Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues for the variety of topics that have been raised today. The only thing I can say in response to Senator Ned O'Sullivan's passionate monologue is that he is a wise man and it would be wise for all of us to heed his words and advice.Several Senators have asked for a debate on cybersecurity. I will ask for one as soon as I can. If I am to be honest, I am not even sure who is the Minister in charge of cybersecurity. I will have to go and find out. Senator Malcolm Byrne is right when he said data is king. Senator McDowell is accurate that it is the new space, if not the sole one, next to the drugs world on which those with criminal intent will be focusing their minds for the next number of years. It is so difficult, yet so easy at the same time, to access states' and individuals' information and to exploit it. I heard a gentleman say on the news yesterday that there were 2,500 attempts to attack the HSE last year. Obviously, last week's attack was successful and we are not even sure how successful. I will try to arrange that debate as quickly as I can. It is an issue on which we will be talking about for many moons to come.

I welcome everybody's acceptance of the Order of Business and the change to tonight's debate. The debate on defence is important and we will try to arrange that as soon as we can. However, I really feel that not only does the world need to hear the outpouring of grief about what is being done to both the Palestinian people and to the innocent Israeli people who are not reflective of what their Government is doing on their behalf, but the world must also stand up and act in solidarity. There is a need for a human response to people who have absolutely no choice as to what is being done to them or on their behalf. I thank Members for their co-operation today.

A housing debate was requested by Senator Alice Mary Higgins. She will get an opportunity to make her interventions on that issue tonight.

Senator Vincent P. Martin talked about the multiple charities which pop up across the country. To be fair, they are a direct response to people's experiences and suffering. The charities regulator needs to be given more teeth. There certainly should be a more serious level of governance with regard to all of our charitable organisations.

Senator Blaney spoke about the independence of Irish media. A lot of the time, many of us are left scratching our heads wondering why mainstream media, as we call it, does not reflect on some of the topics raging on social media. Any journalists or editors one speaks to will say the root of the difficulties lies in our defamation laws. Maybe we should be having a debate on the defamation laws as opposed to maybe questioning why some of our Irish media do not do what we would so wish them to do.

Senator Gavan raised some questions about a particular Limerick organisation for which I do not have responses. I will make some inquiries today and come back to him.

Senator Mary Seery Kearney also spoke about cybersecurity, as did Senator Malcolm Byrne.

Senator Moynihan raised the case of the Player Wills site in her area, something which is going to be topical for the next number of weeks, if not months, until people start to see a resolution to the concerns they have been raising for many years. That debate will start here in the Chamber this evening.

Senator Conway brought up the aviation industry. We have been waiting for a long time for Ryanair's results to come out as they did this morning. An €850 million loss in Ireland alone is absolutely staggering. When we add that to the €550 million losses of Aer Lingus and the €220 million losses for our airport authorities, it is no wonder the 150,000 families whose livelihoods depend on the industry are at their wits' end with regard to the Government's response. I hope we can give them a positive response soon.

To that end, Senator Ardagh raised antigen testing and the clamouring on behalf of what I would think are reasonable people looking for it to form part of our national public health response. I have to be honest - it would be remiss of me not to say it - that the patriarchal medical narrative that we witnessed in the past number of weeks by some of our professionals harks back to an era when Irish people, and indeed women, were afraid to challenge the medics. That is not the Ireland we live in today. Anybody who thinks medics should not be challenged should not be in a position of authority to give advice. We should be using antigen testing as part of our public health response. Irish people are not stupid. They absolutely know a negative result does not mean they are negative. What they do know, however, is that if people get a positive antigen test, they should make their way to their doctor, get a PCR test and act appropriately. That is the part that antigen testing should play in our public health response. Less of the condescension would also be very welcome.

Senator Boyhan talked about the Finite Lives report. I would welcome a debate on that matter and I will try to organise it in the next couple of weeks.I will try to organise it in the next couple of weeks. The body of work done by our colleague, Marie-Louise O'Donnell, is superb, as is the work of the Irish Hospice Foundation and all of the people who care for others during their end-of-life and who also support the bereaved when they have lost a family member. I will try to organise that debate.

Senator Dooley spoke about the forestry sector. I will seek a debate as quickly as I can because this issue has major ramifications for the housing debate that is currently going on. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine recently released a report on forestry. It needs to feed into the wider debate that we are having, and I very much welcome it.

Senator Black read out the most powerful poem I have heard in a long time. Poetry usually lifts us, but I regret to say that the poem she read this morning lifted us to the horrors that women, children and families are experiencing on a daily basis. I thank the Senator for sharing the poem and I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing the poem, in full, to be read into the record.

Senators Pauline O'Reilly and Chambers raised an issue they have been raising every time they stand to their feet. I heard this morning that 14 of our 19 maternity hospitals are now in compliance with the public health guidelines. It is amiss as to why not all 19 hospitals are in compliance but, as stated by Senator Chambers, not all of the 14 are in full compliance. I will contact Paul Reid of the HSE today, who, to be fair to him, along with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, have said that the responses of the hospitals as to the reasons they cannot adhere do not stand up to scrutiny. I will make contact with him again today. I thank the Senators for raising the issue again today.

Senator Hoey spoke about eating disorders and the 66% increase in referrals. I will try to arrange a debate around the medical profession and women's health in the next few weeks.

On menopause, Joe Duffy is in danger of becoming my generation's Gay Byrne. I listened to "Liveline" on Friday. Many of us do not have an opportunity to listen to the radio at lunchtime every day, and if we do, we are listening to the news. The experiences being shared by the women brought tears to my eyes. They were very powerful. It is even more powerful that that debate was ongoing for about eight days. The sharing of the experiences, and the solidarity of women, was powerful. I would like to see a lot more of that in this country. The next space for that debate has to be in the Seanad and the next response has to be in the women's health task force on behalf of the Minister for Health. I will try to arrange that debate as quickly as I can.