Tendering for State services
Senators question whether State-service tendering provides a level playing field; the Deputy Leader cites An Post’s successful bids and hopes for further success.
There is not a level playing pitch in tendering for State services.
Comment on this
As I said, we should have a debate on the report of the joint committee because these issues are addressed more fully in it. If we table a motion, we can tease them out. An Post has been successful in tendering for State business in the recent past and I hope it will be successful in the near future also.
Senator Marie Moloney spoke about domestic violence and a motion she had put forward recently in the House. She also spoke about A Vision for Change and last night's debate. It is unfortunate that it was dominated by a particular issue, but I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, would be happy to come back to address the broader issues. We will certainly ask her to do so. She has been here on many occasions to debate these and other issues.
Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh spoke about the issue of domestic violence and raised the matter of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission which I think I have dealt with. There are very worrying new allegations about failures in policing such as those in the Sylvia Roche Kelly case. The flaws in the investigation process of the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder have been on the record for a long time. There are particular issues, but they are more operational policing issues that we need to examine.