Seanad Report: The notion that Catholic bishops could veto a merger between the former Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scouting Association of Ireland was "quite sectarian", Mr Brian Hayes, the Fine Gael leader in the House, said.
If it was the Catholic bishops' intention to exercise such a veto, he would ask them to reconsider.
Mr Hayes said this State lectured the citizens of Northern Ireland regularly about tolerance, reconciliation and the need for ecumenism. "We need to show it in this State too."
Mr Joe O'Toole (Ind) said it was worth noting that the Oireachtas had legislated in recent times to make it legal to discriminate on the grounds of religion in every primary school and institute of education. "We are now paying the price of the so-called equal status legislation which has introduced discrimination and which we on these \ benches opposed all the way through."
Dr Maurice Hayes (Ind) said it was deplorable that the bishops had intervened in the way they had. He knew some of the people on both sides of the scouting movement.
They had been working with great courage, diligence and perseverance over the past number of years to try to bring about this merger.
Dr Martin Mansergh (FF) said it was important to bear in mind that all traditions, including minority traditions, liked to have some institutions - schools were the most obvious example - which reflected their ethos while being open to others.
Mr Shane Ross (Ind) said that whereas the motives for this in one majority church might be motives which they would criticise, there might not be the enthusiasm for this sort of thing from all minorities. He would hate to think that they were going to have something pushed upon them which they did not want in the area of scouting.
The leader of the House, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, said she believed that the proposed merger should go ahead "It's about young people, it's about public service, it's about equipping themselves with life skills, and I hope the bishops will rethink their situation."
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The current issue of the prestigious Economist contained a very damning article which would cause industrialists to shy away from Ireland, Mr Jim Higgins (FG) said.
It stated that one estimate put the cost of excessive boozing at nearly 2 per cent of GDP in low productivity and in extra crime.
He continued: "I think we need to address it, not by denying the article but by addressing the fundamental truth, and that is that we do have an alcohol epidemic in this country which is causing an awful lot of damage."
Concurring with what Mr Higgins had said about a drink epidemic, Mr Paschal Mooney (FF) said: "All of us who live in towns and villages across the country are aware of gardaí who are being intimidated, sitting in patrol cars outside of nightclubs and chippers and all-night sessions, afraid of their life to get out of their cars in case they are going to be kicked. So, it's about enforcement."