John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is right and proper that we acknowledge International Women's Day in this House, and statements are the appropriate way to do that. Some Members have doubts about that but I think it causes us to pause in what is normally a busy schedule in politics and to reflect on a particular issue. It allows us to give our own opinions as to how far we have come and whether we have advanced any further than last year or ten years ago or whatever, and then to look to the future and see how we can improve things at a faster pace than what has been experienced over the last few years.

The Minister referred to Sr. Stan, a renowned Kerrywoman. Sr. Stan spent most of her life in Kilkenny, working hard on reform. She helped with reform of the church with Dr. Peter Birch and had a huge impact on the views I now hold.

I refer to the speakers from Sinn Féin, Deputies Joanna Byrne and Natasha Newsome Drennan. It was nice to see them passionately refer to their past, their mothers and the influence they had on the role in life that both have now found themselves in. Like them, my mother influenced me but perhaps it was long after her death that I realised the value of her input into my life and how she instilled in me the social conscience that I have and the backbone to stand up and fight for those who are less well-off and those who are marginalised.

I would love to see a lot of action follow on from the statements here in this House and I would like to point my suggestions to the Members of this House. We have now made history in that we have a female Ceann Comhairle and we had a female Leas-Cheann Comhairle in the previous Dáil. That is a reflection of some of the change that is happening, but how are we towards the Ceann Comhairle? How were we towards the Leas-Cheann Comhairle? What I witness here on the Order of Business is nothing but disrespect from a lot of Members and I think there is time to pause and consider-----

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