Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Seery Kearney raised the issue of GDPR and the decision in the Schrems case. I know that Senator Byrne has also been working on that issue. For the information of Members, we will be engaging directly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, at the Brexit committee this afternoon at 4.30 p.m. I assure Members that the issue will be raised at the committee and we might get a more up-to-date response from Government on it.

Senator Craughwell made an impassioned speech in the House and I am not sure I have the words to respond effectively to what he said. I wish to commend him on his words and to sympathise with his mother, who must have gone through an awful time. She was put in a horrific situation back in the 1970s and beyond. As a trainee barrister, I worked on the Smithwick tribunal, so I am aware of the issues raised there. It did not get much coverage at the time but serious issues certainly were raised around collusion. It goes to the very heart of democracy and how we run this country and the confidence that citizens must have in all arms of the State.

On the issue of the tweet posted by Deputy Stanley, I acknowledge the apology he has issued. I also note the weighty response by the Ceann Comhairle to Arlene Foster's letter, in which he asked for a better political response to the matter. I hope that will be forthcoming. I agree with other Members who have also raised the issue that the glorification of killing and violence anywhere is just wrong. Senator Craughwell spoke of his understanding, having spoken to Deputy Stanley about the tweet, but I am not sure that it can be explained away at all, to be honest. I refer to glorifying what happened at Narrow Water. Barry McElduff resigned over posting a tweet about the Kingsmill massacre, yet there is a different response and approach to what Deputy Stanley did. I find that difficult and do not think that can be explained. I listened to the explanations of Deputies McDonald and Doherty on the radio yesterday. They were both on at roughly the same time, just after 8 a.m. - one on Newstalk and the other on RTÉ - giving the same lines. I am not sure that the response to date by the Sinn Féin leadership has been adequate or satisfactory and I hope that we see further action taken on that particular issue. I am sure there is more to come on it.

Senator Wall raised the issue the CSO report on mental health in the context of Covid. It is a very serious matter that needs to be raised. We have done a very good job in this country of protecting physical health in the Covid pandemic, and our immediate emergency response focused on physical health, protecting our hospitals and making sure that the health service was not overrun. We have done quite a poor job in protecting people's mental health. The figures in this regard are quite stark, with a doubling of rates of depression and there has been an impact on younger people. We must do better on that front because we have failed to protect people's mental health in the last number of months because we were firefighting and trying to respond to an emergency. However, we must learn from that because it will not be the last time that we come up against something of this nature. We need to do things better in the future and react now.

Senator Garvey raised the issue of remote working hubs and I thank her for putting on the record the information on the role of the broadband officer. I am aware of the broadband officer in Mayo County Council but it is an important point to make that if community groups are looking for access to broadband in different hubs across their county, there is a point of contact there that probably is underutilised because it is not very well known. Therefore it is important to get the message out to citizens.

Senator Ó Donnghaile raised the issue of health and well-being support for those who have survived institutional abuse. If things are being done better in the North and if there is a system in place there, of course we should learn from that and work with them. If we can replicate that here, there is no need to reinvent the wheel, because if something is working really well somewhere else, we should engage with it. I will certainly bring the Senator's points back to the relevant Minister because we have failed victims in respect of the provision of support services for them. Having a far-reaching counselling service that is difficult to get to, and which people do not know about, is not really providing a service - it is paying lip service to the issue and applying a sticking plaster to the problem. If there is a system elsewhere that is working well, we should look at it.

I also take on board the Senator's point about the anti-vax campaign. Work to address the issue is well under way and there is much to be done to claw it back. I know that the HSE and the public health experts have been waiting until they have the full data and information so that when they start their campaign to combat the anti-vax campaign, they have all the supports that they need. However, there will be a job of work for us to do as community leaders. I do not think that it is mad to suggest that perhaps certain influencers or those in high-level leadership roles should come out publicly and be seen to be getting the vaccine and to support it. It may require that. Certainly, I will have no difficulty in lining up to take the vaccine when it is made available to me. I am sure that I will be at the back of the queue, because thankfully I am of a relatively young age and am healthy. However I will certainly get the vaccine as soon as I can get access to it.

Senators Black and McGreehan raised the issue of the public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane. I share in their disappointment that the British Government has refused to hold a public inquiry. In my view, that has been done solely to protect the interests of the British Government and nobody else. It does not serve Geraldine Finucane and the family who suffered a tragic loss. I commend her on the fact that for over 30 years, she has been campaigning to get to the truth of this matter and she is not going to stop in that fight for truth. Senator Ardagh raised the issue of the reconfirmation by AIB that it will close its branch in Crumlin and reduce its workforce by 1,500. Covid has accelerated the pace of change in terms of automation and moving things online but that does not work for everybody because we have a lot of older citizens who rely on a face-to-face service. I trust and hope that AIB will take on board the comments made by Senator Ardagh and others asking that it look after its elderly customers who are as important as all other customers and will make sure a proper service is provided. Also, for the staff who are looking at the potential loss of their jobs, I hope that every effort will be made to relocate them to other areas of the company to make sure that they are not left without their jobs.

Senator Kyne asked for a debate on greenways, blueways and walkways. We will certainly make that request to the Minister for Transport. I thank the Senator for bringing to the fore in this House the great success story of the Great Western Greenway. In terms of getting the greenway up and running, no compulsory purchase order or CPO was needed. Negotiations took place with a huge group of farmers right across the county. With no small work done by Padraig Philbin and his team on Mayo County Council, agreement was secured from every landowner to make the greenway happen. That is the preferable way to do things and I agree with Senator Kyne that a CPO should be the last port of call. We should not block public projects that benefit the wider public so if we have to go there then we will go there. It is by far preferable to get the agreement of landowners in advance by working with them and listening to their concerns. Very often people are reasonable and will work with local authorities to provide public spaces so if they say "no", there is a reason. Let us work with people and avoid the CPO process as best we can.

Senator Boyhan raised the issue of the promised interim payment from the age of 65 to 66 and before one reaches pension age. That promise was made by my own party and others before the election. I hope and trust that it will be delivered on. I do not have a direct response as to the stage that has been reached. I have sought a response and will provide it directly to him as soon as I have it. These people have worked all of their lives and should not be put back in the dole queue in order to deal with the break of a year when many of those workers have no choice but to retire at 65 years. My party made the promise and I will do all that I can to make sure it is fulfilled.

Senators Byrne and Seery Kearney raised the Schrems decision. Senator Byrne mentioned air quality and the need for a clean air Act. Last weekend, Dublin city experienced difficulties with air quality. Apparently, the reduced air quality has been linked to "The Late Late Toy Show" and people lighting fires to create an ambience or mood in their houses but perhaps that is anecdotal evidence. The incident brought back memories of the 1970s and 1980s when people used smoky coal. The incident also shows that it does not take much to increase air pollution and that is not good. Every year people lose their lives due to bad air quality and we can do better than that in 2020.

Certainly we will again look for a debate on the issue of Poland and Hungary. I will not comment in too much detail on the issues in Belgium but will say that the absolute hypocrisy displayed by an MEP is quite shocking given that he drafted the constitution for his own country. Basically, he is saying one thing publicly and doing another thing in private but I do not wish to get too adversarial about the issue. In terms of the Fidesz party remaining a member of the European People's Party, EPP, some minor sanctions being issued really does not go far enough. I ask Members to reflect on that and address same to the satisfaction of all right thinking Members of this Parliament.

The report on youth unemployment by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, needs to be addressed. The last time I raised the issue we were at 40% but now it is 47%. Those jobs may not return in the short term. This issue needs to be addressed because younger people need employment opportunities.

Senator Burke raised the issue of Eir and other companies in terms of trying to break a contract with a company where one has signed up for a utility. I have come across an issue myself. Obviously the normal contract law of the country applies. If one cannot contact the individual company sometimes sending a letter is the best method because there are better ways to spend two hours than trying to contact Eir. Yes, ComReg has a role to play. I know the matter has been raised with the Joint Committee on Transport and Communication Networks. Last week, we specifically raised the Eir issue and certainly it may be worth contacting ComReg about it again. Contract law applies. If conditions of a contract have been breached then a person is entitled to break his or her contract.