Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A number of colleagues raised the same issues, so if I respond to one Member, I ask Members to assume that I am responding to all who raised the same issues.

Senator McGahon raised the issue of urban regeneration funding. Both this Government and the previous Government have made it an important stay of their commitments to funding projects, both rural and urban, in Ireland. We know there was literally a lost generation of investment in this country because of the difficulties we faced arising from the financial crash in 2008. It is most important that we continue to invest. I will write to the Minister today to ask him about this issue. I will do so notwithstanding that many public and private sector workers are working from home and there are slight delays in the provision of services but I will certainly write to him today. I am pleased that Senator McDowell made his comments on the mother and baby homes commission's report in the House today. In case people would get a different impression, I should say that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, came to the House for three separate sessions. When we decided to have statements on the mother and baby homes at the beginning of this year, I said that he would do so, and he gave a commitment that he would continue to return to the House until every Member who wished to speak on the mother and baby homes got the opportunity to do so. I am glad the Senator had that opportunity today. I take his views on board, and he is entitled to them. I must say, however, that the most important contributions on, and criticisms of, the report were those made by the women and their children who contributed to the report, not just those of politicians and commentators. Their criticisms of the report were well-founded. Their opinion that the language in the executive summary was deeply hurtful also must stand, alongside the Senator's compliments today.

Senator Garvey spoke about new bus routes in Clare. As somebody who lives in a bordering county that has enjoyed local links for many years, I am delighted that every county has them. It makes an enormous difference for both our younger and older communities. I am glad the Senator put the new routes in Clare, and the welcome for them, on the record today.

The White Paper on direct provision was released this morning and a number of Members spoke about it. Some of them have been speaking about this matter for many years. This is a real Irish trait, where we are still talking about something that was introduced 21 years ago as a temporary measure. However, we are talking about it today because we have a very progressive and ambitious White Paper. Again, I pay tribute to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. He has had a tough couple of months, but I know how committed he and the Government are, as are all of us, to ensuring that this ambitious White Paper becomes a reality, not just for the new Irish but also for the people who have been living for far too long without a resolution to their applications. Please God, it will not take too long for it to become a reality.

Senator Fitzpatrick also mentioned the backlog with the Minister for Justice. I will raise it with her. That is no problem. She spoke very eloquently about Hugh Lane. It is great that we will have his bequest back in Ireland.

In response to Senator Gavan, I will write to the chief executive officer of the Rehab Group today. Senator Mullen raised some concerns about the Charities Regulator. There should be a stipulation that any body that receives State aid under sections 38 and 39, as the Rehab Group does, should not be allowed to walk away from the State agencies that are responsible for protecting the rights of workers in such bodies. I will write that letter today and send copies to all Members.

Senator Ahearn spoke about road closures and water outages in Tipperary arising from the weather difficulties over the past couple of weeks. What is important is the White Paper that was released regarding Irish Water. Again, we cannot make the mistakes that were made in the past and assume that something that is good for one organisation will naturally be good for another. The local authorities and Irish Water have to work side by side. The staff members are the same. They might move from one organisation to the other, but they still provide the vital services we need in rural and urban Ireland. I will ask for a debate on that with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in the coming weeks.

Senator Casey raised the promotion of all the natural assets in this country and the organisations and State agencies that have responsibility for them. He is correct. We have come through a very difficult 12 months and there are probably a number of months to go. The agencies need to change tack in the way they have always done business and recognise that we must reboot certain sectors of the economy that have crumbled in the past year. I will convey the Senator's thoughts and concerns to the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works in the coming days.

Senator Hoey and other Senators spoke about the naming of viruses. It is an awful shame that we must even have a conversation about racism when discussing a virus that has wiped the floor with every country in the world, without discrimination. It still comes down to the fact that people use it as a weapon to diminish and demean nations. It is a shame. The Senator is correct, and other Members mentioned it, that they all have specific and very long names. It is lazy of both the media and commentators to call it by the name of the country where it first arose.We must be mindful not to allow people to weaponise or allow certain sections of society to weaponise something that is causing us so much trouble and issues and allow them to use it for their own purposes. I take on board the Senator's comments completely and her welcome for the announcement on direct provision.

The announcement of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, on extending the licences is very welcome but I reiterate that we are still a number of months away from normal life resuming and business returning to normal. We have to find a way for State agencies and the Government to be able to continue to provide essential services, even in the emergency we are in. The extension is very welcome.

