The Cedar Lounge Revolution

Meanwhile… back at the Seanad… July 15, 2011

Surprisingly muted was the Second Chamber last week. But that didn’t mean the issues of the day weren’t covered. From Roscommon Hospital, calls for a boycott of the News of the World, Sinn Féin was attacked over bondholders … rem… yes, well, scroll down to read that. Yep, it was all here.
Let’s start with an angry Senator:

Senator Feargal Quinn: The principal purpose of this House is to legislate. That is what we did last evening when we debated Committee State of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011. We had a very interesting discussion during the Second Stage debate on the Bill, particularly in the context of bankruptcy. We were in the middle of the discussion on Committee Stage when the Minister was cut off in mid-sentence. This occurred because the Leader proposed, and the House agreed, that a guillotine would apply. In the 18 years that I have been a Member of the House, there have been very few guillotines. In recent weeks, however, they have suddenly reappeared. Those who are imposing them are the very individuals who objected on the few occasions when guillotines were applied in the past.
If our purpose is to legislate, then a guillotine should not have been applied last evening. I am incensed because some of the amendments tabled by Senators Zappone and Barrett — who did a great deal of work in respect of them — were not even reached. As Senator Zappone outlined earlier, Members will only be allowed to speak once on each amendment on Report Stage. If there is a danger to the existence of the House in the future, then it has been brought about by the actions of the House itself. We must be careful to avoid creating further threats in that regard.
I am a mild-mannered man and I do not become cross very often. However, I did so last evening. When we cut short the debate on the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011 it was to take statements on food safety, something to which I was looking forward. However, the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, came before the House and read into the record a document some 23 pages long. Only three of those pages related to food safety. The remainder referred to greyhound racing, betting legislation, forestry and everything else. If the House is going to be treated in that way by a Minister or Minister of State who comes here to debate food safety, then I do not know what will happen.
I am aware that Senator Reilly had prepared a great deal of material in respect of food safety and I was extremely impressed with what Senator O’Keeffe had to say. Last night we were supposed to discuss food safety but instead the Minister of State read out a 23-page script, only three pages of which dealt with the topic in question. I raise this matter because I am of the view that there is a danger that the current Administration is going to bring the House into disrepute.

And he and others got an apology:

Senator Maurice Cummins:  Senators Zappone, Barrett and Mullen spoke about yesterday’s Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. I have endeavoured since becoming Leader to have some certainty with regard to the business of the House and to ensure particular times are laid out in the schedule of business for dealing with specific matters such as Second and Committee Stages of Bills. I will put my hand up with regard to the Bill taken yesterday. I thought two hours would be more than sufficient to deal with Committee Stage and when the first 17 or 18 technical amendments were agreed within 40 minutes, I believed the two hours would be more than sufficient. However, when I returned to the House after attending another meeting, it was just before the guillotine was applied. If I had been aware when we set out the business yesterday morning that the Bill would require more than two hours, I would have allowed more time for it. I take the blame for that. It will not happen again with legislation like that we had yesterday, especially Seanad Bills. The Minister has undertaken that we will extend and have an open-ended discussion on Report Stage of the Bill. The Minister will be here for practically the whole evening tomorrow when we will deal with both the Defence (Amendment) Bill and the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. He is prepared to stay here for a considerable time to deal with those matters and deal with the points that Members raise. I will certainly put my hand up and say that we should have amended the order for the Committee Stage debate. I was a minute late, and was not in a position to amend the time so that we could continue with the Committee Stage debate. I will endeavour not to allow it to happen again, especially when Members are interested in discussing the Bills. I realise that it takes time to prepare amendments that Members table for discussion on legislation. Senator Barrett raised the question of legal costs and this is a matter that can be raised on Report Stage of the Bill.

