Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Cummins opened the Order of Business with the issue of the Central Bank report on insurance, in particular motor insurance, and other Members have raised the issue as well. It is an extremely serious issue and a request will go in from the Leader's office this morning to have a debate on that. There is no doubt that insurance companies are creaming it off people, exploiting them and punishing loyal customers. It is unjustifiable, inexcusable and it will not be tolerated. I listened to a representative of the insurance industry on RTÉ's "Drivetime" with Cormac Ó hEadhra yesterday, trying her best to justify or explain it and she did a poor job. She was well questioned by Mr. Ó hEadhra and he used the phrase "creaming it" because that is exactly what is happening. It is disgraceful.

Senator Cummins raised a specific issue and I had a similar matter come up in my office. It concerned a young male driver who was locked into his insurance company because of an outstanding claim. It is more than a year since this minor claim occurred, which took very small money to settle. The claim is still open so he was not able to shop around. He was given a quote of approximately €2,000 and he tried to shop around but he realised that he could not do so. He then went back to the insurance company and was quoted €4,000, even though his situation had not changed at all. I was in a position to get on to the insurance company and with the help of others, we managed to get a new offer issued for just under €2,000, without an explanation as to why the initial quote was effectively doubled. There was no reason for it, other than the fact that the company thought it would get away with it. How many other young drivers are out there who do not have somebody to advocate for them or somebody to go to? It is utterly disgraceful and I made it clear that I expected the claim to be closed the next time his insurance is due for renewal. Listening to Senator Cummins, it is clear that many people are impacted by that. They are not able to shop around and they are locked into an insurance company. It probably suits the insurance companies to keep these claims open for as long as possible.

Senator McDowell raised the issue of the judicial appointments commission Bill, contending that it must undergo pre-legislative scrutiny. I will pass that onto the Department as I agree with that. It is important legislation that exercised this House for many hours during the previous Seanad. Let us avoid a repeat of that and let us build consensus around this important reforming legislation so that we can get agreement across both Houses. We all agree that reforms are needed but it is important that this is done in a way that involves all stakeholders. That includes the judicial profession and the Judiciary, because they have to operate under the new regime.

I agree with call for elected representatives leading on the vaccine. Senator McDowell was speaking about us as elected representatives needing to lead the way and take the vaccine. I will take the vaccine as soon as I can get it but when he raised the point that it could be seen as jumping the queue, that echoed my first thought. We will have to get in line and get it when are supposed to. Lining all of us up ahead of other people would probably not be the right image to portray. Perhaps party leaders could even stand together and take the vaccine or do something along those lines just to show that leadership.

Senator Sherlock also raised this issue and she mentioned Deputy Kelly's pledge. I agree with Senator Buttimer that we do not need to sign the Labour Party pledge to show that we support vaccines. We are big boys and girls and we can show our support in our own way. Senator Sherlock raised an important issue regarding section 39 organisations and she welcomed the Government's settling of that matter. I commend the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte, who was instrumental in securing the funding for that deal. Three quarters of the budget for the pay restoration for section 39 workers is coming from her Department. I commend her and the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, who both ensured that money was set aside in the budget negotiations to make this deal happen. Had that not been done, we would not have a deal today.

Senator Garvey again raised the issue of rural transport. To give credit to her, she is consistent in her raising of that issue. She is an important rural voice on an important rural issue. I am sure it will be transformative for the people of west Clare to have that direct link to the capital city and, as she pointed out, to have that link from the capital city to west Clare in one day is welcome. We need more of that.

Senator Boylan raised the issue of the CETA trade deal between the EU and Canada. That deal has been ten years in the making. While I listened intently to the Senator's comments on CETA, she did not articulate what the issues were, only that there were issues. Perhaps she will want to go a little bit further on the next occasion in outlining her disagreement with the trade deal. She raised an issue regarding the 55-minute debate. If more debating time is needed, that should not be a huge difficulty but that is a matter for the Business Committee to schedule. All parties have input to the scheduling of business in the Dáil so I am sure that committee can come together and schedule its business, as it does every week. With regard to the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement, as a small, open island economy in the middle of the Atlantic, we rely on exports and we export a great amount of goods. Some €4 billion worth of exports went to Canada in 2019. That is the most up-to-date figure we have. This trade deal benefits Ireland and Irish business and jobs. A particular issue has been raised around the corporate courts. The Court of Justice of the European Union has adjudicated on this and it found that the dispute resolution mechanisms in CETA fully comply with and do not in any way undermine European Union law. I am satisfied that this meets the requirements. Given that this agreement has been discussed and negotiated for nearly a decade, I am confident that, with all member states included, it will be a good trade deal for Ireland.

Senator Murphy raised the issue of bus services and the need to extend them throughout rural areas. I concur with that view. There is a lack of transport in many rural parts of the country. Many parts of County Mayo do not have a daily bus service. They may have a weekly one with a rigid timetable, which means that people rely on family and friends to get around. This makes it particularly difficult for elderly people to stay connected and get around to do their bits and pieces.

