Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully agree with Senator Ó Donnghaile about the Pat Finucane decision and the behaviour of the British Government. I think we may all have been laid into a space where we believed an inquiry would be announced yesterday. I certainly believed it would be and all the mood music suggested that, especially in view of the fact that the highest court in the UK had recommended it. What has happened is regrettable and, certainly, the campaign cannot stop. Let us hope that, eventually, the right thing will be done.

Today is World AIDS Day. While we are in the middle of a pandemic, the world keeps moving and there are other serious diseases and health challenges. In the 1980s and the early 1990s, AIDS was a serious challenge but the world came together to try to deal with it. It is not as big a challenge as it was, but it is still a challenge and we cannot forget that because much work continues to be done and needs to be done in the eradication of AIDS and dealing with HIV, particularly in Third World and developing countries. We should redouble our efforts and commitment as a country to funding programmes in the developing world to help combat the spread of HIV and AIDS. At some stage in the new year, it would be no harm to hold a debate on our world development programme and the overseas aid that is provided by this country. We could include world health programmes in that.

Today is a good day in terms of Covid-19 but the deputy chief medical officer put it well when he said that just because we can do something, it does not mean we have to. I call on the Chief Medical Officer, the Minister for Health and the Department of Health not to release Covid-19 figures or death numbers on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day. We have all got used to seeing the notifications on our phones at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. giving us the latest update on the numbers of cases and deaths. On some days it is good news, while on many others, it is not. It would be appropriate if the figures were not released on those three days of Christmas. I am sure they could be released at a later date. Everybody needs a break from that news cycle for those three days and I make that suggestion respectfully.