Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the 12 Senators who contributed to the Order of Business. The issues of Brexit and the DeSouza case were raised by Senators Daly, Craughwell, Conway, Nash and Feighan. All of us in this House stand united in the twin declaration of the need to ensure there is no return to a hard border on our island and to protect our place in the Single Market. Rather than add to the rhetoric, as parliamentarians it is best that we allow the negotiations to continue such that a deal and a solution can be found in the interests of all of us on this shared island.

The Taoiseach referenced the DeSouza case and he said that he will raise the matter with Prime Minister Johnson again next week. It is an important case. In my opinion, it goes against the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement and it gives further hostage to different sides to argue particular points. The important point is that British citizenship laws are, as the Taoiseach said, out of step with the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. In keeping with the comments of many Members here, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, there is a responsibility on both sides to honour and uphold it. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, as part of their engagements, will make that position clear. To make a distinction between national identity and citizenship is an incorrect reading of the Good Friday Agreement.

In regard to Brexit, the comments today by Mr. Barnier are worth noting. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have and will continue to negotiate in food faith. As stated this morning by the Tánaiste, this is not a time for pessimism or optimism, but rather a time for all of us to hold firm in the national interest.

Senators Gavan, Conway and Byrne raised the vexing issue of trolley numbers in University Hospital Limerick. All Members have raised this matter repeatedly in the House. As Senator Gavan knows the Government is committed under the capital plan to the 60-bed modular unit. We all understand that one person on a trolley is one too many. There is a need for management and the HSE to come together to put in place a real plan that will eliminate the use of trolleys. Equally, there is a role for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, and SIPTU in regard to the operation of emergency departments and trolley counts, including what counts and does not count. As a Member of the Oireachtas and a citizen of this country it is my view that one person on a trolley is one person too many. However, I have not heard Senator Gavan offer a solution, other than-----