Order of Business - 27th November 2008

Order of Business - 27th November 2008
Senator David Norris: I would like to take up one of the points that was made by my colleagues, Senators O’Toole and Walsh, about FÁS. It would be good to have a debate on this issue. My colleagues, particularly Senator Ross, have called for this for some time and I add my voice to theirs in seeking that. 11 o’clock
There is a significant and legitimate role for investigative journalism. It can often do things that the Houses of the Oireachtas have difficulty doing. However, one needs to be very careful when one unleashes this kind of negative energy because it is extremely difficult to control it subsequently. When it hits the lowest levels like The Sun newspaper or Mr. Rupert Murdoch and we have a headline “Wash and Go”, it is astonishing that we should be expected to count the nail clippings in a Florida hair salon while the economy is going down the drain. We are told that a significant British investor has said that it is a catastrophe to invest in Ireland. His radio advertisements were the catastrophe. This hectoring, raucous, ghastly, frightfully bulldog British voice would put anybody off his product.
An Cathaoirleach: The Senator should put a question to the Leader.
Senator David Norris: I would like to know when we can have such a debate. It is urgent that we should have it and I will tell the House why. A number of errors have been spread and when mud starts flying it can stick to people who do not deserve it. Senator Boyle behaved in a very dignified way when he was asked on radio, inaccurately, to defend a statement from the Green Party supporting Mr. Molloy. No statement had been issued. Senator Boyle said he could not comment on it because he did not know about it. That is one such example.
Another example of this occurred this morning when Deputy Leo Varadkar several times referred to and appeared to call for the resignation of the Minister, Deputy Hanafin. I do not believe that was corrected. Such inaccuracies are being spread all over the place.
I heard Senator Ross explaining that one of the dates was incorrect. People had asked for the resignation of the Minister, Deputy Harney, on the grounds of an incorrect date published in a newspaper. I have great differences with that Minister, political differences, ideological differences, but she is a very energetic Minister. She is 100% committed. I happen to think she is wrong, but in terms of work and productivity, nobody has done more.
We know Nixon lost an election because of his appearance, and appearance can be important. If I may lighten this debate slightly, the Government could do with being beautified and I will help to pay for it if that is necessary.
An Cathaoirleach: I do not believe that is relevant to the Order of Business.
Senator David Norris: It is important that we get these things right.
An Cathaoirleach: It is not a beauty salon that we have in this Chamber.
Senator David Norris: We should have a debate on the specific issue of the space programme. Other cheap shots were made about spacers, Disneyland and the like, but that is rubbish. One of the problems with this country is that we are not at the forefront of science. One of the initiatives Mr. Molloy was trying to progress was to push Ireland forward in that area at Cape Canaveral. We have been involved in space research. Experiments have been undertaken with flights into space from Cape Canaveral. I am involved in a project with Leo Enright and Martin Keane, a businessman, to get Irish students into the International Space University. That is where we need to get them.
An Cathaoirleach: The Senator has made his point.
Senator David Norris: I suggest that Members read the article by Mr. John Walsh in the Irish Independent about the visit there, the significance and importance of it and the fact that he believes that a good job was done. I will end with this point.
Senator Alex White: The Senator should come down to earth.
Senator David Norris: I will come down very much to earth. What have the consequences of this been? Let us honestly face them. The consequences have been that the work of the Committee of Public Accounts has been interrupted. Mr. Molloy will not now appear before it and he cannot now be questioned. It is not a question of €400 for nail varnish and a few hairdos, he will get from the State straight away approximately €500,000 in severance pay, he will receive a pension and we will have to hire somebody else. This is a man about whom questions have been raised, but he has had very strong support for his professionalism. At the end of the day, this story that was stirred up by The Sun has cost the taxpayer a hell of a lot of money, but it is easy to get people who have lost jobs and people who failed to get placements on FÁS programmes stirred up, but it is a dangerous process.