Now here’s the issue of the week:

Senator Terry Leyden:  I second the proposed amendment to the Order of Business put forward by Senator Walsh. On the issue of the capital budget for the HSE, will the Leader set time aside for debate on that? The Minister with responsibility for public expenditure and reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, said on 3 June, when he announced a €20 million expenditure for a new accident and emergency and maternity unit at Wexford General Hospital that the people of Wexford want, demand and will get the highest standard of health care. We can compare that to the situation where we spent over €10 million on a new accident and emergency unit for Roscommon just over nine years ago, but that unit will be closed from next Monday. There seems to be one law for those who support the Labour Party and another for everybody else. Unfortunately, Senator John Kelly was not elected to the Dáil. If he had been, I am sure the specific commitments given by the Tánaiste on Roscommon hospital would have been honoured. The Fine Gael Party is not honouring those commitments.
I suggest to those coming from Roscommon to Dublin today to protest outside the Dáil that they consider taking a High Court injunction against the Minister and the HSE to ensure that the services will continue after Monday, with a full review of the situation to follow.
Senator John Kelly:  Stop codding yourself.

Senator Deirdre Clune:  What about the health and safety issues?

Senator Terry Leyden:  This is the only way out of the situation. We must resort to the courts to get ——

An Cathaoirleach:  Has the Senator a question for the leader?

Senator Terry Leyden:  The reason I raise this question is to have the HSE situation ——

Senator David Cullinane:  And the situation in Nenagh and Ennis.

Senator Terry Leyden:  We will have no choice but to go to court to have the issue resolved.

Senator Michael Mullins:  Is Senator Leyden offering to fund it?

An Cathaoirleach:  Senator Leyden, without interruption.

Senator Terry Leyden:  The Fine Gael and Labour Party coalition has decided to close the accident and emergency department of Roscommon hospital from next Monday. What other resort have the people of Roscommon? They will protest today but what other action, other than resort to court, can they take when there is a majority of 60 in the Lower House and a majority in the Seanad? There is little democracy currently.

Rónán Mullen makes an interesting couple of points:

Senator Rónán Mullen:  There are two useful statistics we should note from the 2010 report of the Refugee Applications Commissioner. The first is that the number of applicants granted refugee status has fallen to 1.1%, which equates to 24 persons granted refugee status. The second notable statistic is that approximately €1.2 million has been paid out in legal costs arising from judicial reviews of decisions that were settled or lost by the State. Clearly, this points to a problem in our system of adjudication of applications for immigration and asylum. The Irish Refugee Council has proposed that we establish a model immigration and protection tribunal, which would guarantee proper second scrutiny of applications not just for refugee status but also for visas, residency, citizenship and so forth. It is also clear that we need a more robust first decision making stage if those statistics are the consequence. If so few people are being granted refugee status, it raises a significant issue of concern, as does the amount of money being paid out in legal costs. It would be useful to have the Minister for Justice and Equality address the House on his intentions in this area, particularly in the context of the forthcoming Bill. It appears that structural renewal is needed in the adjudication of immigration matters.

And this is a good question too…

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill: The social welfare budget represents over 40% of State funding this year. Currently, there are more than 33,000 appeals lodged with the social welfare appeals office, and many of these are taking between six and 12 months to determine. This is totally unacceptable. I am calling for an emergency debate on the operations of the social welfare appeals office. It is unacceptable that any member of the public would have to wait for up to a year for a genuine appeal to be heard. I have heard of a number of cases over the last 12 months in which applicants were refused supplementary welfare allowance while their cases were on appeal, yet when the appeal decision was made they were awarded social welfare entitlements.
There are problems, as I understand it, due to the moving of community welfare officers from the HSE to the Department of Social Protection. Less leniency is being shown by CWOs at a local level than when they were under the HSE. This is a serious issue that is affecting more than 33,000 of our citizens. I ask the Leader to convene a debate on the social welfare appeals office as quickly as possible.

