I call on the Leader to respond.

I thank the 16 Members of the House for their contributions to the Order of Business. I wish to make one point, which I do not mean in an adverserial way. Eight Members left during the Order of Business. I thank the Members who stayed for my reply. It is the Order of Business.

As the Leader is aware, it was customary practice in the past whereby former Leaders of the House chose not to respond to people who were not present for their responses.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his guidance.

That is a very legitimate response. Members should do the Leader the courtesy of walking over and apologising to him if they cannot stay.

The Senator is quite right.

It is totally legitimate. As a basic courtesy, when Members come in here, they should wait for the response.

I appreciate that Senators have committee meetings but this is the Order of Business. At a future meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, I will raise the issue of people being present in the Chamber.

I had thought it the practice to facilitate Senators when they are obliged to leave in order to attend committee meetings.

I appreciate that there are legitimate reasons for some people leaving. This morning, however, 16 Members contributed on the Order of Business and eight have already left.

Senators Horkan, Conway-Walsh and Gallagher raised the important issue of carers. The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Jim Daly, the senior Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Government are committed to ensuring that the HSE will deliver its service plan commitments for 2019. We have more home help hours than ever and more people are availing of home help hours than ever before. We have a growing elderly population and that poses a significant challenge for us. People are living longer and their needs are becoming more complex. This year alone, an extra 800,000 home help hours will be used by the HSE. In the first quarter of this year, 4,411 more people commenced home help hour services. In the past four years, there has been an increase of €140 million in the budget to €246 million. In the 2019 HSE service plan, 18 million support hours are available and being availed of by 53,000 people. I accept that a need exists. As has been stated, people staying at home and living in their communities are not in hospital and, as a result, they do not prevent others from accessing beds. An intensive home care package is provided that is aimed at keeping people at home. The Minister of State is working with the HSE and the Department of Health on developing a statutory home help support scheme, the aim of which will be to improve access to home care packages and services on an affordable and sustainable basis. I will have the Minister come to the House to debate the matter.

Senator Horkan referred to an article in The Irish Times. I have not seen it. Even when Fianna Fáil's great leader was the Minister with responsibility for health, the Department had a budget overrun every year. He ran out of the Department screaming, as the Senator knows quite well. Fianna Fáil let the then Minister Mary Harney languish in the Department for almost all the remaining time of the-----

That was a long time ago.

The facts hurt. I am happy to have the Minister come before the House. Every day on the Order of Business and in debates there are calls for more funding for the Defence Forces, home care packages, housing and education. If we were to meet the demands in the manifestoes of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Senator Craughwell, each day we would spend money we do not have.

The Leader should not deflect from the issue.

Either we return to the days of voodoo economics or we try to balance our books and avoid-----

The Leader should look at what the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is telling people about the economics of this Government, which is spending like there is no tomorrow.

No, it is not.

Yes, it is.

Senators-----

The chickens will come home to roost yet.

The Leader, without interruption.

There are 100,000 more people in employment. Therefore, there is more income coming in.

I would be happy to have a debate on the economic record of all Governments. I would be very proud-----

I did not ask the Leader for that.

-----and a debate on balancing the books and providing funding for the health sector. I have yet to hear any Senator put forward a real alternative budget for health. All people do is say "Spend, spend, spend".

I thought Sinn Féin had costed its programme.

I would really-----

The Leader is goading us now and it is not-----

Why do we have a party-political broadcast?

I am not responsible for the Leader's response.

We know that.

We will hear the Leader now.

Senator Ó Céidigh raised the very important issue of entrepreneurship. I commend him on the role he played on the Seanad Public Consultation Committee, which published a very fine report. He raised the need for us, collectively, to improve and enhance the role of women in industry and business at all levels. I will be happy to have a debate on this matter in due course. I hope Senator Ó Céidigh will be with us to debate the perjury Bill. It was to be taken next week but, for various reasons, that is not now happening. The debate will take place as soon as possible.

Senator Norris raised the issue of Shane O'Farrell and the inquiry. I do not have the answer for Senator Norris on this matter but it is an important inquiry and the Government has appointed an eminent person to chair the commission.

Will the Leader find out whether there has been progress?

I will endeavour to find out for the Senator.

I thank the Leader.

Senator McFadden raised the issue of credit unions, which is important. We need to give consideration to the restriction on savings and the euro rate versus the interbank rate. Senator McFadden has highlighted an important matter and it is one in respect of which we deserve answers. The credit union movement has always been to the forefront and is the bedrock of many communities. I hope the Minister for Finance will come to the House in due course to discuss this matter.

Senator Boyhan referred to children living in hubs. I will endeavour to have the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government come to the House to discuss that matter. He was due to be here this week but, for reasons relating to the taking of legislation, he could not come. I will arrange a debate.

Senator Lawlor raised the very timely matter of the work permit system, which needs to be revised. I will have the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, come to the House to deal with the matter.

