hear Pfizer's plans. It has been indicated they could result in job losses towards the end of 2014. However, I appeal to the Minister, the IDA and Pfizer itself, which has stated that the plant located at Little Island can and should be sold for the purpose of operating as a similar manufacturing facility. IDA Ireland in particular has much knowledge on would-be investors in such a facility and I ask it to act immediately without delay to seek a potential purchaser of this site and to ensure that valued jobs in this facility can continue.

David Norris (Independent)
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I disagree with my colleague, Senator Byrne, as there is no dearth of legislation at all. Anyone who looks at the Order Paper can see this quite clearly. It contains more than 30 Bills and there are three or four pages of Bills listed. I have never seen so much legislation on the Order Paper and have never seen less in the House.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Hear, hear.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

David Norris (Independent)
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The reason for this is not the responsibility of the Leader of the House, who is a good and efficient Leader. It is because a decision has been taken by the Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, and his colleagues to downgrade Seanad Éireann and deliberately to inhibit it in its work in furtherance of his purpose to extinguish this organ of democracy. This is what is going on. It is a disgrace and should be resisted but Members must know exactly and focus on what is the position.

I ask the Leader for a debate on human rights, by which I mean a rolling debate. In a previous Seanad, I called for a rolling debate, which we eventually had, on the economy in order that Members could monitor the situation all the time. The human rights situation must be monitored in particular, because it also is being downgraded in the interests of finance. A signal of this development was the renaming of the Department of Foreign Affairs as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In this context, for example, I refer to organ harvesting in China. One can fly into Shanghai, one goes to Hospital No. 1, one orders a liver and a prisoner is sedated. Moreover, on occasions I understand the organs are removed from the body when this person is still alive. This is not acceptable. In addition, there are the self-immolations in Tibet and our friends in America are using drone aircraft to murder people without any trial or accusation but simply through the pushing of a button. Consequently, we face a violation of the most fundamental aspects of human rights. Similarly, I refer to the case of Mr. Magnitsky in the Russian Federation, as well as an attempt to blackmail the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade by the Russian Embassy, which threatened-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

David Norris (Independent)
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Yes, I seek a rolling debate because there are so many such issues and I note the anniversary is approaching of the arrest and detention of all the leaders of the Baha'i religious group in Iran.

This would help to counterbalance the necessary emphasis on finance. We should not extinguish our interest in human rights.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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I wish to raise the issue of the voluntary registration of approved bodies that provide social housing. In 2012 the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, asked the bodies to register voluntarily. Will the Leader obtain for us an update on this issue? There are 700 voluntary housing groups, but very few have of them have registered voluntarily. It may be time to have a statutory requirement to do so. Tenants who move into voluntary housing units require assurance of their tenancy and guarantees on the maintenance and upkeep not only of the house but also of the estate. The public investment in the units needs to be safeguarded and this can only be done by regulation. Since the 700 organisations are not registering voluntarily, I ask the Leader to contact the Minister of State responsible for housing, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, on this matter in order that she will bring forward legislation.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I support the views expressed by Senators Thomas Byrne and Marc MacSharry on the issues associated with the new report, The Establishment of Hospital Groups as a transition to Independent Hospital Trusts. Roscommon is mentioned twice. On page 27 it is stated there is a plan to locate a rehabilitation centre at Roscommon County Hospital as part of the national clinical programme for rehabilitation. On page 89 the very same is stated. The report does not mind repeating itself. Rehabilitation is actually carried out at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon. What is occurring is a further downgrading of Roscommon County Hospital. Promises were made by the Taoiseach in Roscommon town, as a result of which Fine Gael got two seats in Roscommon-South Leitrim. The promise was broken. One could not trust anything said by the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, from whom one would not buy a second-hand car. The poor man does not know the truth from reality.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I have many questions for the Minister. We know he broke the promise. He wrote to the people of Roscommon-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister is not here to answer those questions-----

