Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This amendment Bill contains a number of changes to various laws on topics as varied as the Stardust inquest and the crisis in Ukraine. It contains provisions for the Department of Justice, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the Department of Transport. I welcome the provision to empanel and summon a jury for the Stardust inquiry. Forty-eight young people went to a Valentine’s disco in 1981 and they never came home. For anyone who is of an age with me, I was also out that night and I came home. I would certainly think that if I did not come home, my family would be looking for answers, and the families of the Stardust victims deserve answers. It is almost three years since that inquest was announced and it needs to happen as soon as possible. Many of their parents are elderly and, sadly, some have died without those answers. We need to ensure this inquest is prioritised. The families have waited far too long already.

I welcome the provision to pay expenses to jurors in this inquest. It is something that should be extended to all jurors at inquests where they last for a number of days, which is not the case at the moment. Jurors are vital to our justice system and our coroners' courts, and they must be treated with respect.

The Bill also contains a number of provisions to make easier the lives of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who have come to Ireland in search of refuge. In the domestic response to the Ukrainian crisis, a number of legislative gaps were identified relating to benefits under the national childcare scheme and in the recognition of driving licences, as previous speakers have mentioned. The legislation will allow for a more efficient process for the registering and processing of Ukrainians’ immigration and social protection needs. It will allow for people fleeing Ukraine to register with the immigration services at regional hubs, removing the need for people to travel to Dublin to register. It will also establish a one-stop-shop service, including at regional hubs, for people fleeing Ukraine who are seeking temporary protection, a PPSN and income support, which will make the process more customer-friendly and easier to operate. This Bill will also enable the payment of €400 per month to families who welcome refugees from Ukraine into their homes and it is right that these payments will not affect means-tested payments. The Government needs to go further and remove the means test for the likes of carers. Carers are saving the State millions of euro every day and they deserve to be treated with respect. That is something we need to be looking into down the road. The Government must also ensure any income that Ukrainian refugees may have is not included in differential rent calculations by local authorities.

I commend those who have already welcomed people from Ukraine into their homes, and the groups that are assisting them. These include people like Richard Daly, the principal of Athy College, who has done tremendous work. These people must be supported in their efforts. The Department has been slow on some occasions in coming forward with information. We need to identify the roadblocks in the way of those assisting refugees of all origins and remove them as soon as possible.

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