I call the Leader to announce the Order of Business. It will be one of the last.

The Cathaoirleach knows something that we do not.

Perhaps the Cathaoirleach knows something more than I do.

It appears so. Who did he have breakfast with this morning?

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 (Section 44) (Variation of Indemnity Amount) Order 2016, back from committee, to be taken without debate at the conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, motion re Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (Section 95(3)) (Variation of title: Optician) Regulations 2016, back from committee, to be taken without debate at the conclusion of No. 1; No. 3, motion re Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2016, back from committee, to be taken without debate at the conclusion of No. 2; No. 4, motion re Companies Act 2014 (Section 1313) Regulations 2016, back from committee, to be taken without debate at the conclusion of No. 3; No. 5 Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015 - Committee Stage, to be taken at the conclusion of No. 4 and adjourned not later than 2 p.m., if not previously concluded; and No. 6, Energy Bill 2016 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at the conclusion of No. 5, with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for informing us that this is our last day here.

I did not say that.

Can we get clarity from the Leader? Will we be meeting next Tuesday?

We certainly will be meeting next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wednesday too. That is great to hear. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his clarification. I did not mean to put him on the spot.

I said that it would be one of the last.

We will have to check the minutes on that one.

I remind the Cathaoirleach that the Seanad is independent of the Dáil.

Let them do what they will and we will do what we will. Yesterday, we proposed a number of amendments to the Order of Business on Bills that were on the Order Paper, one of which was the EU Scrutiny and Transparency in Government Bill 2013. Unfortunately, the Members opposite did not see fit to make time for that Bill to be debated.

We also put forward a Bill which had been proposed by the Law Reform Commission on corporate manslaughter in respect of entities and people in charge of entities taking responsibility for their inaction or actions in respect of consequences for people who rely on their services.

There were cases in the past regarding the Irish Blood Transfusion Service when people knew contaminated blood products were being given to women but there were no consequences for those who did not take action. That should have been accepted yesterday when it was on the Order Paper. I do not see it on the Order Paper today.

The Deputy Leader yesterday agreed to the proposal to take Second Stage of the National Anthem (Protection of Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) Bill 2016 today. What happened to that? The national anthem needs protection. It went out of copyright in 2012. The Minister for Finance said he would bring in legislation to protect it. I understand some attempts were made to start that but four years on, in the year of the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising there is a Bill, all on one page, 23 lines long, which we could have passed by this evening while the other House could do it on Tuesday, if it so wished. Will the Leader allow time for that? We will table an amendment to the Order of Business to take the Bill today. I remind Members opposite that we circulated this Bill two weeks ago for comment. We were open to ideas or thoughts on it but none came back and we published our Bill.

There is a motion on the Order Paper in respect of cystic fibrosis. It is important that a message goes out from this House to those who could rely on a drug that would transform their lives. All parties should support the motion.

I am grateful to the Leader for clarifying that the Seanad will sit next Tuesday and Wednesday, no matter what happens elsewhere. I also welcome the fact that we will have statements on the report of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis on Tuesday because that gives us the opportunity to read what is in the report. Having read preliminary reports of it and its key aspects, I commend all those who were on the committee for the immense work they put into producing the report. I commend to Senators an excellent article by our colleague, Senator Susan O’Keeffe, in The Irish Times today describing the work of the committee and, in very fair terms, some of its pitfalls and positive aspects and the lessons it holds for the future. Many things are now clearer as a result of the report, in particular serious matters in terms of the behaviour of the Central Bank and the Financial Regulator, which, we are told, informed the Government in September 2008 that the six institutions covered by the guarantee were solvent. That is a critical finding. I look forward to the debate on Tuesday.

I welcome the publication yesterday of the first national maternity strategy, which many of those involved in maternity hospitals, the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, midwives and others have welcomed. This strategy will move in a very welcome fashion towards a non-hospital setting for childbirth and a stronger role for midwives in childbirth, where there are no complications. Women and midwives have campaigned for that for many years.

I also welcome the publication yesterday of the new skills strategy which will lead to 50,000 new apprenticeships being created over five years. That is critical to the continued strength of the economy and its growth. It will give new opportunities for many young adults in particular.

I know everyone will wish to note that peace talks on Syria start today. These will involve all stakeholders and take place in Switzerland. Everyone will want to join in hoping that those talks will achieve some resolution of the appalling war that has been going on so long in Syria.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 14 be taken before No. 1 today. This is a Bill that is worthy of consideration and I would welcome the opportunity to have it introduced as soon as possible.