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I wish he were here more often. It is said there can be no further downgrading. Our Lady's Hospital in Navan will lose its accident and emergency unit. Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, St. Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown, the hospitals in Mallow, Bantry, Nenagh and Ennis, St. John's Hospital in Limerick and Roscommon County Hospital have all been affected. The loss of accident and emergency facilities is great news. A hospital without an accident and emergency unit is a shop without a front. It is the beginning of the end for a hospital.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Nonsense.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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We can see the reality in Roscommon. A Member of the Oireachtas had to resign from Fine Gael because he felt it was not nonsense. The point is that HIQA will be used as a front line to downgrade other hospitals. The report is of no consequence to the people of Roscommon. It is but a further death knell. Professor Higgins certainly has not done smaller hospital any favour. The Government has betrayed every commitment it made prior to the general election. Every promise it made has been broken and they continue to be broken in a dictatorial manner.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator's point is made.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Rubbish.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator should not be crowing so much about Waterford because Waterford hospital has lost its status on foot of the linking with Wexford and Kilkenny. I would not be that proud of the achievement in Waterford.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I am surprised at the comments of the Leader of the Opposition this morning. He referred to the delaying of legislation. It is 21 years since the X case judgment was given. When Fianna Fáil was in power, it did absolutely nothing about it.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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There were two referendums.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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The Opposition should not criticise the delay in the legislation when it did nothing in 21 years.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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That statement must be withdrawn.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Colm Burke to continue, without interruption.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator is misleading the House. The politicians all crowing about-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Will the Senator, please, resume his seat?

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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On this issue, there have been three days of public consultations and we face another three. It will be interesting to see who will be around at 7.45 p.m. on Friday and Monday nights during the consultations. We are to have legislation in this area and will ensure it is passed by the end of this term. To suggest we are rushing legislation through is totally incorrect.

I welcome the Higgins report. For far too long, too many hospitals, even those in one location such as Cork, where a number are providing the same type of care in particular areas, have been subject to an inefficient arrangement. Reconfiguration could ensure there would be a far more efficient service and more value obtained in service provision. I welcome the Higgins report's comments on reorganisation. What is proposed represents a structured way of providing a comprehensive health service. Let us have a debate in this House on the issue.

On the cost of health care, one kidney transplant in this country saves €750,000. In Norway there are 370 people on dialysis because 300 transplants are carried out per year there. We carry out 150 and have 1,800 people on dialysis, despite Ireland having a similar population to that of Norway. We have done absolutely nothing about long-term planning in health care. Over €100 million is now being used to fund dialysis services. If there had been long-term planning in the past 15 to 20 years, the number on dialysis would have been greatly reduced. That is why the Higgins report is welcome. It is important that we have a debate in order that the relevant information can be circulated. I ask the Leader to arrange it.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Chuir an ráiteas a rinne an Ceannaire inné beagáinín imní orm. I was quite concerned by the Leader's reply yesterday. The reason given for the lack of legislation in the Houses was that there was a backlog in the Office of the Attorney General, which is underresourced in putting through pending legislation. I ask the Leader to expand on this and tell us how the Government intends to deal with the matter. Will it make more resources available? If it does not, the Cabinet will be merely like a fleet of buses without any diesel. It will not be able to go anywhere until the legislation comes through. This stifles the work of both Houses.

With a view to co-operating and suggesting possible moves we could take in this House, we would like to examine European legislation. An e-document made available in the Library & Research Service this week is very important. It is a Green Paper on a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies. There is to be public consultation lasting until 2 July allowing member states, EU institutions and stakeholders to express their views on the type, nature and level of potential climate and energy targets for 2030 but also on other important aspects of EU energy policy. This would be a very constructive debate to have in this House. It is obvious that the European Union is asking each member state to engage in consultation on this matter and answer before 2 July. Perhaps having such a debate might be considered.

John Kelly (Labour)
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Senator David Norris mentioned that we should have a debate on the economy. I raise an issue concerning the local economy, particularly the cost of diesel and the variation in cost from one part of the country to another. In some towns in County Mayo one can buy diesel for €1.41 per litre. As one travels east, one notes garages are selling diesel for €1.53 per litre, representing a difference of 12 cent per litre or, in some cases, €8 or €9 per fill of diesel. We have discussed the issue of cartelism in the House before. There must be a degree of cartelism in various towns because in any town one will not see one supplier selling diesel for €1.41 a litre and another for €1.53. The prices in any town will all be either €1.41, €1.48 or €1.53. At a time when hard-pressed motorists are under so much pressure, I call on the Leader to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister for Finance to have it investigated. If there are certain towns in which diesel can be sold for €1.41 per litre, it should be possible to do this in every town.

