Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators who raised matters on the Order of Business. I extend my sympathies to the family of the former Member, Mr. John Browne, and, in particular, his son, who was also a Member of this House. I wish Mr. Donal Hickey well in his retirement and he is an absolute gentleman. I hope he has a very happy and healthy retirement.

Senator Mark Daly referred to the Corporate Manslaughter (No. 2) Bill 2016, which he introduced in July of that year. As he knows, a number of issues required further consideration to ensure the best approach to the provision of a criminal law response to the type of fatalities that are the focus of the Bill. At the time, the then Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, wrote to the Senator indicating that, having considered the Bill, a number of specific issues arose. The Senator is aware of all this but I am just putting it on the record. Those issues need to be clarified or addressed. They include the range of bodies to which the Bill would apply, the range of unincorporated bodies to which the Bill would apply, the legal ingredients of any offence, including who would be liable within an organisation, exemptions to any offence, etc. Those matters continue to be considered and they have wide-ranging implications for all organisations, as the Senator noted, including voluntary bodies providing a service to the public.

Detailed scrutiny of the Law Reform Commission report is required by all invested in this process and officials in the Department of Justice and Equality are continuing to consider the contents of the report in the context of examining further amendments to the Bill. It is also worth pointing out that witnesses from the Law Reform Commission appeared before the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach on 26 February to discuss the report. Officials have agreed to meet the Senator to discuss this matter and the Leader's office will write to the Department to facilitate a meeting involving the Senator in the very near future. I hope that will be satisfactory. The officials have already indicated they will be happy to do it so I can ensure that it happens sooner rather than later.

The Senator also referred to homelessness, as did almost everybody else who contributed.It goes without saying that the increase in homelessness in February is hugely disappointing.

Senator Colm Burke made an interesting contribution on the jobs that have been created. I know that it is no comfort to people who do not have a roof over their heads but we are victims of the recovery in that sense. It is more expensive than ever to build housing and housing supply is obviously at a critical level. I am not trying to defend the homelessness figure because it is extremely unsatisfactory. However, compared with 2017, the number of new homes built in 2018 increased by 25%, with more than 18,000 new homes completed. Roughly one in four of the new homes built was for social housing. The latest report from the Residential Tenancies Board also shows that average rents fell at the end of 2018. It is not a fabrication to say there are indicators that things are moving in the right direction but this glaring figure for homelessness is seriously concerning.

The housing assistance payment, HAP, will continue to play a vital role in providing families with a place to live until supply catches up. The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, will continue to work with families to demonstrate the benefits of this scheme compared with emergency accommodation. The Minister is in constant contact with the local authorities. I have come across numerous cases in my area of politicians objecting to housing developments. This underlines the difficulty of the problem we are dealing with. We have politicians from all parties, including Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, objecting to housing in Dublin city. How are we supposed to fix the housing crisis when Members of this House and the other House rightly complain about the housing figures and or the fact that 10,000 people are homeless when, later on the same day, the same politicians submit objections to housing plans? Councillors from all parties are objecting to planning being given in areas throughout the city. We must have integrity when we speak about this issue.

It will take time to solve the housing problem. I ask Members to look into their hearts when we talk about homelessness. To give a glaring example from my area, one individual politician has objected to between 1,000 and 1,300 new homes. We need to consider this matter in a holistic way. The figures that underpin Rebuilding Ireland continue to improve in many areas. I suggest that we invite the Minister to the House to discuss this issue in the near future. I am in no doubt that he would be happy to discuss many of the issues that have been raised today. Such a debate would be timely in the context of these figures.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of officers in the Defence Forces. I suggest that he table a Commencement matter on the issue. He also raised an interesting issue about non-commercial and commercial housing in the context of homelessness. That issue could be discussed during the debate I mentioned in response to Senator Mark Daly's contribution.

Senators Conway-Walsh and Devine raised the joint committee's report which deals with rural crime. It would be worthwhile to arrange a debate on the issue. I was interested to hear Senator Devine's remarks on the mental health aspects of the report, which are positive. Senator Conway-Walsh also raised the issue of smear tests and cervical cancer. A discussion with the Minister for Health would be timely because, more than anything, we need to restore confidence in that process. Women who have been through that process understand where other women are coming from on the issue. I had a repeat smear test done because I was concerned when I heard about the issue, even though I knew logically that I did not need one. Such concern has, however, created a backlog, which is a natural consequence. We need to encourage people to continually engage with the process. I agree that we need a tangible statement from the Minister on the matter to help restore confidence in that area.

Senator Humphreys raised the issue of Airbnb and housing. I addressed housing when I responded to the remarks made by Senator Mark Daly. Senator Humphreys made an interesting point about the innovation centre being established in Dublin which will create 10,000 jobs. It is a difficulty when the economy is improving so much. We have to house people and strike a balance in all areas of housing.

Senator Feighan, as always, raised the issue of Westminster and highlighted the fairly depressing issues that are unfolding daily. It is sad to watch one of the oldest Parliaments in the world, if not the oldest, tear itself apart and show itself up in the way it has done.

Senator Marshall made some insightful comments in his assessment of what is happening. I take from what he said that we must be careful not to inflame the situation. In fairness to the Tánaiste, he has been excellent in that regard. Where possible, as Senator Feighan said, we have left the British to fight it out and debate Brexit among themselves. We have done our negotiations. It has struck me in recent days that many politicians in the UK seem to be changing their minds yet they will not countenance the possibility that the British people could also change their minds. It seems fine for Prime Minister May, who was a remainer, and various other politicians to change their minds, yet a different approach is taken when it comes to the people. The British people voted in circumstances where scaremongering messages were displayed on buses. The referendum was fraught with inaccuracies, yet there is still no real talk of holding another referendum. It is hard to relate to such a situation.

Senator Warfield raised the issue of homelessness, which I addressed.

Senator Joe O'Reilly raised the interesting issue of incentivised remote working. Many employers would probably be concerned about that at an instinctive level because there is a perception that people will be at home in their pyjamas and not working. A shift in mindset is needed to get employers to buy into the idea of remote working. It is an excellent idea, particularly as the M50 is absolutely packed. I wonder how many of the people who use the M50 could potentially work from home on at least a couple of days a week. We should consider innovative ideas that would reduce the number of people on the roads and reduce demand for accommodation in the bigger cities where we are obviously struggling to provide housing.

I suggest the issue raised by Senator Gavan would be suitable for a Commencement debate. I genuinely do not know the particulars of the case he raised and I am not trying to be evasive. It would be good to discuss Shannon Airport in the context of a general debate on airports. I will suggest such a debate to the Leader, which would give Senator Gavan an opportunity to raise the issue. As I do not know anything about the case he raised, I do not wish to comment on it.