Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues and join them in expressing good wishes to Ann and Mary. I thank them for all of their service and wish them a healthy and happy retirement, which will hopefully be very long. Senator Paddy Burke asked me to ask the Taoiseach to come in. I will certainly make the request but I suggest it would probably be more appropriate if the Minister comes to talk to us today. I welcome the announcement of the Taoiseach on Saturday or his utterances. He wants to find a solution to this. I think we all know what the solution is. It is to put an end to the stress the families have been living under for far too long. In any event, I will make the request and come back to Senator Burke.

Senator Dooley, among others, asked for a debate on aviation. I am pleased to be able to say that I had foresight that this issue was not going away. I genuinely did not expect the announcement that we got on Saturday morning. The debate on aviation and the future of aviation is set for 21 June, next Monday. It will be with the Minister for Transport. I agree with the Senator that there needs to be a wider debate. The ramifications of our continuing stubbornness with regard to engagement and action on the reopening of our aviation sector, and the other industries it directly affects, are mind-boggling, to be straight up about it. The impact on connectivity, not only on jobs in aviation but on all the industries that rely on 90% of the tourists we heavily relied on in the past, is going to have a direct effect on the future recovery of the country. This is not only because of international connectivity. I note with interest the number of people who talked about the importance of regional connectivity on Saturday. I am not down-playing the importance - it absolutely important - but we are a small country that heavily relies on international connectivity. A person can drive from Kerry. I am not saying we should not have connectivity from our airlines but, with the exception of colleagues in the House and Members of the Dáil, I do not hear anyone talking about the value of our international connectivity that has been built up by the likes of Ryanair that Senator Horkan has talked about over the years as well as our national flag carrier, Aer Lingus. I am genuinely at a loss to understand and appreciate the explanations being given to us. If I hear once more of the €300 million given in financial support to our airline carriers I think my head will explode. That money was given to people to replace the incomes taken from them because we closed down our country on 13 March last year. It is facetious and disingenuous at the very least to be trotting that number out as if we have somehow supported Stobart, CityJet, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa and all the other carriers that provide international connectivity. We will have the debate on 21 June and I hope it will be robust.

I wish to acknowledge the contribution of the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Hackett, this morning. In many ways I agree with her.

Senator Malcolm Byrne talked about the technology debate that will be needed on the future of work. He talked about one of the vacancies this morning as the human machine team manager. It sounds interesting. The Senator might elaborate when we have the debate. It is a debate that is needed.

Senators Niall Ó Donnghaile and Cassells talked about what I believe to be a welcome announcement this morning. It is probably one of Arlene Foster's last announcements in this role in her public life. It is important that the families, who are still grieving and who will always grieve until they get justice, are supported by all the institutes of the State. I wish them well and I hope they get openness and transparent willingness and engagement from the Mauritian authorities to try to find out what happened that beautiful young woman on her honeymoon. I wish to acknowledge the contribution of both Senators this morning.

Senator Dolan spoke about the welcome news this morning for her community in Roscommon. It is lovely to see a full circle especially when the State responds to communities in crisis and the response kicks in fast. I wish to acknowledge that contribution as well.

Senator Horkan talked about the second awful accident that happened in his neck of the woods last night. I wish that young man a speedy recovery. We need to have a proper debate in this House and in Dáil Éireann on how road users - the term applies whether I am using my legs, on a bicycle, in a car or using a forklift truck - share the roads and respect each other. This is especially the case now.

We have talked much in recent weeks about putting cycle lanes in where they are needed not simply because we can and about putting in place pedestrianisation to enhance the lives of people. However, we should not fail to acknowledge that it comes with other occurrences. The debate around how we share our spaces should be valuable. I will try to arrange that in the next couple of weeks.

Senator Marie Sherlock talked about the antigen testing. This is something about which many of us are scratching our heads. It is not a panacea or magic wand. It is a tool that other countries, including European countries, are using to aid in their recovery and reopening. Yet again, for some stubborn reason, we have decided against doing it. I welcome the fact that the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science seems to be the only brave soldier today announcing his four pilots in the universities. One would be minded to know how he has managed to get around the advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team. Perhaps he has a little more business sense than other people. The Senator also talked about Carndonagh and the mica crisis. I hope we all see resolution to that this week.

