Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ar son Fhianna Fáil, cuirim fáilte roimh an Taoiseach go dtí an Seanad inniu. Ba mhaith liom freisin comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis go pearsanta ar a phost nua mar Thaoiseach. It is a great achievement for the Taoiseach to be elected to his office and to be the youngest Taoiseach Ireland has ever had. It is a great personal achievement of which he and his family can rightly be proud. He has now been Taoiseach for seven months and he and the country have been faced with many domestic and international challenges.

The confidence and supply agreement which facilitates the Fine Gael-led minority Government is new to all Members. The result of the most recent general election did not allow for a majority Government to be formed and that has introduced a new type of politics, although not necessarily new politics, to both Houses. There have been some achievements under the agreement, such as the introduction of the first two progressive budgets in five years, but there have also been many disappointments in regard to delivery, in particular in housing, health and justice. The Government must do more to deliver commitments in those areas. It is not acceptable to any Member that over 8,000 people are housed in emergency accommodation. Even if those figures are, as the Taoiseach said, below international norms, it is not and never should be acceptable in Ireland. Families should not be brought up in hotel rooms and nor should 3,000 children be living for months on end in hotels. There are over 95,000 people on social housing waiting lists but very few social houses are being built. Some would say that there have been more announcements made than houses built. The slowness in introducing initiatives to build social and affordable houses is beginning to impact, in particular on young couples and families paying exorbitant rents. The Taoiseach is aware this is also impeding our ability to attract foreign direct investment to Dublin and the surrounding areas following Brexit. The Bank of America, which has recently decided to move to Dublin, has commented that the housing crisis here is causing it a big problem. This will create a negative reputation for Ireland, which must be avoided at all costs.

As Members know, Brexit is one of the greatest challenges Ireland has faced in many decades but the opportunities it presents should not be lost. Brexit is not some distant issue; rather, it is already under way and causing damage. Companies in all parts of Ireland are suffering because of a combination of uncertainty and the chronic weakness of the British currency, which is directly linked to Brexit. Now that phase one is over and we head into the most difficult phase of Brexit negotiations, it is important to review where we are and the key challenges we face. In light of the instability in Westminster, the major contradictions in the agreement and the deterioration of key relationships which have been exposed in recent weeks, far more reflection is needed. It would be an enormous error to believe that everything is settled. The repeated statements by the Prime Minister, Theresa May, on the United Kingdom's confirmed decision to leave the customs union and the Single Market still pose major challenges in spite of the agreement of 8 December. The German ambassador to the United Kingdom yesterday gave an interview to The Guardiannewspaper in which he stated that if the United Kingdom leaves the customs union, there will have to be a border between North and South. All Members agree that should be avoided at all costs.

Brexit remains a deep and urgent threat to Ireland and I welcome the all-party approach to protecting the interests of the people of Ireland under the Good Friday Agreement. The core Brexit challenge for us all is how to limit the damage it does because there is no possible scenario whereby no damage is done to Ireland. The documents that were this week leaked in London illustrated the sectoral damage that would be done in the UK and Northern Ireland and this shows one of the areas that would be adversely affected. If Ireland were to be given a special or unique status, challenges could be tackled or avoided in many areas. I ask the Taoiseach to outline whether sectoral plans are going to be published in the Republic and if he can confirm whether work is ongoing on the issue. I wish him well in his continued endeavours on Brexit and I assure him of Fianna Fáil support on this crucially important issue.

There is no doubt that domestic economic indicators have improved, in particular in the past two years, and that unemployment is at 5.1% However, behind those positive macroeconomic indicators, many people are still struggling and cannot be ignored. In large pockets of Dublin, drugs are rampant and crime is on the increase. All Members agree that the appalling and brutal gangland killings should be condemned outright. We all agree that the armed response unit should be properly resourced to pre-empt and monitor the gangs. We also need to tackle the insidious poverty traps that lead young teenagers into the drug and gangland scene.

Many people are still living in or at risk of property, even among those who are working because many are in low-paid and temporary part-time work. More people now hold down two part-time jobs and job insecurity is far more common. The ESRI yesterday published research that revealed a notable gap in the rate of persistent deprivation experienced by vulnerable adults, including lone parents and adults with a disability and that experienced by other adults. The findings show that the persistent deprivation rate is 26 percentage points higher for lone parents and 14 percentage points higher for adults with a disability than for other adults. Although the Government has committed to signing the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is welcome, there are more practical supports that would make a world of difference to allow people with disabilities have better independence. Unfortunately, the way health budgets are negotiated and allocated leaves much to be desired. Every Senator in the House is inundated with complaints from young and older people who cannot access health services. Some children in need of assessments for speech and language therapy have languished on lists for over two years before even attending school. Older people are waiting over 17 months for knee and hip replacements. Ministers have repeatedly agreed budgets and promised higher levels of service than is being delivered. The Taoiseach has said that money is not the answer and it may not be, but the consistent problems of waiting lists and overcrowding in emergency departments will not go away without a determination to fix them.

I conclude by welcoming the Seanad reform group. All Senators and Deputies on the group will make short, medium and long-term achievable recommendations to best reform, improve our franchise and ensure we serve the citizens as best we can.