Finally, I agree with Senator Quinn about sending people who cannot pay their television licence fee to jail. A television licence costs approximately €160 per year. Sending somebody to jail for not paying it costs €1,200 per week. It is illogical and not the way we should do our business. On numerous occasions I have suggested that amendments be made to the Fines Act whereby fines can be deducted at source, be it wages or social welfare payments. In this case, if an elderly person was unable to pay a television licence fee it would amount to just €3 per week. That could be deducted at source and people would not have to be sent to jail. This should be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

Sean Barrett (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister for Health's welcome for the McCarthy report on health insurance which was published yesterday. The current health insurance system is not sustainable, as both gentlemen said. It is losing members, contrary to the Government's objective to have a universal health insurance system in operation in a few years. The current system is protectionist and is not cost conscious. The Minister said to Pat Kenny last night that people should check the bills to ascertain if they received all the items on them. That is difficult for sick people to do. We need competing companies but they cannot survive under the current rules, which are designed to benefit the VHI company, as has been pointed out by the European Court and the Supreme Court. In the current edition of Time magazine the professor of global health in Harvard says: "In Rwanda, for example, just ten years ago there was no community-based health insurance scheme. Now almost 95% of Rwandans are involved in at least some kind of health insurance." We might ask the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas aid, Deputy Joe Costello, to report on how that was done in Rwanda when it is proving impossible here. Will the Leader impress upon the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, the need to redouble his efforts to make affordable universal health insurance available in this country, in light of recent research, including the ESRI report yesterday, which shows that the bulk of the burden of the recession has been borne by people under 45 years of age?

Last Thursday, the Supreme Court overturned section 3 of the Industrial Relations Act as contrary to Article 15.2.1 of the Constitution. The important part of this is that it was the usurpation of the functions of the Oireachtas by an administrative body. There has been a number of those with regard to health insurance and taxis. Can the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, who has responsibility for reform in this area, be invited to address the House on the need to strengthen Parliament against the undermining of Parliament by the administrative arm? One thing we must do in our reform programme, to which we are deeply committed, is address the institutions, practices and people which put the country on the rocks in 2008. Undermining the Parliament by administrative action is unacceptable. I hope the Minister, Deputy Howlin, will address us on preventing recurrences of that nature. Making law in the Supreme Court is extremely expensive - that case took over ten years to get there - so let us do it here instead.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I echo the sentiments expressed about the television licence. I am aware of a number of cases recently where people were sent to jail but were out again in an hour. It is not a good sign and certainly does not give the system any credibility. In conjunction with a new television licence system and structure, there should be a change in the legislation relating to the sentencing of people who fail to pay.

The carbon tax and energy efficiency were mentioned earlier. I agree with Senator Quinn. The Government should seriously consider a grant aid system to encourage businesses to install more energy efficient electrical items and so forth.

However, my main purpose in rising to speak is to pay tribute to the more than 40,000 people who participated in the Darkness into Light walk in aid of Pieta House last Friday night and Saturday morning. Indeed, I joined almost 2,500 people in Ennis for the walk. The walk provides vital funding for Pieta House and its campaign against suicide. Prior to the commencement of the walk, a letter from the founder of Pieta House, Joan Freeman, was read out in which she made certain commitments, among them that Pieta House would open more centres to ensure the organisation can play its part in dealing with the devastation suicide is causing in this country. She also gave a commitment that she would not rest until the Government dealt seriously with the issue of suicide, to such a degree that Ireland can become a place to which the rest of the world might look for hope in respect of mental health and dealing with suicide. I commend what the Government has done in this area already, but a great deal more must be done. As has been regularly pointed out, there are many more deaths from suicide in this country than from car accidents. Indeed, some colleagues in the House, particularly Senator Gilroy, are doing great work in this area. There must be a rolling debate, as Senator Norris described it, on suicide and mental health. Perhaps the Leader will consider that in due course.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I join colleagues in acknowledging and welcoming the work by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, over the past 36 hours in respect of obtaining a ban on discards. While it is not a 100% ban, nonetheless it is a ban that will be introduced over a period of time. In the pelagic sector there will be a ban on discards from 1 January 2015 and from 1 January 2016 in respect of other fishing stocks. That is to be welcomed. The agreement must now go to the European Parliament and hopefully it will receive support there.

