Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join with others in expressing condolences to the family of the late Taoiseach, Liam Cosgrave.

On a more positive note, I join with Senator Ó Donnghaile in expressing such a welcome for the match result last night. It was a super match and I am proud for James McClean and, as the Senator stated, for Derry, with Martin O'Neill and others there. I also wish to express support for a debate on sport in this House. I have some involvement with the FAI, in particular, girls' soccer. That is a real growth area where we are seeing the FAI going into schools and recruiting girls for a growing Dublin metropolitan girls' league.That is very positive and we need to support it however we can.

I welcome that we will see the Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2017 going through today without debate. That will make a huge difference to the lives and livelihoods of many workers in the construction sector. It is a proud legacy of Labour in Government and my colleague, Senator Gerald Nash, in particular.

There will be a debate on the budget later. It represents a missed opportunity in that the Government could and should have invested in housing, health and education rather than using property revenues to fund tax cuts in a way that is reminiscent of Charlie McCreevy and which will only benefit people to the tune of a cup of coffee each week. In this House, we have heard many calls, particularly from Senator Noone, and rightly so, for a sugar tax. It is very welcome to see that and also other positive initiatives such as the increased VAT on sunbeds. That is great for health. It is disappointing to see the effective abandonment of Sláintecare without additional resources being put in place by the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, which would have been necessary to fund the roll-out of Sláintecare. We might have a debate on health care in the future and on how we will see the roll-out of Sláintecare. It is unfortunate and disappointing that in the budget today, despite the positive health initiatives we have seen, some of which were sought by Members in this House in the past, like the sugar tax, we see a bitter pill in the lack of commitment to Sláintecare and its apparent abandonment by the Government.

Today is World Mental Health Day. It is disappointing to see little commitment with regard to mental health spending. Pieta House has done great work in pointing out that one in seven Irish adults have had mental health issues in the last 12 months and the need to secure funding for that.

On 25 October, during the Labour Party's Private Members' time, we will have a debate on our Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill. I proposed it for the Labour group in the summer and it passed Second Stage. I thank Senators for the support since it passed through the House without opposition. It would provide for mandatory reporting on a gender pay gap in organisations with 50 employees or more. I am delighted to say that yesterday Ibec supported the call for mandatory gender pay gap reporting. Over the summer and since the Second Stage of the Bill, this issue assumed great significance and topical importance with the publication of figures from RTE and so on. I hope that when this matter comes back to the Seanad on 25 October in the Labour Party's Private Members' time that we can look forward to support from both sides of the House for Committee Stage of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill.