Order of Business - 13th November 2007

Order of Business - 13th November 2007
Senator David Norris: I support Senator
Fitzgerald in her call for a debate on the health
service and for the Minister for Health and Children
to come to the House. She took on a difficult
position but serious questions have been raised.
We should also debate the matter of balance on
“The Late Late Show”. If we allow this situation
to continue we will allow censorship by default.
If the Government refuses to produce spokespersons
the debate can be seriously vitiated in the
alleged interest of balance. Two empty chairs
should have been labelled “Minister for Health
and Children” and “Chief Executive of the HSE”
and people should have been let make up their
own minds.
I was extremely concerned at the comments of
the Taoiseach in the Da´ il when he referred to Mr.
John Crown and the dossier he had. Are there
dossiers on all of us in public life? I do not like
the idea of being watched by “Big Bertie”. It is
not appropriate. If we seek talent we should bring
people like John Crown on board to help us and
not subject him to this.
Senators: Hear, hear.
Senator David Norris: On numerous occasions,
I raised the question of hygiene, particularly in
accident and emergency units where approximately
75% of cases over a weekend are caused
by alcohol and people behave in an extremely
unhygenic fashion. I ask the Minister for Health
and Children come to the House to discuss the
following ideological element. As a result of the
notion of competition and capitalism in action we
do not have an efficient cleaning service but a
specified number of hours of cleaning provided
per week. When the 100 hours are completed the
staff pack up their mops and leave, regardless of
whether the place is clean. These are the issues
we need to address.
I also seek a debate on the Shell oil company
and the Corrib gas field in light of the granting of
a licence for the development at Bellanaboy. On
Saturday I attended an anniversary commemoration
of the judicial murder by Nigerian authorities
of Ken Saro-Wiwa, in which Shell was at
least marginally implicated. It is clear his brother
entered into negotiations with senior executives
of the company who indicated that if the campaign
for the Ogoni people was called off, they
would intervene to save his life. I wonder if that
is acceptable. A film screened at the commemoration
showed the way in which oil pipelines were
driven through the native people’s land, polluting
and destroying it. The organs of the state were
used to force that through.
An Cathaoirleach: Senator Norris is looking to
the Leader for a debate. We can have that debate
on another occasion.
I am precisely seeking a
debate. I have the greatest of respect for the
Garda, members of whom were at our demonstration
and were as helpful, courteous and polite
as they usually are. However, it is not appropriate
they should be used in the west as the shock
troops of a discredited multinational combine and
it is not fair on them because it places them in an
invidious position.
I hope I am not being parochial when I call for
a debate on the transport system and, in particular,
a small but important element of it. Dublin
City Council has apparently decided to turn
Mountjoy Square, one of our finest 18th century
squares, into a car park for private commercial
bus companies. Irrespective of the fact that a nursery
school and a playground are located there
and even leaving aside the architectural significance
of the place, it is a danger to children. We
ought, as responsible representatives, to investigate
the matter.