Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is a welcome development. It has been promised for a long time and everyone in the House will be aware of the difficulties in drafting legislation of this kind. Colleagues on both sides have worked on this, as have colleagues in the Dáil. I look forward to the eventual publication of the Bill.

I also welcome the announcement that Máire Geoghegan-Quinn is to chair the Higher Education Authority gender equality review of third level institutions, which is being conducted in light of the Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington case. I know other colleagues, including Senator Naughton, have been raising that case and have been concerned about issues around gender inequality following the Sheehy-Skeffington decision. I welcome the setting up of a panel to put forward what the head of the HEA has described as what he hopes will be "impactful" recommendations in light of the review to ensure greater gender equality at third level.

We have heard a great deal this term regarding children's health and rising obesity levels. Senator van Turnhout has established a cross-party group, along with the Irish Heart Foundation, looking at children's health and efforts to tackle obesity, etc. It has been suggested to me that we might look to the Minister for Transport to institute a bike to school scheme, similar to the bike to work scheme instituted by the last Government, which has been so successful in encouraging higher levels of cycling among adults. The introduction of a scheme that would encourage higher levels of cycling among schoolchildren would be very welcome. It would be a really good initiative. I will be writing to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to suggest that he take up this initiative, but I ask that the Leader also support it and that we might have a debate in September on how to improve children's health and how to improve health in the population generally through greater promotion of cycling. We have seen great things like the dublinbikes scheme working to improve levels of cycling, but a bike to school scheme would also be a great idea. It is always hard for schoolchildren to see back-to-school things at this stage of the summer, when September seems so far off, but "bike to school" would be a good play on the words "back to school" and would be a very welcome initiative for children and parents alike.