'Damn good day's work' on energy Bill

SEANAD:THE HOUSE had done a damn good day's work by paving the way for the possible creation of 1,000 jobs in an economic black spot, David Norris (Ind) said.

He welcomed the statement by Minister of State Conor Lenihan that the spirit and content of Opposition amendments to the Energy (Biofuel Obligation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill would be “approximated” to the Bill in the Dáil.

The amendments suggest Ireland should mimic the fuel standards of other member states which served as an effective barrier to outright competition from imports from outside the EU.

Mr Norris said the demand for bioethanol would increase and he had made the argument that it should be produced here to generate jobs and valuable materials.

Joe O’Reilly (FG) said there was a proposal for the development of a 100,000 tonne bioethanol processing facility in Belview Port in Co Kilkenny, which had the potential to create a large number of jobs. He was concerned that incentives for farmers to produce raw materials were not sufficient.

Joe O’Toole (Ind) said Senators wanted the Irish farmer to have a level playing pitch with the Brazilian producer. “It took five years to convince the authorities on the question of beef and meat imports from Brazil. Let us not go down the same road again.”

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Pressing for a non-partisan debate on the question of politics and the media and the coarsening of public debate, Seanad deputy leader Dan Boyle (Greens) said he had been called a “maggot” on a Dublin street yesterday, an episode he attributed to television coverage of him being chased down Molesworth Street by a journalist.

While he was walking down Thomas Street an admittedly very drunken man had shouted at him for five minutes.

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Joe O’Toole appealed to Fine Gael and Labour to reassess their opposition to the appointment of a part-time arts officer in the Central Bank. “We’re looking like philistines here,” he said. Artists were probably suffering more than any group in the recession.

It was a sad day when two political parties were opposing a minor amount of money going into artistic investment and also closing a library in Sallynoggin, one of the most deprived working-class areas of south Dublin.

Eugene Regan (FG) said he welcomed the fact that Maeve Binchy had spoken out about the library closure. “It is a disgrace. It defies logic that this library is to close.”

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There could be no excuse for the non-publication of 20 reports dealing with the care of children, said Frances Fitzgerald, Fine Gael leader in the House. The Minister for Children must provide an explanation for this failure. Some of these reports concerned the deaths of children.

David Norris said it was horrifying that so many reports were awaiting publication. However, he would signal a warning. “I think it is terribly important that in intervening in this area we make absolutely certain that we do not prejudice the welfare and rights of the other family members.”