With regard to the suggestion by Senator Cassells, I am relatively new to the Seanad so I do not think I have ever seen anybody come in from outside and make a presentation. It would be wonderful and it is certainly something that should be raised with the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight. For what it is worth, and Senator Buttimer raised this also, it is an enormous achievement for Larry McCarthy, who hails from New York and is originally from Cork, to be in this very important position, particularly at a time of such difficulty for the GAA. We have seen the announcement of its figures, as we will probably see from lots of organisations and businesses in the coming weeks. It has had a really tough year. To be fair to Johnny Horan, he has done an incredible job and as really transformed the organisation in recent years. I congratulate him and wish him well in his future career. As we all know, he is a teacher and a very good one. I wish Larry McCarthy the best for the coming three years and I will extend the invitation through the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight.

Senator Mullen spoke about the difficulty for charities over the past year and he is correct. In some instances, giving has increased enormously for some organisations but for most of them it has not. We have stopped giving to the man on the street or the person selling lines. An awful lot of local fundraising has been hampered because of the lockdown. It is important for us to be mindful of the charities we care about when we consider giving. This does not allow any section 38 or section 39 body not to be able to return financial books to the HSE. Any body that receives State funding to provide a service on behalf of the State or in conjunction with the State absolutely has responsibilities not just to the Charities Regulator but to the agency that gives it the money. It is up to these agencies to make sure ensure full governance. I know the HSE is particularly good at this so it is a bit funny that there is an organisation that has received money two years in a row without returning accounts. I have to assume the HSE is on top of it but I might just send it a little note to get the information, if Senator will give me the details of the charity later.

Senator Ardagh asked about Princess Latifa. I will certainly ask the Taoiseach's office for a response on his conversation. To be fair to the wonderful Mary Robinson, she did admit last week that she had been duped, as can happen the Pope. She is one of the most incredible international ambassadors we have in Ireland for all of the things she represents. I will come back to the Senator with a response from the Office of the Taoiseach once I get it.

Senator Black spoke about the impact on mental health and the report issued this week. What struck me the most about the report was that the biggest issue reported by people between the ages of 18 and 25 was loneliness. I have two adult teenagers aged 20 and 19 at home and they do not leave the house so they must be lonely. For years I have been giving out about Snapchat and Facebook and the fact they spend their lives on them but they have probably been a lifeline for them in recent months because otherwise they would not have interaction with their friends. When we come out of this lockdown, the fallout from the restrictions on every section and age in society is something we will have to deal with and be very mindful of and reactive to. The report is probably a step in the sand this week to tell us this is what we are dealing with and that there is more to come down the line. I very much welcome the intervention of Senator Black.

Senator Ó Donnghaile raised the issue of Margaret Keane's gravestone and I am pleased that her family have finally, after what was such a senseless disagreement, got their wishes and will be able to remember their loved one. I have to tell the Senator it is probably indicative of how many people in the UK see Ireland, which is a huge pity. It goes to show us that we have an awful long way to go to try to become friends again. The past couple of years in particular have been acrimonious and have probably raised nationalist feelings in both jurisdictions so we have a bit of work to do there. I will welcome the Senator's motion on Northern Ireland with regard to the economy and the joint agreements on the protocol and how we can benefit.I saw a report during the week indicating a huge increase in online trade from the Republic into Northern Ireland. Many of our young people now seem to be buying from Northern Ireland outlets as opposed to UK or English outlets, and that is very welcome. It is one positive from a bit of negativity this week.

Senator Pauline O'Reilly raised the very welcome announcement on behalf of the Government by a Green Party Minister of the White Paper on direct provision. She is right and we need to acknowledge this. It should not be, and is not, something unique to the Green Party. Social justice matters should be important to every one of us as individuals, citizens and politicians. This is a line in the sand again to say that we as politicians and as a nation have decided to do something right for the people who come to our shores seeking our help and that we are going to treat them the way we expect our people to be treated.

Senator Sherlock spoke about the commitment in the programme for Government to introduce the right to sick pay for everybody in this country, rather than just having the sick pay entitlements that currently exist under the social welfare legislation. I am aware the Tánaiste is working on legislation and will bring proposals to the Dáil in the next couple of months. I very much look forward to seeing them. The Senator also mentioned the variants of the virus.

I acknowledge the very welcome presence of Senator Norris this morning. He looks great, notwithstanding the difficult months and times he has had in the past. On behalf of all of us, we wish him a speedy recovery. We want to see him in here every day that we sit, please God. We wish him well.

Senator O'Loughlin mentioned the events at the Kerry Group. It is unique that an organisation that has received so much aid and assistance from the agencies on behalf of the State would do what it is doing. I will ask the office of the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to make contact and ensure not only that the remaining jobs are safe but to see if anything can be done to save the jobs that may potentially go to Kuala Lumpur.