The Higgins report has been mentioned by our health spokesperson, Senator MacSharry, and Senator Byrne. I will not go into the detail of the report but I have grave concerns. There appears to be an agenda to transfer the responsibility for centralising services to a group to be established under the direction of the Minister for Health. That will affect hospitals in peripheral areas. The north west has the largest geographical catchment area. Letterkenny General Hospital is the seventh busiest hospital in respect of inpatient numbers nationally. That hospital does not have regional hospital status and, as a result, it receives a smaller budget than other competing hospitals. There is no university in the north west. Due to those two factors, the hospital in Letterkenny will suffer. There will be a focused centralisation of services at the closest point of contact with a university which, in this instance, is Galway. That is a retrograde step. It is a passing the buck exercise by the Minister for Health.

Finally, I refer to this morning's radio interview on "Morning Ireland" with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, regarding oil and gas exploration. A totally unacceptable position was adopted by the Minister, who lectured the Irish Parliament and people prior to the last general election that there was total exploitation of natural oil and gas resources. Now he has turned gamekeeper from poacher. He has totally disregarded a cross-party report produced by the natural resources and agriculture committee over 12 months ago. He put it on a shelf and it is now gathering dust. He is kicking to touch on this issue. The report makes clear recommendations on the licensing and taxation regime and it is time the Minister got off the fence and implemented it. It is amazing. The Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, appears to have changed the spots on his skin since the last election with regard to this issue. That says a great deal about the Labour Party and where this Government is going.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I support Senator Kelly's call for a debate with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources about fuel costs in this country. The Senator is perfectly correct that there are huge variations in prices. Certainly, one can get very good value in Ballindine, County Mayo.

Birr in County Offaly is another town where I encountered much lower fuel prices than in my own area. It is important that we debate the huge impact of fuel costs generally on the economy. They affect businesses, transport costs and the running of hotels and other enterprises with is a significant dependence on fuel. Given that our winters are, apparently, getting longer, every cent counts when it comes to the cost of fuel. Families are experiencing major difficulties in this regard, with fuel poverty a major issue for the elderly, in particular. A discussion on this issue would be timely in the light of the recent announcement by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, on oil exploration off our coast. I, therefore, ask the Leader to accommodate a wide-ranging debate on fuel costs and energy provision into the future.

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the continued progress in the negotiations on a successor to the Croke Park agreement with the public sector unions. I join colleagues, including Senator Terry Brennan yesterday, in commending the efforts of Mr. Kieran Mulvey, chief executive officer of the Labour Relations Commission, who is chairing the talks and the commitment shown both by union leaders and the Government side to find a solution. I hope they will achieve the outcome that is so greatly needed.

At yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht members heard that a number of local authorities, including two of the largest in the country, Dublin City Council and Cork County Council, were not using their full budget for Traveller accommodation. Criticisms in this regard were stoutly rebutted by the managers of these two local authorities, but the representatives of the Traveller community made a strong impact at the meeting as they called for an independent authority to deal with Traveller accommodation. There has, undoubtedly, been a great deal of discrimination against Travellers for many years. On the other hand, there has also been a great deal of anti-social behaviour by certain members of the Traveller community. It would be helpful if all of these issues could be addressed within the remit of a new agency. Will the Leader arrange for the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to brief the House on how she intends to ensure local authorities utilise their full allocation for Traveller accommodation in the future? I am interested to learn whether she is in favour of the establishment of an independent authority as requested by Traveller representatives.

The Government undertook to have completed a local election constituency review by the end of May. Half way through the month, my information is that the electoral commission has signed off on the review in the past two weeks and that it may already be at the printers. Unfortunately, the leaking of information has become almost de rigueur for the Government. The document should be published without delay. I am sure Deputies would not be satisfied to wait just one year before the next general election to discover the precise make-up of the Dáil constituency in which they intend to stand. It is very unfair to expect councillors and prospective councillors to put an organisation together and plan a campaign when they still do not know in which constituency they will be contesting in approximately 12 months time.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I join colleagues in voicing my concern regarding the jailing of individuals for their failure to pay the television licence fee. The reality is that significant numbers of people cannot afford to do so and imprisonment is certainly not the answer in these cases. Senator John Kelly suggested an amendment to the Fines Act, which seems a logical proposal. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, to the House to address this issue as part of a broader debate on prison sentencing? This is a country in which people are being sent to prison for not paying their television licence fee, while, on the other hand, bankers and the like who destroyed the economy and the country are walking the streets without any obvious sign of a change in their lifestyle. I read recently about an interesting initiative in France, whereby a tax of between 1% to 4% had been imposed on smartphones and tablet devices, a small amount relative to their cost. The fund will be specifically used to finance a broad range of arts initiatives. A tax on text messages has been suggested here, which is something I would welcome. Moneys raised by such a levy could be very usefully diverted to such areas as suicide prevention and alcohol abuse awareness measures. It is a novel idea from which we could learn a great deal. I hope we can debate it with the Minister in due course.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I share Senator Ivana Bacik's desire to have a debate on the oil and energy industry in this country. A good start would be to do what was done in the Dáil yesterday, namely, to have a debate on the committee's report. I am surprised that the Dáil took the initiative in this regard ahead of the Seanad. In fact, with others, I have called on several occasions for a debate of this type. The Dáil upstaged us in this instance because this is the type of debate in which we have always been to the forefront. Senator Ivana Bacik may not be aware that the Minister was interviewed on "Morning Ireland" this morning and he impression he gave was that he did not intend to take up many of the specific recommendations made in the report, including the proposal for an increase in taxation. While he made a very cogent argument in that regard, I am not sure I welcome everything he said in terms of the rationale for discarding several of the recommendations made in the report.

