Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was a union organiser before I was elected to this House and health, safety and welfare at work is very important to me. It is no less important here in my current workplace. I will not tolerate any ambiguity and I will not be silenced when I raise issues of concern. I have read, as we all have, in media reports about the inappropriate behaviour of a sitting Fine Gael Senator. I have asked questions of An Tánaiste, the leader of Fine Gael, Deputy Simon Harris, and yesterday I wrote to the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, who was Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Seanad when these incidents occurred.

I put these questions onto the record and I expect they will be answered. As I have said, health, safety and welfare at work is really important and it is no less important for us here as women working in the Oireachtas. The questions are very simple and the answers should come very quickly from the Fine Gael Party. The questions I put to the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, were: When did you become aware that Senator Martin Conway was under investigation? Did Senator Martin Conway contact you on receipt of the complaint made against him in 2020? Did you advise Senator Martin Conway in relation to the complaint made against him? Did you or Fine Gael obtain the services of a solicitor to act on behalf of Senator Martin Conway? Did you inform the Houses of the Oireachtas or the gardaí in relation to the serious allegations?

Every International Women's Day since I have been elected we come in here and, genuinely, I could have just printed out the previous statements I have made on this because very little changes. We cannot ignore, however, what is a serious issue of health, safety and welfare for the women working here in this Oireachtas and for that reason, I expect that the serious questions I have asked about my workplace will be answered and will be answered in here on the floor of this Dáil.

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