Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator McDowell in calling for all in the Seanad to show leadership. All Senators received a letter from my colleague, Deputy Kelly, last week urging them to sign a pledge stating they will take the vaccine.

I support the call for a debate in the Seanad with the Minister for Finance on insurance. The findings in the report of the Central Bank are extremely serious. They point to a majority of firms within the insurance industry engaging in dual pricing, an abuse of market power and cross-subsidisation between those who are able to shop around and those who are less able. Senator Cummins made the valid point that there are wider issues at stake. Dual pricing, on which my colleague Deputy Nash will launch a Bill later today, needs to be legislated for, but there is a wider issue to be considered regarding insurance in this country. I am currently dealing with an adventure centre in my constituency, Dublin Central, that deals with very disadvantaged groups in a very disadvantaged area. The groups include prisoners and children. The centre has been put out of business. It claims it is no longer able to seek insurance in this country. There are issues, therefore, not only with the offering of insurance products and competition but also with the activities of companies participating in the Irish market.

Today was due to be the first of a two-day work stoppage by workers across the country who work in section 39 organisations. These organisations provide vital mental health services, disability services, homelessness services and other health services. The workers traditionally had their pay linked directly to HSE pay but that link effectively broke over the past four to five years with the restoration of public sector pay. I am relieved and delighted that the Government belatedly agreed a deal last Thursday with trade unions, particularly SIPTU and Fórsa, for workers employed in section 39 organisations. There has been much talk about valuing workers, particularly health workers and front-line workers, over recent months, yet section 39 workers have had to countenance two workday stoppages - one this week and another the week before Christmas - to get across the message that they are no longer willing to stand for pay inequality. I thank the Government for moving on this. There is currently a dialogue forum for voluntary bodies. It is representative of service providers, clients and patients but there is no voice for workers at the table. The purpose of the forum is to tease out all the issues regarding service provision in section 39 organisations across the country. I ask the Leader to relay to the Government that workers' representatives should have a voice at the table in the forum.