Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Seanad Éireann is at the centre of political attention today and will be thus tomorrow and possibly on Monday because of the decisions that we, as Members of the second House of the Oireachtas, must make. It is not surprising that the Taoiseach was so anxious to get rid of this House. He tried his utmost to destroy this House and if he had succeeded, the Water Services Bill would have been passed last night to provide for the imposition of water charges. This is the straw that is breaking the camel's back for the people of Ireland. We are the last bastion of democracy in this country now. That is why every Member of this House who will be in attendance for the duration of the debate bears an enormous responsibility. I have never received more representations on any other issue since becoming a Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas than I have received about the Irish Water issue.

The Water Services Bill has been passed by the Dáil under the guillotine, which should not have been the case. There should have been a full, open and democratic debate on the legislation. I appeal to every Member of this House to listen to his or her conscience and vote against the Bill, vote down the Government, reject its proposals and let the will of the people speak. I hope the Leader will confirm that tomorrow's schedule will include an Order of Business. If not, my party will oppose the Order of Business today.

I welcome the decision by President Barack Obama to normalise relations with Cuba through an exchange of ambassadors. This is the most significant shift in US policy towards Cuba for over 54 years. The US President and the Cuban President, Raúl Castro - with the backing of his brother, Fidel Castro - have both addressed their respective nations on this issue and I welcome this step. That said, the full normalisation of relations will depend on the approval of both the US Congress and Senate, which will not be forthcoming at this point in time, given that the Republicans are in the majority in both Houses. There is very significant opposition to this move in Miami and other parts of the United States. There has been an improvement in Cuban-US relations with the release of an American citizen who was in prison in Cuba and of several Cubans who were in prison in Miami.

US international relations have been damaged by the embargo on Cuba which has been in place for the last 54 years. The difficulties the embargo caused for the Cuban medical system have been evident throughout that period. US citizens, from the "land of the free" and "home of the brave", could not leave the US and travel 90 miles to Cuba. This country should be very proud of the fact that we have exchanged ambassadors with Cuba throughout the period of the US embargo. I met the Cuban ambassador in Dublin recently and am delighted that our good relations with that country still stand. We should now be ready, willing and able to increase our contacts with Cuba. I would suggest that Aer Lingus, which operates from the US, should be planning ahead in the context of US tourists being able to visit Cuba. Yesterday was a very significant day and I welcome the announcement made by the US and Cuban Presidents. I might add that Fianna Fáil has been outstanding in this regard, having allowed Aeroflot flights to fly from Shannon Airport to Cuba, despite the policy of the US.