Senator Michael Mullins welcomed the decrease in the level of unemployment, as set out in the live register statistics. It is genuinely a good news story that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 11.1%, down from a crisis peak of 15.1% in 2012. It is hugely significant that there has been a 9% year-on-year decrease in the level of unemployment, with the rate of long-term unemployment having decreased by 5.5% year on year. I know that everyone in the House will welcome this reduction. It is hoped this pattern of decreases will continue into the future. As I said, this issue was also noted fairly by Senator Paschal Mooney.

Senator Michael Mullins asked for the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, to be invited to the House for a debate on job creation. Previous debates on this issue in the House proved to be very useful. I will ask the Leader to facilitate such a debate.

The Senator also referred to the tragic deaths in recent times on farms. We were all heartbroken to hear about the two little girls involved in the accident on a farm in County Cork. The Senator's suggestion that primary schools educate children about farm and road safety is a good one. It might be worthwhile for him to raise the matter with the Health and Safety Authority.

I have responded to some of the questions raised by Senator Paschal Mooney. I note that he also welcomed the new model launched this week by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, which marks an historic change in the system of appointments to boards. We should all applaud the Minister and the Government in this regard.

The Senator also referred to the appointment of the new US ambassador to Ireland. Unlike here, in the United States ambassadors are political appointees rather than civil servants. We do not have the same system as the United States in the election of judges and prosecutors. There are many ways in which our system bears much better scrutiny.

Senator Aideen Hayden also spoke about and called for a debate on the third level institution rankings. As I said, it would be good to have the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, come to the House for such a debate and, in particular, the report on third level funding, publication of which we would all welcome.

Senator Feargal Quinn also spoke about the university rankings and the importance of high standards in our universities in the context of foreign direct investment. He also referred to Mr. Tom Boland's important statement that rankings were not the only measurement and that other criteria were used, some of which might be flawed.

The Senator also referred to the issues of cigarette smuggling and diesel laundering in north Louth and south Armagh and spoke about the tragic death of Garda Adrian Donohoe as being a catalyst for change. I agree with him in that regard. Next Tuesday the Minister for Justice and Equality will be in the House for the Second Stage debate on the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2014, which might present an appropriate opportunity for the Senator to express his concerns about the particular area of the country mentioned. It should be possible to introduce measures that might be of assistance, although I suspect that what is needed is policing strategies and measures rather than legislative ones. It is an important issue which was brought home to us yesterday in the context of the tributes paid in this House to the late former Senator Edward Haughey who as a major employer brought so much prosperity to south Armagh. That is perhaps a better way of dealing with these issues than the vehicle of terrorist legislation.

Senator Terry Brennan spoke about the appointments made to the RTE Authority and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, which, again, were examples of good practice in terms of the nominees having been required to engage in a process of hearings-----

That process was introduced by Fianna Fáil.

-----following which the 129 applicants where whittled down to eight. It is important that the House give credit where there is good practice, regardless of by whom it was instituted or which committee engages in it. The media do not pay enough attention to the many Ministers who have been utilising this open and transparent system in making State board appointments.

Senator Terry Brennan also expressed the hope the planning Bill would be brought before the House soon and called on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to come to the House to address the unauthorised developments issue. The Minister will be before the House to take the planning Bill, at which time matters such as the vacant site levy, as well as Part V social housing issues, can be addressed.

Senator David Norris also spoke about the university rankings. I agree with him in his comments on the need for a careful examination of the criteria being used in that regard. It is also important to say that in Ireland there have been positive increases in recent years in the numbers of students attending third level education. Ireland has one of the highest proportions of third level graduates across the European Union, something of which we should be very proud. Our universities are doing a very good job in raising educational standards generally. When looking at criteria across other countries, it should be remembered that other countries may have much lower levels of participation in third level education than in Ireland. We have also seen considerable success here in the roll-out of campus companies in different universities through the good use of philanthropy and philanthropic funding.

Senator Martin Conway welcomed the new structures for appointments to State boards as positive politics, with which I agree. He also put forward important ideas for how we deal with accidents on farms and address the issue of farm safety generally. He called on the Seanad to play a role in this regard and the Seanad Public Consultation Committee, in particular, to take it on as its next topic for consultation, which is a good idea. I advise the Senator to communicate with the Cathaoirleach on the matter and will undertake to raise it at the next meeting of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee and suggest it be the next issue it addresses. I agree that it is an appropriate forum in which to try to come up with ideas for the better dissemination of the message on farm safety. The Health and Safety Authority's advertising in this regard is very powerful, but clearly more needs to be done.

Senator Diarmuid Wilson spoke about the McNulty affair and wilfully misquoted Senator Paul Coghlan on the issue of the dead horse, an issue over which I do not propose to go again.

The record speaks for itself.

I propose to ignore the Senator's gratuitous comments on the Labour Party.

As everyone else is ignoring the Labour Party, it does not matter.