Will the Leader consider inviting the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, to the House once again? He is a regular visitor - one of the few Ministers, in fact, to make himself available to us on a consistent basis - and usually very lucid and comprehensive in his exchanges with Members. A report in recent days shows that farm incomes have dropped yet again, which is out of line with the perception that the farming community is doing very well relative to previous years. There has been an astonishing reduction of €5,000 in average income, bringing pay back to 2010 levels. This worrying decline must be viewed in the context of the continuing severe weather conditions. Will the Leader convey to the Minister the ongoing concerns of the farming sector about the fodder crisis? It is not over by any stretch of the imagination. Notwithstanding the few days of growth a fortnight or so ago, the weather in the past week has destroyed any improvement that was beginning to be seen. We must maintain pressure on the Government in this regard. I welcome the Minister's initiative in extending the subvention he has given for an additional two weeks. He must, however, continue to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis. I appreciate that he has a heavy workload, including the negotiations on the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy taking place during Ireland's Presidency. We must not, however, forget that there are people experiencing great hardship in the farming community in this country.

Terry Brennan (Fine Gael)
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Regarding the suggestion made by Senator Feargal Quinn on the introduction of low-energy lamps, I am pleased to report that my own county of Louth introduced the use of lamps with low carbon emissions some 12 or 13 years ago. As I travelled to Dublin from Carlingford yesterday morning, via Dundalk and Drogheda, I passed thousands of traffic route lighting installations along the motorway, all of which seemed to be on for one hour longer than necessary. If one can travel with side lights at that time of the morning, there is surely no need for the lighting to be on. Will the Leader arrange a debate on energy costs for local authorities and how savings might be made and carbon emissions reduced? There is certainly scope to reduce the megawatts of lighting on roads at least for certain periods of the night. Senator Feargal Quinn mentioned a nine year payback period in terms of savings. Without knowing the exact projections in this regard, I undertook an exercise to see what savings might be achieved.

My own local authority, Louth County Council, would save €500,000 on its lighting bill alone, and there would be a significant saving for all local authorities throughout the country. I call for an urgent debate to review the cost of the lighting system and assess whether we are being charged too much at off-peak hours. Importantly, this would also mean we would be playing our part in reducing carbon emissions throughout the country.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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I join with other speakers who yesterday paid tribute to that wonderful teenager, Donal Walsh, who unfortunately died over the weekend. In particular, his appearance on "The Late Late Show" was a great inspiration to many people. His work in regard to suicide displayed tremendous courage, faith and hope from somebody who realised he was terminally ill. It is very difficult and nobody knows how they would react if they were in that situation. It must be very easy to focus inward because of one's own personal predicament. The fact he had such commitment to the common good, which superseded his own predicament, is a tremendous tribute to himself and his family. I know others have expressed their admiration and their sympathy with his family, as I would wish to do.

One of the initiatives which the Leader undertook in this Seanad was the introduction of public consultation. A report was issued in recent days which surveyed the unemployment situation in each county. I am minded to raise this because youth unemployment in my county of Wexford is at an appalling level of 47%, which is terrible for those caught in that situation. I ask the Leader to look at innovative ways, perhaps through public consultation, where we could engage with all interested parties and come forward with some measure that would really address this issue. While the Government is making efforts and the previous Government took initiatives, this is not as effective as it needs to be, given the major issue unemployment has become. Socially and in every other way, including in regard to health, it is having grave implications for society, particularly for those caught up in it. If we did nothing but focus on that issue, we would be serving the State well.

