I, too, welcome our visitors from Clontarf to the House. I hope there are a few budding politicians among the girls and that they enjoy their day.

Today, I raise a report completed by Dr. Johnny Connolly of the University of Limerick in conjunction with An Garda Síochána from Dublin South-Central. The report confirmed what we knew to be the case anecdotally and have discussed in the House, namely, that children as young as 12 years are being used by gangs in the south inner city to deliver and sell drugs. These children are considered by gangland criminals to be expendable. The problem is having a serious impact on local communities. Dr. Connolly's report finds that up to 700 children are involved in drugs gangs in just one small area. These children have been groomed and view the work as easy money. If anything goes wrong, they are completely expendable.

My colleague in the Lower House, Deputy John Curran, has proposed legislation to amend section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act to make it an offence to buy drugs from a minor or to use a child to sell or procure drugs. I ask the Leader to ensure the Bill is fast-tracked when it comes before the Seanad. Drug task forces have not been properly resourced and most of them lack youth workers. They have not been given any additional funding. I know of one particular area where there is just one youth worker for 300,000 children. We must fund drug task forces properly and fast-track Deputy Curran's legislation. We need to look after the children who are being groomed right in front of us, which is unfair.

On a second issue, thefts of defibrillators are on the increase. In counties Wicklow and Louth thefts and destruction of defibrillators have been reported recently. People rely on defibrillators because they save lives. The wanton vandalism and destruction of community defibrillators is upsetting and disgusting. I urge anyone who sees defibrillators being damaged to contact the local Garda.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, as proposed by the Leader, that the debate on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill should not conclude today and that the matter should not be decided by a single question, as proposed by the Leader.

Is the Senator proposing that the debate adjourn at 5.30 p.m.?

Yes, the debate should adjourn, if it has not concluded.

Is the proposal seconded?

I second it.

On the proposal to use the guillotine in this House, it is notable that it appears to come in the wake of events last night where, unfortunately, due to the absence of Government Senators, certain amendments that the Minister wished to oppose were made and amendments that he wished to make were not made. It is more serious than that. This Bill is not desired to be passed by the great majority of Members of the Oireachtas in both Houses.

There is a huge majority and newspapers have done polls among Fine Gael Members of the Oireachtas and they discovered this Bill is close to being held in contempt by most members of the Fine Gael Party in the Seanad and Dáil. Today that party is proposing the debate should be terminated at this Stage in order that it would be passed back to the Dáil for further consideration there.

I want to make a few points. In recent times the Football Association of Ireland has been the subject of great controversy. What went wrong there is that the whole organisation was captured by one man. It is a great irony the Minister on whose watch this has happened is the man who has captured the entire Government and the Fine Gael Party on this issue and is forcing them to behave in a manner in which they do not wish to behave. It is shameful in many respects. I would say to the Fine Gael Senators that I know what the party Whip is all about. I have been in a party with a Whip. I have relied as a Minister on Whips.

The Senator used the guillotine.

He used the guillotine as well.

I have.

The Senator has.

I have.

So has Senator Bacik.

I want to make it clear that, as far as I am concerned, the one thing that unites the people who will vote to guillotine this Bill today is they are the same people who went to the Irish people and asked them to abolish this Chamber. The one thing about all the Members of the Oireachtas of those parties who voted for that legislation is the great majority of them knew it was a terrible mistake to attempt to abolish this Chamber but like sheep they went towards the cliff-----

The Senator is a good man in the herd himself.

-----and only the Irish people stopped them from doing the wrong thing.

The Senator was a good man at it. That was part of the Progressive Democrats manifesto.

Order, please.

It is a great irony that the forces in this House who, against their own conscience, voted to abolish this House are now saying today they want to guillotine a Bill which they in conscience do not believe in.

Hear, hear.

Before I call the next speaker I welcome the former Senator, Deputy Sean Barrett, and his distinguished guests to the Gallery. They are very welcome.