Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think a total of 18 Senators contributed this morning. I thank all of them for their contributions.

The 127 million people who voted in yesterday's elections in the United States used the democratic system to decide who their leader will be for the next four years. We have to respect the decision they have made. I join others in conveying my congratulations to Donald Trump on his election. I wish him and his country well over the next four years. Like this country, the US is facing major challenges not only in local communities and urban areas, but also from an international point of view. As the US is a major player on the international stage, it is important for Ireland to work with it to deal with the many issues we face domestically and globally.

Senator Ardagh referred to some of the challenges we are facing in Ireland, including the plight of more than 50,000 undocumented Irish people in the US and the need to deal with the industrial challenges we face. We have to work with the American authorities to try to deal with such issues. When this country decided many years ago to introduce a 12.5% corporation tax rate, it was pursuing a policy of looking into the future and making sure it would be ready and able to deal with challenges like those arising now because of the changes that are about to be proposed in the US. American companies are based in Ireland because they want to access the European market of 500 million people. Ireland is an important location from that perspective because it has skilled young people, educational institutions, infrastructure and the supports provided by all the service industries that serve these companies. We have been fortunate. Nine of the world's top ten pharmaceutical companies are based in America but have a presence in Cork. They have done well to employ people. The issue of how Cork has done so well to attract international companies was raised at last night's Cork Chamber of Commerce dinner in Dublin, which I attended. I hope other areas of the country will do similarly well and we will continue to attract investment to this country. I agree with Senator Ardagh that we need to work even harder on this issue. As a number of Senators said, we need to ensure IDA Ireland and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade get far more personnel and financial support so that this country has a presence in the places where decisions are made.

Senator Ardagh also raised the prospect of industrial action by nurses. I agree with her that this is an important issue. I think the Government is fully committed to the Lansdowne Road agreement. The work of the public service pay commission, which was established recently, is getting under way. The commission will make a valuable input into the future development of public pay policy. I agree that the nurses' issue should be dealt with fairly within the whole process of the Lansdowne Road agreement. We cannot go outside that at this time. We are facing major challenges in this country as a result of Brexit and the policy changes that will occur in the US.

Senator Craughwell spoke about Brexit, industrial relations problems and councillors' pay. I can inform him that a Committee Stage amendment to the Social Welfare Bill will address the PRSI issue. That will be dealt with in the Social Welfare Bill to ensure councillors will have the same entitlements as self-employed people. This change is coming about. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, is dealing with the other aspect of the matter. I am sure he will come back on that issue in the not too distant future. I will raise with him the concerns that have been highlighted by Senator Craughwell and other Senators. As recently as yesterday, I was contacted by councillors who believe this cannot be left unchanged and must be addressed within a short period of time.

Senator Bacik and a number of other Senators spoke about foreign policy. I agree with Senator Bacik that it might be appropriate to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to come to the House to speak about how we might deal with the foreign policy issues and changes that are arising in the context of Brexit and the changes that are occurring in the US. I will certainly make such a request because it would be appropriate to facilitate Senators in raising with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade their concerns about how the Department is planning for the future.

Senator Bacik welcomed the decision to call off the ASTI industrial action and strike. I remind the House that there are four different industrial disputes between the ASTI and the Department. It is not just one issue. I hope all four issues with the ASTI can be resolved. It is important for our educators to be able to get on with the job they want to do and for our students to be able to get the benefits they want to get from our education system.

Senator Gavan raised the issue of corporation tax in the context of the US election. It is not that long ago that his party was complaining about the rate of corporation tax, which goes to show that all the parties which were in agreement about the 12.5% rate were correct. I remind the Senator, who spoke about "the race to the bottom", that despite this country's economic downturn over the last five years, over €20 billion was provided each year to make sure people with disabilities, the unemployed and people who suffered as a result of the recession received the proper supports.

While I agree with the Senator that this was not enough, in fairness there was a change in last month's budget in relation to increases. The total daily cost of our social welfare budget is €57 million, which is a huge amount of money. It is important to emphasise that we cannot provide for social welfare increases or support people on lower pay unless we make sure there are more people back at work. If we want to be able to pay for services, we need to ensure an increased amount of tax is coming in.

Senator Gavan also highlighted the pay and conditions of child care workers, who play an important part in our society. We need to be conscious of this issue and keep it under review. It might be worthwhile for the Senator to table a Commencement notice to make sure the Minister is aware of his anxiety with regard to this important issue. I think this concern is shared by every Member of this House.

Senator Feighan reminded us that 11 November is Armistice Day and mentioned that between 25,000 and 30,000 Irish people died in the First World War. It is important to recognise their commitment and acknowledge that they died so that we might have the freedom to say what we believe in today. It is important that we give recognition to Armistice Day and to the many people who died.

Senator Feighan said that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and IDA Ireland should get the support they need as they face major challenges. I have already referred to the need for additional staff. Senator Leyden also referred to the US election. He acknowledged the contribution former President Bill Clinton made to Northern Ireland and it is important that we acknowledge both Hilary and Bill Clinton. We must acknowledge the amount of time and effort he, and all of those involved, invested in order to ensure that the peace process worked. Mr. Clinton made a major contribution to ensuring it worked and was delivered on. I agree with Senator Leyden. I listened to this morning's speech by the President-elect, Donald Trump. It was very conciliatory. While we all may have different views about how things should be done, we all have a common interest in trying to improve the lives of everyone and ensuring that people who are less fortunate get the necessary support. The Senator also raised the very important issue of the contribution of Irish people in building and rebuilding America. Vincent Browne recently interviewed somebody from Castlegregory, County Kerry, who is building tower blocks in New York on his television programme.