SEANAD:MINISTER FOR Transport Leo Varadkar said he could not see any reason not to grant a passenger transport or a road haulage licence to former prisoners who were released under the Belfast Agreement and who had not committed further crimes.

The Minister was responding to a Sinn Féin attempt to have former paramilitary prisoners exempted from a provision in the Road Transport Bill requiring ministerial consideration as to whether they were entitled to such licences.

The proposed amendment was defeated by 24 votes to 16. Independents Seán Barrett, John Crown, Rónán Mullen and Feargal Quinn voted for the Sinn Féin proposal.

David Cullinane (SF) said the Minister’s response was a step forward, but Sinn Féin was arguing that as a matter of principle, it should not be the prerogative of the Minister to make such decisions.

Seán Barrett urged that the protagonists tone down the rhetoric on this issue.

He felt that all those who had committed crimes should have an opportunity to be rehabilitated and to participate in the workforce. “Let’s not carry the grudges on too long.”

The failure to hold a debate before next week’s budget marked a continuation of “old politics which blighted the Oireachtas for so many years and does not resemble the new politics we were promised post the election”, said Mary Ann O’Brien, a nominee of the Taoiseach. The latest ESRI report made bleak reading and made it all the more important that the budgetary decisions made were the correct ones.

Marc MacSharry (FF) said priority must be given to providing for the needs of the elderly in our society, even if this meant reconsidering the structure of our overseas aid commitments.

He said steps would have to be taken to ensure that lives were not lost. He would be prepared to pay more tax to achieve this.

Darragh O’Brien, Opposition leader, said he had fundamental objections with the Minister for Health overseeing policy in relation to nursing homes because of his and colleagues’ involvement in the sector.