The NOTW must have been worried when it heard the following… little wonder it shut at the weekend…

Senator Ivana Bacik:  I welcome the announcement that Jerzy Buzek, the President of the European Parliament, will address the Seanad next Tuesday. That will be an auspicious occasion. Group leaders will have a chance to ask Mr. Buzek questions and there will be an interaction with him on the floor of the House. That is an important announcement.
In the context of what Senator O’Brien said, I call for a debate on the redress scheme and, in particular, on the shortfall identified by the Minister for Education and Skills. He has pointed out that the religious congregations are more than €300 million short of paying their fair share of the enormous cost of the scheme to the victims and survivors of abuse in industrial schools and other institutions. The scheme has cost €1.36 billion to date but the religious congregations have paid only one quarter of what is due. There were serious concerns about the indemnity deal done in the dying days of the outgoing Government in 2002 but it is clear now that what has been offered by the religious orders falls far short of what is needed by the State.
We will debate the funding for the national children’s hospital. For example, the religious congregations could clearly offer money or land toward paying their share of the indemnity deal in the context of this hospital. That has been signalled by the Minister. A number of congregations made good money from the sale of property some years ago.
I seek a debate on the revelations that the tabloid newspaper, the News of the World, was in the business of hacking the telephones not only of celebrities but also of the teenage murder victim, Milly Dowler, and the families of the victims of the London bombings in July 2005. These are appalling and shocking revelations. I commend reports that Aer Lingus and other companies are pulling advertisements from the newspaper as a result. I call on those who read or buy the newspaper in Ireland to boycott it in light of these revelations.
Senator Denis O’Donovan:  I am boycotting it.

Senator Darragh O’Brien:  I have never bought it in my life.

Then there was the following:

Senator Tom Sheahan:  I beg the Cathaoirleach’s indulgence regarding bondholders. We have a pyromaniac in the Dáil who stands up every second day and calls on the Government to burn the bondholders, namely, Deputy Doherty of Sinn Féin.

An Cathaoirleach:  That is completely out of order.

Senator Tom Sheahan:  Not one bit. If the Cathaoirleach bears with me, I will explain. Every second day, we have to listen Deputy Doherty talking about burning the bondholders.

An Cathaoirleach: What happens in the other House is completely irrelevant.

Senator David Cullinane:  I am glad the Senator is listening; I hope he acts as well.

Senator Tom Sheahan:  Is Deputy Doherty aware of who are the bondholders?

Senator David Cullinane: He is.

Senator Tom Sheahan:  Yesterday, the Irish Life & Permanent ten-year bonds issued only to credit unions by Davy Stockbrokers in 2008 were bought back.

Senator David Cullinane:  The Senator knows they represent a small percentage of the bondholders.

An Cathaoirleach:  Senator Sheahan without interruption.

Senator David Cullinane:  He is out of order anyway. He should not be discuss another Deputy——

An Cathaoirleach:    Senator Sheahan without interruption.

Senator Tom Sheahan:  In September 2008, they were only sold to credit unions in lieu of perpetual bonds as part of a compensation deal by Davy stockbrokers and they were bought back yesterday. A process was set in train by the former Minister for Finance to tender for those bonds to be bought back with only 20% of their value to be paid. Of the 109 credit unions that have €54.6 million invested in these bonds, only 59 voted to accept the 20% buy back proposal.

An Cathaoirleach:  Has the Senator a question for the Leader?

Senator Tom Sheahan: A total of 43 credit unions, which had made a total investment of €23.179 million in the bonds, did not accept it. Under the proposal, they will now receive €1 for every €1,000. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Finance to come to the House in order that he does not proceed with this because every credit union in the country will be brought to its knees? Perhaps Deputy Doherty should speak to the staff of the credit unions in Ballybofey, Bundoran and Donegal towns because he wants to bring those credit unison to their knees. Will the Minister for Finance pay 20% of the value of the bonds to the credit unions that voted against the proposal?

It’s interesting to me how pointed the attacks on SF are in the Seanad. It’s a distinct dynamic in the Chamber since the beginning of the term. Given the limited speaking rights of the three Senators as against their opponents one would wonder whether this is a form of catharsis for members of FGunused to the new dispensation or is it merely a displacement activity used to push the spotlight away from their own party now that it is in government… And of course where Senator Sheahan went, Senator Jim D’Arcy felt duty bound to follow:

