Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator O’Loughlin opened the Order of Business this morning and spoke about the situation in Ukraine, as did many colleagues. Senator Moynihan put it very well when she said it is very difficult to discuss other items of business, given what is happening in Ukraine. It dominates all of our thoughts and hearts in the work that we are doing. Senator O'Loughlin made a particular point around Poland not charging people from Ukraine to travel on trains which is a great act of generosity. In contrast, she also spoke about airlines, in particular Ryanair. I do not have the exact details on that. The Senator put details on the floor of the House that fares from Poland through Ryanair have doubled in recent days. If that is accurate, I would ask the airline to reflect on its position and charge only what it needs to in order to assist people getting out and to safety. I would say the same thing to all airlines operating flights in and around bordering countries. They should assist people in getting out and not make profits from people trying to flee their homes.

Senator O'Loughlin reminded us that yesterday was Stop Food Waste Day and focused on a company, Green Generation, which is doing great work in reusing plastics to provide cladding on homes and in using food waste to generate electricity, which is something to be commended. She also spoke about France having banned plastic wrapping on food and mentioned that research has shown that this can lead to a reduction in food waste. Again, this is something to be looked at.

Senator Kyne requested a debate on greenways, blueways and walkways. He particularly wanted to draw the House’s attention to the public consultation on the proposed greenway between Galway and Oughterard. That can be found at galwaytooughterardgreenway.ieand is open until 22 March.

Senator Boyhan spoke about the mass that was held in-house this morning for Members of the Oireachtas and the Oireachtas community, today being Ash Wednesday. He said it was a very powerful ceremony to bring people together. He also spoke about the meetings he had on the fringes of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly earlier this week, when he met with community groups that are assisting Irish people living in the UK.

Senator Pauline O’Reilly asked for information on why hearings of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal are still being conducted online through Webex. I suggest that the Senator might raise the issue as a Commencement matter with the Minister for Justice to get further clarity on what is quite a niche question. She also spoke about the citizens' assembly on education and rightly pointed out that the pandemic has really thrown open the debate on how we want to conduct our education system, particularly in respect of examinations. She said that the public would welcome a conversation and national dialogue on the future of education in Ireland and I agree with her.

Senator Warfield spoke about the decision by two artists, Brian Teeling and Emma Roche, to remove their work from the National Gallery of Ireland and raised concerns around the recent contract awarded to Aramark, a company which also provides services to direct provision centres. I share the Senator’s concerns. It is disappointing that it has come to this. Senator Higgins concurred with Senator Warfield’s remarks. If the gallery had looked in more detail at the procurement process and how the contract was advertised, there was probably an alternative. I am unsure what can be done to reverse that situation but I have no doubt that the actions taken by Brian and Emma will have an impact on it. I commend them on taking that stand.

Senator Moynihan and many others spoke about the Ukraine situation. She raised particular issues around ID cards. She said that national ID cards should be accepted for exit from Ukraine and for entry into other countries, as opposed to requesting passports, given that some people may not have had their passports on their person when they left home, or may not have had access to their passports. That is a very reasonable request. She further requested a debate on the assistance given to refugees, as did Senator Higgins. I can confirm that there will be a debate in this House on 22 March with the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, who will set out his Department’s perspective on what it is doing to assist vulnerable people.

Senator Moynihan also raised the issue of land value sharing, which has been delayed now until next year. This relates to developers purchasing land at a particular value, getting it rezoned on the promise of building houses and selling it on for significant profits. We all share concerns in that regard. That is not what we want to see happening. Any local authority which rezones land for the purposes of housing development, and on the basis that there is a promise to develop housing, does so in good faith. That should be followed through on by the developer or the person who has purchased the land. It is a loophole we need to close.

Senator Higgins rose in support of the comments on the National Gallery of Ireland and in particular the comments on Ukraine. She spoke very passionately on the need to acknowledge peace activists and argued that we should try to focus on peace and not war. She made particular comments around the UN Charter. Many Senators would share her views on that. She spoke about the cross-party motion which just about all Senators have signed, or are likely to sign, condemning what is happening in Ukraine and the Russian invasion. We are joining with our colleagues in Dáil Éireann in doing that together. She said that the wording of that motion was important and, of course, we know that words are important.

Senator Malcolm Byrne mentioned that Gorey Educate Together National School is looking for a permanent site. It is an issue he has raised many times. I wish the school well in this regard and I hope it will get a resolution to that issue promptly.

Senator Byrne also raised the safety of journalists, including the many journalists reporting on the ground from Ukraine. He mentioned that many journalists in Hong Kong are facing persecution for doing their jobs and said we need to support journalists all across the globe. We must acknowledge that if we do not have journalistic integrity and protection for journalists, we do not have democracy, as the two go hand in hand.

