Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Before speaking to the Order of Business, I join with colleagues in expressing tribute to Senator Jimmy Harte on the announcement of his resignation. On behalf of my Labour Party colleagues, I echo the warm sentiments expressed about Jimmy by the Leader and Senator O'Brien. Jimmy is well-known and well-loved by all of us. He has had a long and distinguished political career. He was first elected to the council in Letterkenny in 1994 and since then has been very much a leading light in his community in Letterkenny. He is a keen sportsman and all of us are very well aware of that. He ran many marathons. He was chairman at one time of Finn Harps Football Club and has played a range of different sports.

As a Seanad colleague, Jimmy was an exemplary colleague and a true gentleman. I think all of us, on both sides of the House, were extremely shocked at his accident two years ago. We have been following his progress since then with keen interest. All of us wish him and his family, his wife, Mary, and their four children, the very best for his continued good health and full recovery and wish them the very best into the future. I wish to note that on his resignation today.

I welcome everyone back and ask the Leader if we might in early course have a debate on the dreadful humanitarian crisis arising from the migration of Syrian refugees towards the EU and into EU countries. All of us have been shocked by the distressing images and reports of refugees on the borders of different EU countries. I am glad of and welcome the Government's announcement that Ireland will play a strong part in welcoming Syrian refugees here under resettlement and relocation programmes, but I would like us to have a debate in the Seanad on this issue. A number of us came together at a cross-party meeting on 10 September to discuss how Ireland can best respond. There are different considerations around resettlement and relocation as well as practical and logistical issues which we should debate in this House while we see the process moving on with the Government's task force and the NGO consultations. We should be as generous as possible towards people who are fleeing dreadful conflict in Syria.

I can inform colleagues that we considered the Fennelly commission report today at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. Mr. Justice Fennelly's interim report was produced on foot of a request by the committee for an interim report on a number of issues. The committee will be writing to the Government seeking that the interim report and the full report, when it comes out, will be brought within its remit for discussion at the committee.

Finally, I welcome the signing into law of the Marriage Equality Bill and the fact that we will see in a very short time, I hope, the first gay marriages taking place in Ireland.