Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I remind Senator Mullen that we already had a referendum on abortion. The people of Ireland have spoken. This is not a rerunning of a referendum which would require having somebody independent sit in the middle of the whole conversation. We are reviewing laws that have already been enacted. That is the difference.

I wish to raise the issue of animal welfare and live exports which have been raised by members of the animal welfare policy group in my own party. Significant concerns were raised this week about the Finola Mvessel which was travelling from Ireland to Libya with livestock on board when it got caught in the middle of Storm Barra. A vessel of this size should not be travelling with livestock onboard in wind speeds greater than 6 knots. The wind speed actually got to 30 knots with waves peaking at 24 ft. with animals on board. This is of major concern. It has now docked. Having done more investigation since these reports were brought to me, I have ascertained that there was no vet on board. Vets are not on board these vessels at the moment due to the pandemic. We need to ensure that these animals have correct veterinary protection at the very least. It is outrageous to have animals on these vessels for ten days or two weeks. We need to re-examine the live exports of animals over long distances if we really value our animal husbandry.

I welcome the decision by the Minister for Education to provide €50 million on high-efficiency particulate absorbing, HEPA, filters. Last week when the Minister was in the House, I said that the report from March had indicated that many schools would benefit from HEPA filters. These filtration systems are well worth the money for the air quality they provide. Quite apart from us being in the middle of a pandemic, they help those with asthma. I welcome that the Minister has taken on board the concerns of teachers and parents about mask wearing. My concern was that a small child does not always make decisions. We need to ensure they are getting access to an education irrespective of whether their parents are for or against mask wearing. We need to convey the message that vaccination and mask wearing are all good things, but let us also ensure that every child gets an education.