Finally-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Tá an t-ám istigh.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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We all received an invitation from Deputy Timmins within the past few days to attend the AV room this afternoon at 4.15 p.m. to hear Women Hurt, who are a group of women who have had abortions and who have shared their stories. They came to our parliamentary party and I think it would be fair to say that, of the 11 people who attended, all were struck by their stories. I have gone to the National Women's Council of Ireland, which takes the other side of this coin on the pro-abortion side, because I believe it is up to us all to inform ourselves-----

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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They are pro-choice.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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I would appeal to everybody here, regardless of where they stand on the issue, to go this afternoon and listen to these women, as part of the informing of our conscience in regard to how we deal with this issue.

Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael)
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When I was a wee fellow and I had a sick stomach, my mother used to give me milk of magnesia. I believe Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill has milk of amnesia in his system. We know it was the then Minister, Ray Burke, who dealt with many of the mining licences that are in place at present.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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We are talking about the report where he is praising what happened to the Louth hospital. He has campaigned against it for years and years, and, now, it is the greatest thing that ever happened.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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If Senator D'Arcy looked at the pre-election promises of the Fine Gael Party, that is where the amnesia comes in.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator D'Arcy, without interruption. I ask the Senator not to draw fire on himself.

Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael)
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The loudness of the interruption signifies the weakness of the argument. Tomorrow, the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement will meet with business leaders from both sides of the Border to consider the best way to advance the Narrow Water bridge. While EU funding for the bridge has been secured, final approval has not yet been given. Tomorrow, Warrenpoint and Dundalk chambers of commerce will outline the tourism and business potential of the project for their respective areas and jointly for both areas.

I am very proud to be a member of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and proud of its work. In the context of North-South relations and work on that, last night I attended and took part in a debate in Crossmaglen on a Border poll. While it is the Government position that this is premature, it was a very good debate. We are a bit concerned that 23% of Sinn Féin voters in a recent "Spotlight" poll said they would prefer to remain part of the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, it was a good debate. The way forward is through the working of the institutions-----

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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Sinn Féin has a lot of English members.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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Financial republicans.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I ask Senator D'Arcy to conclude as he is over time.

Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael)
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To conclude, the way forward is to work the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, including the North-South body. We had a great debate at Stormont last week on the issue of suicide, which Senator Conway raised. Finally, could I say-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator's time is up.

Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael)
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On my way home last night, I stopped in Sexton's of Haggardstown and we had our own Border poll. It was almost unanimous, but it was very late.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Last but not least, I call the father of the House, almost, Senator Paul Coghlan. We have left the best wine until last.

David Norris (Independent)
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It is a wise man who knows his own father.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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Like Senator Walsh, I would like to be associated with the warm words of tribute by Senator Eamonn Coghlan and many others in the House yesterday to that brave young man, Donal Walsh, of Blennerville, Tralee, who passed away on Sunday following his long battle with illness. He inspired a nation with his plea to suicidal youngsters to seek help and celebrate life rather than plan their own destruction.

Like Senator Ned O'Sullivan, we salute that tireless State servant, Mr. Kieran Mulvey, for his painstaking work with all of the unions. What he is doing through negotiation to get everyone on side is very much in the national interest and in all our interest. We have had some success there and I wish the continuing talks well.

As has also been said, following the Minister, Deputy Coveney's 36 hours of negotiation in Europe, the new Common Fisheries Policy now goes forward to the European Parliament. It includes the new discards regime which, please God, will meet with universal approval.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I call the Leader to respond.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Senator Thomas Byrne, the leader of the Opposition, called for a debate on the hospital groupings and the report which was published yesterday. This theme has been echoed by quite a number of Members in the House this morning. No later than last night, I asked the Minister for Health to come into the House to debate this issue. While I have not got a date from him yet, he has indicated he is agreeable and, in early course, he will be coming into both Houses to debate the reports that were published yesterday.

Senator Byrne, as well as Senators Kelly and Mullins, called for a debate on the price of fuel and its impact on businesses in particular. I will certainly ask the Minister to come in for a debate on that issue.

