Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach and all the Members who contributed to the Order of Business.

Senator Kyne welcomed the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which is a positive development. I agree with the Senator that we should take a sensible approach to the opening hours of our retail sector. They should, of course, be allowed to extend their hours. Some shops are considering a 24-7 operation when they are allowed to reopen and that will help with safety, so that people can shop at different times. It would allow those retail sectors to try to claw back some of what they have lost. This is the time of year when many businesses make the money that will see them through to the summer months.

Senator Boyhan raised the issue of the explanatory memorandum regarding motions before the House. I completely agree with him. I am aware of the conversations that he has had with the Leader's office and the Department. I thank him for his contribution and for giving notice that he expects this to happen in future. It is a reasonable request, which would help all Members, both Government and Opposition. It is a sensible suggestion and we will follow through on it.

Senator Bacik raised the domestic violence debate. That will go ahead. Many Members raised the Safe Ireland report last week. It is extremely worrying. It is predominantly women and children who suffer and the long-term impacts will be quite severe. It is the hidden cost of the pandemic that goes on behind closed doors and we often do not see it. It is an important debate to have but this should not stop at that debate. We have much work in the pipeline to do on that issue. It has been left for far too long. I agree that it is disheartening to see the week's figures for Covid-19. We made such great strides. Many of us are focusing on those outside drinking scenes but there are other sectors of society where meetings are still happening. We all need to knuckle down in the next couple of weeks and hope that we can claw back those figures, but, as Dr. Ronan Glynn put it, we are not where we need to be. Hopefully, we can turn that around. We still have time to do so.

Senator Gavan moved an amendment to the Order of Business regarding the motion to appoint an ordinary member to the Standards in Public Office Commission. The Senator did not have a difficulty with the appointment of the chairperson but mainly with the ordinary member. He went on to link that to the Tánaiste's actions in releasing a confidential Government document to his friend, Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail. I know Geraldine Feeney personally. In the crossfire between Sinn Féin and Fine Gael, with a seemingly quite aggressive battle going on, it is unfair for the Senator to link a person who is not in the House and cannot defend herself to that particular incident when she had nothing to do with it. I will not accede to the Senator's request to amend the Order of Business. If there is a disagreement between two parties, we should not let an individual who did no wrong get caught in the middle of that. It is quite unfair.

Senator Black raised the issue of the Debenhams workers. I thank her for bringing it to the floor of the House. I listened to one of the workers this morning on "Newstalk Breakfast".It is disingenuous of KPMG to offer them less than what they were originally offered and that they rejected. It shows no willingness on KPMG's part to settle the matter. The lady who spoke on radio this morning - her name escapes me - spent 24 years of her life working for that company, which is still in operation in the UK but not in Ireland. She called for people to think twice before purchasing from debenhams.iebecause the Irish business is no longer in operation but the workers have been standing outside for the past 222 days. I hope to see some movement on this situation, given how difficult it is for the workers.

Senator Cassells mentioned that this weekend would be the 100th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. I thank him for that. It is incumbent on us all to remember it. The documentary did a good service to what happened that day. I was struck by the Senator's comments on the funerals of those men here compared with the lavish funerals of the officers in Westminster. His remarks have some standing today in terms of the restrictions currently in place, the importance of having a proper funeral and burial and how much it means to people to be able to honour their dead. To take that away from people following the incident in question compounded the hurt and aggravated the situation. I concur with Senator Buttimer's request to acknowledge that in some way at the Cathaoirleach's discretion.

Senator Conway mentioned the Burren Ecotourism Network. I congratulate its members on behalf of this side of the House. It is remarkable to see the network being recognised by Lonely Planet in its 2021 guide. This shows the considerable work being done in a beautiful and fascinating part of our country, one that we sometimes take for granted because it is on our own doorstep but that is widely appreciated across the globe. I do not doubt that, when travel reopens, we will see many new visitors flocking to see what is one of our national treasures in the Burren in Clare.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of bullying in the workplace. I concur with him. The news story that some staff members of the Houses of the Oireachtas had been treated that way made for damning reading. We need to do something about it. It is not right or acceptable in any workplace, and our workplace is no different. In fact, we should be leading by setting a higher example than any other workplace and treating our staff with the utmost respect and dignity at all times. Clearly, we have a great deal of work to do in that regard. I hope that any staff member who believes that he or she is not being treated fairly feels that he or she can come forward. There are mechanisms in place to deal with bullying. People should never feel silenced. There is somewhere to go for help and people are not on their own.

Senator Dooley raised the issue of student accommodation, a matter that has also crossed my desk. I have managed to resolve a couple of cases, in that the college eventually came around to refunding the students in question the moneys they had paid up front. Although there was a contract in place, it was on the basis in one case that classes would be held in person in at least a blended learning experience, something that will not now happen. Many students were only told of the scheduling changes after they had committed to their accommodation and paid their fees up front. This is about goodwill and doing the decent and right thing. The situation is changing at a fast pace. Students are suffering enough and many parents have taken out large loans to afford the accommodation. If students do not need to use it and are not having classes, the colleges must not use student accommodation to buffer themselves against their lost finances for the year. That is not what students are there for. Those colleges that did not look after students in their time of need will be remembered.

Senator Ward raised the issue of local harbours being transferred into the ownership and authority of local authorities and the financial burden of same. Dún Laoghaire Harbour is close to his heart and I think of Westport Harbour in my county of Mayo. The transfer is a significant outlay. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine should be able to assist and find specific funding. A harbour is a local amenity, one that needs to be protected and invested in rather than just maintained at its current standard. The Department has work to do in this regard. It might be worth raising the topic as a Commencement matter in order to get the Minister to answer in the House.

