Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Before Senator Dolan's parents leave, I want to wish her mum a very happy birthday. It is wonderful to see all her family here. I know it was a very proud day for her when she was elected, as it was for all of us. I know that it is a proud day to have the opportunity to visit here and see the goings on. They are very welcome.

Senator Malcolm Byrne welcomed Matthew McGrath and I add my voice and that of the House to that welcome. He has led a campaign about accessibility to beaches. He is lucky that he lives in Gorey. It is such a lovely town with beautiful beaches all around. That is something that we all very much support. Senator Malcolm Byrne also spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent concern about food security that arise as well as the humanitarian concerns. We are all very concerned about the global supply of wheat, flour, bread etc. He is right in saying that we need to support commercial flour mills here. We need to have a debate about food security. That links in with a point raised by Senator Boyhan on the mushroom sector. We have gone no further on the agricultural peat issue. Deputy Cahill, the excellent Chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, told me last night that it was impossible to get a Minister to come before the committee to speak about this issue. That is absolutely wrong and we need to do as much as we can to ensure our food security. One question, on international matters, leads on the other.

Senator Kyne sought two debates. One is on electric cars and the need for electricity points needed on local, regional and national routes. He is correct in saying that we need to accelerate the roll-out. It is unfortunate that three years after the original request, that the ESB has not changed its focus in respect of the smaller, more rural areas which need electric points to encourage people to invest in electric cars. That is Government policy. We will look for a debate on that. He also raised the issue of angling and a by-law that he had introduced that fell and two controversial by-laws that require debate. He might introduce that by-law into the Seanad. We could have a good debate then.

Senator Boyhan spoke of the citizens' assembly and the need for more representation from councillors across Dublin. I am sure that is something that we all support.

Senator Garvey spoke about the circular economy. She mentioned the work that Dr. Sarah Miller has done in the Rediscovery Centre, Ballymun, with workshops and projects on recycling and reusing, particularly around the repair of bicycles and furniture, as well as the bringing in of paint. People often have paint left over from jobs. It is a perfect idea. Senator Garvey has encouraged all public representatives to visit and see how we can create jobs in the green area. She suggested that we look for a debate from the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, who has done a lot of work in the area. We will look for that debate.

Senator Boylan spoke about the conservation of bats, particularly in Emo Court and in Cork. It is quite wrong that she had to resort to a freedom of information request to get the information she requested. She also pointed out that licences were retrospectively granted. That is simply not good enough. She made a fair point that when we talk about the citizens' assembly and biodiversity, we need to look within the State institutions first. I agree that should be addressed within the citizens' assembly.

Senator Hoey spoke about a pilot scheme in Wales for those leaving care, which ensures that people have extra funding. It is the same principle of universal support income. It would go to a small group of people to help level the playing field. Life in care is difficult and when you leave care as an 18-year-old, life is even more difficult. Support, including financial support, and care are needed. It is something that we could ask the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to look at.

Senator Crowe raised Tesco's decision to outsource security work and the impact on 100 workers both inside and outside of Galway. He rightly made the point that they were people who gave incredible loyalty to the firm.As he mentioned, some have worked there for more than 25 years, including throughout the pandemic. We know how difficult the pandemic was for people working on the front lines, as these people were. Sadly, they received insults from many others. They have been asked to reapply under certain terms and conditions. We will raise the matter with the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, on the Senator's behalf.

Senator Dolan spoke about her pride in her place and in her family. She also raised a point about open access to school buildings after school hours. I cannot believe that it is not being done at this stage. Given the significant investment in school buildings – all of our new schools are state-of-the-art, and rightly so – it is wrong that schools in many small towns and communities do not provide access after hours. In particular, every school should allow outside access to halls that can be used for sport or other activities. I support the Senator's call.

Senator Keogan spoke about the performance grade awarded by the Children's Rights Alliance. I happened to hear some of the interview with Ms Tanya Ward on radio the day before yesterday. Regarding the grading system, she rightly spoke about where we had scored well as a country, which is important, but also about where we had not, particularly in terms of the use of social media. I agree with the Senator that we should seek a debate with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. It is a matter that we should cast an eye on annually.

Senator O'Sullivan spoke about the Shannon Estuary task force as well as the highs and lows of his political life. He mentioned that this was his greatest disappointment. I am glad that he has had other high notes. I hope that the next week's decision on Shannon LNG will be positive and act as a definitive point. As we saw with the Glanbia plant in Mitchelstown, recourse being taken to court time and again delays processes and jobs. The cost of these manufacturing hubs, for want of a better term, has escalated so much that it is stopping progress within the regions. These rural regions need those jobs and industries.

The Senator also spoke about the report by Alcohol Action. I listened to a segment on it this morning. The statistics were frightening. For example, 25% of suicides are alcohol-related, alcohol is a factor in 5% of deaths overall and four people die from alcohol-related illness every day. The Senator made particular requests for a State-sponsored alcohol office and clearer labelling. I am sure that there will be support for those requests. I agree with him that we need to raise awareness more.