Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would like to join with the Cathaoirleach in celebrating Denmark day and I thank him for bringing it to our attention.

There has been a big announcement today, which for some may seem like a very small announcement, namely that every childcare facility across the country will get €1,000 for outdoor play equipment.The sum of €1,000 for children is massive. This is not just about Covid-19 but the health and well-being of children, who have been let down over the last year. We see from the research that they have been impacted most by Covid-19. In Galway, which has fantastic playgrounds, there will be a We-Go-Swing for Salthill playground and a sensory garden for the millennium playground.

On foot of some of Senator Mullen's comments, I would like to see more investment in outdoor recreational facilities for older young people. I was passing through Spanish Arch last Friday and I saw how difficult it was for the gardaí to manage. However, I do not believe that closing Spanish Arch and then funnelling people into some other part of the city or into houses is the right approach. We need to see the investment that was made over the last year. The July stimulus funding has still not been spent by Galway City Council and funding for bins has still not been spent. We should see that the funding the Government is putting in place is being spent by the local authorities and if it is not, we should follow up to find out why it is not being spent.

We have been debating the Affordable Housing Bill over the past week. I welcome the Private Members' motion next Friday from the Fianna Fáil Senators on implementing the commitment in the programme for Government to have a referendum on a right to housing. It is something that is missing from the Constitution. It would fit in nicely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11. One welcome thing that has emerged from the debates we have had on the Affordable Housing Bill is that the Minister has taken on board much of what Senators have been bringing to his attention in the context of ensuring that developments that will be built on public land will be sustainable, mixed and deal with the intergenerational aspect of communities. This is key. It is a right to housing, but adequate housing and the right housing for the communities we have now.