Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is dead right. If nothing else he has the passion to keep bringing something he cares about to this House and to everybody’s attention every week. I have no doubt, whether he is right or wrong, that his bona fides will be appreciated by the end of this.

Senator Seery Kearney talked about the massive increases in remote working hubs she will see in Dublin 8, which is welcome. Again that forms part of the requirement for a debate on remote working. Senator Murphy talked about the active travel money announcements yesterday. He also talked about the paths and dangerous bends on our roads. These are the bread and butter issues that we know mean so much to the people in our communities so I thank him for bringing that up.

I was not here last week to welcome Senator Flynn back and I know she is not in the Chamber at the moment but like Senator Murphy I would like to welcome her back. She is a massive addition to this Chamber. We have probably been talking about leaving certificate reform since I did my leaving certificate and that is not today or yesterday. It was appropriate and it stuck in my mind when she said the end of our school days should be about rewarding learning abilities and not just rewarding people who have good memories. Unfortunately that is the way our leaving certificate model is established.

The CAO points and the fact that there are only ten places for 25 people even though we need 30 nurses are bizarre and bonkers. The last couple of years have forced our teachers' unions and the entire school community to do something they would have never done in a million years if we did not have to and if we did not have Covid. It is a difficult task and I do not envy the Minister for Education because it is a difficult job. Where there are people and negotiations there is always difficulty but we have shown that we can do it and that we can do it fairly. There is grade inflation and that is the downside to it but we must increase the number of places we have on offer. We acknowledge that if we had 1,000 new nurses tomorrow the HSE would be able to employ them and yet we only train 400 or 500 every year. It makes no sense. Let us find the places because we need the resources of the young men and women who want to be in those professions. I welcome Senator Flynn back and thank her for her contribution.

Senator Hoey talked about the Russians and I will organise a debate on that issue.Senator Ó Donnghaile spoke about welcoming Dáil tours back, whether it is active age groups, school tours or Tidy Towns organisations. It really will be lovely to see this place buzzing again the way it used to be over the last four years. As the Senator said, a number of people who have been elected to both the Dáil and Seanad in the last couple of years have never experienced this place when it is at full tilt so it will be really welcome.

Senator Keogan asked about bringing the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, into the House to make a statement about Covid certificates. She is absolutely right. I will contact his office this afternoon to try to arrange a date and come back to the Senator. She is right, however. Some of the things that have happened in the last number of years such as outdoor dining would never have been accepted in the psyche of Irish people. We have always been these cold creatures who would sit outside and freeze. The reality has been entirely different. People have genuinely enjoyed the pedestrianisation and friendly family atmosphere that became evident in their towns and villages, and long may it last. Whatever extensions to legislation or by-laws that need to be done should be done. I will certainly bring it up with the Minister of State.

The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, talked about green shoots and her plans and ambitions for tree planting in this country which, again, is very welcome. When somebody is talking about something they love, the passion just exudes from them and comes naturally, which is great.

Senator Ahearn spoke about passports with equal passion. Again, we talk about the bread and butter issues that people bring to us. It was an unprecedented disaster last year and given what we know about the pent-up backlog, I am not even sure that 300 staff will be enough. It is welcome but as the Senator said, we absolutely need to see them now. We need to see them immediately. We need to see accelerated processes because the priority passports are no longer priorities. People who apply online get them within two or three days while the priorities are waiting weeks. As Members will know, a person cannot do his or her first application online when it comes to new children, plenty of whom have not been outside of the country in the last few years. I will certainly bring the request for statements to the Minister as a priority.

Senator Malcolm Byrne opened today by encouraging those people who can afford to do so to go out and look after the people who have been absolutely crippled for the last couple of years, whether it is going to Copper Face Jacks, a local burger joint or even just out for a pint - a real pint of Guinness as opposed to a home-made one. It is something we should all do to genuinely enjoy the company and sociability we have missed so much for the last 24 months. There is an awful lot to be catching up on. On a more serious note, the Senator talked about the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill and the need for the Minister to come back with reassurances that he and his committee colleagues made. I will certainly send that note to the Minister today and hopefully be able to come back to the Senator as soon as I can.