Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. ComReg is before the committee next week so we will be able to raise the issue at the committee meeting.

Senator Hoey raised the issue of young carers. The figures show that there is a stark gap. If there really are 67,000 young carers between the ages of ten and 17 providing unpaid care in this country and one in four of them goes to bed hungry then that is a massive problem that I was not aware of. We need to seek an urgent debate with the Minister on that particular issue because these carers often do not have a voice. In the last decade the people of this country have talked a lot about the voice of the child and Tusla has done a good bit of work on that. The publicly available figures show a huge gap and that needs to be answered for, quite frankly. We will seek the debate at the earliest opportunity and I thank the Senator for raising the issue on the floor of the House.

Senator Dooley raised the issue of community employment schemes. I fully endorse everything that he has said about the importance of the schemes to every local community. If we did not have the schemes all of the services that we take for granted, such as the Tidy Towns competition and meals on wheels, simply would not run or work without volunteers. For the sake of €20 the six-year rule needs to be looked at. Many people, particularly older men, have found themselves out of the workforce because the jobs that they did are now being done by machines and automation so such work is dwindling all of the time. There is huge social capital to be gained by allowing people to continue working and be part of their communities. This issue needs to be addressed.

Senator Ahearn raised the important issue of reopening the arts sector. He made the point that it is not just about money and it is not. The arts, theatres and performing artists are part of the heart and soul of this country. We have a very proud tradition so we need to protect artists. They have had a really difficult year and more than any other sector because with a complete shutdown there was no way to earn money. The outlet could be lost to a lot of people who may have to go elsewhere. The Senator also raised another important issue, concerning anti-vaxxers.

Senator Fitzpatrick raised the issue of 56 black balloons hanging on the gates of Leinster House lest we ever forget the 56 homeless people who have lost their lives this year. There is no excuse for a First World wealthy country to have homeless people on the streets. It is not just about providing a bed. It is the wraparound services to deal with issues may they be mental health, addiction and other supports that people need to get back up on their feet and back out into the community. The issue is a really important one to raise here and we stand in solidarity with those individuals who have lost their lives. The Inner City Helping Homeless is a community group that has been set up to do this work. They do fantastic work on a voluntary basis on which I commend them.

Senator Keogan raised the issue of parents being allowed to attend the Croke Park matches and suggested a sensible solution. I will contact the Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Jack Chambers, about the issue. Perhaps it could be suggested that each player bring two people whether it is a partner, parents or whatever. Given the size of Croke Park, let us be a little bit flexible and reasonable. I have expressed my personal view and do not know what the Minister of State's response will be but I will pass on the reasonable and decent suggestion.

Senator Murphy did a round up of the Order of Business at the start of his contribution, for which I thank him. He also raised the issue of the N5 upgrade. I have driven the road for years so I know that the worst part is the section in Roscommon. The road does need upgrading and partly because many Roscommon people drive by Athlone and up the M6 so the other road has been neglected. For those of us who live in Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and other counties the N5 is an important route that needs to be supported. The national development plan review is currently under way, on which many of us are working on submitting a submission, and this matter will certainly be part of the Fianna Fáil submission on the west of Ireland.

Senator Dolan raised the issue of inappropriate planning. I am not completely au faitwith the issue that she raised. If the community is so collectively united on this issue then one should be able to liaise with local authority and An Bord Pleanála to resolve the issue. No project should be bulldozed through a community where nobody gives their support because that, to me, highlights that there is a big problem. This matter goes back to what Senator Kyne raised around CPOs and trying to get people on board. At the end of the day, the community comes first. If the project serves the people they will support it but if it does not then they will not. Is that not a basic principle? I hope that a resolution can be found that is to the satisfaction of the people who live in the area.

Senator O'Loughlin came in to support the community employment scheme debate and raised the issue of pensions for CE supervisors, which is an ongoing campaign that I fully support. She also raised the issue of the horticultural sector that directly employs 6,600 people and indirectly supports 11,000 jobs, which is a huge number of employees. The arbitrary planning and licensing process, and the four to six year wait, sounds unreasonable and excessively bureaucratic. The matter needs to be addressed and certainly I will pass it up the line.

Senator Lombard raised the issue of the post office network, which is one that has dominated debate in both Houses for the last number of years. We are a changing and evolving country. Rural Ireland is changing, people's movements are changing and even post offices are changing. However, post offices still provide an essential service to many older people not just for post office services but also community contact. That checking up on elderly neighbours and keeping an eye on people is really important.I commend An Post for its work and how it has changed the business around. From a position where it could have ceased to exist, An Post has turned it around. The AddressPal part of the organisation has been successful and the parcel delivery service has done well.

Senator Cassells raised the issue of the Navan rail line. I can attest to having listened to the Senator raise the issue on many occasions and I know he is deeply passionate about the issue. There has been a boom in the population of Meath and it clearly needs that rail line. I agree that the area has been waiting 20 years for it. We have a similar issue in the west of Ireland and have been banging the drum for the western rail corridor for many years. I am glad that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has been supportive of rail in general and the need to provide that service to citizens because people want to get out of their cars and use public transport. That must be a top priority for the Government and the Navan rail line would be a fantastic addition to the people of Meath whom the Senator represents.

Senator Mullen raised the issue of universities and blended learning. It is farcical to call it "blended learning" because it is just learning from home. If universities can make a student stay at home, they will. They might get away with it this year because we are still in the middle of a crisis but universities are going to have to reflect on this and take a long, hard look at their fee structures because costs are justified by the college experience of people being on campus. If students are learning from home, it simply cannot cost the same to provide a course. Universities cannot justify their exorbitant fees. The fees for Smurfit business school are huge. I have been contacted by members of a campaign who are rightly looking for a reduction in costs because they are hard to justify. That brings forward the broader issue that the Government is going to have to deal with Peter Cassells' report and how we fund third level. That was not addressed in the previous term and that report has been gathering dust for quite some time. We must have a real conversation in this country about how we want to fund third level education. The heart of our response must provide access to third level for all students in this country, not based on who has money. Every young person should have the opportunity to go to third level.

Senator McGahon raised the issue of confidence in the vaccine and I think I have addressed that. If we are all willing to get on board and put confidence into the heart of this campaign, we will do that, but we have a job of work on our hands. Broadly speaking, I think people are welcoming the news of a vaccine and the data has been positive. I am not an expert on this stuff but I certainly feel reassured by what I am hearing.

The Senator raised an important issue around the responsibility of the media. If they are going to invite on representatives of the "other side" of the issue, if we want to call it that when it is unfounded in science or fact, there is an obligation on the media and journalists to make sure they are ready to come back at those contributors with hard facts in order to debunk and rubbish false assertions. It is a dangerous place to tread. If a media outlet is going to invite the other side onto a programme to participate in a debate, it needs to do its work to ensure that facts make it out to the public.

Senator McGreehan made an impassioned speech about peace and reconciliation on this island. I took from what she said that we need to embrace our shared past. I would certainly concur with her words about the Pat Finucane inquiry and what she said about the comments made by Deputy Stanley about Narrow Water. There has been widespread political condemnation of those comments which has shown the public that we are past all of that, moving and looking forward. That type of comment has no place in a democratic society that respects the rules and values of human decency, reconciliation and peace on this island that we all care for so much. I reiterate that we are expecting a better and more appropriate political response on the matter and I hope we will not be found wanting.