Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, he definitely has been disappointing.All of us in this House stand with the Government and our European partners to ensure we get a deal, that the backstop is recognised as it has been up to now, and that there will not be a hard Brexit.

All of us who have read about and who saw the television programme last night, which I did not see, on the horrific killing of Clodagh Hawe and her three beautiful sons, Liam, Niall and Ryan, can only but be appalled and concerned about what happened, and can recognise there is a need to ensure that the pain, anger and disbelief of this family and other families can be channelled into Government and agencies of the State working together to ensure we do not have repeat episodes of what was an extraordinary, horrific crime. All of us extend our sympathies and heartfelt thoughts to the families. As we all recognise, a review is being carried out by the Garda. The Garda is learning. Changes have been made in the way in which training in dealing with domestic violence is carried out in An Garda Síochána. The new sixth divisional protective service units are going live across the six Garda divisions in January with different models of training. I hope we will see the legislation that is needed being brought to fruition.

I am not sure where we are at with Deputy O'Callaghan's Bill, which seeks to amend the Succession Act in terms of inheriting assets, as Senator Clifford Lee mentioned. All of us recognise that changes need to be made to ensure that it cannot be allowed that people would benefit from what happened in this case. We extend our deepest sympathy to, and our thoughts are with, the family of the victims of this heinous crime.

Senator Warfield raised the issue of the Children's Rights Alliance report. I do not have the answers, as I did not read the report and I have not seen the report card. However, I would be happy to make time available to the House in the coming weeks to discuss the matter.

Senator Ned O'Sullivan raised the issue of the education and training boards. It is hard to believe it is the sixth anniversary of their establishment. On this occasion, with the Cathaoirleach's indulgence, I would like to commend the work of Mr. Ted Owens, the former chief executive of Cork Education and Training Board, who has now retired, and to thank him for his tremendous service to the city and county of Cork over many years as an educationalist and in latter years as the chief executive of Cork Education and Training Board. I would happy to arrange for the Minister, Deputy McHugh, to come to the House to discuss this matter.

I thoroughly agree with the Senator regarding the coverage of racing on our television screens. His points were very well made. If we were to reflect upon what has happened, all of us would be disappointed at the way in which racing coverage has gone. I certainly lament the lack of, or zero, coverage of racing on Channel 4, the reduced coverage on RTÉ, the fact there is no coverage on BBC and that we are moving towards a sort of pay per view model, which all of us recognise does not meet the needs of those of us who are racing enthusiasts. I might not be as knowledgeable about racing as the Senator but I am certainly interested in it. It reflects poorly that people who look forward every day to watching racing coverage on television have been discommoded or now have to pay an excessive amount. I do not have Sky Sports because I do not feel I can justify paying for it when I am never home but I know other Members have made choices - people I know who watch racing coverage and who are paying inordinate amounts to do so. I would be happy to arrange for the Minister to come to the House to discuss this matter which is an important one.

We have put certain sporting events on a list. It is equally important that we do the same with racing. Cheltenham is one of the high points on the racing calendar. Equally, as the Senator said, and it is particularly true, if we have a very good race meeting in Ireland, is coverage of it lost to a UK meeting? I do not want to be disrespectful to our colleagues across the water but some of the racing there is definitely not as good as ours. The Senator's point is well made. I will arrange for the Minister to come to the House to discuss the issue.