Senator Buttimer raised the issue of vaccines and asked for a debate. A debate has been scheduled for the first week after we return in January. That will be timely as we do not have time in the schedule for this week. When we return in January the vaccine will have only started to be rolled out and that will be an opportune time for the House to discuss the roll-out and plan and to see how they are progressing.

Senator Keogan raised the issue of rent arrears in local authorities. I take on board her point that everybody should make a contribution based on ability to pay. We have a very good social safety net to cater for people who fall on hard times. We need to protect and look after people. If people who are able to pay choose not to do so because they could not be bothered, that is not fair on everybody else. We need to be fair across the board for those who are making genuine efforts to pay what is owed. We have to help people who cannot pay. Everybody should play their part and make a contribution because that is how we all live alongside one another in society.

Senator Dolan raised Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and outlined very eloquently the issues for students. I note that the two lecturers involved in the case she raised have apologised, as has the college. It was an unfortunate situation. The lecturers thought they were speaking in private. That does not in any way excuse the commentary. Things happen and people make mistakes. I hope that measures are put in place to ensure that something of this nature does not happen again. It must have been very hurtful to the students who were the subject of the comments. That is not right.

Senator Ardagh raised the housing assistance payment. I agree that the HAP system is flawed. We need to have a debate on it and I have made a request to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in that regard as well as on the planning issue raised by Senator Davitt. We are hoping to have the Minister in the Chamber in the next for the multiple debates that Members have been requesting on housing, planning and local government.

Senator Wall raised the issue of fishing in Galway Bay. From what he said, it sounds like what is happening is illegal but I do not know if that is the case. The authorities certainly need to be alerted to the matter, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Sustainable fishing is of great importance as without it, we will have no fish stock for future generations. If trawling for smaller fish using smaller nets is happening, that is illegal. If that is an issue in Galway Bay, the authorities should be alerted and Galway County Council should take the lead on the matter, working with An Garda Síochána.

I concur with the comments made by Senators Wall and Craughwell on a commission for the Defence Forces. The commission should take all issues into consideration. There are issues with the Department of Defence, as we all know, particularly those of us who have worked on defence issues in recent years. The commentary from serving and former serving members indicates that they have an issue with the way the Department is run. Any Department worth its salt should be open to reform, change and working with those it is tasked with protecting. Nobody should have a closed door. There should be an open-door policy and I believe the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, is committed to that. He is a genuine person when it comes to defence matters. I look forward to debating this with him in the House in the coming year. We will certainly make a request of a debate.

Senator Gallagher raised an issue with the Bus Éireann service and the link between Cavan and Monaghan. He said that by the time the bus Letterkenny arrives in Monaghan, there is no space left on it. That is a genuine issue that needs to be raised with the Minister because that is not an acceptable service. People should not have to wait on the side of the road in 2020, only to find they are not given a seat on a bus in 2020. That issue needs to go straight to the Minister. I suggest that the Senator raise it as a Commencement matter because it is a localised, specific issue that would be suitable for a Commencement debate.

The issue raised by Senator Carrigy in respect of disabled drivers would also be suitable as a Commencement matter. He referred to the passenger scheme and changes around the primary medical certificate. For the small number of citizens who greatly rely on this scheme, it makes a big difference to be able to afford a vehicle that can accommodate a driver transporting a family member with a disability and assist in having a better quality of life. These are often the people who are caring and do not have time to have these battles and rows. They need others to advocate for them. This is a very important issue and I have had great difficulty in my constituency with the primary medical certificate because it is really cumbersome. It requires people with significant disabilities to travel to Dublin for an assessment that cannot, for some reason, be done in the community. I have never been able to understand that.

Senator O’Sullivan raised the threat of Russia and the abuse of human rights. He is correct that we very often focus on certain countries which we are very quick to criticise. There is often a quietness or vacuum there when it comes to the activities of the Russian Government. That is an important issue to be debated in our foreign policy.

Senator Craughwell also raised the issue of the commission for the Defence Forces which I dealt with. He also raised the issue of supervisors of community employment schemes. It has been a long-standing policy of the Fianna Fáil Party to try to get pensions for these people. They have served their communities and I agree that they do far more than just supervise the work. They are people who are confided in and to whom people go to get help. They do much more than what is on paper. We need to recognise that community employment schemes are very important for rural communities. They pick up the slack where the Government may have taken its eye off the ball and we greatly rely on them.

Senator Seery Kearney raised the issue of leaving certificate 2020 students and those who were marked down and had to resit their exams. I will certainly pass that on to the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. She has been speaking about this directly to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris. A small number of students have been severely discommoded, for example, if someone working towards getting into medicine who has probably been studying very hard for many years has his or her grades moved down. It has been a difficult situation to manage and the former Minister, Deputy McHugh, made the best decision he could at the time with the information available to him, namely, to cancel the leaving certificate. This was the right call to make at the time. One will never get it right across the board and the Minister, Deputy Foley, then had to carry on that torch. To be fair to both Ministers, they did their best with the information they had. The vast majority of students were very happy with how it was handled. Some students have been disadvantaged and we have to make every effort to look after them.

