Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is funny that the Cathaoirleach is congratulating a woman on being able to drive a tractor because the vast majority of women on farms in rural Ireland know well how to drive tractors. They drive them on a weekly or daily basis. Senator Dolan, along with Senator Tim Lombard and the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, mentioned that International Day of Rural Women will be celebrated this weekend. Any of us with any relations involved with farming know the absolutely enormous contribution that women and their daughters play in the running of farms, food production and the love and care of the land we have seen over generations and decades in this country. I hope each and every one of them gets a day off this weekend, which would be very unusual in the world of farming. They should be honoured and enjoy the weekend.

Senators Garret Ahearn, Jerry Buttimer and Gerry Horkan raised this morning the concerns raised about Covid-19, and perhaps hyped a little by the media, given there can be a frenzy to grab a Minister and hope he or she would say something wrong. We know 22 October is a day many Irish people have been looking forward to. To put the matter in context, the NPHET models released in August indicated an expected increase in hospital numbers, including those in intensive care units, in October and November. We had a spike yesterday and the day before that will cause concern. Nevertheless, the reported numbers are currently tracking the most optimistic scenarios from August's models. We need to temper the comments somewhat.

Senator Horkan is right, nonetheless, in saying it is shocking that 70,000 people got their first jab and did not bother showing up for whatever reason to get the second dose. What is really concerning is that because of the 300,000 people who may have made the conscious decision not to get a vaccine, we must now have a debate as to whether society will allow those 300,000 people who have made that personal choice to put everybody else's health in jeopardy. Senator Horkan is correct that we must have a conversation about it. The schedule for next week has already been agreed, but I will do my best to try to put something in the schedule next week so we can have a conversation about what the people we represent feel about this and would like to see happen.

Senators Burke and Joe O'Reilly both mentioned a matter this morning that has been raised on the Commencement on a number of occasions. We have a shocking shortage of people to work in particular industries, including agriculture, hospitality and healthcare. I recently visited a farm in north County Dublin where an entire crop of scallions had to be left in the ground because there was no labour to harvest them. That is criminal. To answer this, we can first look at the 100,000 people still on the pandemic unemployment payment and try to find out why they are still on it in light of the fact that all of our industries are open. We should absolutely fast-track a permit system for the people across Europe and further afield who want to come to work in our agriculture and hospitality sectors and healthcare service. I support the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, in the work he is doing to ensure that can be fast-tracked.

Senator Burke also asked for a debate on Irish Water. I will try to arrange that as quickly as possible.

Senator Mary Seery-Kearney spoke about the work of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters this morning and the lived experience we all take for granted when we do not really know how much preparation and stress is involved with many people's lives just to do what she described as ordinary. I will organise a debate on that. I heard the Minister say the cost of disability report will be published at end of this month so I might wait so we could have a full and lengthy debate on the reality of the costs affecting these people's lives and what must be remedied by the State.

Senator Micheál Carrigy spoke about the very obvious reaction we would have expected yesterday from the Friends of the Earth in pointing out that Bord na Móna exported for the first seven months of this year before it ceased harvesting. That was simply because it had contracts it had to fulfil. I am not sure if Friends of the Earth was suggesting that those contracts should have been breached. We absolutely know there is no peat in Ireland for the moment for the producers that need it. We described here last night the untenable position of having to ask businesses to import peat of a lower grade that will output a lower grade of product from Ireland than we have been used to. It will also increase our carbon footprint, so it is a lose-lose position for everybody, and we all recognise that we must find a resolution to that.

The Senator raised a concern, given that the nights are getting darker, that people are putting their lives at risk by not lighting up when walking, cycling, scooting or skating. We must highlight that matter and I will try to have a debate on road safety in the next couple of weeks if possible.

Senator Gavan spoke about low pay and the need for a debate around the living wage. The Senator knows that the Low Pay Commission has been set up to determine what should be the minimum wage every year. We are given the specific directions for the target at the end of the programme for Government and it knows where we want to get to. The Senator is correct, however, in saying the time is running out for us to get there. It might be worth sending a letter as a gentle reminder but I can genuinely say the commitment stands, as I was the one who made it in the first instance. It follows through into this programme for Government but the Senator is correct to highlight that the time is running out.

