An Ceann Comhairle:   I ask Deputy Rabbitte to give way to the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach: I have answered Deputy Rabbitte but I will answer him again. Based on the fact that the general election is next year, I have stated on many occasions that we cannot use them next year. I hope that is clear enough. I understand the Commission on Electronic Voting has carried out detailed examinations, including speaking to international experts, and is to report on that. I have not seen that report and I await it. I do not think that will change the position for next year. I do not accept what Deputy Rabbitte seemed to imply, if not state clearly, about the company — the editor will have to work out what he meant. Is he saying this company is flawed? Mr. Rabbitte: I am saying the Government is flawed. The Taoiseach: Is he saying this company has sold this equipment, as it has in many countries, on some basis that it was not satisfactory for electronic voting? Is he questioning the facts on the countries in which these machines were used, that there was something wrong with the democratic vote in these countries? Is he questioning the credibility, expertise and technological ability of these people to provide the machines? Mr. Rabbitte: The head messenger would not have bought them. The Taoiseach: Does the Deputy know this company, which invested tens of millions of euro in its product, is selling flawed equipment? If so, he should say that to the company because there is no point in saying it to me. Mr. Durkan: Why were the machines accepted? Mr. Quinn: Did the Taoiseach get a receipt? The Taoiseach: The company has been approved in many countries and it has demonstrated credibility in democratic votes in this country as well. Mr. Penrose: With a caveat entered. The Taoiseach: If we cannot agree on this, it is a pity. Mr. Kehoe: Does the Taoiseach think his Minister has done a good job? The Taoiseach: Thankfully, this is a democracy and I am entitled to my view. It is a pity that if one votes electronically, one should also have to get a bit of paper out. Mr. F. McGrath: There is nothing wrong with a pen and paper. The Taoiseach: Every time somebody uses this technology, he or she does not need a hard copy. Mr. Quinn: They are called ATMs. The Taoiseach: There is not much point in having technology, if one goes that route. If that is the Irish solution to electronic voting in 2006, God help our ability to stay strong on software. Mr. Durkan: That sounds like a whinge. It is a pity €50 million was spent on it.  Visit of Iraqi Delegation.
An Ceann Comhairle: Before proceeding with business, I wish on my behalf and on behalf of the Members of Dáil Éireann to offer a céad míle fáilte, a most sincere welcome to Mr. Adnan Pachachi, and a delegation of fellow parliamentarians from Iraq. I express the hope that you will find your visit enjoyable, successful and to our mutual benefit. Leaders’ Questions (Resumed). Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin: Is the Taoiseach aware of the content of the review published at 3 p.m. in Government Buildings regarding sexual assault treatment services in the State? What is the Government doing to address the crisis in these services highlighted in the report and the crisis faced by victims because of the limited services available? A fortnight has barely passed since the legal and political system in this jurisdiction was thrown into turmoil as a result of a Supreme Court decision. However, the issue of the lack of services and supports for the victims of sexual crime was not addressed. There is a bounden duty on the Taoiseach to address them. Given the report has been available since last November, what has the Taoiseach and his Government been doing in the meantime to ensure the implementation of its recommendations? What is his plan? How many recommendations have been acted on by Government? Against the backdrop of the recent crisis, which quite correctly occupied the mind of every citizen, what has the Government done and what does it intend to do to ensure the crisis in these services is addressed effectively? Is the Taoiseach aware that the treatment centre for the victims of sexual assault in Dublin, based at the Rotunda Hospital in his constituency, undertakes 300 forensic examinations annually, yet it cannot cope because of a shortage of staff and total under-resourcing? This is also reflected in the other service centres in Waterford, Letterkenny and Cork. Only the latter receives direct Government funding as a result of a decision by a former Minister for Health and Children from the area. Special treatment centres for the victims of sexual assault are not directly funded by Government, they are totally under-resourced and under-staffed and they are incapable of addressing the current crisis. Will the Taoiseach outline the actions he and his Government intend to take to address this serious flaw in service provision in this State? The Taoiseach: I understand the report is being implemented and all the relevant agencies have been involved in its implementation. The resourcing for this was reflected in the Book of Estimates. The Health Service Executive has been involved in providing services and I am not sure what crisis the Deputy is talking about. Perhaps he is referring to the Rape Crisis Centre’s engagement with the Minster of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, regarding additional resources. I met a delegation from the centre late last year or early this year regarding a number of issues. However, the professional and counselling services, which provide help and support to victims, are in place. I am sure the Ministers involved are dealing with the new recommendations. I am not clear what part of the service the Deputy is referring to. The report was based on improving and enhancing these services and that is being implemented. The Rape Crisis Centre has sought additional resources and I have been engaged with the Minister and the Department on that issue. Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin: The Taoiseach must be acknowledging that he is not conscious of the content of the report, which was published in Government Buildings earlier by two of his junior ministerial colleagues. The report, following on from the review, highlights a real crisis, with people who have the courage to come forward as victims of sexual assault finding the services they need are not in place. The lack of availability of trained doctors and forensic nurse examiners is a real crisis. Insufficient qualified personnel are available to carry out the necessary examinations. The crisis is such in the Taoiseach’s constituency that, unless a victim initiates a prosecution through the Garda, he or she will only be seen by appointment. Surely that is unacceptable. The report states that such is the fall-down in service provision in this area, victims are being dissuaded — this is the language used — from coming forward and pressing charges against predators and those who initiated these assaults. This is a serious situation. The Taoiseach asked to what crisis I was referring. We have heard that response to other issues applying in society. There is a real crisis and a bounden responsibility on him and his colleagues to become au fait with what is recommended and to ensure it is implemented as a matter of urgency. Will the Taoiseach implement in full the recommendations of the review which was sponsored by two Departments? The Taoiseach: It is untrue that a service is not in place. Mr. Morgan: It is inadequate. The Taoiseach: The service, which deals with therapy, treatment and psychological counselling, is good. Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin: What about in the centres I named? The Taoiseach: Perhaps there should be more centres and my colleagues continually seek more professional staff in all areas. There is a difficulty, as I pointed to the Deputy recently regarding another service, in sourcing staff for professional and technical posts. There is a necessity to recruit highly trained professional staff and we have been recruiting such staff from abroad because we do not have sufficient numbers in this State. We have tried to increase the number of therapists in a number of areas to meet our needs. If aspects of this report show there are new heights to which we must bring the service, in order to try to improve it and have more centres, I am sure that such an objective will be examined in the process of preparing estimates to provide this centre. However—— Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin: It was promised for this year. An Ceann Comhairle: Deputy Ó Caoláin should allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption. The Taoiseach: As I understand it, they received additional resources in the last Book of Estimates, while this report was being prepared. There was an outstanding issue with regard to some independent agencies who lacked adequate funds and who made their case. I met them to discuss this matter. While I do not know how discussions ended, the agencies made a case in that respect. As for professional services, any report that examines this area will always show that one can do better in this regard and that one should have more centres, counselling and therapy available. Thereafter, people will use such services more and this is what I understand my colleagues to have been endeavouring to do in conjunction with the Health Service Executive. Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31. An Ceann Comhairle: Before coming to the Order of Business I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 31. Mr. Connolly: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the Health Service Executive-commissioned Teamwork Management Services report, “Improving Safety and Achieving Better Standards: An Action Plan for Health Services in the North East”, which seriously diminishes accident and emergency services in the region’s five hospitals by centralising these services in a single new regional hospital on an as yet unannounced site; the implications this will have for those patients not receiving treatment within the timespan of the “golden hour”; the likely fatal consequences for those patients who do not receive intravenous anti-thrombotic medication as soon as possible to prevent a further heart attack; the proposed deployment of visiting consultants for the region’s general hospitals; the report’s recommendation of fewer acute beds, which conflicts with the Hanly report’s recommendation of a nationwide need of an additional 3,000 acute beds; and the inexcusable omission in the current climate of any reference to cross-Border co-operation in the provision of the region’s hospital services. Ms C. Murphy: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the recent surveys conducted at St. James’s Hospital, which have shown that as many as 15%, or 50,000 of those teenagers under 18 years of age who have been screened at clinics have been found to have a sexually transmitted disease, many of whom will be unaware there is a problem; the need for major spending to tackle the problem identified by a leading expert at the hospital because, due to pressure on the service, people are being turned away at present; and, given the recent legislation passed, the possibility that teenage boys will no longer present for screening, which will result in their health being put at risk, as well as additions to the cycle of infection. Mr. Naughten: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, as the European Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson, is offering more concessions on agriculture at the world trade talks contrary to the stated policy of the EU Commission and Heads of State, there is an immediate need for the Taoiseach and Minister for Agriculture and Food to outline the fruitless steps they have taken over the past six weeks to ensure that the EU and the Commissioner abide by their commitments to European farmers; to immediately impress on the Commission the need to introduce food safety standards as part of the negotiations; and for the Government to publish its assessment of the impact that the Doha round will have on the various elements of the economy. Mr. Crawford: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the proposal of the Health Service Executive to centralise all tertiary care in the north-eastern region into Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda within three months; the absence of facilities to deal with the increased load on the staff in Drogheda; the absence of advanced paramedics or ambulances which would also put the population at serious risk; and the need to recognise that this constitutes an overall national plan which the HSE intends to deliver and which will have a serious effect on smaller hospitals. Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the shameful failure of the Government to introduce a formal, transparent and accountable system of complementary protections, the pressing need for which stems from the fact that the definition of refugee is outdated, is a Cold War construct and is too narrow to afford protection to all those in genuine need of it today — World Refugee Day 2006 — and the need for substantial revision of the Dublin II regulations to ensure that the rights of asylum seekers and refugees are protected as proposed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees last April. Mr. Broughan: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the urgent need for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to put effective measures in place to enable the Garda Síochána to tackle the criminal gangs plaguing our society following the horrific murder of a 22 year old man in Donaghmede on Sunday evening, given that north-eastern Dublin is experiencing an unprecedented level of gun crime whereby this latest brutal attack is the sixth murder in the area in six months, and given that the Garda chief superintendent seeks political leadership from the Taoiseach on this matter. Dr. Cowley: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the need for the Department of Social and Family Affairs to extend free travel to older Irish emigrants, or at the very least to Irish pensioners living in the United Kingdom when they return to Ireland on holidays. Mr. Stagg: I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the reply given in the Dáil by the Minister for Education and Science to the Labour Party spokesperson on education, Deputy O’Sullivan, which showed that nationally, the teacher-pupil ratio is at an alarmingly high level and that in particular, the pupil-teacher ratio in County Kildare shows that nearly 30% or 6,351 national school children in the county are in classes of 30 to 34 pupils, and that 531 pupils are in classes of 35 to 39; and to enable the Minister to inform the Dáil how she proposes to keep her promise to reduce all class sizes to 20 pupils per class and to remove Ireland from the invidious position of having the second largest class sizes in Europe with the second lowest expenditure on national primary education in the EU. An Ceann Comhairle: Having considered the matters raised I do not consider them to be in order under Standing Order 31. Order of Business.  5 o’clockThe Taoiseach: It is proposed to take No. 12, Revised Estimates for Public Services 2006, Votes 1 to 40, back from committee; No. 1, Road Traffic Bill 2006 [Seanad] — Second Stage. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit later than 8.30 p.m. and business shall be interrupted not later than 10 p.m. The Revised Estimates for Public Services 2006 shall be moved together and shall be decided without debate by one question, which shall be put from the Chair and any division demanded thereon shall be taken forthwith. Private Members’ business is No. 54, motion re waste management. An Ceann Comhairle: There are two proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with the late sitting agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 12, motion re Revised Estimates for the Public Service 2006 without debate agreed? Agreed. I call Deputy Kenny on the Order of Business. Mr. Kenny: Is the Bill that is before the Seanad at present in respect of home defence a Government Bill, or is it a Bill from the Government’s junior party? I have raised the matter of SI 170 of 2000 and SI 171 of 2000 on three previous occasions. They deal with the transfer of property rights and liabilities Order of 2000 for the National Rehabilitation Board. A total of 184 staff were employed there and pension rights were due to them. An Ceann Comhairle: That does not arise on the Order of Business. Mr. Kenny: It arises under the statutory instrument which came from the primary legislation. It took one of these individuals six years to get his rights through the courts. An Ceann Comhairle: We cannot discuss what is in the primary legislation. Mr. Kenny: Perhaps the Taoiseach might be able to send a report to me as to the status of the other 104 claims. An Ceann Comhairle: It does not arise on the Order of Business. Mr. Kenny: When is it expected that the Harris report, which was sent to Galway for translation a number of months ago, is likely to be produced here? I find it absolutely astonishing that the public service, which has served this country so well—— An Ceann Comhairle: We cannot have a debate on it at this stage. Mr. Durkan: We can of course. An Ceann Comhairle: I will allow the last question. The first question referred to a Bill before the Seanad which is not appropriate to the Order of Business in this House. Mr. Kenny: I asked the Taoiseach when can we expect to have this report published. It used to be done in-house by the public service but not now. It deals with the competency of spoken Irish in primary schools. An Ceann Comhairle: We cannot have a debate on it. Mr. Kenny: I do not seek a debate on it. I seek a debate on when it will be published. The Taoiseach: Subject to correction, my belief is that it is due shortly. I will confirm that for Deputy Kenny. I was told it was almost ready two or three weeks ago. The other Bill is a Private Members’ Bill of an individual Senator. It is not a Government Bill. Mr. Rabbitte: On that point, does the Taoiseach know whether the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform had anything to do with the paternity of that Bill? An Ceann Comhairle: It does not arise on the Order of Business. Mr. Rabbitte: Does it not? An Ceann Comhairle: No Deputy, indeed not. |