I, too, pay tribute to Nelson Mandela. He was a man, the like of which the world has rarely seen, and we may not see a man of such calibre again in our lifetimes. It is important to remember that Nelson Mandela brought home to us that we are all connected by a universal human thread and strongly emphasised what constitutes humanity. It is also important to remember that he was cut off from and denied humanity during his incarceration of many years. It is in that context that I raise the report published by the Irish Refugee Council today on the system of direct provision and the manner in which asylum seekers are treated. Many asylum seekers are incarcerated in the system of direct provision. The Irish Refugee Council makes clear in its recommendations that significant changes are required to the system. It does not behove us, on a day when Nelson Mandela is being honoured by the people of Ireland through the attendance of our President and Tánaiste at his funeral in South Africa, to allow a system of direct provision to operate, under which children are being raised without family life and adults and families are effectively imprisoned. It is not acceptable that we allow this system to continue.

It was with deep sadness that many of us learned of the death of Madiba - Nelson Mandela. Senators cannot do justice to him or to his legacy in contributions on the Order of Business. Given Nelson Mandela's international stature and achievements, I hope the Leader will allow the Seanad to do him justice by allowing Senators on all sides to make full contributions this week. Nelson Mandela was a freedom fighter and peacemaker who understood that there is a time for war and a time for peace. We should take time to have a proper and full examination of his life and what he stood for and to pay tribute to his greatness. The world has lost a great statesman. I hope the Leader will allow time this week for all of us to make comprehensive contributions on this important issue.

I support the amendment to the Order of Business and concur with comments made on increasing waiting times. I raised this issue several times with the Minister for Health who consistently denies there has been any increase in waiting times for patients. In some specialties waiting times are now in excess of two years. I cited a number of examples in Waterford where, as the Leader will be aware, people continue to wait far too long to access orthopaedic services. The problem is not only the time people must wait for the treatment they need but the difficulty they experience even securing an appointment with a consultant. We must discuss this issue with the Minister.

The issue of top-up payments to chief executives of voluntary hospitals is also simmering and causing considerable anger and frustration among citizens.

It is important for the sake of accountability and transparency that we have a proper and independent investigation of the issue so we can find out exactly who knew what, from the Minister and the HSE to the boards and the CEOs. It is unacceptable that we will be discussing increases in waiting times for patients at a time when these top-up payments are being made.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, namely that the Minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language come to the House to discuss the resignation of the Irish Language Commissioner. Senator Ó Clochartaigh will speak more about that subject when he seconds the amendment.

I join the expressions of sympathy with the people of South Africa on the passing of Nelson Mandela. Many things have been said about him and no words of mine would be adequate to describe his greatness or his contribution to the world. President Obama described him as the last great liberator of the 20th century. South Africa lost the father of the nation, a man of vision and a great hero. He was a man of great of humanity and forgiveness who, despite being incarcerated for 27 years, worked to bring about peace in his country. He has left his mark on the world and we need to build on his legacy. I support the request to the Leader to arrange for statements to be made in his honour this week. In the longer term, we should debate with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade how the Mandela legacy can have an impact on the parts of the world that are being ravaged by war and strife. The greatest tribute we could pay to Nelson Mandela would be to create something lasting.

I congratulate the State's industrial relations machinery on brokering an agreement that will ensure we have power supplies over Christmas and that the elderly and businesses will not be discommoded. The fear that people would be without electricity over Christmas has caused considerable distress in recent days. I refer in particular to the elderly. It is time for a debate on what needs to be done to protect vital infrastructure in this country. This is an area of discussion in which the House can play a significant role.