Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Norris should reflect on his contributions at times in the House, rather than berating me for mine. The Shane O'Farrell case was raised in the House last week. It is a tragic case on which there is no obfuscation by the Government. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, set up a scoping exercise under Judge Haughton. The Taoiseach stated in the Dáil earlier this afternoon that the report is due in the next couple of days. Following on from that, there will be a further evaluation of what is needed. The Minister responded to statements on the matter in the Dáil last week. All of us want justice for the O'Farrell family and we salute their tenacity, bravery and courage in their campaign. I want to make clear that they deserve answers and people need to be held account for the tragic death of Shane O'Farrell.

On Standing Order 41, we should allow the matter to proceed through the Committee on Procedure and Privileges where I am sure progress will be made.

Senator Norris also referred to the attack on Marc Power. We all condemn out of hand any attack on any member of the public. There has been an increase in the number of attacks on members of the LGBT community, not just in Dublin but also in Cork. Incidents of young men and women experiencing a lot of bullying and hostile behaviour on public transport and on the streets are to be condemned. Anything in the area of hate crime legislation should be looked at as a matter of urgency.

Senator McFadden made an eloquent contribution on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which will take place on 25 November and a conference run by Safe Ireland in Athlone.