Senator Wall raised the issue of school places in south Kildare. I agree with him on the answer to the challenges at second level. Deputy Ó Ríordáin has discussed the matter of students getting places based on their parents having attended the same school previously, but I agree with Senator Wall's approach. This is a question of the amount of school places. That is what needs to be addressed. If we do, then there will be no difficulties. School places do not arise as an issue in many rural areas, for example, my county of Mayo, but it is a major issue in the commuter belt around Kildare and Dublin. Rather than tinkering around the edges of the rules, the only solution is to create more school places where there is demand and an increasing population.There is clearly demand in Senator Wall's area of south Kildare.

Senator O’Loughlin raised the issue of the HSE national safeguarding office report in respect of adults in residential care being very vulnerable. I agree that Covid-19 and the pandemic have really highlighted the deficiencies right across the health sector in protecting the most vulnerable. I think straightaway of the nursing home situation where many people have lost their lives because the proper plans were not in place. Vulnerable adults who often do not have anybody to speak on their behalf can often be forgotten in the chaos and mayhem that surrounds a situation like this. It is unacceptable that over 1,000 screenings have still remained without a response. That is a failing of those individuals who were left without their case being dealt with and this needs to be addressed immediately.

Senator Dolan, as always, puts Ballinasloe on the map, not that it needed to be done. I drive past it on my way up here all the time. She mentioned the website shopballinasloe.ie.It is an important reminder to all of us that retail is struggling. There is a sticking plaster there currently because of the temporary wage subsidy, the supports that are there and the money that has been provided directly to businesses to keep the wolves from the door. Come next April and beyond, the cracks will start to appear in those businesses that may be running out of that cash flow. We can help to prevent some of this happening by all of us, as public representatives in our own communities, encouraging people to shop and spend locally. As somebody said we must not let Jeff Bezos win by shopping on Amazon. We must shop locally as we can get everything we need right here in Ireland and it will make a big difference.

Senator Pauline O'Reilly raised the issue of the difficult year it has been for children in quite a poignant remark by her nine-year-old daughter wanting a birthday present that Covid-19 would just end. It is difficult to comprehend what it must be like for a child of that age to be dealing with a pandemic. They are being asked to stay in, not to play with or hug their friends and they cannot see their grandparents. Children are very resilient and will come through this but there is an impact. They often do not have the same voice that we have. The voice of the child and listening to children is so important in understanding the impact that this has had. This is a very important point and is something that we must be cognisant of as a Government and Parliament.

Senator Ardagh raised the issue of the Covid-19 vaccines and the anti-vaccine campaign, which I listened to on the radio this morning. Dr. Glynn mentioned at the briefing I believe, yesterday, that Dr. Tony Holohan, Dr. Glynn and the health professionals’ team will not say much about the vaccines at this point because they want to get more clarity. They are welcoming them, however, as a positive move. They are acutely aware of the already emerging anti-vaccine campaign which is really dangerous and may prevent this country from reopening at the pace that we want it to, will result in people getting sick, and much sicker than they would have been if the vaccine had been widely accepted. There is a job of work to be done to reassure people. These vaccines have come around at a much faster pace than ever before. Of course, there will be caution and an element of suspicion and people will fear that they are not fully safe. We need to see the data, as has been said by many health professionals. I am not an expert in all of this but there is certainly a job of reassurance to be done whenever we do get our hands on those vaccines.

Senator Ó Donnghaile asked for statements on the Irish language. I will certainly make that request to the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, to come before the House at the earliest opportunity. The suggestion that we use the language as much as possible is a good one.

Senator Buttimer wants a real debate on the reopening of the economy post-December 1 because of Covid-19. We have sometimes a far better and more robust debate in this House than we have in the Dáil because there is at least the opportunity to go back and forth a little more. I understand the point that the Senator is making and it is something that we will have to have a regular discussion on because the pandemic is not going to end on 1 December.

I join with Senator Fitzpatrick in welcoming the Bill being put before the Dáil today by Deputies Lahart and McAuliffe on scramblers and quads, and the dangers they pose, in particular, for younger people who may perhaps need to be better informed and protected because they are young adults.

Senator Seery Kearney raised the issue of BusConnects and the challenges posed by public consultation. This is a very genuine and reasonable issue to raise. Public consultation on a change of this scale is completely necessary. If people feel that the consultation process is not inclusive and facilitative of proper debate then that is something the Minister should consider. I will ensure that his office is aware of that. This is a significant development and there will always be resistance to change. Change scares people and people prefer the status quo. The only way that change can be brought about is by bringing people with it and ensuring that they are properly informed and included in the process. At the very least, the debate and consultation needs to be broadened out.

Senator Gallagher raised the issue of the Tidy Towns programme for 2021 being opened up again. That is very welcome. This is a big deal for many communities right across the country.I know that in my own county of Mayo it is a huge source of pride for every small town and village. It can take years to achieve first place, like Senator Gallagher's town of Glaslough in County Monaghan. It takes years to reach that standard and I have no doubt that is why they kept going in 2019, as did lots of communities. If a community lets a year drop, they will know about it the next year when it comes to the rankings. It is fantastic for local communities. The funding should absolutely be provided because it is an outlet for many communities and a source of pride.