Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As expected, almost all Members rose this afternoon to express their condolences and deepest sympathies to the Murphy family and to Ashling's community,

friends, school colleagues and the children at her school on what was an extremely tragic and horrific murder. Many colleagues have requested justice debate. We have secured a debate with the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, next Thursday. The Minister will come into the Chamber for a debate specifically on violence against women. We welcome that debate for next week.

The Order of Business was kicked off by Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, who welcomed the announcement that we are to have a new public holiday on St. Brigid's Day, beginning in 2023. This is welcome. I commend the Senator on her work campaigning for that. She worked very hard to secure the date. It is a very apt one, indeed. There will be a day of commemoration this year, on 18 March, to remember all those we lost throughout the pandemic and continue to lose.

The Senator also raised the issue of the Commission on the Defence Forces and the ongoing recruitment and retention issues in the Defence Forces. We await the outcome. The Senator also raised the issue of insurance and the plight of a young couple for whom insurance presented a difficulty regarding a housing issue.

Senator Keogan spoke about the year 2021 being the year of fear. She raised certain issues in that regard and touched on recent events. She also called for the removal of restrictions at the earliest opportunity. Obviously, we are awaiting advices from NPHET on that front. When they are received, a meeting of the Cabinet will follow shortly after.

Senator Pauline O'Reilly spoke about the Yellow Flag programme, as did Senator Flynn. Reference was made to the need to educate our young people on how to deal with others and to be decent human beings who treat others with respect. Senator O'Reilly also referred to the need to tackle identity-based bullying. She referred specifically to poor Eden Heaslip, who tragically lost his life because of his experience. That is something we need to deal with. Education seems to be key on this issue.

Senator Ó Donnghaile raised several issues, one being the €1,000 payment for front-line healthcare workers. He has requested further clarity. We will try to arrange a debate on that and other health matters with the Minister for Health at the earliest opportunity.He also raised the issue of report by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. He requested a debate on that as well. We will certainly see that debate.

Senator Moynihan raised the Dublin transport strategy and, in particular, issues in south-west Dublin and connectivity to that particular region.

I would like to welcome Senator Flynn back from maternity leave. It is great to have her back. She spoke about the Yellow Flag programme as well. She made an impassioned plea for us to all work together to tackle Traveller mental health and the crisis within her community. She made the important point that it is not just on her shoulders as one individual to solve this problem. There is a collective onus on all of us to work to deal with that issue. She requested a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, at the earliest opportunity.

Senator Gallagher raised the issue of stray dogs attacking livestock, such as sheep and cattle. There were 241 incidents reported in 2020. However, the belief is that many more go unreported. He requested a debate with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to discuss that issue.

Senator McGahon spoke about the Wind Energy Ireland report, as well as the need to have a debate on hydrogen and, in particular, green hydrogen. He mentioned the asks in that report such as a cross-government group to look at reducing prices for renewable energy. He requested a debate with the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications. I will request that.

Senator Mullen raised the issue of violence in society more generally, as opposed to just violence amongst one particular grouping in society. He made some interesting points on the need to reflect on why we are where we are and how we can perhaps get to a different space.

Senator Byrne spoke about the need for men to get involved in the debate around gender-based violence and in particular on violence against women, as did Senator Ó Donnghaile. He also called for an end to restrictions tomorrow. I agree with him that the speculation is quite unhelpful. It seems to be the same merry-go-round that we hop onto every time there is a NPHET briefing or a leaked letter. It is quite unhelpful. While that might be an annoyance to all of us, it is frustrating and upsetting for those businesses that rely on that advice and on those restrictions being lifted. The Senator's request to have that decision made at the earliest opportunity is a good request and one that will hopefully be listened to.

Senator Ward spoke about social media, in particular Twitter, as well as the online abuse that we all get on social media. Twitter is a more difficult space, in particular. The online safety and media regulation Bill, which is due to come into effect shortly, will deal with that. However, we need a much stronger online safety commissioner. We need to deal with those issues. The Senator outlined a good example of why rules seem to be in place but are not being enforced by Twitter. We know that Twitter is a space where particularly politicians are subject to quite a high level of unsavoury remarks.

