Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I concur with the remarks of my colleague, Senator Ned O'Sullivan, on the late great Páidí Ó Sé, a man I knew very well and for whom I had a great grá. There is huge rivalry between Cork and Kerry football, particularly in west Cork, but mingled and tingled with that rivalry is a great respect, and he was somebody for whom I had great respect. I had great camaraderie with him and I met him on many occasions. I concur with what Senator O'Sullivan said.

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil members of the House, I wish to convey our deep condolences to the people of Connecticut on the terrible tragedy that occurred in the school there. I travelled to Connecticut earlier this year to attend a wedding and I visited my nephew and some family and friends. When one is aware of how close people one knows are to where that tragedy occurred, it acutely brings home the terrible tragedy that unfolded.

I would like to second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Cullinane that more time be allocated for the debate on the Social Welfare Bill.

I primarily wish to raise a matter we dealt with in the Seanad Public Consultation Committee last March in our report on older people. A demand was made by many organisations such as Older and Bolder to rectify the problem regarding habitual residency clause to provide for a person who comes home to care for a loved one. A few such instances were raised with me in my constituency. Such a case was highlighted today on "Today with Pat Kenny" by Councillor Bell, a Labour Party councillor from County Louth, which involves a woman who returned from England, having given up her job, to care for her sick mother who was waiting for a liver transplant. I ask the Leader and the Labour Party members to put pressure on the Minister to have this anomaly moved off the stage. It is causing hardship and pain and it was an unintended consequence of legislation that was introduced to stop the trafficking of people to this country from eastern Europe and other places to avail of our generous social welfare benefits. I know the Minister concerned will be in the House this week and I ask if this anomaly can be rectified. That lady in County Louth and other people with similar cases, which are replicated throughout the country, do not deserve to be excluded because of the tight provisions of the legislation. An amendment to the legislation would be appropriate to make sure that genuine cases are not damned, so to speak, by legislation that was never intended to adversely affect them.