Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join with everybody who has expressed their sympathy to the Murphy family. I believe some Senators did so earlier on the Commencement. I also express sympathy to all who have lost family in tragic circumstances. I cannot begin to imagine what the past weeks have been like for them and I continue to urge everyone to respect their privacy at this time. There have been some important conversations in this country over the past few days, some of which have been helpful, insightful and constructive, although others were less so. What is obvious to all is we must each take responsibility for the way we act, talk and think. We must do all we can to make this country a safe place for women and children.

As we talked about this over the past few days, I have thought about how we would not know anything about this tragedy if it had not been reported. I then thought about everything that goes unreported and the stories of hurt, pain and abuse behind closed doors, which happens all over the country. I have spoken many times in this House about the problem of abuse and violence, whether it is domestic, gender-based, against children or in any other form. The message must go out, loud and clear, that if we see something, we must say something. National services in the form of Women's Aid, Safe Ireland and many others are there to help because nobody should have to live in fear.

Nevertheless, we can say that 2021 was a year of fear. It was characterised by headline after headline from the media and announcement after announcement from the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, and the Government of worst-case scenarios. There was modelling and subsequent delivery of massively inflated death tolls and hospitalisation numbers. There were incessant doomsday predictions being given non-stop airtime by major broadcasters. Even as early data came from South Africa and preliminary medical papers were made publicly available by the University of Hong Kong on the key differences of the Omicron variant, NPHET insisted on the reintroduction of restrictions over the Christmas period, which were to be lifted, in the words of one Minister, "if our worst fears do not come to pass". This is now certainly the case and our restrictions should be rolled back as soon as possible. Businesses must be allowed to reopen fully and the hospitality industry must be returned to full operational hours. The domestic use of Covid-19 certificates must be abolished.

For the past two years we have been asking the Government for a road out of this pandemic. Now one has opened and the Government should at least have the common sense to take it.