Senator Bacik and other Senators referred to the review of oil and gas production and the benefits which can accrue to the State. Senator Mooney quite rightly asked me why a debate on the joint committee's report could not take place in this House and said it would have been normal that this House would have dealt with these matters. I wish to inform him that we debated the report in question, which was debated in the Dáil yesterday, on 27 June 2012 and he took part in that debate.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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It was an error on my part.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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We are a year ahead in debating the joint Oireachtas committee's report on offshore resources.

Senator Bacik welcomed the expansion of the dublinbikes scheme, which Senator Noone welcomed yesterday and which is of tremendous benefit to everybody. Senators Quinn, Kelly, Conway and Noone spoke about people being jailed for not paying their television licence fees. A Fines Bill was before the House in 2010 but it only dealt with community service orders and money being taken in instalments from people. I understand the heads of an amendment Bill, which will provide that fines can be deducted from people's earnings from whatever source, were approved by the Government in 2012 and that the Bill will be published before the summer recess. We will see some movement in that regard. I share the Senators' concerns about people being jailed for not paying their television licence fees while others who caused many of the problems in which we find ourselves are still free and living lavish lifestyles.

I note Senator Quinn's point on low energy street lamps and the situation in Scotland. It is an issue Senator Brennan raised more than a year ago. There is a need for a debate on that issue because significant savings can be derived for local authorities. We should examine the savings and benefits by reducing carbon emissions also. We can arrange a debate on that.

Senator Comiskey, Senator Ó Domhnaill and others welcomed the work of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, in regard to the negotiations on discards which took place last evening. It is an issue which has been debated in this House on several occasions and I am sure we all welcome the wonderful work the Minister has done in this regard which will be of benefit to our fishermen.

Senator Cullinan welcomed Professor Higgins's report. I am glad he welcomed the fact services in his local hospital, Waterford Regional Hospital, will be retained and enhanced. However, that is a matter for another day when we debate the report. Senator Harte referred to VAT charges for insolvency services in the UK and queried whether we should have a similar situation here. He also sought clarification on issues in regard to the local property tax which I will try to get for him.

Senator MacSharry referred to the hospital groupings. On the Order of Business yesterday, he asked that I contact the Standards in Public Office Commission in regard to a complaint he made. The following is the reply I received from the Standards in Public Office Commission:

The Standards Commission has a number of functions, one of which is to supervise the Electoral Act 1997, as amended. In this regard, it wrote to various Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas in early March, whom it was alleged were in receipt of donations for political purposes and had travelled to the US upon receipt of those donations. The letter reminded those Members of their obligations in relation to the maximum donation permitted under the Electoral Act 1997, as amended. Reminders issued on 24 April 2013. The names of those Members were mentioned in various media articles in the last few weeks. The Standards Commission also wrote to the Committees on Members' Interests of Dáil and Seanad Éireann on 12 March 2013 to ensure awareness of the new disclosure thresholds and donation limits that came into effect on 01 January 2013.

On Monday 13 May 2013, a member of staff of the Secretariat of the Standards in Public Office Commission, Ms Jacqueline Moore, spoke to Mr Juno McEnroe of the Irish Examiner and in response to various questions in relation to this matter about to whom the Standards Commission had written and from whom replies had been received, information was provided indicating from whom no replies had been received and a general indication as to the responses from those from whom replies had been received. The Standards Commission receives many calls from the media and is always happy to provide answers, albeit on the proviso that the information is not confidential, and does not come within the prohibition on release of information provisions in section 35 of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995.

The Standards Commission rejects the allegation made by the Senator.

Senator Clune expressed concerns about Pfizer and the fact 130 jobs are under threat there. We all hope the job losses will be minimised and that replacement jobs will be found for those who will lose their jobs.

In response to Senator Norris, there are two Bills on the Order Paper today. We will debate and examine legislation thoroughly as we get it. In regard to a debate on human rights violations, I will ask the relevant Minister to come to the House as it is quite some time since we had a debate on human rights issues.

Senator Landy referred to voluntary housing groups. There was a requirement that these groups would register voluntarily but given that so few have responded, there may be a need to put this on a statutory basis. It is an issue we can raise with the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, who will be in the House shortly.

