Seanad E´Ireann

Vol. 181 Wednesday, No. 6 12 October 2005 DI´OSPO´ IREACHTAI´ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SEANAD E´ IREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIU´ IL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Wednesday, 12 October 2005. Business of Seanad ………………………………413 Order of Business …………………………………414 Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Motion …………………………………428 Committee Stage ………………………………428 National Sporting Facilities: Motion …………………………522 Visit of Croation Delegation ……………………………556 National Sporting Facilities: Motion (resumed)………………………556 Adjournment Matters: Tallaght Childhood Development Initiative ………………………561 Nursing Qualifications ……………………………566 Pupil-Teacher Ratio ………………………………569 413 414 SEANAD E´ IREANN The need for the Minister for Health and Children to indicate the steps that are being ———— undertaken to honour her commitment in July 2005 to provide additional capital funding to St. De´ Ce´adaoin, 12 Deireadh Fo´mhair 2005. Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny. Wednesday, 12 October 2005. I regard the matters raised by Senators Brian ———— Hayes, Henry, Morrissey, Bannon and Browne as suitable for discussion on the Adjournment. I Chuaigh an Cathaoirleach i gceannas ar have selected those raised by Senators Brian 10.30 a.m. Hayes, Henry and Morrissey and they will be taken at the conclusion of business. Senators ———— Bannon and Browne may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise. Paidir. Prayer Order of Business. ———— Ms O’Rourke: The Order of Business is No. 1, a procedural motion to discharge the order which Business of Seanad. was originally made for tomorrow to allow Com- mittee Stage of the Employees (Provision of An Cathaoirleach: I have received notice from Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 be taken Senator Brian Hayes that, on the motion for the today on the conclusion of the Order of Business Adjournment of the House today, he proposes to until 5 p.m.; No. 2, Employees (Provision of raise the following matter: Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 — Com- The need for the Minister for Health and mittee Stage, to be taken on the conclusion of the Children to respond positively to the Child- Order of Business until 5 p.m.; and No.17, motion hood Development initiative, a community- No. 27, to be taken from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. There based project to develop an integrated child will be a sos from 1.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. care programme in the west Tallaght area of Dublin 24, and to outline the action the Mr. B. Hayes: Yesterday, a number of Government intends taking to facilitate this Members raised the issue of age discrimination in initiative on the ground. the House. I can give the Leader an example of how our legislation contains concrete and inex- I have also received notice from Senator Henry plicable age discrimination. Recently, I dis- of the following matter: covered that people over the age of 70 are ineli- The need for the Minister for Health and gible to serve on a jury. This matter relates to the Children to outline the information which has Juries Act 1976. It seems crazy that people over come to hand in recent days on negotiations 70 are completely ineligible to serve on a jury. which are taking place in third level institutions This legislation must be amended quickly. Such regarding direct entry into midwifery nursing. people are wise, probably have time on their I have also received notice from Senator hands and have acquired great judgment from Morrissey of the following matter: their years of experience. Why are they disbarred from serving on a jury? It is acceptable for a per- The need for the Minister for Education and son to go into a jury box and be challenged by Science to give an update on progress to reduce either the prosecution or the defence. However, the pupil-teacher ratio in our schools; partic- making someone ineligible on the basis of age ularly in rapidly developing towns such as appears to be quite a ridiculous notion. I ask the Swords in north Dublin, where the population Leader to request the Minister for Justice, has recently risen by 22%. Equality and Law Reform to introduce a short I have also received notice from Senator Bannon amendment to the Juries Act 1976 enabling of the following matter: people over 70 years of age to serve on juries. It should be introduced in this House, as the matter The need for the Minister for Arts, Sport and has been raised here. If he will not introduce an Tourism to clarify the position regarding fund- amendment, I will. We must root out this kind of ing of genealogical projects by the Irish Genea- age discrimination which exists in our legislative logical Project, IGP, as funding of projects code. other than its own seems not to be within the remit of the IGP, precluding all other projects Mr. O’Toole: Before the summer recess, the and effecting a situation that is adverse to the House discussed the developments in Marino advancement of Irish genealogy as a whole. College at some length. I have become aware of I have also received notice from Senator Browne some disquieting developments in the college of the following matter: over the past month. They entered the public 415 Order of 12 October 2005. Business 416 [Mr. O’Toole.] cerned that a mess may be compounded by a domain today so I thought I should raise the further mess of centralisation. issue. Put simply, the authorities in the Depart- The myth the Department of Finance likes to ment of Education and Science entered dis- promote is that it has expertise on every matter cussions with the authorities in Marino College. in order for it to micro-manage the way schools They came to a certain level of agreement as to are built in Castletownbere and bridges are built how business should be conducted in the college elsewhere. It cannot have this expertise. All the and how it should be run in the future. This was Department will do is introduce another layer of an accepted and agreed position and on that decision-making, which will slow everything basis, a member of staff agreed to accept the posi- down. What Ireland needs, and what we must dis- tion as interim college president. However, when cuss, is obliging those who are paid well to man- it came to establishing that individual’s contract, age our public services to do so. This means all the demands and conditions which had been people taking decisions, assuming responsibility set down by the Department of Education and and being publicly accountable for those Science were reversed to such an extent that the decisions. If we do not do so, the habit of saying person rejected the offer. Two senior members of that the Minister will decide will lead to disaster. staff have also resigned on the same basis. Will the Leader arrange a debate on Ireland’s I do not want to open the discussion here but rating in the World Economic Forum’s competi- rather wish to give Members a flavour of my con- tive countries list? If we allow IBEC to decide cerns. It would be appropriate for the Minister how to discuss competitiveness, we will be here for Education and Science to address the House for a week listening to its woes. We should discuss and bring it, as much as possible, up to date. She an international forum’s adjudication on the now has information she did not previously pos- matter because it places eight small European sess. An investigation was held and many countries ahead of us, which is cause for concern. attempts have been made to get this working cor- With a sole exception, none of those eight has rectly but there are still difficulties. Public money lower taxation levels than Ireland and they all and students’ careers are involved and we must have better environmental standards. The usual know where we are going on the issue. excuses about regulations or costs are not the I asked whether we could debate another issue. Rather, competitiveness is fundamental in matter, namely, where Ireland stands on environ- this regard and I would welcome a debate. mental issues, the Kyoto Agreement, etc. Much of the discussion focuses on the area of oil, the Dr. Mansergh: In response to Senator Ryan, costs to our economy and what we are doing there are many such tables. The Economist wrong. We must take a positive view in respect recently placed us as the top country for stan- of this matter. I would welcome a debate with the dards of living and quality of life. Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on his views concerning wind Mr. B. Hayes: Its staff do not have to live here. energy, solar energy, wave energy and geother- mal heating. I particularly wish to know how An Cathaoirleach: Senator Mansergh will these can be made attractive to ordinary house- speak on the Order of Business. holders. Grants were available to householders not too long ago, perhaps sometime during the Dr. Mansergh: I will move on. There are morn- past 25 years, for making certain improvements ings when there is not much to be said for edi- to their houses. We could meet many of our torial writers. I am sick and tired of media organs Kyoto targets were every house in Ireland to have that present themselves as champions of democ- a 1 kilowatt wind generator, be properly insulated racy against threats from republican subversion and have some element of solar power. How can and so on—— we make this attractive and give support? Taking a proactive approach to this issue rather than Mr.

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