Senator Jim D’Arcy: Following on from what Senator Tom Sheahan said, there was a postman in Haggardstown one Christmas who got fed up and burned his three sacks of mail. He thought that would solve his problems and he went to the pub, but it created more problems.
Senator Barrett indicated that the troika — the three wise men — are visiting us again. We must again address the bailout because leadership from Europe is required. The Government is providing leadership. We are meeting our targets and we are no longer the whipping boys of Europe. We are showing how it can be done. We are in a better negotiating position and what we need now is leadership from Europe based on the Lisbon treaty, not on what certain politician in Europe think. Those of us in the centre who voted for the Lisbon treaty mark II, including my colleagues across the floor, will feel betrayed if we do not get the leadership required. I cannot see how money costing 2.9% should cost us 5.9%. I ask the Leader to inform the Minister for Finance that we all support him in his negotiating position.

And what of this exchange?

Senator David Cullinane:  I join with previous speakers in welcoming the announcement that the President of the European Parliament will address this House next week. Senator Bacik mentioned that group leaders would be able to make statements on the day. I seek clarification on this. While Sinn Féin is not a formal group in this House, on an occasion as auspicious as this, the Sinn Féin Party should have an opportunity to make an address.

I welcome the fact that Senators Sheahan and D’Arcy are listening to Deputy Pearse Doherty and the call from my party to burn the bondholders. The burden on this State of billions of euro which is being borrowed from the IMF and the European Central Bank to pay back bondholders is a noose around the necks of taxpayers. In one of the exchanges yesterday of which Senator Sheahan spoke, the Minister for Finance admitted that the true cost of the bailout — the profit that will be made by our so-called friends in Europe — will be €10 billion over the lifetime of the loans. The Minister also acknowledged that there would be cuts in expenditure of up to €4 billion next year. We also had the announcement of the closure of the accident and emergency services in Roscommon. Money is being taken out of public services and from the pockets of low-paid families and workers, yet we are paying billions of euro in profit to our so-called European partners, who are our friends. I remind the Fine Gael Party that although it gave a clear pre-election pledge that it would work with its partners in the European People’s Party in the European Parliament to secure a renegotiation of the bailout deal, that has not happened. So much for having friends in high places in Europe. If that is how our friends treat us, how would our enemies treat us?
Senator Tom Sheahan:  Sinn Féin is burning its friends in the credit unions.

Senator David Cullinane:  We are absolutely not. I am asking for a debate——

An Cathaoirleach: Senator Cullinane without interruption.

Senator Tom Sheahan: Every credit union member in the country is suffering.

Senator David Cullinane:  I am proud of the fact that Sinn Féin is the only political party that is standing up for the taxpayers of this country, who are being asked unfairly to shoulder the burden——

Senator Tom Sheahan:  What about the credit unions?

An Cathaoirleach:  Senator Cullinane, do you have a question for the Leader?

Senator David Cullinane:  I have.

Senator Tom Sheahan: The Senator obviously does not know who these people are.

Senator David Cullinane:  My question to the Leader is this. We should have a debate about the terms of the bailout deal, and the Minister for Finance should come to the House to discuss not just the terms of the deal but also the commitments his party gave before the election, which have not been fulfilled.

Senator Tom Sheahan:  He obviously does not know who the bondholders are.

Senator David Cullinane:  I must raise the fact that the Fianna Fáil Party has tabled a motion before the House——

An Cathaoirleach: Does the Senator have a question for the Leader? He is out of time. He cannot raise five or six questions on the Order of Business.

Senator David Cullinane:  A motion has been tabled by the Fianna Fáil Party about the closure of accident and emergency services at Roscommon County Hospital, despite the fact that that party closed accident and emergency services in other parts of this country.

An Cathaoirleach: Senator, do you have a question for the Leader?

Senator David Cullinane:  This is another example of populism by the Fianna Fáil Party.

Meanwhile..

Senator David Norris:
I was astonished to learn Senator Rónán Mullen is the trustee of 120 schools. I would be interested if he could give us further information on this. I have been a trustee for a small number of groups and charities but they never amounted to more than four at a time because of the question of proper guardianship. I am sure there is an explanation but to be trustee of 120 schools seems a little excessive.
Senator Rónán Mullen:    Senator Norris should not underestimate my capacity.

Roll on next week!