Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and I am sure he would also say the same in respect of all our colleagues here. It is important that the House recognises this very important day, International Women's Day. First, with regard to the Order of Business, I am disappointed to see that the fur farming Bill is not on the Order Paper today but I am hopeful it will come back soon because there is an urgency around it, as I am sure we all appreciate.

In regard to Ukraine, it has come to my attention that there are some housing bodies that are not allowing their tenants to apply through the Red Cross portal to offer spare rooms in their houses. This is something we need to follow up on. We are living in unprecedented times and every available space must be used, particularly when people are generous enough to open up their own homes. For those who have not looked at the portal, when I looked at it last night, it was down for some substantial time, which goes to show that the Irish people and people living in Ireland really want to be part of offering our solidarity within our own homes and within our own country.

We have had more than 2,000 people arrive in Ireland already. The majority have gone to their families and the rest have been put up in hotel accommodation for the moment. Looking at the faces of the children who are fleeing their native land, as I am sure we have all seen, they all have an expectation of being at home, being with their friends and being in their schools very soon, as I am sure our children would too, but we really do not know how long this will be. This really is an effort from every single person. Wartime is a long-distant memory for many of us, or not a memory at all, but I think we will see that it will call on every part of ourselves and our resources to be able to do something, and that means doing something across social protection, education and fuel. It will really mean a huge effort.

I would like to point to the announcement today of a temporary school for the next two years for the Galway Educate Together secondary school. Senators Seán Kyne and Ollie Crowe came with me last week to a meeting with the school. I am delighted that it now has some certainty to allow the school to grow and to flourish, which will give a lot of confidence to the students and also to the parents of those who will be coming in this September.