Anyone looking at the proceedings in the other House today would see the considerable toing and froing on the Opposition. They are discussing who knew what and when. That has become a greater issue than the real issue at stake. Who cares who said what and to whom they said it? Who cares where it was said? Who cares who knew what and at what time they knew it? To me, it is like they are schoolchildren because of the way they are carrying on.

What is important is that a man's reputation has been damaged and his family is distressed - as any family would be. What we in the Oireachtas need to do is restore this man's good name as quickly as possible and restore confidence in the Garda Síochána, whose members do an excellent job day in, day out on our behalf. I call on politicians from all parties and none to stop using this as a political issue to make political gains.

It is a political issue. Is Senator McFadden mad?

Senator McFadden, without interruption, please.

We should allow the tribunal to find out whether a deliberate smear campaign was waged against Sergeant McCabe. We should allow him to have his name cleared. We need to find out, through the tribunal, by whom this was perpetrated and we should not use it for politics.

I wish to echo not what the previous Senator has said but the comments of other Senators in their condemnation of the vile, nauseating and atrocious attempt to denigrate Sergeant McCabe in recent years.

I have another concern with regard to this matter. Notwithstanding the need to play politics with it – it is political – we need to consider the damage it is causing to Tusla and the children we are trying to protect through that agency, as set up by the Government. That is of utmost and equal concern. This is relevant for vulnerable children and those who, perhaps, have been misguided in their recording in Tusla. That matter is seriously concerning, but let us deal with it on another day.

I second the amendment to the Order of Business from Senator Conway-Walsh. St. Valentine's night of 36 years ago is burned into our collective memories. A total of 48 young people on the north side of Dublin never came home. They lost their lives in the Stardust fire. These young people lost their lives and hundreds of their friends and lovers were injured horrifically. Words cannot fully describe the extraordinary pain visited on the affected families, including mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, for the past 36 years as a result of that dreadful night in 1981. The journey these families have had to go through began then and continues to this day. It has included the flawed Keane report of 1982, which added much pain to the families, and the Coffey review of 2009, which contained an unpublished recommendation for a new inquiry.

The Government now has the power to take action and help discover the truth. Moreover, it has the power to create a commission of investigation. The State claims it needs new evidence. The families have handed over that new evidence. The State can now go ahead and attempt to uncover the truth of this murky night in our collective history.

The families of those who died long before their time, those who were injured physically and psychologically and their parents and sisters continue to vigorously pursue the truth for their loved ones. We should all be ashamed of the inaction of this Government and previous Governments, as well as the thwarting and procrastination in respect of this horrific tragedy visited on young people from working-class communities in this city. They are seeking justice and we need to assist them in every way possible.

I agree with some of the sentiments expressed. What has occurred regarding Maurice McCabe and his family is atrocious. There are answers that he needs and there are answers that we need. A full public tribunal of inquiry is what is required.

The cut-and-paste exercise in putting together a report is also an important element. If that is the standard in how an extremely serious report is prepared, then very difficult questions must be answered regarding what is a very dangerous way of completing something which could lead to a full investigation of a person and which could involve criminal prosecution. There are many questions to be answered in this matter. There are also many questions to be answered as to why it has taken so long for this issue to be dealt with within Tusla and why something of this nature has been left to fester. That is exactly what has happened. It has been left to fester within both the Garda and Tusla. The sooner the public tribunal is set up and the issues are fully aired, the better. If information comes through that people were involved deliberately in trying to muddy a person's name and destroy that person's family, those who were party to that type of business must be prosecuted and the appropriate penalty imposed on them for ruining someone's life. This is an extremely serious issue. It is something we cannot allow happen in any part of the State. We have checks and balances in this State with the Oireachtas, the Judiciary and State agencies and it is important all those checks and balances work properly. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with in the shortest possible period.

The Harold's Cross dog track has been in existence since 1928 and the announcement of its closure has greatly saddened the local community. In the context of the week that is in it, sometimes speedy decisions may end up resulting in a great loss to the local community. A local area plan is badly needed for that area. A new secondary school is also badly needed in that area and the Harold's Cross site could be ideal in that regard. There is talk of the site being put up for immediate sale, which is a concern. I would be grateful if the Leader would raise this issue with the Minister concerned. Currently, the zoning on that site is Z9, which means that only 5% of the site can be developed. If it is the board's intention to sell the site with its current zoning, the likelihood is it will lie sterile for several years because I do not believe there will be any great intention on the part of the council to change the zoning. It is an important site not only for the local community but for the city. I ask the Leader to raise with the Minister the future use of the site, encourage him to fund a local area plan and to engage with the Department of Education and Skills to see if it can facilitate the provision of a second-level educational institute on that site. I would be very grateful if the Leader could raise this matter with the Minister as soon as possible and come back to me on it.