Senator Mac Lochlainn referred to Rockall. I do not have all the answers to the questions he raised because I am not a member of the Government. I might be a member of the party that is in government but I am not at the Cabinet table. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, met fishing representatives on Friday last. As Senator Feighan correctly stated, it is because of Brexit that we are having this issue. Ireland's position has been very clear. It has been made crystal clear by the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Creed. There is no basis for excluding Irish fishing vessels from the waters around Rockall, particularly as they are there to legitimately pursue fishing opportunities under EU law. As Senator Feighan indicated, 31% of our fish are caught in UK waters. I am open to correction on this. A number of Members of the Lower House tabled a Topical Issue on the matter this week. The Senator has the right to table a Commencement matter. I will endeavour to have the Minister come to the House. The Government is committed to and clear on the position it has adopted.

I seek clarification. The Leader stated that he will endeavour to have the Minister come to the House. Will he request that the Minister-----

Please, Senator.

It is important to clarify this. Will the Leader-----

The Senator knows the rules. I am not permitted to allow him to come back in. I am sorry, this is the Leader's response. The Senator can pursue the matter afterwards.

As Senator Mac Lochlainn knows, as Leader of the House, I receive requests every day.

Just to be clear, the House has the ability to bring the Minister before it. I do not wish to exercise that right but I will do so if necessary.

The Senator has other options.

I am making it clear I will exercise that right if the Minister is not before the House next week.

We cannot have an argument about it now.

It is the Senator's entitlement to bring a proposal on the Order of Business any day he wants to do so. The Minister is in Japan this week so he is not available. As is the case every week on the conclusion of the Order of Business, we go through the requests and balance them with the need for legislation to be passed. If a Minister is available we ask him or her to come to the House. To help the Senator, he might receive a more expeditious response by tabling a Commencement matter. That is the point I was going to make. In the Lower House this week, a number of Members tabled a Topical Issue on this matter. I am trying to be helpful to the Senator. I have no idea what the Minister's diary looks like for next week or the week after but I will endeavour to have him come to the House. This is the point I am making.

Senators Craughwell and Colm Burke raised the issue of the Defence Forces. To be fair, last night at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting Senator McFadden raised the matter as did several other Members who supported her. All of us are committed to having Defence Forces that are paid well, looked after and valued. Senator Craughwell does not have a capacity in this. We all share this desire and goal. The Taoiseach has stated that the report to which the Senator referred will be before the Government soon.

Why is the word "soon" used?

Jeepers.

Why not now? They have had it for the past two or three bloody weeks.

Senator Craughwell is not the Taoiseach.

In fairness, this is bloody madness.

It may well be but I cannot do-----

What is the secret?

I cannot allow debate during the Leader's response.

It is great. All Senator Craughwell wants now is to go on Facebook and show his nominating body that he has been shouting and roaring in the Seanad.

We understand that and it is fair enough.

The Leader is going down the cheap route.

The Senator should look at what he is doing.

Spare me. Who is keeping the report?

Does the Senator understand the process at all?

I ask Senators to bear in mind that this is not a place for schoolchildren.

Senator Craughwell is a former president of the Teachers Union of Ireland and he should know, full well, that a process is undertaken for this.

I never kept a report from my members.

The Senator needs to understand the process. I know he is trying to score political points and that is his prerogative.

We have observed the process all the way.

Can we conclude the Order of Business, please?

I am giving Senator Craughwell a reply he might not like to hear. The Taoiseach has stated that the report will go to Government shortly for consideration. It would not be helpful to engage in speculation, as the Senator and others are doing.

On a point of order-----

Look at the procedure.

-----the information that has been placed before the House today is factually incorrect.

It is not.

The Defence Forces' representative bodies were asked to come to the Department of Defence over two weeks ago to be briefed but they were then told not to come in and to go home.

We cannot have a debate on this now.

Senator Craughwell knows that the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, tasked the Public Service Pay Commission with prioritising matters regarding the Defence Forces. The process included written and verbal submissions from the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Defence and official representative bodies of the Defence Forces.

We know all that.

I will educate Senator Craughwell. The next step is for the report to go to Government for consideration. When Government has given the report consideration, it will be published.

I ask the Leader to move on.

I intend to move on. Senator Ó Ríordáin raised the issue of INTO capitation grants. I would be happy for the Minister to come to the House on the matter. Senator Murnane O'Connor raised the issue of gaming and the World Health Organization. We had a debate as part of the Gaming and Lotteries Bill, which was passed in this House this week.

The Leader did not mention the mental health committee meeting. That was the issue I raised.

I cannot allow a debate on this now.

Senator McFadden has informed me that the joint committee on mental health will be a permanent committee.

Can the Leader give me a time for when this will happen? It has been eight months now. Can he give us an update on when it is expected?

The Senator knows well that she cannot come in again on this point.

Senator Colm Burke raised a very important point regarding negativity in the commentary relating to the health sector. A lot of good work is being done and there are many positive outcomes. I agree with him on this point.

I will not wade into the issue raised by Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell. It is a matter for each Member to decide when he or she is here.

Senator Gavan raised the issue of Analog Devices and Huawei. The Taoiseach has made it quite clear that we have an open mind on this and he has been very firm that we do not necessarily go down the American route on every matter. We will have a debate with the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, in due course.