We should have the ability to do more than we are doing about the concern that terrorists may come to Ireland. The French introduced legislation particularly in regard to passports that people with dual nationality could be deprived of their French nationality if they have been involved in terrorist activities elsewhere. That has caused a fuss in France where the Minister for Justice had to resign yesterday because she did not approve of this. By turning a blind eye to the dangers ahead of us we could leave ourselves open. We should discuss the possibility that we have the right to take action against people who have come to Ireland and have dual nationality. We should be able to remove that nationality from them if they have been involved in terrorist activities. I would welcome the chance to debate that in the future.

I also welcome the publication of the report of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis and congratulate the Members of this House who participated in it and put in many hours to ensure the report was completed. I welcome the fact that the Leader has committed to holding a debate on this topic next Tuesday. While I know we have run out of road, it is a pity we are not having a wider debate on the banking sector in general because although the report places the blame fairly firmly at the feet of the banking sector, at a cost of €63 billion to the taxpayer, there are still several significant flaws in the banking system which need to be addressed to provide genuine justice for the people of Ireland. For example, the variable rate being charged to mortgage customers in this country far exceeds the European average. There is a clear effort on the part of the banks to make up on the balance sheets for their losses on tracker mortgages.

There is also a consistent attempt on behalf of the banks to ensure that customers of those banks are receiving a poorer service, particularly vulnerable customers who do not have access to the Internet. One of the main banks recently introduced a €700 limit on withdrawals in the high street branches. We also need to consider the mortgage rules which ensure that people who are paying very high rents will not be able to own their homes. There are several issues in the banking system that we need to address. We have had debates on agriculture, tourism, fisheries, small business and technology but not on the banking sector and its role in the economy. If people cannot access a good, decent financial product their life chances are particularly limited. The same is true for small and medium-sized businesses, SMEs, which cannot access funding from Irish banks, and for the construction sector. There is a huge equity gap between what the banks will lend these businesses and what they need. Banks have a responsibility to ensure the recovery of this economy and they are not playing their part appropriately.

I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Mark Daly. I hope there will not be Government opposition to this Bill. This is a single page Bill on an issue which has exercised the Government since the expiry of the copyright on the national anthem in 2013. I would say it fell off the radar. I do not think there is any ideological objection to it. I appreciate the logistics involved but it would send a very strong message in this year, 2016, that we in this House were united in ensuring the integrity of "Amhrán na bhFiann" is maintained and is not sullied by misinterpretations or any attempt to downgrade it and that we were proud of our anthem and what it proposes and the strong identification people have with it.

One need only go to a sporting occasion to know that. I do not want to labour the point but I would be very grateful for a positive response from the Leader.

Senator Ivana Bacik and others have talked about an all-party motion on cystic fibrosis. However, there are colleagues in my group who have been contacted directly by constituents and others who either suffer from cystic fibrosis themselves or have siblings who suffer from it and would like to see some action on this. In that context, we are proposing an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 79, non-Government motion No. 15, be taken today.

Like other Members of this House, in particular those from the north west and the west, I have railed about the lack of evidence of a commitment by IDA Ireland to explore job opportunities in the regions. Deputy Dara Calleary tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation inquiring, as he does every year, about the number of IDA Ireland visits across the country. The response makes very interesting reading. I am sure all Members of this House will want to look at what is happening in their counties. I know the Leader and I have talked about the seeming neglect of the south east as opposed to the seeming neglect of the north west. It is only right and proper that we raise these issues. However, I am pleased to say that reading the response to Deputy Calleary's parliamentary question, I found that there were eight visits to Leitrim and approximately 12 to 15 visits to Sligo-Leitrim. I would like to think that there would be some follow up on this but at least, it is a start. I am trying to establish from IDA Ireland whether there has been any follow up or whether any of these companies will locate in our part of the world. I am sure the Leader will agree with me that it is important that IDA Ireland continues to expand visits by potential companies to the regions to ensure a spread of jobs.

Did the Senator say he wanted No. 79, non-Government motion No. 15, to be taken today?

I am seconding the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Mark Daly that Second Stage of the National Anthem (Protection of Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) Bill 2016 be taken today.

Is Senator is proposing an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 79, non-Government motion No. 15, be taken today?

Yes.