Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Kyne discussed Black Friday and the need to shop locally, and he was supported in is remarks by a number of Senators, including Senators Byrne and Currie and others. It is a really important message that we need to get out there, that every one of us should try to spend as many euro as possible locally. Last week I made the remark that we should not let Jeff Bezos win and we should keep away from Amazon as much as possible. We should be shopping on Irish websites and in Irish businesses, and whether it is by using click and collect services, we should be doing all we can to get that campaign moving, because it will make all the difference. As it stands, there is a sticking plaster in place for many businesses, and my concern is that come summer 2021, the cracks will appear when the Government supports understandably have to be wound. Many businesses that are just managing to keep their heads above water will be struggling in the middle of next year. Therefore, everything that we do now will make a real and significant difference to their survival.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of how councillors are treated and their well-being, and agree with his remarks. Senators Blaney, Byrne and Carrigy and others backed him up and I agree with them. We should show a degree of respect for the profession of councillor, because it is a real job, they perform real and meaningful duties and they are not paid properly. Their take-home pay is not even really proper pay, and it is less than what someone on social welfare receives. It is not a salary and it in no way reflects their workload. I agree that depending on where councillors are located, many are driving hundreds of kilometres on a monthly, which is a direct cost to running their operations. Some councillors who have a second job effectively take home very little, and although they do not do the job just for the money, they should be paid properly, and I do not see why there is a fear in saying that. I hope that we see movement on that issue without any further delay.

Senator Moynihan raised the issue of period poverty and rightly credited the women's caucus with having highlighted the issue in the last term, and there was a cross-party motion supported by the entire House to provide free sanitary products. I join with the Senator in commending the Scottish Parliament on being the first to move on this issue and to provide the products. I remember watching a Ken Loach film a number of years ago - I cannot recall the name - in which that very issue was highlighted. A female character was depicted going to a foodbank and having to make the choice between getting food or sanitary products. It might seem like a small issue that does not affect people, but it does, and one should not have to choose between getting food for one's family or getting very basic sanitary products. It is an issue affecting women and it would take a small amount of money in the grand scheme of things to resolve it.I look forward to Private Members’ business on that, and the Senator will have my support.

I note also the amendment the Senator is proposing on the cost of citizenship. I was not aware of the level of cost associated with it, which seems extremely high, and that should be addressed. It is quite expensive.

I join with Senator Gavan’s tribute to Diego Maradona. I would not agree with the rest of his contribution in that regard but that has been dealt with by my colleague, Senator Byrne.

With regard to Senator Gavan’s reference to the Tax Justice Network report on Ireland being a tax haven, I think he used the words “tax evasion” whereas the report refers to “tax avoidance”, which is an important distinction. In terms of reform of the tax system, it is well documented and well known that Ireland and the Irish Government are working with the OECD to bring in meaningful reforms on a global scale. At the same time, I do not think we should make any apology for cultivating a very positive business environment to ensure that thousands of our citizens are employed in this country in many of the corporations under the FDI band. We would hope to see continued FDI coming into the country in the years and decades ahead.

Senator Black made reference to the White Paper on direct provision. There have been reports in the media around the difficulty in delivering what is proposed. I am sure we all acknowledge there will be pushback if there is a suggestion that somebody in the direct provision system, coming in as an asylum seeker, would get preference for housing over somebody who is here already. This is because of the shortage of housing and the solution is to address the housing problem. We need more supply. I do not want to see us pitting one person against another when there is a genuine need on all sides for the basic necessity of housing. We have a lot of work to do in terms of increasing supply and that might, in turn, help us to deal with the direct provision issue. I believe we are all committed to moving away from that system and its many injustices. There have been some improvements but there is a long way to go yet, and I agree with the Senator on that.

Senator Dooley raised the issue of the €100 million being put into bog rehabilitation in the midlands, which is very welcome for those communities and I am sure it will alleviate many of the pressures there. I agree with the Senator that Moneypoint is a very important issue for people living and working in that area. The fact they are excluded from the just transition fund needs to be addressed. I agree with the Senator that we should not wait until the end of 2024 to address it because it is coming down the tracks. We have advance notice now of people who are in real difficulty and this is about real jobs, real people and real families. Let us use the time wisely to make preparations to look after those people in a proper and meaningful way.

Senator Buttimer raised the issue of the “RTÉ Investigates” debate, as did Senator Conway. I am conscious of our need to be mindful of any potential legal proceedings or any potential to impugn the reputation of any organisation or Member of this House. I am very conscious of that. I join both Senators in commending “RTÉ Investigates” for bringing forward that issue. I watched it last night and I was particularly moved by the story of the Wilson family and Esther, who had money awarded to her because of a terrible accident she had in her late 20s. That money was to provide for her for the rest of her life and Patrick Russell, being a neighbour and friend of the family, would have been aware of those circumstances. It really speaks to the character of a person that could go about and do something of that nature. There appear to be significant questions to answer. We will raise that with the Department around how we might have some sort of a debate in this House within our guidelines that would not bring the House into disrepute in any way. I take the points of both Senators on board.

Senator Murphy raised the issue around elderly people and Eir. I was taken aback to see Eir coming out to suggest the problems with its customer service are because of the call centre in Sligo. I take great offence at that. I was onsite in Sligo at the Eir premises a number of years ago and I was a customer of Eir at the time. I went to purchase a mobile phone and it was sent to the wrong location through no fault of my own. They then accused me of having stolen the phone in a kind of roundabout way. It was ridiculous stuff. In any event, to cut a long story short, I am no longer a customer of Eir, nor will I be a customer of Eir while it has the current lack of customer service. I listened to some people who gave comments to the media about being on hold for 30 to 45 minutes. I was one of those people and it drove me to the brink in trying to deal with the lack of customer service. That problem persisted and it was there long before the centre in Sligo was established. My understanding is that the centre in Sligo was set up to deal with the customer service problem. Let us not blame the people of Sligo or suggest there is somehow a shortage of skills in the community to meet the demands of that call centre. It is an outrageous suggestion. I understand from Senator Dooley that the regulator is coming before the Oireachtas committee to follow up on the complaints against Eir. Eir is operating in this country and it owes people and customers a reasonable level of customer service, which has been severely lacking for quite some time.

Senator Currie raised the issue of black Friday, as did Senator Kyne. Senator Currie also mentioned the campaign around green Friday and the Champion Green campaign. I thank her for bringing that to the attention of the House and the broader public. Let us hope we can turn black Friday green tomorrow and do all we can to protect Irish business.

Senator Blaney raised an issue around Sport Ireland. I do not have an answer at the minute but I will seek to get a reply to him on that question. I note his remarks in regard to councillors across the country, who will be very appreciative of his support.