Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----over the past year. While we have the honour of being able to sit in a Chamber such as this, it is the volunteers and those who go out to knock on the doors for whom we are really grateful. In many ways they are the heroes of democracy. Without them we would not have the democratic society that we have.

I was fortunate to be nominated by the Drama League of Ireland when I was elected on the Cultural and Educational Panel. As Senator Hoey said earlier, the arts and music have been helping us through this pandemic period. That has to be recognised. The arts are facing a major challenge currently. Theatres are only beginning to reopen but they are still very much covered by restrictions. It is a very difficult period for professional and amateur artists. As part of the Government's July stimulus package, we have got to recognise and support the arts, and not just as something that is a nice thing and part of our identity. We must recognise the potential of cultural industries, of which we in this country are all very proud, to generate employment and to create wealth for the State.

Members have referred to the ambitious programme for Government. During the discussions on the programme, I said that the challenge would be around delivery. Part of our responsibility as a Chamber is to hold the Government to account on the various issues, including the very important issue of housing, as mentioned by Senator Casey.

Senator Hoey mentioned that there will now be a Department that focuses specifically on higher and further education and research and innovation and looks at the possibilities presented by the convergence of new technologies and the opportunities for Ireland into the future. It will be very important when informing all our thinking that we engage in evidence-based policy making.

We hear a rich diversity of views from people with different experiences. We are all guilty at times of going into our own echo chambers and only listening to our own supporters. It is important that we listen to alternative views, even those we do not agree with. I have a problem with the idea of simply dividing us into left and right and using divisive language. The world is currently too caught up with the extremes taking over. Senator Clifford-Lee and others have mentioned the Cathaoirleach's previous reality TV career. We know it is not always good to have someone from a reality TV background assuming a position of leadership, unlike in the Cathaoirleach's case. The danger is in using what I would call "Trumpian" language that seeks to divide us into "us" and the "other" and in seeking to have some sort of harsh left-right divide, which is wrong. It is important that we listen to other contributions, even those with which we strongly disagree, to help us to formulate our policy on that basis.

We are moving into a situation in which we will not be able to call Ministers in, unfortunately. I congratulate the Leader on her appointment. I suggest that over the next period, before the Ministers come in, we should talk about some of the issues raised by Senators here. Time should be set aside to look at how we can function collectively as a Chamber. I have listened to the contributions of Senators. Senator Cassells spoke about the role of the media and how to tackle fake news on social media. We should have a debate on that issue. A number of Members have raised questions around the role of councillors, the Moorhead report and how we can empower local government. I ask the Leader to set time aside for that. We should also consider also how we involve and engage minorities. I am very happy that the programme for Government commits to addressing issues around trans rights and hate crime. We should look at how we can include people from minorities. We also need to discuss the question of Seanad reform. I would like to bring in legislation at an early stage to give effect to the seventh amendment to the Constitution. I hope time will be set aside to allow discussion on such a Bill in the very near future. By working together we can be very innovative.

I am delighted to see the Government has availed of the opportunity to appoint a Minister of State from this House. I congratulate Senator Pippa Hackett on her appointment. The Government can appoint two Ministers from this House but given the number of noses that were out of joint over the weekend I am not necessarily certain-----