Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues. I agree with Senator Ahearn. I very much welcome the announcements by the medics yesterday that we can resume nursing home visits. All of us are aware of the pain and suffering of some of our elderly relatives caused not only by Covid but also by the loneliness they have experienced in the past 12 months. Anybody who has spoken to someone they know about loneliness knows it is a pain far greater than any physical pain he or she has to endure so the news is very welcome because it gives us hope and represents some light at the end of a very long tunnel. Today marks the 12-month anniversary of the then Taoiseach's speech from America. I said to somebody this morning that in some ways it feels as if he made that speech five years ago and in others it seems that the year has passed very quickly. It certainly has not passed quickly for some of the residents living in nursing homes up and down the country so the news is very welcome.

I will bring the Senator's concerns with regard to insurance costs and that industry to the attention of the Tánaiste because if the increases are as a result of Covid, it is very much an issue that needs to be tackled by the industry and the Tánaiste's Department. It will reflect in any of the fair deal funding we have so it is something the Government should be very aware of and instructive in immediately.

This is the second time Senator Cummins has so beautifully described with pride his plans for Waterford city. He really makes us envious. I am aware that the Minister will be in his neck of the woods, in Carlow, on Monday so I wish him and all of the people behind the project every success. All of us will be keeping our fingers crossed that he will get a positive announcement and all of the funding required to make Waterford city the best place in which to live, work and grow old.

It is an absolute privilege to be able to reinstate Senator Warfield's Bill. I know Sinn Féin will be very hopeful that many young people aged 16 and 17 will be supportive of its policies. It is incumbent upon all of us to make sure that we speak the language and talk about the topics in which our young people are interested. If we do not, we will be left wondering and scratching our heads as to the reason they do not express an interest in politics. When we talk about the topics they want to talk about, and listen to the issues they want us to hear about, they are very much engaged. I look forward to the debate on Committee Stage.

With regard to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage not being in attendance on Monday last, to be fair, it is true that all Ministers, if their diaries allow it, facilitated every debate we have had in this House for the past number of months. I am very grateful for that because they are busy and times are different. Obviously, the Minister's diary did not allow him to attend but the Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, was very welcome here on Monday.

I do not think Senator McGahon had a note when he spoke so passionately about the late Senator Billy Fox. I thank him for putting that on the record of the House. I would be very much supportive of it if a proposal could be made to either the commission or the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to remember our former Member in all his glory and for everything he represented.

Senator Dooley referred to eating disorders. Sometimes we think that these niche issues only affect a very small number of children and adults. If everybody who has been affected by an eating disorder stood up, we would be shocked by the extent of the issue. In the entire country, we have six beds to look after people dealing with the issue. We have spoken about this previously in terms of issues relating specifically to maternal health. If we do not put resources behind this issue we are sending out the message that we are not serious about dealing with it. The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Butler, is very serious about it. She has made significant inroads in her Department despite the fact that she has only been in it for the past seven months so I look forward to her having an impact. However, I will request a debate on eating disorders and the associated supports that are needed. Senators Dooley and Conway raised the recent furore around the retention of personnel on the Future of Media Commission. Without naming any names, I am on record as having an issue with it and I have written to the Taoiseach about it. We need a fair, transparent, open, ethical and supported media to support not only the flow of truthful information and to dispel the disinformation that is so prevalent in Irish society today, but to support our democracy. If anything undermines the body of work that this commission is undertaking then it is incumbent on the person to reflect on their position and to think more about the body of work, ethics and the recommendations that are going to be made.

I sent an email to Senator Bacik yesterday saying "Bravo". Some of the Bills coming from the Labour Party are very thoughtful and considerate. I wish her every success and hope everybody gets behind her Bill. One of the first things that struck me when I had the privilege of becoming the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection was the case of young woman whose baby had been born prematurely and who had remained in hospital. She did not even have the opportunity to push her baby in a pram in the sunshine before her maternity leave had run out. Our answer to her at the time, and as it is in this House, was to go on sick leave and get a doctor’s certificate. We find workarounds for problems women apparently bring to society. We do not need to find workarounds; we need to fix the problems. I wish the Senator every success with her Bill and I hope she will get full support from everybody for it.

