At the start of a sitting which lasted only two hours, the Government was accused of organising the business of the House in a contemptible way. The Fine Gael Seanad leader, Mr Maurice Manning (FG), described the paucity of business as "derisory".
"Given that so little business is proposed today, could Government time be provided to hold a debate on the words of Mr Justice Kelly yesterday, when he indicated he is about to cite three Ministers for contempt? It is a scandal that this situation, where the State cannot provide secure accommodation for a disturbed young child, and which has been ongoing for months, has not been resolved," added Mr Manning.
Mr Joe Costello (Lab) said business arrangements should be amended to provide for the type of debate sought by Mr Manning. Children at risk who were coming before the courts was one of the scandals of our society, he added. "It is unprecedented that a judge has had to cite three cabinet Ministers for contempt. These Ministers could go to prison, be fined or have the assets of their Departments seized because of failure to carry out their duties."
Mr Liam Cosgrave (FG) Leas Cathaoirleach, said there was a major problem in relation to detention. "There is another individual who has escaped on more than 50 occasions because there does not seem to be adequate care. This person has escaped at will and has caused problems and committed further crimes." Dr Mary Henry (Ind) said the shortage of probation officers and the lack of urgently needed reports on children who were before the courts, should also be addressed.
Mr John Connor (FG) said hundreds of miles of railway track could be at risk. It was understood that the rail tragedy in Britain earlier this week had resulted from track failure, the same cause of the last rail mishap here, he said. The Minister for Public Enterprise should give the House an update on track renewal.
The acting leader of the House, Mr John Dardis (PD), expressed support for retention of the Groceries Order, as its abolition would have serious implications for small rural shops and for towns and villages. Responding to a demand by Mr Paul Coghlan (FG) that the issue be debated, Mr Dardis said he understood a decision on the future of the order would be made shortly.