Senator Leyden referred to the hospital groupings, which we will debate. Services in Roscommon hospital have been enhanced over the past 12 months. There are safer services and more procedures-----

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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A colleague of the Leader resigned from his party over the hospital.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Safer services and more procedures-----

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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The Leader cannot say there are enhanced services.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Leader, without interruption

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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-----have taken place in a safer environment.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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On a point of order-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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It is not a point of order.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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There is also the issue of transplants and dialysis, which should be discussed in the House.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh called for a debate on the Green Paper on climate and energy policies. The heads of the Climate Change Bill are being debated by the relevant Oireachtas joint committee at present.

Yesterday I read out a statement on legislation and at no stage did I say that the Office of the Attorney General was under-resourced. I did not say that. I said that the extensive amount of legislation has naturally had a knock-on effect on the work of the draftspeople in that office. As Senator Ó Clochartaigh will be aware, the previous Government introduced an embargo on recruitment to the public service in 2008. I have no doubt that the parliamentary draftspeople are working at full capacity. They do an excellent job in preparing legislation to be brought before the House. We all would agree that rushed legislation is bad legislation. I shall continue to schedule Bills when they are ready and shall allocate as much time as is necessary to debate them in the House.

Senator Kelly mentioned the cost of diesel and fuels. The issue has been raised by several Senator. I shall try to arrange a debate on the matter, plus one on the attachment of earnings which I addressed previously.

Senator Barrett called for a debate on the McCarthy report on health insurance that was issued yesterday. There are quite a number of reports that require examination by the House. The Senator called on the Minister for Health to redouble his efforts to introduce universal health insurance. I also noted his comments on the undermining of Parliament and the need for reform in that regard.

Senator Conway stated that over 40,000 people participated in the Darkness into Light walk organised to raise funds for Pieta House. I will organise a further debate on mental health soon. As he knows, we have already had quite a number of debates on the issues of mental health and suicide and the conversation shall continue in the House.

Senator Ó Domhnaill welcomed Minister Coveney's work on fish discards. The Senator asked a question on hospital groupings in the Higgins report. I suggest that he examines the sharing of resources and cross-Border linkages envisaged in the report. We will debate the report at a later stage.

Senator O'Sullivan, as Senator Brennan did yesterday and Senator Paul Coghlan did today, welcomed the work done by the Labour Relations Commission and commended all of the parties involved in trying to reach an agreement on Croke Park II.

The Senator also requested a briefing on Traveller accommodation and I shall endeavour to arrange same. He also mentioned the review of the local authority boundaries. I think I stated some months ago that it would be published at the end of the May. I have been told that it will be published on 30 May so the information that I relayed to the Senator was not too far out.

Senator Noone called for a wider debate on sentencing and she also drew our attention to the tax on smartphones and tablets in France that is used to fund arts projects. The Minister for Finance always welcomes information on new taxes that he can introduce to help projects.

Senator Mooney mentioned the drop in farm incomes and the difficulties faced by the farming community. I agree with him that we should be updated on the crisis. As he stated, the Minister has come into the House on numerous occasions and I have no doubt the Minister will continue to do so.

Senators Walsh and Paul Coghlan mentioned the late Donal Walsh. We paid tribute to him during yesterday's Order of Business.

Senator Walsh called for a debate on youth unemployment. We have had a number of debates on the matter. We arranged for the European expert Professor Christopher Pissarides to attend a debate here on the matter. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, and his Minister of State, Deputy Perry, have also attend here on an ongoing basis. I agree with the Senator that youth unemployment is a very serious problem and the Ministers will continue to attend here to update us on the issue.

Senator D'Arcy mentioned that the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement will be attended by the Warrenpoint and Dundalk chambers of commerce tomorrow to outline the benefits of the Narrow Water bridge. Senators D'Arcy, Brennan and Moran have raised the issue on numerous occasions. I hope that a solution will be reached and that the building of the bridge will commence.

Finally, Senator Paul Coghlan saluted the ongoing work being done by the Labour Relations Commission to resolve the many problems related to industrial disputes.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Thomas Byrne tabled an amendment to the Order of Business, "That a debate be held on the small hospital framework and the proposed hospital groups". Is the amendment being pressed?

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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In light of what the Leader said about his discussions with the Minister for Health, I will not press my amendment. I hope that the Leader will provide an update tomorrow morning. I seek a specific date, as early as possible, regarding the matter.

It is worth repeating what the Leader said about the Sinn Féin party welcoming the report because it will be news to many people around the country. I am sure that it was welcome news for the Government.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator shall not re-open that debate. The amendment is not being pressed today.