Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Horkan will express sympathy on behalf of Fianna Fáil with regard to Mr. Hill. The Senator knew him personally and I understand he was in his company over the weekend.

On behalf of Fianna Fáil, I ask the House to reflect on and remember a former Member of this House who passed away over the past few days, Mr. Paul Kavanagh. He served here for a period in the 1980s. He was undoubtedly a dynamic force in Irish business at the time. He sat on the boards of An Post, Aer Lingus, Eircom and IDA Ireland. He had groundbreaking skills and abilities in the printing and fulfilment sector and went on to become an internationally renowned businessman, heading up Stream International and Donnelly Documents, a US multinational. He gave freely of his time to many people to assist them in developing their business. He was the brains behind the Dublin Digital Hub, which today houses more than 70 companies and employs 700 people. He was also one of those involved in the International Financial Services Centre and played a part in its development. I am sure the House will join me in expressing sympathy to his wife, Anne-Marie, his son, Killian, daughters, Fiona and Sinead, and his sisters, Hillary and Colette. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

The rising price of fuel is having an impact on all aspects of society. However, it is having a significant and disproportionate impact on the lives of those whose work is caring for people in their homes. These are workers employed by the HSE in a private capacity and sometimes through section 39 agreements. The extreme cost they are now undertaking as a result of the increase in the price of fuel is resulting in many of them giving up their work or not taking on that work. That is having an impact on people who are trying to be looked after in their homes. If we do not find a way of resolving this problem, there will certainly be a situation where more people will end up in hospital. They will not be able to be discharged from hospital to return to the home for recuperation because, quite frankly, the home care packages are unable to be delivered. I have spoken to many people over the past number of weeks who no longer have the same level of care. They just cannot get the people to provide that care in the home. That is a crisis that must be dealt with and I appeal to the Ministers for Health and Public Expenditure and Reform to address it without delay. We are told today, through documents to the Cabinet that have been well reported, that Ireland could be expected to take up to 200,000 refugees in the coming weeks. That will pose a very significant challenge to the State but I have every expectation we will be able to achieve and address it, especially if what I have seen in my county of Clare over the past two to three weeks is anything to go by. There is a level of support that communities are putting behind the refugees when they arrive that is phenomenal. I visited areas over the weekend, including Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan, Kilkee, Shannon and Ennis, where refugees are being catered for in hotels and other community settings. There is an outpouring of support from Irish people who want to help, coming in the form of fundraising and provision of supplies, and it is a credit to the good nature of Irish people.

There is some suggestion we are not playing our part because we are not militarily aligned in this conflict. We do humanitarian support really well and it does not require the State to direct it. It is in our DNA and in our nature. I see it even in our young. I met some of the Ukrainian families in Kilkee over the weekend together with Councillor Cillian Murphy. When we were chatting with the families I saw in the corner of my eye three young fellows dressed in soccer kits walking into the foyer of the hotel carrying an expensive leather soccer ball. Perhaps it was a Christmas or birthday gift. Together with a welcoming card, they handed it over to three young Ukrainian boys. If that is not the epitome of the kind of support that exists for people who have, sadly, had to leave their homeland, I do not know what is. Nothing reflects better on the Irish people not just for this generation but the coming generations. It is that level of community involvement that is required. It is a spirit of support in our DNA that will see us through what will have to be a great challenge for all aspects of society.