Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Civil Engagement group, I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his election to the role. I know he is somebody who has great respect for the Seanad and an ambition for the role that it can and does play. Indeed, he has an ambition for the even greater role it could play were we deliver the Seanad reform that is still on the agenda, whether or not it is included in the programme for Government. The Cathaoirleach has a proven record of commitment to rights and inclusion at home and abroad and I am sure those principles will guide him in the impartial performance of his duties. It is an exciting time for him and I know that he will step up and bring something unique, different and positive to the role.

I also want to acknowledge his very able and excellent contender for the role, Senator Ó Donnghaile. I pay tribute to the outgoing Cathaoirleach, Senator O'Donovan, who chaired the previous Seanad with exceptional grace and fairness. I look forward to hearing him add his voice to the general thick and tumult of debate, having shown great forbearance by not jumping in with his opinions in debates during his time as Cathaoirleach. We can look forward to hearing his voice in that way again. I thank the outgoing Leader, Senator Buttimer, for the constructive and collaborative approach he took to his role. I welcome the new Leader, Senator Doherty, who I am confident will continue in that same spirit of collaborative work.

I echo what colleagues have said about the importance of respectful debate and working together but I want to go a little further. It is my hope and expectation in this Seanad that legislative proposals which come before the House, be they from the Government, Opposition or civil society, will be engaged with in good faith, scrutinised and amended where necessary and, where they take us forward as a country and as a society, that they will be supported regardless of their point of origin. That is fundamental to our work. As part of that, I hope we will not see any return of the guillotine to stifle debate - it was a very positive thing in the previous Seanad that it was not used in this way - and that we move away from the inappropriate use of the money message to stifle the progress of positive legislative proposals.

I take a moment to congratulate all the Members who have been elected or appointed to this Seanad. I agree with other speakers that it is a pity we have broken with the established tradition whereby, in the 24th Seanad and 25th Seanad, five Independent Members were appointed from a cross-section of society, including business, the arts, civil society, the diaspora and from Northern Ireland. It is a pity that five Members with independent voices were not independently appointed to this Seanad, but I am very happy that the one appointed Independent Senator is Eileen Flynn. She will be an exceptional Senator and her appointment marks a very important moment for Travellers in Ireland. She is an excellent, strong activist and a great voice for justice across the full range of issues we will face in this Seanad. I welcome her appointment to the House. I also want to offer particular congratulations to our Seanad-based Minister of State, Pippa Hackett, who will be taking up the very important brief of biodiversity and land use. I look forward to working alongside her on that work.

I acknowledge the excellent Members from all parties and none who have not returned to this Seanad. Each party has excellent former Senators who are no longer with us, including two members of the Civil Engagement Group, John Dolan and Colette Kelleher. I assure the House that the work they began will be continued. I thank the Clerk, the staff of the Seanad and all the others staff across the public service and the health service whose work has been crucial as we try to navigate our way through the current global pandemic. It is very important, as was noted earlier, that we do not simply thank them but follow through in terms of real recognition, real supports and concrete measures that will support public workers across Ireland.

This 26th Seanad meets in difficult circumstances and at an incredibly important moment in human history. We face extraordinary challenges and extraordinary opportunities. We are at the beginning of the UN's global decade of action, with just ten years to deliver unimaginable leaps forward in terms of climate action, equality and sustainable development. We will need not simply to do more but to do things differently. It is a challenge that will require all of us to step up not only in terms of being awake to what needs to be done but being rigorous, compassionate and imaginative in doing it. I know that those skills are in this room. The work we do together in this House will sit alongside that of other parliamentarians across the world, of civil society and of the transformative social movements on environment, gender equality, anti-racism and workers' rights that are driving the global change and are part of the global decade of action. I wish us all well in facing the challenges and possibilities ahead and I look forward to working with all Members in that task.