I thank the 13 Members of the House for their contribution to the Order of Business. I join with Senator Ardagh in calling for the expedition of the apprenticeship programme. Ireland has a deficit of apprenticeships that has been well documented. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, have been to the forefront in the action plan for apprenticeships for 2016 to 2020 and 26 new apprenticeship applications were approved. We have an aim of having 9,000 apprentices registered by 2020. Therefore, there is a clear pathway. Eleven new apprenticeship programmes have been developed and approved since 2015.

Every time I listen to Senator Ardagh speak about apprenticeships and the construction sector, I wonder if I am living in "Dallas". Am I like Bobby stepping out of the shower and awakening from a dream? I remind Senator Ardagh-----

Five hundred houses a year since Fine Gael has been in government.

I did not interrupt Senator Ardagh.

We get the spiel every time we mention anything.

Allow the Leader to respond.

The Leader has been responding with the same nonsense since-----

The Senator has had her say and the Leader is entitled to respond. I have to control the Chamber, so let him respond.

It is fact, not nonsense, that the Fianna Fáil Party in government caused the collapse in the construction sector. It is fact, not nonsense, that people in the construction sector lost their jobs and thousands of men and women were forced to emigrate because there was no construction sector. That is fact, not nonsense.

There is still no construction sector under Fine Gael. Nobody has houses.

There was no work. There was no construction sector for a decade.

The Government has had seven years and children are being reared in hotel rooms.

It would behove Senator Clifford-Lee to listen rather than come in-----

I listened to the same nonsense.

Before I responded she used the word nonsense. I know it hurts Senators over there to hear the facts, not alternative facts, the real facts.

It does not hurt me at all. What hurts me is hearing of those children in hotel rooms.

Thankfully, this Government and the last Government restored our country with the help of the Irish people. There are more people back at work and there is a construction sector that is beginning to re-emerge from the doldrums of a decade, a lost decade caused by Senator Clifford-Lee's party in government and nobody else. We had to rebrand and reconstruct FÁS as SOLAS, following the mess the Senator's party in government created with FÁS in respect of the construction sector. Now we are working with industry to ensure people are back at work in the construction sector. I agree with Senator Ardagh, it is absolutely important that we prioritise construction apprenticeships because skilled craftspeople and others are needed to work in that sector. That is what this Government is doing. There is an action plan for apprenticeships under the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Halligan and the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton.

That is what this Government is-----

In respect of the communications unit, the Members opposite do not like good news. There are €116 billion worth of good news projects for every community, town, city and county. Which one would the Senators not welcome in their communities?

State money is being used to pay for Fine Gael election propaganda.

Which one would the Senator not welcome?

That is not the question.

Which one would she not welcome?

The issue is State money being spent on Fine Gael election material.

The Senator should cast her mind back.

Senator Buttimer is purposely not responding to that comment.

I bring her mind back to her venerable great leader's role and that of the former leader and Taoiseach in the national development plan 2000. It is the same thing.

It was marked as advertising.

It is a question of communicating, informing, letting people know.

The editors of local papers have found that.

If Senator Clifford-Lee objects, and I know she is upset about it now-----

I am not a bit upset.

If she objects to any of the projects-----

The Leader-----

-----that are being promised for her area she should tell the people why she is against them and she should not be coming in here with a phony, fake war.

If the Leader is going to have an interaction I will suspend the sitting for 15 minutes. This is happening every day. The Leader is talking to Senators. He should address the Chair in responding and not be baited. Senator Clifford-Lee should please allow him to answer. She can come back tomorrow and condemn his answer.

I am replying to the Order of Business.

Otherwise this Order of Business and our dealings will descend into disorder and that is wrong.

I am replying to the Order of Business.

The Leader should try to avoid personal commentary.

Sometimes Members do not like to hear the good news. That is understandable because we have good news to tell people but we have a very clear separation between the fourth estate and Members of the Government and of the Oireachtas, and that is how they should do their business.

