Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, take this opportunity to congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his anniversary. He has done a wonderful job. He has been very fair in the Chair and has brought about many innovations in his work. I congratulate all Senators who were elected to this House a year ago or whose first day in the House was a year ago.

Kon'nichiwato Senator O'Loughlin. She is correct about the pressures and stresses that leaving certificate students and many others have endured over the past year regarding the reopening.. So many of them took up jobs in the hospitality sector, including in cafés, restaurants and pubs, throughout the country, particularly in the height of the summer during the tourist season. Such positions are now in doubt. I will touch on this later.

The Senator also referred to voids. At various stages, funding has been given to local authorities to bring voids back into use to provide homes to people. She also touched on the issue of Bord na Móna and the difficulties associated with planning applications and permissions for projects that are perhaps deemed worthy but conflict with the wishes and views of local people, such as wind farm projects. It is a difficult one to assess. The planning process is robust in that regard.

Senator Currie touched on Farmleigh House and Estate. I congratulate her on her work on in this regard and on the opening hours in 2020. I hope she will succeed in this regard in the coming year. There has been a renewed connection with the great outdoors over the past year, obviously within the 5 km radius and within a wider radius when the restriction was lifted. That is important. I commend the Senator on her ongoing work with the Office of Public Works. She is correct on the need for clarity on weddings. A wedding day is a very important one for people throughout the country. It is a special day. I will not say it happens only once in a lifetime because it may happen more often but generally the first wedding is important to many people. The Senator is also correct that people need clarity on numbers and the sectoral guidelines. I hope that can be provided later.

Senator Mullen talked about the tragic case of baby Christopher Kiely and the issues of the National Maternity Hospital and the Harmony test. What can I say? It was an absolute tragedy. It should not have happened. Irrespective of what I feel, I can only imagine how the parents feel today and how they will feel every day about the case. As with any tragic case, lessons have to be learned about future tests, results and retests because there are monumental consequences.

Senators Pauline O'Reilly and Ahearn talked about the issue in the maternity hospitals and the ongoing restrictions or uncertainty regarding partners' access to women giving birth . I am a member of the health committee. We had Mr. Paul Reid and his team before us last week. Most members raised the ongoing uncertainty regarding the restrictions in many maternity hospitals across the country. They asked how labour is defined. An expectant woman has every right to have her husband or partner present during labour, or at whatever stage she wants. She needs physical support and it needs to be provided. I said last week that there should be no ifs or buts. The health committee received email testimonies from people who were, after a scan, presented with the most difficult and heartbreaking news alone and without a partner present. That is terrible; it should not be happening. Covid or no Covid, that needs to change. There needs to be certainty on that.

Senator Moynihan referred to funding for a community centre in her area that was damaged by fire. I am not sure about the position on insurance but I raised with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, and the Tánaiste the absolute need, during the national development plan review, for a community centre fund for new builds in rapidly growing areas and for restoration and improvement works at many community centres in respect of which the local authority has not the required finances or the community cannot be expected to fundraise. It is an area on which I have been pushing. I would welcome the support of colleagues in pushing the Government over the coming weeks in advance of the development plan.

Senator Moynihan also talked about indoor dining being delayed and the scapegoating of young people. The Government has difficult decisions to make today on indoor dining. The advice of NPHET has to be considered. It is going to be a difficult decision based on what occurred when we ignored health advice in the past, yet the public is making the absolute demand that indoor dining be allowed.

Senator Gavan raised intellectual property rights for vaccines. The European Parliament voted in support of investing in manufacturing capacity, resolving issues with production and supply bottlenecks, including in respect of increasing the supply to the African Continent as an alternative. What was being suggested was a good sound bite and might have been deemed to be a quick fix but it was not agreed by the parliament that there was a better approach.

I agree with Senator Flynn's comments on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month and the LGBT Traveller community. I will certainly pass on her comments to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman.