Senator Craughwell spoke about the very welcome additions to the resources of An Garda Síochána but highlights a stark difference in what he sees as €35 million being put into the Defence Forces.There is a debate request in with the Minister. I know the Senator is aware of that.

Senator Crowe asked for a debate on education, particularly the welcome additional announcements this week of 1,100 special needs assistants and 980 new special education teachers. I will do that as quickly as I can.

Senator Fitzpatrick talked about her interactions with the students' unions over recent weeks and how much they have welcomed all the new announcements in the budget in recent days.

Senator Wall talked about the increase in the numbers of gardaí in the budget but expressed concerns about the numbers allocated to south Kildare. As I think he will be aware, that is an operational matter so I cannot interfere with it. He might write to the Commissioner himself to make him aware of the concerns of the people of south Kildare. Senator Wall also welcomed the contract for the Athy distributor road finally being awarded, as did the Fianna Fáil leader this morning, Senator O'Loughlin. I am sure they will welcome the boots on the ground when they see them, as will the people both Senators represent.

Senator Ó Donnghaile spoke of the BIPA meeting this weekend and the Irish diaspora strategy statements request. That is a really good idea, so I will try to arrange that as quickly as I can.

Senator McDowell, as eloquently as only he can, made a really thoughtful and considered debate request. I will put it to the relevant Minister. I cannot promise the Senator I will get a positive response to the request, given the nature of the debate and given that the contributions from some quarters might elicit certain emotional feelings at a time when they might not necessarily be welcomed by other contributors. The Senator is right, however, that we must have an honest conversation. It cannot be honest and pleasing only to one set of people affected by the atrocities of the legacy of that period. I certainly will ask for the debate because it would be a valuable one and I would really enjoy listening and, I hope, contributing to it. I will come back to the Senator.

Senator Ahearn raised the means test increase. It will allow a considerable number of families to access the fuel allowance, on which families definitely rely. That in itself should tell us its own story, that is, that people need to rely on the allowance because of cost increases. We all need to be mindful of that.

The Fianna Fáil lead speaker today opened the Order of Business by talking about international e-waste. The flippancy of some people today is such that when something breaks they just throw it in the bin and get a new one. I had to get my washing machine fixed in recent weeks for the third time in about three months and the man said to me, "Would you not just throw it out?" No, I will not just throw it out. It is a very important issue for the Senator to highlight, so I thank her for making people aware of it.

I ask the Chair to indulge me. Nobody raised this but I would like to raise it. All Senators are aware that a group of wonderful, thoughtful women established an organisation called #BetterMaternityCare over recent months because of inequalities in access to care, particularly the discrimination against the partners of women having babies in our 19 maternity hospitals. They took to our streets last week and were supported by all Senators, and I thank everybody for going out to them. In some way, leaders in this country, particularly healthcare leaders, thought that that would be the end of it, that we had had our day and had our say and that we would go back to doing the normal things we all have to do. This week a lady called Breege O'Connor gave birth to her second Covid baby. She is a wonderful woman and gave birth to a lovely little baby boy. The reason I highlight this is that she had to have her entire labour period in the car park of the Coombe Hospital. What she was offered was to come in on her own and leave her husband in the car or walk up and down the car park of the Coombe Hospital to suffer her labour on her own with no pain relief or support. She was left in the car park by the people in the Coombe Hospital until just before she was ready to give birth to her little son and was at that stage brought in. I do not know how anybody in this country can think that is acceptable, but what is really bizarre is that the treatment she and her husband received is absolutely okay under the HSE guidelines that were issued on 13 September. I want to put down a marker here to say it is absolutely not okay for any woman at any stage of her labour period to undergo labour and suffer pain in the car park of any hospital in this country. It is an unfit service, it is reprehensible, and I would nearly go so far as to say it is inhumane that we would ask any woman to make a choice between coming into the hospital on her own or staying in a car park to go through labour just because she needs to stay with her husband. It needs to stop now.