In keeping with the previous national development plan, Project Ireland 2040, there was no communication with members of local media or local newspapers the way the Senator purports. It was quite the opposite. The instruction was that this was in partnership with the Irish Government, in keeping with what Fianna Fáil did when it was in government, travelling the country, advertising on the backs of buses or in newspapers. They went around the country with their policy units. Senators Clifford-Lee and Ardagh know that quite well.

I agree with Senator Ardagh and Senator Murnane O'Connor that we must encourage all the elderly people and those most vulnerable in this time of an impending cold weather alert not to be afraid to turn on their heating. We will all work to ensure, whether through special needs payments, the fuel allowance, or by whatever means we can, that people do not feel they cannot put on the heating. I appeal to all in this House to cast aside their political baggage, ideology and rivalry to ensure that all the elderly and most vulnerable have access to heat and can be properly taken care of.

Senators Boyhan and Murnane O'Connor raised the issue of data protection. The Bill will be discussed in the House later and we will be debating the issues raised by Senator Boyhan with the Minister. The issues the Senators referenced about Tusla are worrying, because it is the organisation charged with protecting the most vulnerable young people in our society and it has a responsibility to ensure the findings of the HIQA inspection report are acted upon. I understand that Tusla has responded to the issue. It is important to recognise that Tusla has made changes but it is not good enough when a report by an independent group such as HIQA highlights key issues of concern. All of us want to ensure the safety of our children and to ensure they are protected at all times. I do not have an answer on the question about the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire, but I would be happy to have the Minister come to the House to discuss the matter.

Senators Norris and Ó Donnghaile raised the issue of Aidan McAnespie's killing. As Leader of the House, I join with the two Senators in condemning his death. If one listened to the "Miriam Meets" programme last Sunday, one could not but be moved by the powerful testimony of family members about what happened and how Aidan McAnespie was treated. It is unbelievable that a young man travelling to his own GAA club should be the victim of a tragedy like this without any recourse to justice for the family. It beggars belief that at one level, it is claimed that his death was caused by a ricochet bullet when - as other Members have pointed out and as was said on the programme last Sunday - there was an ongoing campaign of harassment involving Mr. McAnespie. The Minister for Justice and Equality is committed to ensuring that the truth is found. He is examining all options that might be available to assist the family. I know, having spoken to the Minister, that he is concerned that there is disquiet about what may or may not have happened but the bottom line here is that it is important that the truth is uncovered for all victims and families of victims of the violence on both sides of the divide, and equally that we have reconciliation whereby we can bring our country forward again.

The Minister could start with a declaration that there was no ricochet.

I am committed, as is Senator Craughwell, to ensuring that we find truth. It will not bring young Aidan McAnespie back, but obtaining justice will give his family some solace. I join with Senator Ó Donnghaile in saying that the issue of equality is important for the North, and particularly the issue of marriage equality.

Senators Butler and Norris raised the issue of Permanent TSB and Ulster Bank, and we had two debates in the House last week on the issue; it was in the Order of Business twice and the Minister was in the House last Thursday. The Minister is committed to working with all sides to ensure that we find a way forward so that we can have certainty for families, homeowners and landowners in the case of the use of the non-performing loan book. It is also important to recognise there are many people who are paying their mortgages, struggling to pay and working through their issues with the banks. The State should work with those people as well and they should not be forgotten in this debate. The issue is being taken seriously. The Minister has met Deputy Michael McGrath and there is a willingness to work to ensure that we do find a way forward. The Minister has asked the Central Bank to look at the situation.

Is anything being done about the charitable status?

I was of the view that it was being investigated. I join with the Senator in saying that there is no way that we should allow vulture funds to have permanent charitable status. That is not what the Act was set up for. Charitable status is not about vulture funds being able to piggy-back and to write off tax, in my opinion-----

Hear, hear.

