Senator Bacik Calls for Debates on Ombudsman Report, Seanad Reform, and Magdalen Laundries

Order of Business

Senator Ivana Bacik: I echo Senator Fitzgerald's call for a debate today on the Ombudsman's report published yesterday. The Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly, has raised serious issues about the potential exposure of the taxpayer given that compensation is sought in approximately 300 legal actions on the costs of private nursing home care. Those cases are being settled routinely. It is worrying that the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has simply rejected the findings of the Ombudsman's report. We need to hear from the Minister on the matter. I second Senator Fitzgerald's amendment. I saw the “Prime Time” programme last night. It was an excellent investigation of the issues raised in the report. We need to debate the report in this House as a matter of urgency, especially given the economic circumstances, the great hardship for many families of elderly people in nursing homes and the great worry this report will have caused them.

I call on the Leader to provide not a debate on Seanad reform but a response and clarification on what will be the consequence of the loss by the Government of the votes last week on the Independent Senators' motion on Seanad reform. Senator O'Toole raised the matter yesterday. He is correct to say there must be a consequence for the loss of those votes. In the High Court judgment last week on Senator Doherty's action, legal shape was put on the abstract notion of democracy. The High Court said that it is not enough for the Government to pay lip service to the concept of democracy and to keep promising a by-election and that adequate representation would be provided for the people in Donegal, Waterford and Dublin South. The Government must go ahead and call the by-election. One can draw an analogy or comparison with the vote on Seanad reform. Where the Government loses a vote on a motion on Seanad reform, especially when it has been promising action in that regard since it was elected, and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, made it a key promise of his when he became Minister, we need clarification from the Government on what it is going to do in response to the loss of the vote and the passing of the motion on Seanad reform. Those of us in this House who have supported Seanad reform are anxious to see real action being taken by the Government on the matter.

I join others who called for a debate yesterday on the Magdalen laundries, survivors of those laundries and the need for redress. In the wake of yesterday's Irish Human Rights Commission report, there is a real imperative that we would debate the issue today or very soon given that the survivors have been pressing for many months for redress and recognition by the State of the real injustice that was caused to them.