Senators Darragh O'Brien, Martin Conway and John Gilroy referred to the need for early intervention to provide speech and language therapy for special needs children and called on the Minister for Health to come to the House today. I understand the Minister is out of the country today, but I will endeavour to have him come to the House to discuss the matter. Obviously, funding will have to be diverted from some other area of the health service to rectify this situation, but I hope the Minister will be in a position to come to the House soon to address the matter.

Senator Ivana Bacik spoke about the positive economic indicators in recent weeks and suggested extra funding should be provided for health, education and social welfare services. There is also a suggestion people in work should get something back, but it is a question of balance. I am sure the Minister for Finance will preside over a prudent policy, as he has done for the past few years, in the preparation of his budget.

Senator Ivana Bacik also spoke about climate change and suggested we have another debate in the House, referring to the conference on climate change in New York.

Senator Katherine Zappone mentioned the need for clarity on the issue of abortion. I urge the Senator to correspond with the Minister to get answers to the questions posed, but I will certainly ask the Minister to come to the House to deal with that matter also.

Senator David Norris spoke about the Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill and rightly stated the Bill was practically a copy of the Bill Senator Colm Burke had introduced in the House. I believe the Government should have amended that Bill rather than bringing in a new one, but, as Senator Colm Burke stated, it is very important. He fully supports the passage of that Bill.

On opinion polls, Senator David Norris has suggested the public now favour abortion. I am sure we will return to the debate on that issue in the future.

Senators Thomas Byrne and Fidelma Healy Eames referred to the appointment of a gentleman, Mr. John McNulty, to a position in order to qualify him for the Seanad Cultural and Educational Panel.

That is a load of nonsense and where it came from I do not know.

He was appointed one week ago.

Mr. McNulty is a self-employed businessman and involved in the tourism and cultural committee in Kilcar. He has a track record in promoting culture and heritage, is involved in the GAA and driving a three year Irish language development plan in the area.

It is a belt and braces approach. He was appointed to IMMA last week.

The Leader to continue, without interruption, please.

Mr. McNulty is heavily involved and would be well qualified for the panel. It is an absolute disgrace to suggest otherwise.

I was refused access to the Agricultural Panel.

The hysterical comments of Senators Thomas Byrne and Fidelma Healy Eames in that regard have no foundation whatsoever.

Mr. McNulty seems to have an accelerated interest in culture from his petrol station in County Donegal-----

Will the Senator, please, resume his seat? The Leader to continue, without interruption, please.

I wish Mr. McNulty well in his position as a Senator in this House.

Why did he-----

The Leader to continue, without interruption, please.

The real scandal is the election with 250 votes.

Will the Senator, please, resume his seat?

Senators John Gilroy and Michael Mullins referred to mental health services. In that regard, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has attended the House to hear statements and the debates on Private Members' motions on numerous occasions. Her commitment to dealing with this issue is, without doubt, clear for all to see. She has always expressed a willingness to come to the House and I will ask her to come and discuss this very serious issue again.

Senators Jillian van Turnhout, Michael Mullins, JIm D'Arcy and Mary Moran referred to MMS, a debatable treatment for children with autism. Senator Jillian van Turnhout suggested it was a hoax treatment which put the lives of children at risk. I am delighted that she has raised the matter with the Minister for Health. I support her comments.

Senator Paul Coghlan and all other Senators from County Kerry supported its football teams and congratulated them on their wonderful victories. Senator Marie Mooney congratulated the Donegal teams on the parts they played in the finals. Senator Paul Coghlan also highlighted the need to be vigilant in dealing with e-mails, especially those regarding the Revenue Commissioners.

Senator Feargal Quinn referred to the graduate entry system to medicine and the cost of courses and loans. He called for an amendment to the Finance Act to allow the interest on such loans to be tax deductible. Other Senators also raised this issue.

Senator Michael Mullins referred to mental health services. As I said, I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to come to the House as soon as possible to discuss the matter.

