Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept the amendments proposed by Senator McDowell and Senator O'Loughlin to the Order of Business.

Senator Doherty raised the issue of Aer Lingus workers. It is a failing of our system that over 2,000 applicants have yet to be responded to by the Department. The Department is there to serve the citizens and the people. I will certainly raise it with the Department that it expedite its work in that regard and give a response to those people.

Senator McDowell raised issues around the suspension of parliamentary scrutiny and our work as parliamentarians because of Covid. Covid has, in some respects, become an excuse to not do certain things and we have to be very cautious of that approach. I note the comments of Senators O'Reilly and Bacik around the progress we made today at the Committee on Procedure and Privileges in terms of the ongoing accommodation of this House. We are moving closer to a resolution that I hope will allow us to resume our work as parliamentarians and to give proper scrutiny of all matters that come before the House.

Senator Bacik raised the issue of front-line workers and their legal status, and I join with her and Senator O'Loughlin on that issue. It is morally wrong that we would send away workers who have been risking their lives to protect our citizens and not look at their legal status. I commend Labour Youth on the campaign it has started, "Born Here, Belong Here". It has taken the action of children to bring these campaigns to the fore in order to protect their classmates who were at risk of being deported. We have seen many instances of this; it is morally wrong and should be addressed. I believe there would be broad support for that and it certainly has my support.

I thank Senator Bacik for raising the issue around protecting our democracy. The US election has been raised by many Members. When we look at the coverage of the US elections, from Fox News to CNN, it makes us appreciate our national broadcaster. For all its faults, for the most part and almost all of the time it is very good at providing impartial, objective and unbiased information to our citizens and it is a trusted news source. We should never forget how important that is in terms of having a functioning democracy because, from what I can see, there is no news source in the US where one can go for that impartial and balanced information. I believe that has led to some of the polarisation we have seen.

Senator Pauline O'Reilly raised the suggestion by the sitting President Trump around voter fraud and the fact there is no evidence for this. Senator Martin said that as an outside jurisdiction and another country, we should not be commenting on the electoral process of another country. However, I think it is important to appreciate that an important democratic process is taking place and the eyes of the world are watching. It is important that as parliamentarians, we acknowledge the importance of the democratic process. Nobody is above that and nobody should seek to undermine it at any level, let alone the sitting President of the United States. I think we would all be in agreement on that.

Senator Boylan raised the issue of our health system being exposed by Covid and, in particular, by level 5. There is no health system in the world that has not been challenged by this pandemic. However, we should acknowledge the fact we are doing quite well in terms of keeping the numbers of deaths down and protecting people. We have not reached the situation seen in other countries where there has not been an ICU bed for somebody who needs it. That has not happened. Permanent capacity is one thing, but there is surge capacity. The message should go out to citizens that if they need a bed, there is a bed available and care will be provided. It is important that we do not frighten people. We commend our health service for managing to cope up to this date, although that is because we have taken on these restrictions and limited so many aspects of our society to make sure our health system can cope.

Senator Black raised the issue of the music and entertainment sector and commended the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland on the voluntary work it is doing on behalf of musicians and entertainers. Music and entertainment is the heartbeat of Irish culture and society but it is a fact we cannot go to live gigs anymore. I have heard stories of musicians selling their equipment, and it is very sad they find themselves in that situation. The Minister with responsibility for the arts has to do more to help that sector because people really have nowhere to go and their livelihoods have been taken from them, with no real prospect of that sector opening up for quite some time. It could be 2022 before we see ourselves back in large-scale venue venues and they cannot sustain a further full year of what they are going through.

Senator Currie raised the issue of Equal Pay Day and I am glad she did. Monday, 9 November marks the day on which women in this country stop getting paid because of the gender pay gap. We in this House are committed to working on that and I have been working directly with the Cathaoirleach on the issue. It is something we, as a House, hope to address this month more formally in order to try to work on it. It is a problem in every country, and the gender pay gap exists across the board at differing levels. The gap in Ireland is 14.4% and we must work to close it.

