Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Order of Business, as outlined by the Leader of the House. I wish to raise two issues, the first being the maternity restrictions that remain ongoing. I raised in the House last Friday, as did other colleagues, the ongoing restrictions on partners attending for all the scans, for labour in the antenatal ward right up to birth and on visiting hours after the birth has taken place. The restrictions vary across hospitals. There is a postcode lottery. The chief executive of the HSE, Paul Reid, said last Thursday that the restrictions should be lifted and, yet, they remain in place today in many hospitals. The women of Ireland have not been given any justifiable reason as to why these changes have not happened. Since last Friday many women and men, their partners, have contacted me to tell me their stories of what they have been through during the past year. Many women have told me they are due next week or in two weeks' time and they are very nervous and anxious and do not want to be alone. Their stories are similar and that is the experience of couples right across the country.

I said last Friday, and I say it again, that this is unacceptable in this day and age. Partners are not surplus to requirements. They are not a luxury. They are part of and an essential member of the birthing team to provide the physical and mental support for the well-being of the mother and also for the partner, who should not be left sitting in the car outside wondering if they will make it in on time. I know the Leader has done her best to get an answer on this issue. We need an urgent update from the HSE and the Department of Health as to how they will address this. I do not want any more excuses about hospitals getting to do what they want and clinical decisions being made at a local level. That is utter nonsense at this point. All hospital staff have been vaccinated. It is not a question of whether we can find a solution.We must find a solution to this immediately.

Some weeks ago, as Senators will be aware, a campaign was started by Eve McDowell and Una Ring to introduce a specific offence of stalking in legislation. A number of Members raised the matter in the House on the day. We heard both women speak on "Morning Ireland" and Newstalk. They eloquently and articulately outlined their case for having a separate stand-alone offence of harassment. I am persuaded by their arguments and fully support the campaign. For this reason, I have, in recent weeks, drafted a Bill to introduce harassment as a specific offence by amending the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. I am working with Eve and Una and hope to be in a position to bring the Bill before the House, if not next week, then certainly by the week after that. We are finalising some of the details.

I was disappointed with the response from the Department of Justice. It states that it has beefed up, for want of a better phrase, section 10 of that particular Act, which deals with harassment, and that covers everything from bugging somebody with text messages to entering a person's home with an intention to rape and potentially kill. I do not think it is sufficient that one offence would cover that spectrum of criminality. We should listen to women. There are two victims, two survivors, who said that they got their day in court and got some justice but not full justice. Many women have not had their day yet. Now is the time to listen to the women of Ireland who are asking for this to be legislated for. I hope I will have broad support from Members of all parties and none when I bring that legislation to the House.