I thank the Senator very much and appreciate what she said.

Senators Ivana Bacik and Ned O'Sullivan and several others raised the same matter. I take Senator Ned O'Sullivan's point on the timing of the statement made. It was ill advised at a time before any legislation had been passed through this House. I have relayed these points and agree with Members who said the statement yesterday was ill advised and badly timed.

Senators Ivana Bacik and Jillian van Turnhout referred to the Magdalen institutions scheme, as did Senator Ned O'Sullivan. It was stated the religious order should make a contribution. It was pointed out by Senator Jillian van Turnhout that the debate on this item had been adjourned. I will try to have it resumed as soon as possible.

Senator Jillian van Turnhout and other Members made points on Dáil reform and the costs involved. I am sure the matter will arise in the debate on whether the Seanad should be retained.

Senators Sean D. Barrett, Brian Ó Domhnaill and Labhrás Ó Murchú called for a debate on Northern Ireland. I will try to arrange to have one, possibly before we finish for the summer.

With regard to the request to have representatives of the Orange Order before the House again, I am not so sure it would be a good idea at this point. As I said to the representatives who were present, the order should engage in meaningful discussions, now more than ever before, with communities and the Parades Commission. That would certainly assist in addressing the violence that has been escalating for a number of days in Northern Ireland and which we do not want to see again. The Orange Order has a very strong part to play in reconciliation. I encourage it to engage with communities and the Parades Commission in coming to agreement on current and future parades.

Senators Cáit Keane and Michael Comiskey referred to the higher education grants scheme. Certainly, problems arose with the scheme last year and this year. The Minister has acknowledged that there were problems. It is now time to sort them out because we cannot have a recurrence of what happened last year. I refer to the problems encountered by parents and students in respect of the scheme. We all acknowledge that teething problems occur when new schemes are put in place, but they should be sorted out at this stage. The officials should have learned from their mistakes and I hope that is the case.

Senator Denis O'Donovan referred to the horsemeat scandal, the House of Commons committee and its targeting of Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This is a very serious matter. I am sure it will be addressed and that the allegations will be rebutted vehemently by the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney. I am sure he will make a remark on the matter in due course.

I noted Senator Denis O'Donovan's comment on mackerel quotas and the abuse of fishing rights by the Faroe Islands and Iceland. The Minister, Deputy simon Coveney, supported the United Kingdom, France and Spain yesterday at a meeting of the Council of Ministers and pushed strongly to have trade restrictions imposed immediately by the European Commission against Iceland and the Faroe Islands as a result of the continuous, unacceptable and irresponsible fishing of mackerel. We all realise that the Minister has been calling for the implementation of trade measures for over 12 months. He actually mentioned this in the House when last speaking about fisheries. I hope the European Commission will agree to proceed to implement the measures and that there will be action rather than words at this stage. We have waited long enough for the Faroe Islands and Iceland to comply with regulations on overfishing. Since they have not complied, sanctions should be imposed on them.

Senators Jimmy Harte and John Gilroy referred to mental health issues. I have addressed this matter.

Senator Jimmy Harte implied that €40,000 per Senator per year was being spent on IT services. I do not know where this figure came from. If we are paying that much for IT services, we should find a different provider. IT services could be provided for a hell of a lot less than €40,000 per Member. There is a need for the Accounting Officer to consider this if it is the case.

Senator David Norris referred to casinos. I understand the legislation on casinos will be published soon. The legislation mentioned in the newspapers today is probably to regulate private card clubs around the country. These are really glorified casinos that have been operating outside the law for a number of years. I would welcome regulation of that sector. Another Bill will be required to deal with online gambling. I refer to the Betting (Amendment) Bill. We will have ample time to discuss these matters in the coming months.

Senators Deirdre Clune and Catherine Noone called for an informed debate on the content and use of information held by social media sites. Their point was very relevant and I will ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, to update us on the matter. Perhaps we might also obtain a comment from the Data Protection Commissioner.

Senators David Cullinane, Denis Landy and Labhrás Ó Murchú mentioned the Waterford Crystal workers. As found by the European Court of Justice, the State failed the workers. There is no question about it; it has been proved. Like Senator David Cullinane, I made contact with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, on the matter. I understand from their responses that their advice is that the court proceedings must be allowed to take their course. There is no doubt that the workers have been waiting far too long to be compensated. They deserve to be and will be compensated. Senator David Cullinane is calling for justice to be done and I assure him that I will be pushing not only for justice to be seen to be done but also for it to be done. I fully support the efforts of the Waterford Crystal workers to have their rights vindicated in this regard.

Senator Denis Landy welcomed the recommencement of Garda recruitment, a point raised by Senator Diarmuid Wilson yesterday on the Order of Business.

Senator Catherine Noone referred to the healthy eating initiatives and the differences in VAT charges for various foodstuffs. We can raise this issue during the debate.

We have commented on the matter raised by Senator Ned O'Sullivan. I take his point on the timing of the statement made yesterday on the Seanad Bill.

Senator John Gilroy referred to mental health services. The House has decided that the next Seanad Public Consultation Committee meeting will deal with the issue of adult mental health.

That is another reason for us to discuss the matter in the House. I am sure the debate will be well informed by people involved in the mental health sector who have focused on the issue of adult mental health. We will have an opportunity to discuss the matter in the House.

I think I have answered Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill's query on Northern Ireland. We will debate Report Stage of the Bill on Seanad abolition tomorrow.

Senator Martin Conway raised the issue of litter on beaches. He is right. There is nothing as bad as seeing litter scattered all over a beach at the end of a day. I take the opportunity to compliment all of the local authority workers on the excellent job they do to clean up beaches on a daily basis. People must take responsibility and bring home their rubbish. Recently I heard it mentioned on a programme that Abbeyshrule, one of the cleanest villages in the country, had no litter bins because its inhabitants believed people should bring home their litter. As that initiative has proved successful in Abbeyshrule, it should succeed in every part of the country.

Senator Terry Brennan referred to hoax calls being made to emergency services in Carlingford. Again, this is disgraceful and it happens far too often in many parts of the country. Do hoax callers realise they could cost a person his or her life by calling emergency services away from them? I agree with the Senator that fines should be imposed. I hope the hoax callers will be brought to justice as they deserve to be.

Senator Tom Sheahan mentioned that children with Asperger's syndrome received assistance during State examinations but not for school examinations. He made a good point and it is worthy of discussion. We do talk about treating all the children of the nation equally. The Senator should consider tabling this matter for discussion on the Adjournment in order that he could receive a specific answer. I also noted the points he made about the Haddington Road agreement.

Senator Michael Comiskey welcomed the announced retention of a college in Sligo. He also urged people to apply early to SUSI for grants this year.