Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Wide-ranging and varied debates have been requested by Senators and one can see that although Covid seems to be all-consuming, normal life and normal challenges still exist for all our towns, villages and communities. I take my hat off to Ballinasloe Says No because it won on this issue once previously. I wish Senators Murphy and Dolan and all the community groups down there every success in challenging this plan. Please God they will be successful a second time.

I will request debates on all the issues raised over the coming weeks. The most common request, which Senator Dooley raised earlier, is for the Minister for Health to come in and discuss the plan for living with Covid with us as colleagues. That debate is arranged for next Tuesday afternoon. It is just a coincidence that the Senator raised it again today. It was heartbreaking to listen to him talk about that lady who wants her family to come home for Christmas, which is something so normal that is taken for granted. The heartbreaking bit was when she asked him what in the name of God she has to live for and look forward to if they do not come home. Hope is probably the biggest thing we can instil in all our constituents and citizens in this country because people are doing their absolute level best. The vast majority of people are living by every single rule and doing everything that has been asked of them since March. If we cannot at least give them hope that some sort of normal, sociable Christmas is coming, I do not blame them for wondering what in the name of God it is all for. It is incumbent on all of us to make sure we instil that vision of hope. We will have an opportunity next week to ask questions on what the strategy for living with Covid will be when we come out of level 5 restrictions in the next few weeks.

We need to get back to a sense of normality and have debates on important issues, including waste water, regional planning and the development of our public transport infrastructure. We must also realise that there are very pertinent and immediate issues with regard to climate change. All these matters are important. The delivery of services has been impacted because of Covid and redirection but the debating of them and analysis of our public policy is no less important now than before. To that end, and because we have certainty that we can sit on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between now and Christmas, I will do my level best to have as wide and varied a debate topic schedule as we can over the next few weeks.

Commencement Matters have resumed, which is very important. I have requested that all those who do not get picked for Commencement Matters on Tuesdays and Wednesdays be issued with written responses. Given the climate we are in, where we do not have the opportunity to mix and mingle with colleagues, Ministers or officials the way we would under normal circumstances, the very least we can expect is written responses to the questions we submit every Tuesday and Wednesday.

I welcome today's business. It is new and unusual but it should be an important part of our daily sittings when we cannot have a debate on the Order of Business. I also welcome that we are back in our own Chamber and look forward to many more days ahead.