Senator Ardagh raised the very sad case of the loss of Shane O'Farrell at the age of 23. I am sure many of us have worked with Shane's mother, Lucia. The fact the person who took his life was in breach of bail conditions and had 42 previous convictions was a failing of the system. The system failed the O'Farrell family and failed Shane. I look forward to that report being published. We should have an opportunity in this House to consider that report and, hopefully, to learn from those mistakes to ensure this never happens again.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of Armistice Day and the loss of life at the Niemba ambush. I thank him for taking the time to read onto the record of this House the names of the men we lost at that ambush, lest we ever forget the huge sacrifice the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann give to this State on a daily basis and on all of the missions they are involved in across the globe. Given our outstanding record as UN peacekeepers, I believe we need to do more, as a country, to highlight to the general public the great work the Defence Forces do, and take more pride in the Defence Forces' past and current serving members. I thank the Senator for his continuing work on behalf of the Defence Forces.

Senator Dooley raised a number of issues around rural Ireland and the impact of Covid. I agree with him in terms of the restrictions at marts. I know this is not an issue in every constituency.We do not have broadband in many parts of rural Ireland and operating online is genuinely difficult for many traders. I do not see any great difficulty in a small number of traders being at a cattle mart, properly distanced, for short periods. That is essential, as they are part of the food chain and the current restrictions are impacting on an element of that process. Meat factories can stay open but traders cannot go to the mart in small numbers.

I have also had representations on hare coursing and the hunting season. I have been contacted by many gun clubs in my constituency of Mayo. The pheasant shooting season was due to start on 1 November. The shooting season had already been in operation for other game in September and shooting had commenced. It is a reasonable ask by gun clubs that if people comply with the 5 km rule and they go alone, they should be able to participate in shooting. Running is a professional sport, but nobody is saying one cannot run within 5 km of one's home, by oneself. We must have some degree of flexibility. I understand where the Garda is coming from. Shooting is not on the list of exemptions. We should not be asking An Garda Síochána to interpret what the Department is telling it. We need clear direction and guidelines from the Department of Justice on this issue. We should not be afraid of being somewhat flexible. Senator Ó Donnghaile referred to gyms and the need to flexible for reasons of mental health. It is one thing to be running and training outside in March and April when the weather is good, but it is a very different thing in November and December when it is freezing. It is not practical. We must have some degree of flexibility.

Senator Dooley called for a debate on living with Covid. A number of Members have touched upon that. Senators Byrne, Ó Donnghaile, Buttimer and Conway all raised issues around how we get to live with Covid because it will be here for the next year in some shape or form. I will certainly request a debate on living with Covid. That title is quite good because it gives us an opportunity to discuss all matters relating to living with Covid.

Senator Mullen referred to places of worship. Again, that is something we need to look at because it is an outlet for people and it is somewhere that people get great solace and comfort. Such a debate would be welcome and we can deal with a number of matters under its auspices.

Senator Carrigy referred to strand 2 of the just transition fund, and the Lough Ree power plant in Lanesborough in County Longford. It is an important employer in the region. In a county and region where employment is scare, the loss of 100 jobs is significant, as it would be anywhere in rural Ireland. It is akin to losing 1,000 or 2,000 jobs in the capital. That is the scale we are talking about. I hope alternative employment can be found for those workers. I agree with him that we should not outsource the job to external organisations. The work should be done by the Department and the State.

Senator Wall referred to medical cards for the terminally ill and the campaign by John Wall. I listened to Mr. Wall on the radio. My heart sank to hear that we are still making terminally ill patients fight for a medical card. It is disgraceful. I know the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is working hard on this issue. I expect there to be a resolution shortly. It goes without saying that people do not really have the time to wait for such issues to be resolved. They should be focusing on looking after themselves, not fighting the State for basic services.

Senator Wall also raised the issue of Changing Places toilet facilities. To be honest, I was not aware of the full extent of the issue but it was also raised by Senators Ó Donnghaile and McGreehan. It is a very important point that they have raised on the floor of the House. It is something on which we should be doing better. If we can facilitate families that are caring for loved ones to get out and about a lot more and to enjoy all of the things we take for granted, then we should be doing that. We must all work towards building a more inclusive society.

Senator Byrne referred to the shooting season. I dealt with that matter already. In terms of young people living with Covid and coping with it, sometimes people dismiss how important it is to go to a nightclub or a pub, but when one is at a certain age it is an important right of passage for young people to be able to socialise, meet people and have a relationship. It depends on the stage of life one is at. This is a really difficult time for young people. We can deal with the matter in the debate I will organise on living with Covid.

I echo Senator McGreehan's congratulations to the man whom, I hope, will be declared President-elect of the US, Joe Biden. Mr. Biden is also a son of Mayo. I had the pleasure of meeting him when he was Vice President because he visited County Mayo. He walked the streets of Castlebar with me, at one point hand in hand, if Members can believe that.