Senator Martin Conway talked about hospitality opening, as did others. It is welcome to see some of the normal activities, which people probably took for granted before March last year, starting to come back, even if we are all sitting outside with coats waiting for the long-awaited sunshine. It was supposed to come over the weekend but did not for many parts of the country. It is, however, welcome to see. There was a good request to talk to the Minister with responsibility for employment affairs with regard to visa relaxation. I will send a letter to him today.

Senator Craughwell talked about something he talks about frequently. I am at a loss for what to say to him because I understand and appreciate that he has explored all the avenues. I am not really sure how to respond to him. I am sorry but I have no doubt he will keep raising it until he gets some sense of satisfaction, and I wish to acknowledge that.

Senator Micheál Carrigy talked about business hospitality, especially in the arts sector. I will send a letter to the Minister today to see if I can get any information from him.

Senator Gallagher talked about some of the people still waiting for a date for their second vaccine. The national immunisation advisory committee met last week. The committee acknowledged that it would reduce the period from 12 weeks to eight weeks and that it would be staggered. It would be nice to see a full statement. I will come back to the Senator as quickly as I can.

Senator Black talked about the new report released by Alcohol Action Ireland. I will try to schedule a debate on the wider responses of the recommendations of that report as early as I can. Senator Boylan talked about a national autism empowerment strategy. While I believe everyone in this House and the other House would agree with her, I do not have a response. However, I will try to come back to her as quickly as I can.

Senator Pauline O'Reilly, among others, asked for a debate on maternal health. Senators Lisa Chambers, Fiona O'Loughlin and Bacik are among the people who bring this up week in, week out. I know many of us follow stuff on Twitter. On Twitter this weekend there were two harsh stories that caught my eye. One was from a Sinn Féin colleague, a gentleman who works with two of our Senators. His wife was taken in and he was left outside the door. Another was from a lady whose daughter had been taken into the Rotunda at the weekend. She had a photograph of approximately eight or nine men, daddies, who were left standing outside the door on their telephones. It is simply not good enough. I do not know what part of the directive that Paul Reid and the Taoiseach have given to our maternity hospitals is not understood. Partners are not there simply for the fun of it. They are an integral part of the entire maternity process and the process of giving birth. Again, probably for the eighth week in a row, I will write to the Minister for Health and the Taoiseach to ask them to respond to us. This is becoming untenable. The excuses from hospitals are simply not believable when we saw concerts taking place, albeit small concerts, last week. We cannot have a prohibition on partners attending births or going in in emergency situations. It is simply not on. I will try to organise that maternal debate in the coming weeks but I will try to get a faster response for people with regard to what is still going on.

Senator McDowell expressed some of his feelings this morning with regard to the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation. I do not know that I agree with him but he is absolutely entitled to raise his views, just as people who have different views are absolutely entitled to raise them. One thing I will take umbrage at is that he stated in his contribution this morning that women were given the privilege of telling their stories to the commission. It was not a privilege to tell their stories. I am sure it was harrowing and something they wished to God they never had to do. It is all of the subsequent actions and inaction arising from those women giving their stories that we are expressing concerns about rather than anything beforehand. I wish to put that on the record.

Senator Seán Kyne opened today with the aviation sector. Again, he referred to antigen testing. The debate will be on 21 June.Senator O'Loughlin spoke about men's health. We talk a lot about women and equality of opportunity in this House. We need to talk about and mind men's health as much we do women's health.

A number of colleagues spoke about what happened to Christian Eriksen on Saturday evening. It is not something that would come naturally to me. I do not watch football but because there was a break in the match on Saturday evening, it became very topical. One thing I was so impressed by was the solidarity shown by that gentleman's team - how they treated him, his wife and each other and how they supported each other - and the outpouring of solidarity from people all over the world who were watching it. It was incredible to see the binding nature and how sport can so often bring people together. I just wanted to say that it was something to behold.