Senator Conway, as I mentioned, brought up The Future of Media Commission. Senator Keogan brought up the frustrations over vaccinations and we probably all share her frustrations. The slow pace is a real frustration for everybody, particularly for those who are in the queue waiting for their dates. It is unfair, however, to blame the slippages in delivery on any member of NPHET or on the HSE because, to be fair to them, we have had 17 different slippages of deliveries in the past number of months. Every time that information changes, the health authorities change their plan, which is the best they can do. This is frustrating for people because they think that they are going to get the call next week or next month and then it slips and they do not know when they will receive their call. I do not know how this can be managed in a better way, other than to keep people updated once the information changes. I believe Paul Reid is doing his absolute best on that. When the flow starts, it will fill us with inspiration and confidence that we will be getting out of this hole, which we have been in for the past 12 months, very quickly.

Senator Ó Donnghaile spoke with pride about the 7,000 young people in Northern Ireland who are learning through the medium of the Irish language. I look forward to the day when citizens in the North will have secondary schools like we have in the Republic. The Irish language is something that should be cherished and taught differently, and perhaps the whole immersion model is one that works very well. What is very clear to me, and is the opinion of many people in the Republic of Ireland, is the fact that we spend 13 to 14 years in school learning Irish but at the end of it, some of us are not capable of speaking two sentences or with the right pronunciation. That is a real testament that we must be doing something wrong. I congratulate the Senator on the 50 years Irish-medium primary school achievement and on his beautiful use of the Irish language.

Senators Pauline O’Reilly and Kyne both raised the very welcome funding urban regeneration. This is a real sign this Government, as was the last one which brought about Project Ireland 2040, is really intent on ensuring that we have balance in development not just in our major cities but in the regions. Senator O’Reilly also spoke about projects. Senator Kyne must have been up very early this morning because the video he had was out at cock crow, so he was probably up before the birds. This again shows how immeasurably proud he is of his towns, villages and the developments and I wish him every success in the completion of those projects.

Senator Moynihan’s spoke about the undocumented in the US. The Cathaoirleach and I had the pleasure of meeting with American legislators this week and this was a topic that came up on a number of occasions. Senator Moynihan reflected on the undocumented in Ireland. This is something which different groups try to address and which was brought home very powerfully and clearly to me when we closed down the country this day 12 months ago. A large number of people arrived at Intreo offices who did not even have personal public service, PPS, numbers and who did not exist as far as the State was concerned.Yet, we looked after them. I thank the staff in the Intreo offices for making sure they were looked after. Some 7,000 people came to the offices but that tells me that some 7,000 more were probably afraid to come. We do not know how they survived, or what they survived on, for the past 12 months. We need to get serious about recognising all of them and addressing this issue.

Senator Boyhan talked about the Irish diaspora, all of our ambassadors and the increase in trade. He spoke specifically about Iran and Tehran but it was also a reflection on how we can increase our trade in many different places in the world. I look forward to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, coming to the House to talk about the plans for the future.

Senator O'Loughlin spoke about the Curragh. I encourage everybody to give their thoughts and advice to the consultation as to how to better use the plains and protect them. She also raised the need for a secondary school there.

Two of our female Senators brought up the very sad passing of Sarah Everard. There has been much talk in the last few days about it not being all men and that there are a tremendous number of good people in the world. That is true. However, the difficulty for women is that men do not go around wearing red hats and blue hats. We do not know the difference. What we have to do as women is make sure we protect ourselves. On Twitter the other day, Dearbhail McDonald said, "If it’s too unsafe for women to walk alone, day or night, the problem is not women". We all need to reflect on that.