Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a good point.

Senator Horkan raised Brexit. It is important we all stand with the Government in wearing the green jersey. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, commented that it is about us as a country holding our nerve. It is a matter of ensuring that the current backstop proposal relating to the Border is the only option on the table. Michel Barnier said that the question of limiting the time for the backstop has already been discussed twice by European leaders. This is the only possible option because an assurance is of no use if it is time limited. It is important to recognise that we need a Brexit withdrawal agreement. That is a matter for the United Kingdom, especially for Prime Minister May and the UK Parliament. The Government has been clear. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, outlined time limits for legislative proposals. We will have that debate again in due course.

Senator Horkan also raised the nurses' strike. I will not speak for long on that. We have a public sector pay agreement. Notwithstanding the fact we agree on how much we value our nurses and the work they do, we have a public service pay agreement. It is important all sides engage and do not use patients as a pawn in the negotiations. We saw what happened yesterday with a breakaway union. We recognise the HSE deals with unions. It is important we have dialogue and maintain that level of engagement.

Usage of mobile telephones by younger people is becoming increasingly prevalent. Senator Horkan mentioned that 40% of all children own one by the age of nine. It is a high figure and we will have that debate in due course.

I commend Senator Lawless on his work. I was in Washington DC before Christmas, and know the respect and value he has brought to this House. His work with Irish immigrants in North America is unbelievable. He referred to the E3 visa. It is disappointing to see what happened. As he said, under the rules, a person can hold it up. I commend Ambassador Mulhall and deputy ambassador Lonergan and also Deputy John Deasy on the work he has done on Capitol Hill and in parts of the United States, opening doors and working to ensure we got to where we wanted to be. The US Commerce Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, deserve credit for the role they played. It might not be universally popular but they have opened doors for us in a variety of ways. I hope the Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora will come to the House to have that debate. I commend Senators Lawless and Boyhan on the work they have done.

Senator Conway-Walsh raised Deputy Pearse Doherty's Bill. I am sure we will have it in this House in time. We all stand for homeowners and those who are fighting the banks. There is no denying that. The Minister has been clear about his role in it. We will have that debate in due course.

Senator Dolan raised the issue of the wheelchair user who was treated poorly by the HSE and the company with the service-level agreement. It is important we always show respect to people who are in need of a service because of a disability. The out-of-hours service-level agreement should reflect the need for this person to be catered for at all times. As Senator Dolan rightly said, that person has a voice that he or she can use. A Commencement matter from Senator Dolan might be a more expeditious way to get an answer. I am happy to take it up with the Senator afterwards.

Senator McFadden called on the Minister with responsibility for Irish Water to come to the House to address the issue of engagement with Irish Water planning in Westmeath. I would be happy to have the Minister to come to the House to discuss Irish Water. Given the Cabinet decision yesterday, it is perhaps opportune to have a debate on the role of Irish Water and water usage. We can address this as part of that debate.

Senator Murnane O'Connor raised the issue of cancer patients. We had this discussion in the House before Christmas. We all condemn treating cancer patients in this manner. There are unfortunately exemptions which need to be followed up by patients. Hospitals need to be sensitive about the way in which they deal with cancer patients. A code of conduct relating to that is required.

I thank Senator Boyhan for his remarks regarding the Minister, Deputy Zappone, coming to the House. I am sure she will address the issue he spoke about with regard to the Bethany Home. I think the Minister wants to have the final report before adjudicating further. She will be here to address the issue.

Senator Lombard raised the joint policing committee meeting in Cork last Monday with regard to the misuse of alcohol and early morning houses hiring extra security to monitor their premises. The Government is committed to minimum unit pricing being introduced. In October, after 1,000 days, the Dáil passed the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, the first time that we have used legislation to regulate alcohol misuse. If I may be partisan and familiar for a minute, the comments of Councillor John Buttimer about Cork yesterday were very relevant. They related to the need for a multi-disciplinary task force for Cork and many urban areas with universities and colleges which could bring different stakeholders together to see how we can combat the misuse of alcohol, present an alternative and promote common sense drinking. I think we all share the desire to reduce the harm of alcohol in society.

Senator Warfield raised an important issue, the funding of the Irish Deaf Society. It has a meeting coming up. Many of us are concerned that there will be a potential suspension and withdrawal of many different services it provides. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, to come to the House to address the matter. Perhaps Senator Warfield will submit a Commencement matter. I will endeavour to have the Minister of State come to the House because the issue is important.

We will not go back over the history of the Commonwealth and where we are today. It is fair to say we are part of a European Union that values us as a country but Senator Feighan has done a lot to build bridges between North and South in our country and he deserves credit.

Senator Paddy Burke raised the issue of tourism in the context of Brexit and the need to see the tourism sector enhanced and strengthened in light of the challenging international climate. I would be happy to have the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, or the Minister, Deputy Ross, come to the House.