Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join Senator Máire Devine in wishing Mr. Tony O'Brien well. I have seen his statement that he does not intend to renew his term when it expires in the summer.

I welcome everyone back after the snow. Like other Senators, I commend all those involved in the emergency services, the local authorities, the transport infrastructure agencies, the health service and the ESB. Many people worked long hours in arduous and awful conditions to keep services going. I saw immense community spirit in my own area in the south inner city of Dublin which I know was replicated across the country. It was a time when people pulled together well.

On a positive note, I wish everyone a happy International Women's Week. It is also Seachtain na Gaeilge. We had a great event in the Members' private dining room earlier today. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn spoke as Gaeilge to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge and International Women's Week and as part of the Vótáil 100 commemorations to celebrate the centenary of women's suffrage. She exhorted us all to do more to speak Irish in the Chamber. I will certainly try to take up that challenge in the coming years and I am sure others will do likewise.The Irish Syria Solidarity Movement held a press conference today, which I attended with Deputy Joan Collins, at which Ibrahim Halawa and others spoke. Eye witnesses spoke about their experience of the dreadful bombardment of eastern Ghouta by the forces of Bashar al-Assad, his Russian allies and others, the targeting of civilians, the appalling deaths of so many children and civilian casualties. One medic working for Médecins Sans Frontières in eastern Ghouta described it as a catastrophic experience, where people are being denied access to food, medicine and shelter and referred to the immense psychological stress of being under constant bombardment. Rather than having a debate, perhaps we should instead consider a cross-party Seanad motion of the sort we passed on condemning the bombardment of Aleppo. I am happy to work with the Leader and others to try to draft an appropriate motion to bring to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Russian ambassador and others. I will take that up further.

I support the Barnardos lost child campaign. It met with colleagues today about the campaign, which aims to ensure that no child is lost and to ask the Government to take a number of steps to support children through childhood, including ensuring they have somewhere suitable to live, the extension of the ECCE scheme for an additional year and other measures which Barnardos said would cost just under €250 million in a full year. That is not a high price, given the large amount of support it is calling for for children in order to ensure no child is lost in Ireland.