Senator Ahearn raised the issue St. Brigid's District Hospital, Carrick-on-Suir. This is quite a localised matter and I do not have any specific information on the hospital. I suggest that the Senator submit a Commencement matter on this to call the Minister before the House to respond on that specific matter.

Senator Ó Donnghaile raised the Joe McDonagh Cup and I join with him in congratulating the Antrim hurlers. I commend the ongoing work of the GAA in Belfast, which I was not aware of, and the building up of the grassroots movement there, which is very important. We know of the important role that the GAA has played in many communities across the country and I have no doubt that it is doing the same in Belfast.

Senator Conway raised the issue of tourism, the pandemic and coach drivers not having access to a fund. They have been hit hard and the Senator has been consistent in raising the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector. I know he is acutely aware of it in his own part of the country. I agree that we need to do our best to help this sector because we need it to get back on track when we open up again to bring tourists to all parts of the country. Coach drivers are an integral part of the tourism sector and they keep things moving.

Senator McGahon raised the issue of housing maintenance in Louth County Council and stated the council had run out of money. I do not doubt the Senator’s bona fides in raising this issue which he is doing with the best of intentions for the people in County Louth. I am not quite sure, however, why a local authority has not raised the local property tax for six years if it is so bereft of funds and has no money to run its services. In County Mayo, two thirds of the local authority members, the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors, voted to increase the local property tax, not because it was popular or easy to do, but because they had to do it. The local authority needed the money to keep the show on the road, the potholes filled, the hedges cut and the lights on. It was the right and difficult decision to make and they took flak for doing that. Would it be fair on local authorities, such as Mayo County Council, which have raised the local property tax and have done the good and the responsible thing as elected representatives, to have to bail out other local authorities that did not take the tough decisions? To be honest, that is not fair. A conversation needs to be had. Every year that the local authority passes its budget, it decides where the money goes and how it is spent. A long, hard, reflective look at how that budget is being run for the people of the county may be necessary. Politicians have to make the right call and take responsible decisions rather than the popular and nice ones all the time.

Senator Ward raised the issue of insurance and banks. I have dealt with those issues. I agree that there is a lack of respect being shown to customers and it is exploitation. We will have to have that debate as soon as we can. Senator Lombard raised the issue of rural regeneration and the power of councillors in terms of determining what projects get funded and applied for. This is constant toing and froing in every local authority for all councillors where the executive has considerable influence over which projects get put forward for funding. It is a difficulty. Elected members are there to represent the people of the county. They should be listened to and need to have input into the selection of projects that go forward for very significant funding in the county. It should not be a case of what councillor is "in" with the chief executive. The best projects should get funded because that is what is in the interests of the people of the county. Elected members have their ear to the ground and know where those projects are and the difference they can make in communities so if they are not having input, that is not in the interests of citizens in those local authorities.

Senator Martin raised the issue of the BBC's coverage of the Uighur population in China. That issue has been raised previously in the House. We concurred across the House that it was a violation of human rights. The BBC's investigative work on this shows the importance of good journalism, including investigative journalism, and the importance of resourcing it properly. There has been an ongoing debate in this country as to how we protect investigative journalism so it does not all go on Twitter and is not all about getting it out quickly. The BBC has a bigger budget than most but it does fine work. I concur with the Senator's comments in that regard.

I join with Senator Davitt in formally congratulating President Joe Biden - it is great to be able to say that. I know the Cathaoirleach has already made contact along with the Ceann Comhairle with the office of the President to invite him here. We look forward to that engagement. It would be great to welcome him back with his strong Mayo roots as soon he can settle back on Irish soil. I must acknowledge his strong Louth roots as well.

I agree with Senator Davitt regarding county development plans. It is a significant issue across local authorities. Councillors are doing their damnedest to stop some of the changes for very good reasons. Massive changes are taking place under the radar. There has been a lack of public consultation on this because of Covid and citizens are not getting the full picture. We need to be very careful about this because once these changes come into effect, it is very hard to go back. A county development plan dictates planning for a county for the next five years until it is renewed. I commend councillors from all parties and none from across the country who are leading this fight. The Department has a fight on its hands. I do not think councillors are going to roll over and take this. Certainly they will find support in this House when it comes to making sure that proper scrutiny and consultation take place with regard to these plans because the impact on the citizen is immense.

On a very positive note, I wish the Westmeath ladies well. It is great to see ladies football getting the recognition it deserves. There have been some very unfortunate events in the past number of weeks where ladies football and women's sport in general has not been shown the respect it deserves. I know Deputy Smyth has been leading a campaign to look at how those organisations are funded. To this day, we still do not have a proper explanation why the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, LGFA, is a separate organisation from the GAA. The GAA is the Gaelic games athletics association. It should cover all Gaelic games in the country - men and women. The only reason I can see why they are separate is that all the funding is in the GAA while the LGFA is the poor relation. If it comes in under the one umbrella, the ladies will get more support and it will be spread around more evenly. If we are serious about supporting women's sport in this country, let us show it the degree of respect it deserves and let us learn from the mistakes on that front this year in terms of even televising the semi finals. It was utterly disgraceful. It is 2020 heading into 2021 so it is time we showed the respect to 50% of the population that has been lacking to date.