I do not want to labour the point regarding the establishment of a tribunal of inquiry. However, I must state that Tusla is an organisation that most people hope they will never have to get involved with because it is generally the most vulnerable children who are cared for by it. Separate from or independent of the inquiry relating to Maurice McCabe, there is now a belief that an agency of the State is cutting and pasting allegations from one file to another. How can people who make suggestions or allegations of there being a difficulty that could involve a child who is at risk - whether it be within their family or their wider home or school community - have faith in Tusla?

The responsible Minister needs to explain to the House how this kind of behaviour could happen. If people are not willing to report to Tusla, there will be children who will ultimately not receive the protection and service they need from the State when they need it.

Last week the sod was turned on the Cherrywood development in south Dublin. The number will come to 8,000 housing units which will be able to accommodate 20,000 people in an area at the end of the Luas Green Line. It is important that the Leader ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to come to the House to discuss how 20,000 more people will be handled on the Luas Green Line which has been operating at full capacity for some time during the day. It is all very well and we would love to believe everyone who will live in Cherrywood will be self-sufficient and attend schools and places of work there. However, that is not realistic. While it is fantastic that these homes will be created, many of the people who will buy and rent homes in Cherrywood will want to use the Luas. We need a wider debate, not just about the Luas service to Cherrywood but also about mass transit generally in Dublin. Its transport infrastructure is creaking and needs to be tackled soon. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport needs to address the House on what he is doing to deliver quality public transport services in the greater Dublin area.

I also welcome the decision to hold a public inquiry on the situation involving Sergeant Maurice McCabe and hope the truth will come out. It has been a difficult few years for the McCabe family and now we will have the right mechanism to get to the truth which must be heard.

I want to raise an issue which I do not particularly like raising. On the way to Dublin this morning I was listening to the radio station Shannonside Northern Sound. Last Sunday there was a Gaelic minor football match in Cavan. A lady, the parent of two of the players involved, gave her account of racist abuse suffered at the match which effectively ended in mayhem. I understand the GAA will deal with the matter. It was harrowing to hear, however, that in this day and age there are still racism and sectarianism in sport. The GAA has done a lot of work in this regard, with the FAI, under the Show Racism the Red Card programme. This is, however, a complex problem and there are spectators and players who think they can get away with it. This is a wake-up call. I was taken aback by the account of the lady in question who, while passionate about the GAA, would not like her children to play again. While the GAA will deal with the matter correctly, there is no place for sectarianism and racism in sport, especially among young people. I blame the parents who believe they have a right to use racist and sectarian chants. We must ensure we put a stop to it. During the years, as a former Glasgow Celtic supporter, I remember attending old firm matches between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow which is infamous for sectarianism. The two clubs involved, with the Scottish FA, the IFA in Northern Ireland and the English FA, have done much to work together to deal with the problem. While the incident to which I am referring happened at a Gaelic football ground, we need to do much more to ensure there will be no place for sectarianism and racism in sport.

I formally second Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell's proposed amendment to the Order of Business.

Tusla has been spoken about. In my office I have a complaint from parents who brought an issue to Tusla. Six weeks later another group of parents from the same town went to it to report a similar incident. It informed them that they were telling the same story as Mr. and Mrs. Bloggs six weeks previously. The entire story was told to the second family which was a complete and utter breach of confidentiality. We have heard much about the Garda, but Tusla is a dysfunctional organisation which needs a root and branch examination. With respect to the Garda and Sergeant Maurice McCabe, I will not be lectured about politics and what has been done.

Politics has destroyed this man's life. Yesterday we had one of the most senior Garda officers return to his post after malicious allegations against him were rejected. He is now sitting in his Garda uniform, as is the Garda Commissioner. Both will appear in front of a tribunal in Garda uniforms. The most senior garda in this country, the Commissioner, will be in charge of an organisation that may be asked, under discovery, to release documents. It is completely untenable for the Garda Commissioner to remain in place right now.

Hear, hear.

The Garda Commissioner must step aside. She has no alternative. I am not for one moment saying that she has done anything wrong, but the man who was restored to his job yesterday said she did something wrong. He pointed the finger at her and said that he was instructed to go out and damage Sergeant McCabe's-----

That will be a matter for the inquiry, Senator. We are not going into detail like that here.

I am afraid that has already been done. Did the Commissioner not appoint her husband to investigate it?

We cannot make that allegation against somebody who is not present here.

This is not on. The Commissioner must step aside. I will leave it at that for now.

I thank the Senator and call Senator Paul Gavan.