Senator Conway called for a debate on Ukraine, specifically in respect of sanctions and how they will work, but also in respect of the impact here on Irish citizens and in respect of how we look after vulnerable people who are fleeing that situation. There will be a debate on that particular issue in this House on 23 March. Senator Conway also requested a debate on the role of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities which we will, of course, request.

Senator Mullen spoke about his former colleague, John A. Murphy. I am sure that at some point we will have statements in this House on the former Senator’s passing. I join colleagues in extending our sympathies to the Murphy family and to all who knew him.

Senator Mullen also spoke about Ukraine and the whole issue of Ireland's neutrality. I note that Senator McGahon took a different view from that of the Senator. It is fair to say that the debate on neutrality has already begun and it had begun before the Ukrainian situation. It is something that we should not shy away from. Let us have that debate and conversation with our people. Recent events have brought this issue to many homes and kitchen tables across the country.

Senator Murphy raised a very important issue around fuel prices. He was joined by Senator Carrigy who has direct experience of the increases that people are seeing at the pumps, which are likely to increase and continue. We are all going to have to keep track of this important issue. As someone living in a rural area, I share the Senators' concerns. Many people across rural parts of the country do not have alternatives to using their cars. We use cars to get to work, get children to school, do our shopping and carry out general day-to-day activities. An increase in the cost of fuel is having a very direct impact on many households and people are feeling the pinch. This is something that the Government is going to have to look at. I do not know what the solution is, but we are going to have to try to put some sort of a stop in place to try to alleviate the pressures there.

Senator Carrigy raised the fuel issue but also the issue of the N4, a road that I am very familiar with and which I travel regularly. It is a tricky question because it crosses so many local authorities and is of differing importance to different parts of the county. It is of great importance to County Mayo, perhaps a little more so than to County Roscommon, which also has the N6. It depends on where a person lives in the west of Ireland. It is an important piece of infrastructure. This would be a good issue to raise as a Commencement matter to try to get an update on why this funding has not been put in place to do the preparatory works to get the road going. It is true that it will be an important route for a significant part of the country.

Senator Ward raised the issue of barristers' fees in criminal defences. I share his concerns. I know from talking to many colleagues at the Bar that this is a problem and has not been addressed. Other reductions in pay were addressed as we unwound the financial emergency measures in the public interest over the years, but this has not been addressed. Regardless of people's views of the legal profession, including the perceptions referred to by Senator Ward, it is not the case that every barrister is making a great deal of money. That is particularly so when one is starting out. The view at the Bar now is that it can take seven to ten years to even make a living. A barrister receives €25.20 for doing a particular item of work in a criminal defence. By any standard, that is low pay because of the hours that the barrister puts in preparing, travelling to the court, representing his or her client and then trying to get home.As the Senator correctly pointed out, it is important because we are losing people from the profession to go into other areas of law or leave criminal practice altogether. We are getting a reduction in the number of practitioners actually practising and providing services through the legal aid system to represent those who are accused, which is very important to the running of the system. We are also losing experience. There is a new intake all of the time of people who are very junior and who are learning the ropes. We are losing experienced people who may have qualified five or seven years ago, and are crucial for the system. It is an issue that I will raise directly with the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath. It is something we must look at. Even if it is not an issue that exercises every individual, it is an important issue for us to address.

Senator Buttimer raised the issue of airlines, as I addressed earlier. I agree with the Senator's comments that we need to encourage airlines to do the right thing and not overcharge. The Senator requested a debate with the Minister for Transport on the potential use of Cork Airport as a reception hub for those fleeing conflicts.

Senator McGahon raised the issue of neutrality, which I have addressed, and asked for a discussion or debate in the House on that.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about a young lady in Limerick city, Olivia Chan, who put forward the idea of a suggestion box where younger members of the local community can make suggestions about how they want their city to develop. It is a very interesting development and I commend Olivia on that work. Senator Byrne also spoke this morning about the Technological University of the Shannon and its links with a medical company in the whole area of sports injuries.

Senator Lombard raised the issue of public amenities at beaches. I understand this is a particular difficulty in some local authority areas where the provision of services is not happening to the level that communities are requesting. This is an important issue to have raised.

Senator Ahearn spoke about the phenomenal level of funding that has been allocated to sports clubs this year through the sports capital programme. This is very important money to every community, and it goes a long way for sports clubs. Yes, we will certainly try to get some further clarity. I am aware that a list has been published. Clubs can rely on that publication from the Department as a guarantee that they have been successful. The Senator can direct them towards the list. The Minister's office is working to get letters out to the clubs whose applications were successful, and maybe also to those who were not successful on how they can improve their applications and come back again. This work is under way in the Minister's Department.