Vol. 204 Thursday, No. 3 8 July 2010 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SEANAD ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Thursday, 8 July 2010. Business of Seanad ………………………………273 Order of Business …………………………………273 Human Rights Issues: Motions ……………………………288 Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (resumed) 289 Business of Seanad ………………………………347 Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (resumed)……………………………349 Report Stage …………………………………351 Business of Seanad ………………………………371 Banking Reports: Referral to Joint Committee ………………………372 Business of Seanad ………………………………372 Commission of Investigation (Banking Sector) Order 2010: Motion ………………372 Adjournment Matters: Economic Competitiveness ……………………………382 Cross-Border Projects ……………………………385 Health Services ………………………………388 SEANAD ÉIREANN ———— Déardaoin, 8 Iúil 2010. Thursday, 8 July 2010. ———— Chuaigh an Cathaoirleach i gceannas ar 10.30 a.m. ———— Paidir. Prayer. ———— Business of Seanad An Leas-Chathaoirleach: I have notice from Senator Pearse Doherty that, on the motion for the Adjournment of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter: The need for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation to bring forward legislation to compel all companies awarded State contracts to comply with registered employment agreement rates and pension schemes. I have also received notice from Senator Cecilia Keaveney of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make a statement on whether he will encourage and support RTE to carry the advertising campaign to promote peace and recon- ciliation funded by the IFI and others and currently playing on UTV, given its value to the mutual understanding of the peoples on the island. I have also received notice from Senator Jerry Buttimer of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health and Children to make a statement on the establish- ment of an advisory board on the reconfiguration of acute hospital services in the HSE south region and to outline the reason there is no public representative or patient advocate on the board. I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion on the Adjournment and they will be taken at the conclusion of business. Order of Business Senator Donie Cassidy: The Order of Business is No. 1, Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009 — Committee Stage (resumed) and Remaining Stages, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business and to adjourn not later than 5.30 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 2, motion re referral to the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service, to be taken without debate at the conclusion of No. 1; and No. 3, motion re banking, to be taken at the conclusion of No. 2 and to conclude not later than 6.30 p.m. if not previously concluded, with spokespersons having five minutes to speak and on which Senators may share time by agreement of the House. There will be a sos from 2 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. 273 Order of 8 July 2010. Business Senator Frances Fitzgerald: In recent times the reputation of politics has taken a considerable hit. People have lost faith in politics and trust in Government. When politicians’ words are not met with actions people, lose faith even further. We saw the latest example of this yesterday when the Taoiseach said there had not been cuts to front-line disability services. Some time later, hundreds of people marched outside Leinster House and many of us went out to speak to them, the parents and carers of the intellectually disabled and people with special needs. They attested to the truth of the situation, that their loved ones and they, as families, were experiencing cutbacks in front-line services in respite care and the support services to which they have become accustomed. Surely the Taoiseach is not saying the families are making up these stories. This is the direct experience of these families and individuals. I spoke to the families yesterday, as did many other Senators. Anyone watching the television reports, reading today’s newspapers or meeting the families yesterday would have to be ashamed at the level of cutbacks these families and individuals are experiencing. I spoke to a woman, Fiona, who told me about her 48 year old sister who has an intellectual disability. Maeve cannot live at home and her mental capacity is that of a three year old. She has no speech but has learned to communicate with her family so they can understand her. They describe her as a generally happy person, sociable, affectionate and joyful. I spoke to her mother and her sister who were distraught about the current experience in the care facility where this woman lives. They spoke about the fact that drugs are being used once again as an alternative to therapies. Sedatives are being used instead of alternatives because of the cutbacks to staff and the need to manage the facility. They said it was going back to the Dark Ages, a complete reversal of the kind of care for their loved one they had experienced in recent years. The Taoiseach may say there are no cutbacks but I have evidence of a facility in Dublin where 120 families will soon have little or no respite service, 80 children aged up to six years will be without occupational therapy, physiotherapy services will be curtailed, a day centre will close and the facility’s swimming pool has been closed already. Two children at the facility have no school place for the coming year and many programmes aimed at developing communi- cations and social skills will be severely curtailed. I refer to the point Senator O’Malley made yesterday about administration of the disability sector and the need for the sector to be more efficient. If there have been failings in the area, of which we still need to see evidence, I put it to Government that because it provided the funding, it has the responsibility to see that funding is used efficiently. Senator A: Hear, hear. Senator Frances Fitzgerald: We already know the amount of waste there has been. This matter is a Government responsibility. It is not an excuse for cutbacks to front line services. I repeat my request of yesterday for the Minister with responsibility for this area to address the Seanad before we finish our work for this term, for him to come into this House and talk about the facts and not the theory he talks about in implementing A Vision for Change. The reality is that 700 staff have been cut from front line mental health services in the past year. That is not implementing A Vision for Change. I would like the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, to come in here and give us facts about what is happening in the disability sector before the end of the term. Senator Joe O’Toole: I could not disagree with one word Senator Frances Fitzgerald said. In fairness, I presume the same would be the view of Members on the other side of the House, but this is a time when action needs to be taken. I want to put my own credibility on the line here. I have stood here and supported Government policy on the harsh economic measures in terms of the support to the banks, the NAMA model etc. I have argued for it and supported 274 Order of 8 July 2010. Business it. The Government came to a conclusion on this and I made the point at the time that I preferred it, say, to the Fine Gael point of view, though it also had merit at the time. Similarly when it came to the harshest of cuts, including cutbacks in pay in the public sector, the area that I often represent, I supported the Government in terms of the Croke Park deal and the need to do that. Responsible positions have been taken in this House in support of the Government’s economic measures. There also has been strong support by all parties on this side of the House for the Croke Park agreement and cuts in public sector pay and pensions etc. Everybody bought into it. I remind the Leader of that because I ask him to also remind his leadership that there is another leg to that stool. If we are to put money into the banks and to take money from public servants, and people in the private sector have also suffered a loss in income, we need to balance that by ensuring we represent the caring society which worries about the most vulner- able, which worries about those in need of support and about how we are seen to treat the marginalised and the excluded. This is an issue that we need to be seen to address and it was never more important than now. There is good news this week from the OECD and in terms of the Department of Finance revising its growth forecast from a minus percentage to a plus percentage. These are good things. We hope we will not have the jobless recovery about which some prophets of doom are talking. We need to be clear about this. There is a good deal of deliberately mischievous comment with people saying: “We have growth but where are the jobs?”. Every Member who has spent an iota of time examining economic issues recognises there is a lag between employ- ment creation and growth in the economy. We must ensure though that this happens. The point that has been raised on this side of the House on numerous times is that we do not see the Government policy which makes the link between those two things.