Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the sentiments of Senator Chambers on Afghanistan. It is important that we have a discussion of the issue. I, too, read the distressing article mentioned by the Senator, which reported that over 1 million children are at risk of starvation. It is an issue we need to discuss and do more on, as colleagues have said.

I want to raise two other issues. The first concerns sport. I know many Senators have a wide and varying interest in sport. I wish to highlight a growing issue I have come across and which was discussed by the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media yesterday, namely, the abuse of referees. Having spent well over 30 years playing and coaching in the GAA in County Kildare, I can say that it is a problem. As was outlined at the committee meeting yesterday, it is a problem to varying degrees in the three sports that were represented at the meeting. It is an issue that we, in the Oireachtas, must take seriously. I have discussed the matter with my colleague, Councillor Paul O'Brien, among other friends and colleagues in a number of different sports. Councillor O'Brien is an ex-president of the Irish Soccer Referees Society and is currently chairman of the Wicklow branch of the organisation. It was very worrying to hear its representative at the meeting, Mr. Sean Slattery, confirm that 66% of those who took the organisation's referee beginner course are no longer refereeing.We all know that without a referee, we have no game. I would appreciate if the Leader could arrange a debate with the Minister of State with responsibility for sport on the matter. I have seen the silent-sideline model work successfully. We need to introduce this in all sports and treat referees with respect in the first instance. We are not asking for encouragement from the sideline to stop, but if we want the fun to continue, we need to start protecting our referees and ensuring that the abuse many of them are getting ends.

Those at yesterday's meeting sought help with professional guidance for referees who suffer online abuse and we also need to discuss that. We need to keep this conversation going and most importantly we need to do what we in the Oireachtas can to ensure that we continue to enjoy the various sports we have in this country. As we discovered recently, that enjoyment is totally dependent on having the woman or man there with the whistle; they must be protected.

There has been much discussion about the reduction of the EWSS payment. Senator Kyne mentioned how it is affecting those in our hospitality and entertainment sector. Like many other Senators, I have received many calls and emails from those involved in the industry with a very simple message: they need help now. Many have informed me that without the assistance of this payment they would simply have to shut and that many staff in the sector would lose their jobs. I will quote the operator of a bar in my home town of Athy in an email to me and other public representatives yesterday in which he stated:

My business has been destroyed. It wasn’t too bad before everything reopened to the regular 2:30 but after 4 weeks of trading late, our customers have disappeared with the new closing times...

Is there anything that can be done, we were better off closed with the supports and now with the wage subsidy cut our future is not looking good at all with thoughts of complete closure as we cannot sustain this.

I NEED HELP

That was one of the many emails I received yesterday. I hope that the Taoiseach and his colleagues in government have listened to the many calls to reverse this cut and support this industry at this most difficult time for them all.