Senator Boylan again raised the issue of the Stardust inquiry. I am not sure what I can say to her in response today, other than that I will pass her remarks up the line. I can understand why the victims and their families are so upset at the option of a jury hearing not being available to them. I can see why that is upsetting. Four decades is a long time to wait for answers. I commend the Senator on consistently raising the issue on the floor of the House and for keeping the issue alive in here. It is important.

Senator Fitzpatrick raised the issue of violence against women in particular. We have known about this for a very long time. One in four women experience abuse from their partners and 244 women have lost their lives since reporting to Women's Aid has begun. The Senator has asked for that justice debate, which we have secured for next week.

Senator Cummins raised the issue of the R117 service. I am aware of the collective approach of Oireachtas Members in the region to try and retain that service. Obviously, we had particular issues with the service in County Mayo. As Members will be aware, this is an important service to have available 24-7. Hopefully, a resolution can be found.

Senator Hoey welcomed the €1,000 bonus payment for healthcare workers, as well as the fact that student nurses were included, and rightly so. Of course they should have been included. I am glad they have been. It is a way of saying, "Thank you." I do not think the payment is a huge amount for what all healthcare workers have put in. However, it is welcome. It was a difficult decision for Government to try to identify which front-line workers were to receive that payment. However, I believe it struck the right balance in focusing on front-line healthcare workers who dealt directly with Covid-19 because they have been at particular risk during the pandemic. They were putting their own lives at risk. There was that distinction, which was an important one to draw. The Senator asked particularly about the €100 weekly stipend. This might be suitable to raise as a Commencement matter, because it was quite a specific question. She might be answered more quickly by doing it that way. I take on board her points around the drug strategy, which were raised at the health committee this morning. Judging by the comments of Senators Hoey and Ruane, it does not sound like the engagement with committee members was overly helpful. Hopefully, that engagement might happen again with more information on the table. I would agree with a health-based approach, because the way we do things currently does not work and it will never work. There is a fear for some reason of doing things differently, so we will just keep burying our heads in the sand and just keep going as we are. However, it is not making the situation any better; it just makes it worse. I think therefore that we are on the same page with that approach.

Senator McGreehan raised the issue of Ashling Murphy. She spoke about sentencing not being sufficient and how it does not cover the extent of the damage that is done to the victim. I wholeheartedly agree with that. I echo the remarks by Senator O’Loughlin around St. Brigid’s Day. She spoke about the values of St. Brigid and how we should remember what she had to go through. It is an important reminder for all of us, even though it was quite a time ago, and it is important lesson for us to learn.

Senator Ruane mentioned the health committee meeting, which I have just dealt with. In particular, she raised the issue of the impact of Covid-19 in prisons. It would be an interesting debate to have. I will put a request in for that debate. Perhaps the Senator could put in a request herself to the Leader’s office, so that we join up on that.

Senator Maria Byrne raised the issue of a hybrid leaving certificate for students. That request is coming in from many students and parents. I acknowledge the stress that students are facing. However, the leaving certificate an inherently stressful time anyway, no matter which way one looks at it. Hopefully the right balance can be struck in having a system that is fair to all students so that we provide a level playing field. I do not know how that will look. It is a difficult balance to strike. However, I can understand the difficulty that the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, is having in finding that right balance. At the end of the day, we want to make sure that the students have a level playing field and that they are treated fairly. That can be a difficult thing to achieve in these times.

Senator Conway rose to speak about his friend, the now deceased Mick Ryan, and his widow, Naoise, and her call for justice, following that plane crash where her husband lost his life. He has asked for assistance with that matter. We will certainly do all that we can.

Finally, Senator Craughwell congratulated former Senator, Ian Marshall, on his newly received accolade. He also spoke about support for R117, and concurred with the remarks of Senator Cummins. That concludes the Order of Business.