I replied to questions on water charges last week. As I said, we discussed the Bill for days and everybody had an opportunity to speak at length. On housing and homelessness, I have asked the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, to come to the House and he has indicated that that will happen towards the third week in October.

Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú highlighted the childhood cancer campaign and commended it for its excellent work. He referred to the need for all of us to support the campaign.

Senator Jim D'Arcy referred to petrol stretching and suggested diesel laundering had not stopped in County Louth. He highlighted the dumping of sludge over the weekend and called on the Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris, to come to the House to update us on the matter, something I will ask him to do.

Senators Sean D. Barrett, Colm Burke and others complimented the students of Kinsale community school on their success at the World Science Fair in California. It was an excellent achievement for the students, the school, their parents and the country. We all commend them for their efforts.

Senator Sean D. Barrett also highlighted the difficulties in the wind farm sector and called on the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, to come to the House for a debate on the matter. I will ask him to participate in such a debate.

Senator Mary Moran, among others, mentioned the success of the Special Olympics athletes and Dundalk FC. She also outlined her concerns about soccer hooliganism. We would all like to be associated with the success of the Special Olympics athletes who did Ireland proud.

Senator Fidelma Healy Eames mentioned the beef crisis. As she knows, the demand for beef in European markets has never been lower, with consumption across the European Union having declined by 5% since 2010, largely connected with the economic climate. In addition, Irish beef prices were at an historically high level last year, when the average price was up 5% on the 2012 peak. Obviously, therefore, prices were significantly higher. As a consequence, the current drop in prices is being keenly felt by farmers. While the Government is clearly restricted in what it can do in terms of becoming involved in the issue of commercial pricing, a number of actions have been taken to support farmers during this difficult period. As the Senator may be aware, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine announced details of an investment package worth up to €40 million in 2014 aimed at sustaining critical mass in the suckler cow herd. In that regard, there is €23 million for the beef genomics scheme, €10 million for the beef data programme, €5 million for the beef technology adoption programme and €2 million in residual payments under the suckler cow welfare scheme. A number of other actions have been taken by the Minister who will keep the matter under constant review. We should support him in the actions he has taken in this regard and, if necessary, further action will be taken.

Senator Colm Burke mentioned medical graduates. He also referred to the point made by Senator Feargal Quinn and supported the calls made for expenditure to be allowable against tax.

Senator Terry Brennan lauded the success of our sports people, especially the Special Olympics team. On the sporting theme, Senator Ned O'Sullivan mentioned the Listowel races and rightly said holiday meetings were the backbone of the sport. It was questionable to allow the prestigious meetings held at Leopardstown and the Curragh which clashed with the other fixtures. It is a matter Horse Racing Ireland should examine in the future.

The Senator also mentioned the situation with holidays for gardaí. As the Cathaoirleach pointed out, this is a matter for the Garda Commissioner.

Senator Paul Bradford mentioned the fact that Ireland would host at least two or three games during the 2020 UEFA finals. I compliment everybody involved, including the FAI, the Government, chambers of commerce and all those associated with the bid. It was wonderful to win. Eight cities were chosen and it is great that Ireland's capital city is among them.

Senator Paul Bradford also called for a debate on the future of the League of Ireland and the provision of greater resources. It is sad to see League of Ireland teams playing in front of 400 or 500 spectators. There is a need to develop the game at local level. As the Senator said, it will be a long time before we will see between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators attending League of Ireland games, as witnessed in the 1970s, in particular.

Senator Paschal Mooney mentioned the Irish students in San Francisco and the bad image given to Ireland. I understand the landlady mentioned - I heard it on the radio on my way to Dublin - that 14 students might have been involved. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has come out very strongly on the issue.

The students involved must be held responsible. They are doing dreadful damage to the image of Ireland in America, Australia and other areas and must be held accountable for their actions. I hope, as the Senator said, that they are named and shamed because they do nothing for the image of the country or their educational institutions.