Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate it. As was mentioned, we will be speaking on the motion. We have tabled an amendment in respect of the order that has come through from the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. We are very concerned about the motion, especially with regard to its effective barring of substitution on a new committee, but we will have an opportunity to speak to that when the motion is being debated, as I understand it.

I would like to echo the points made by Senator Conway-Walsh in respect of housing. It would be very appropriate to have a debate in this House on that issue. We also need to look at a question which, as I understand it, is being debated in the other House this week, namely, the concern in respect of developers who do not meet health and safety standards but who still proceed to be awarded public contracts. That is something we need to look at more closely as part of ensuring we are far more rigorous in the way we do public procurement and enforce regulations. We have seen the tragic consequences of an inadequate approach to regulation. In that context, I appeal to everyone in this House to abandon a phrase which has been very toxic, that is, "the burden of regulation". Maybe we could decide as a House never to use that phrase again. Let us talk about regulation being effective and how it is streamlined, managed and so forth, but let us not talk about regulation as a burden. That language was used in the UK and the former Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, spoke about the need to attack the health and safety culture.I believe that health and safety is of paramount importance for us in this State.

Today is World Refugee Day and Ireland still has not stepped up to its responsibilities. I know this is an issue that has been strongly felt in this House and we have debated it back and forth. We need to find ways to move the debate forward, and I appeal to the Leader to do so, and specifically to look at European strategy and the agreements which the EU continues to sign with Turkey, Libya, South Sudan and with many regimes that have extraordinarily questionable human rights standards in respect of the redirection of refugees and immigration control. The EU holds moral responsibility for the experiences of those who seek refuge and who find themselves directed to these very questionable situations.

During the appropriate debate, I will have the opportunity to return to the key issue of the motion on the establishment of a committee on the eighth amendment to the Constitution.