Senator Crowe, my colleague in Galway, has, in fairness, been a strong advocate of the hospitality and pub sector over the past year since his election. He mentioned the vaccine bonus and the roadmap. We have to ask when and where it is all going to end.We have the Delta variant and, possibly, the Delta plus variant. Who knows what variant we will have in the autumn or next year? It is likely that Covid variants are now with us and will become as common as the flu. This a very serious issue that we face. The business community and the hospitality sector have faced enormous pressures over the last year and continue to do so. It is possible another delay will be announced today, depending on the Cabinet decision. It is a very stressful time for these sectors. I acknowledge many Members have concerns about this issue, including employment, the viability of future businesses and the impact at the height of the tourism season. I certainly wish Cabinet well in its deliberations on that today.

Senators Burke, Carrigy and Byrne talked about driver theory tests and asked me to liaise with the Minister for Transport and the Road Safety Authority, RSA, on the matter, which I will do. I have had representations from people in that boat who have been unable to take the test. One individual even had a job offer on the Continent but could not get the driver test in time and so could not take it up.

Senator Keogan talked about radon, the importance of radon testing and a grant. A grant towards the cost of kits and radon sumps is a good idea. As the Cathaoirleach mentioned, she might raise it as a Commencement matter and possibly get a more comprehensive response, but it is something that is worthy of a positive answer.

Senator Horkan also talked about the restaurant and pub trade, the devastating impact of pandemic restrictions on that sector and the need to trust people in the industry to reopen as soon as possible. I concur with his comments that there should be a reopening as planned. It should obviously be a controlled and restricted reopening with all the social responsibilities we have got used to over the last year. As I said, Cabinet will be deliberating on that today.

Senator Dolan gave a very enthusiastic commentary about her role over the last year as a strong advocate for Galway-Roscommon, the west and the education sector. She touched on the technological university, her work on school accommodation and her advocacy for greenways in her community. I wish her well in her continued deliberations and congratulate her on one year in the Seanad.

Senators Carrigy and Ahearn touched on sporting events. Again, I am sure that topic will be discussed at Cabinet today, but we see the crowds at the European Football Championship and, on television at the weekend, a small number of people at our championship matches throughout the country. It seems obvious to me but, again, I am sure Cabinet will be deliberating on that today, hopefully with a positive outcome. Senator Carrigy also touched on the reopening in the context of people now taking holidays in Northern Ireland because of it. While we want to see cross-Border tourism and all of that, it is at a cost to businesses in this country because they continue to be closed. As I said, Cabinet will be dealing with that today.

Senator Byrne touched on motor neurone disease, which is a very important and worthy topic. I congratulate him on his advocacy in that whole area and wish him well in it. He touched on the charity sector and the excesses in a small minority of charities. Irish people are very generous in giving to charities both here and abroad. Many people give in the belief that when they do so, whether it is €10, €20 or whatever, it is going to a good cause and making a real difference. In most cases, it is. Many charities around the world, and throughout the country, do so much good work in such areas as cancer, heart disease, hospice care and motor neurone disease, as we touched on. Then we have examples - I will not name them - of charities that have let themselves down and let the charity sector down. It is a huge area.

Senator Ahearn touched on sporting events, maternity restrictions and communions and confirmations. Again, various bishops have made their views known in their dioceses but, again, there should be one rule, supported by Government, on whether it is in everyone's best interests to delay. That should be decided today as well.

Senator McGreehan talked about the Narrow Water bridge project going to tender as a symbol of belief in North-South being together. I agree. I am not very familiar with the project, or with the area I am ashamed to say, but from what I know it is a great example of the two parts of our island coming together in co-operation. It is something that is great to see. We want to see more of that progress and co-operation and no return to anything that we know too well from our past.

Senator Dooley talked about the important area of the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, as it relates to qualification for Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI. I have been dealing with individuals on this matter as well. It should be raised and I will raise it with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Paschal Donohoe. In many cases where, for example, a student who received a much smaller amount of money for part-time work in previous years, and is now receiving the €350 PUP, there should perhaps be some sort of waiver, or disregard, of the portion of the PUP above what they would normally be receiving, if that makes sense. If the PUP is putting a family over the threshold for payment that is placing a huge burden on students and their parents.

I thank all the Senators for their contributions.