Vol. 233 Tuesday, No. 1 8 July 2014 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SEANAD ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Insert Date Here 08/07/2014A00100Business of Seanad 1 08/07/2014B00100Order of Business 2 08/07/2014B00600Visit of British Ambassador 4 08/07/2014B00800Order of Business (Resumed) 4 08/07/2014M00100Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage ������������������������������������������������������������������������24 08/07/2014U02100Business of Seanad 48 08/07/2014V00300Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage 48 08/07/2014GG00100Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages 71 08/07/2014HH00100Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) 72 08/07/2014OO00800Adjournment Matters ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������86 08/07/2014OO00900Special Educational Needs Service Provision 86 08/07/2014PP00350School Accommodation 88 08/07/2014QQ00650Wind Energy Guidelines 90 08/07/2014RR00350Overseas Development Aid Provision 93 Dé Máirt, 08 Iúil 2014 Tuesday, 08 July 2014 Chuaigh an Cathaoirleach i gceannas ar 1230 pm Machnamh agus Paidir. Reflection and Prayer. 08/07/2014A00100Business of Seanad 08/07/2014A00200An Cathaoirleach: I have received notice from Senator Marie Moloney that, on the motion for the Adjournment of the House today, she proposes to raise the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health to outline whether or not he has any proposals to extend the BreastCheck service to women between 65 and 69 years of age I have also received notice from Senator Mary Moran of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health to advise of a suitable placement for a school leaver, details supplied, with an intellectual disability and who will require placement from Sep- tember I have also received notice from Senator Denis Landy of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a comprehen- sive update on the current situation pertaining to the control of ash dieback and on ash stock level projections in the short, medium and long term I have also received notice from Senator Martin Conway of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Justice and Equality to consider a nationwide expansion of the small areas policing programme currently operated by An Garda Síochána in Dublin I have also received notice from Senator Fidelma Healy Eames of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to include Rwanda in Irish Aid’s programme for support in view of its critical stage of development and by way of marking the 20th anniversary this week of the ending of the genocide I have also received notice from Senator Cáit Keane of the following matter: 1 Seanad Éireann The need for the Minister for Education and Skills to discuss the requirement for a per- manent school building for staff and pupils of Gaelscoil na Giúise in Firhouse, Dublin 24, who are currently operating out of Tymon Bawn Community Centre, which is not suitable for this purpose in view of its overcrowded and inadequate facilities which are shared with other organisations I have also received notice from Senator Thomas Byrne of the following matter: The need for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to clarify the planning criteria which currently apply and will apply to applications for plan- ning permission, whether under the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006, for windfarms and whether guidelines expected to be published soon will apply to planning applications already submitted before their publication I have also received notice from Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh of the following matter: Go dtabharfaidh an tAire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta le fios céard atá bearta- ithe ag a Roinn maidir leis na h-aerstráicí ar an gCloigeann agus Inis Bó Finne i gContae na Gaillimhe I have also received notice from Senator Michael Comiskey of the following matter: The need for the Minister of State with responsibility for public and commuter transport to confirm how many staff currently employed by the rural transport programme will have their positions made redundant due to the restructuring of the programme into the 18 trans- port coordination units and to confirm what redundancy package is being offered to those staff members whose positions are being made redundant I regard the matters raised by Senators Moran, Keane, Byrne and Healy Eames as suitable for discussion on the Adjournment and they will be taken at the conclusion of business Senators Landy, Conway, Moloney and Ó Clochartaigh may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise I regret I have had to rule out of order the matter raised by Sena- tor Comiskey as the Minister has no official responsibility in the matter. 08/07/2014B00100Order of Business 08/07/2014B00200Senator Maurice Cummins: I would like to get the week off to a good start by extending good wishes to the Leader of the Opposition, Senator Darragh O’Brien, on the occasion of his 40th birthday today 08/07/2014B00300Senator Terry Leyden: He does not look a day over 39 08/07/2014B00400Senator Maurice Cummins: The Order of Business is No 1, Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 145 pm, to adjourn no later than 345 pm and to be resumed for two hours on the conclusion of No 3; No 2, Competition and Con- sumer Protection Bill 2014 - Second Stage, to be taken at 345 pm and to conclude no later than 545 pm, with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be called upon to reply to the debate not later than 535 pm; and No 3, Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) 2 8 July 2014 Bill 2013 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 6 pm 08/07/2014B00500Senator Darragh O’Brien: I thank the Leader for his good wishes I was trying to keep my birthday under the radar, but that is not possible in this era of social media I am sure my folks got the date wrong on my birth certificate. I would like to formally call for the immediate suspension of the review of the travel pass As Members will be aware, in recent years the Department of Social Protection has abolished the telephone allowance, slashed the household benefits package, cut the fuel allowance season by six weeks, abolished the bereavement grant and taken 30% off the respite care grant All of those measures have affected the most needy people in this country The review of the travel pass is causing a great deal of concern All Senators will have received correspondence from people in their own areas and from Age Action Ireland and other groups that are greatly con- cerned about the purpose of this review I am calling on the Government to suspend the review until it is clarified properly. It is causing a great deal of concern. The Government has a track record of holding reviews, such as the review of probity with regard to medical cards, that cause great concern and distress across the country This review has the potential to do likewise The sensible thing to do in the last couple of weeks of this session would be to halt the review, publish it and make it public If the aim of the review is to reduce fraud and the misuse of travel passes, that is fine. I do not think anyone would have a difficulty with that. Many people, particularly those who are coming into the realms of be- ing eligible for these travel passes, are concerned that the Government is planning to change the goalposts for new entrants to this scheme I do not think anyone of us would want that It would be sensible to suspend the review If the Government and the Department of Social Pro- tection are looking at this matter purely on the basis of fraud and misuse, we can discuss those aspects of the matter The new travel passes that are being issued are much more effective when it comes to reducing the level of fraud According to a study that was carried out by Age Action Ireland, approximately 70% of those over the age of 65 use their travel passes once a week and 30% of them use their travel passes every day. I find it difficult to trust the Government’s contention that there is nothing to be seen here as this is merely a review, particularly in light of the track record of the Minister, Deputy Burton, in the Department of Social Protection I have recently heard members of the Labour Party calling for the reinstatement of the respite care grant and other things We all wanted those things to be retained The Senators on the other side of the House voted for all the changes I have mentioned - the abolition of the bereavement grant and the telephone allowance and the reduction of six weeks in the