-----and it should not be allowed to continue. I know the Revenue Commissioners were investigating that, but I would really hope that the situation does not pertain where vulture funds are able to obtain a write-off by virtue of a loophole or a section of the Charities Act. They should not be able to have charitable status.

The Cathaoirleach has ruled on the matter of an tUachtarán. I believe that as a democracy, it is open to all citizens, provided that they can fulfil the eligibility criteria and secure nominations to run for President and provided they are over a certain age. I certainly believe that is an option that should be looked at.

By the same token, I would not support President Trump in his bid for a second term. That is probably not in order on the Order of Business.

It is a matter for another jurisdiction.

It is not our jurisdiction.

He might not be there for a second term. He may be gone for his tea.

I hope he does not go for his tea just yet, but I would not like to see him re-elected. His first 12 months in office have been littered with bad decisions and poor governance. The issue of An tUachtarán is a matter for himself. I very much hope any candidate who obtains the necessary criteria can run for election. A democracy is about a contest.

It is very difficult for an individual. It is skewed in the interests of parties.

I accept that. I admired the tenacity and bravery of Senator Norris during the last presidential election campaign in first securing the nomination.

I thank the Leader.

I believe we should have a contest for the Presidency of our country. I know the Cathaoirleach may rebuke me for that.

I am not familiar with the issue raised regarding retired members of the Defence Forces. I will be happy to talk about that after the Order of Business.

Senator Byrne raised the very important issue of an engineering technology event due to take place in Shannon tomorrow which has been cancelled. The initiative is one we should welcome and embrace because it is not just about primary and secondary school students being able to avail of opportunities. Recently in Cork three women, Gillian Keating, Ruth Buckley and Caroline O'Driscoll, produced a very important initiative called I Wish which is about the STEM subjects, namely, science, technology, engineering and maths, and the need to have more women involved in all of those subject areas. I agree with Senator Byrne that it is important that we promote and advocate for girls and women to study these subjects and go on to different careers.

I would be happy to accept Senator Warfield's amendment to the Order of Business. We should give consideration to working with all sides of the House to ensure that there is protection for workers in the arts. His points were well made.

I will not weigh in on the comments made by Senators Davitt and Craughwell on Mullingar, other than to say it is a fine town and a place I have visited on a number of occasions.

Senator Burke raised a very important issue raised by Senator Byrne last week, namely, the measles epidemic in Limerick. The fact that some 18 of the 20 people affected had not been vaccinated highlights the need for an ongoing campaign to promote the importance of vaccinations and immunisations because they work. Those who say they do not are doing a disservice to young people and young women in respect of the HPV vaccine. Senator Burke referred to the HPV vaccine uptake having increased to 50%, which is something we should support. All of us in the House support the campaign by the HSE and Department of Health on vaccinations.

I have addressed the matters raised by Senator Norris. In respect of the matter raised by Senator Devine, the Minister will come before the House in the coming weeks on the issue of divestment. It has been raised on the Order of Business a number of times and there was a Topical Issues matter on it. The Government is committed to delivering on the commitment in the programme for Government to deliver 400 multidenominational and non-denominational schools by 2030. That is the Government's plan. In some cases things are taking longer than they should, but the point she raised is one that we should all work to see achieved. There should be diversity and choice, and a different model of delivery should be achieved. We will have a debate on that soon.

I fully agree with Senator Clifford-Lee on the pay and conditions of councillors. We had a debate on the matter in the House last week. She is right to raise the point and it is one we should all support, irrespective of politics. Councillors are the vanguard of local government. They are foot soldiers and policymakers. They are employed on a part-time basis, but in reality they work on a full-time basis. They deserve to be paid properly. I agree with the Senator.

I accept the amendment from Senator Warfield to the Order of Business.

Senator Fintan Warfield has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 22 be taken before No. 1." The Leader has indicated that he is prepared to accept this amendment. Is the amendment agreed? Agreed.