Seanad debates

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

10:30 am

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Senators for their contributions. Senator Malcolm Byrne talked about it being National Irish Sign Language Day. It is important that we recognise this day. I admit that I do not know any sign language, but the Houses of the Oireachtas have done much work in recent years to promote sign language. It is great to see that debates on Oireachtas TV are signed. There has been an amount of work, but we could always do more. I will raise the matter again at a higher level.

Senator Byrne also mentioned the rather extraordinary letter from the 62 former and current players from the world of women's rugby. They referred to the "substandard commitment from the union, inequitable and untrustworthy leadership, a lack of transparency in the governance and operation of the women's game...and an overall lack of ambition about what it could achieve". The IRFU disputes that. The Senator referred to the committee and I have no doubt the Senator will raise such issues with it. The two Ministers have been contacted. I expect that the issues raised in this letter will be pursued with full vigour. There are a number of reviews going on at present regarding the game and what happened in terms of not reaching the tournament in Parma. It is important that the two reviews are independently assessed. I am sure the Ministers will do that.

The Senator also referred to my colleague, Deputy Ring, and to his outburst. I have seen some footage of it. I am sure it was born out of frustration with the system of governance in this country. It was not disparaging of the public service in its totality. Like any profession, those in the public service are mostly hard-working, diligent, trustworthy and everything else, but as in every profession - politics included - there are a few people who could and should do better. I know that from his time as a Minister, the Deputy would tell a few stories about some of the people he came across with whom he had issues. I do not think he was disparaging of all public servants. We all have public servants within our families – I certainly do. It is good to see Deputy Ring has fight in him again and is expressing his views within the Chamber in Parliament.

Senator Ahearn referred to funding for Christmas lights, which is very welcome. It is administered through the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, and the Local Government Fund. It will assist in reimbursing some of the spend in communities around the country. At this time of year, it is always great to see beautiful lights in towns and villages. In a lot of cases that is due to the hard work and effort of volunteers to fundraise in local communities, so any assistance from the local authorities or, in this case, the Local Government Fund, is welcome. The Senator also referred to the Cahir town centre public realm scheme. I wish it success in its rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, application.

Senators Craughwell and Ó Donnghaile talked about the Miami Showband case. It is an atrocious reality that collusion took place. In this case, it was between the Ulster Volunteer Force and Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers. Settlement and legal costs were arrived at with the UK Ministry of Defence and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Collusion is unbelievable, but it is not: it is reality. It is the reality of what happened in certain locations and this has now been accepted. Reference was made to collusion on both sides of the Border. I am not aware of anything on this side, but there may be evidence of which I am not aware. There are cases. It is despicable that there was such a misplacement of trust by those who are there to protect us and that it should be so abused.Senator Craughwell also touched on the Women of Honour. I will again talk to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, regarding it. I know all involved want to get this sorted for the sake of morale and the sake of the people affected. The Senator also talked about the offering of €100 credit towards electricity bills. The Cabinet will discuss electricity costs today. As the Senator knows, if means testing is started with any scheme there is major bureaucracy, so that is not practicable. I am sure the Cabinet will arrive at a decision today. The Senator also mentioned that if the €100 is not needed, it could be contributed to charity. I presume when the Senator said "charity" he did not mean Fianna Fáil, which is its new role now, but a more appropriate charity of choice for those who can afford it. Realistically and importantly, there are people for whom €100 would be very beneficial. They will not receive it before Christmas but they will know in February, once we get legislation through the Houses, that it will be available.

We all agree with Senator Garvey on supporting local green businesses in the run-up to Christmas, in addition to green initiatives, naturally made products and Christmas stalls, which is all pure common sense. It is something we need to put in place in all our local communities.

Senator Ó Donnghaile talked about the Nationality and Borders Bill. It is a very worrying Bill. Clearly, the UK has a right to defend its borders but, to go back to the whole Brexit debate, we are an island and we share a border with the UK, so it has a particular impact on us and on many non-Irish EU citizens. It is something we will have to watch. I did not hear the response of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, but I know that he is fully aware and cognisant of the impact of this Bill.

Senator Wall spoke about a local school project. I understand there will be a meeting with the relevant Minister this evening, which I hope will be fruitful. It is always important for Ministers to engage, where they can, with local representatives on particular projects. The Senator also spoke about rail ticket pricing in Kildare. Equitable and fair rail fares are very important. Where public transport services are available, it is important that fares are equitable and that we maximise their use. If price is inhibiting use, that has to be looked at. There was a welcome initiative in the budget on reduced fares for younger people aged under 23, but it is important that we expedite use of rail and public transport where we can. I will ask that we have a debate on that issue in the new year.

Senator Murphy talked about the entertainment industry, about which I know he is very passionate. We will have a debate on Thursday on that matter. As he knows, a range of supports has been announced by the Minister. I am sure the Senator will get an opportunity on Thursday to engage with the Minister on their roll-out. There are particular issues with the live performance sector. It is a very frustrating time of year. The present restrictions are impacting so much on certain sectors. The Government has to step in to ensure that support is provided.

Senator McGahon spoke about the financial supports for charging points in apartment complexes. As we continue to see investment in renewable technologies, such as electric and hybrid vehicles, it is important that we have charging points. Anything we can learn from the Continent, in this case Germany, such as the use of light fixtures, needs to be looked at. The rolling out of additional technologies in communities will be very important. I saw the investment announcement today, but I welcome any and all investment that will make it easier to charge electric cars.

Senator Keogan spoke about medical exemptions from Covid passports at Christmas. I agree that if somebody, and this was always the case, has a medical reason for not wearing a mask or receiving a vaccine that needs to be accounted for. The Senator mentioned that the scary part is that we are accepting all of this. Unfortunately, the scary part is that there are still people getting seriously ill and dying from Covid. We have to continue to encourage people to get vaccinated. It goes back to the point about the efficient roll-out of the booster vaccine regime, which was raised by a number of Senators.

Senator Carrigy spoke about home supports. It is a pressing issue. Historically, we very often had issues with funding for carers and ensuring that we had enough money to support them.The problem now is that we have the funding but there are not enough carers available. It is a worthy and important profession and will become increasingly important. As families get smaller and people live longer, we will need more carers. The profession needs to be more valued than it is. We need to encourage people into the profession. That is important. I will ask for a debate on the matter.

Senator Buttimer talked about road deaths and road safety strategy. In general, there has been a decline of 70% since the first road safety strategy. Part of that involves the basics of ensuring that we have good tyres on our vehicles, that safety belts are used and that we combat drink- and drug-driving. That is all important, as well as the safety initiatives taking place in relation to realignment of roads, new road projects and motorways. They are all safer, which sometimes gets lost in the debate about new road projects. They are inherently safer than old, substandard roads, as we have seen with motorways. I will ask for a debate on that in the new year.

Senator Currie made an important contribution regarding Christmas, victims and the antics of Gerry Adams on video over the weekend where, it could be argued, he was trolling victims. I thought it was a disgrace. Some have defended him and some have chastised or not defended him. It was despicable to laugh and joke about "They haven't gone away, you know", "Tiocfaidh ár lá" and that sort of stuff. It is not right or proper. There are still people who were disappeared and whose remains have not been found. Loved ones deserve to get finality.

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