Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I propose that No. 22 be taken before No. 1. It will be seconded by my colleague.

I agree with the point about a debate on the Assembly elections. The changing demographic in Northern Ireland must be taken into account. It was not taken into account in the Good Friday Agreement and has landed us in a position where it is difficult when people disagree on forming a shared Executive. I note the increase in the vote share for the Alliance Party. It probably did have an impact on the Green Party. There is no doubt about that. However, it shows a shift where people are voting for different reasons other than sectarian reasons.

I wish to speak briefly on a Private Members' Bill we will bring forward next week. There are pockets around the country where groups form an alliance to not have election posters in the area. As a Green, I very much welcome that we would have a reduction in election posters. However, it leads to a non-systematic approach to where we can and cannot have election posters. Someone who is a councillor in one area may have no election posters and yet in another area, they might put up 500 or 1,000. It makes it difficult financially for those who do not have the means to compete with the big boys or girls. Therefore, for many reasons, the primary one being environmental, it is time to significantly reduce and restrict election posters in this country. People are crying out for it. That is what our Bill is about.

I want to refer back to Senator Kyne's points with which I wholeheartedly agree. We have funds to renovate community centres but nothing to start them. I have seen it in Galway. It is incredibly difficult to get grant funding. The urban regeneration and development fund had been suggested for one particular community centre in Newcastle but it was impossible for the community centre to go through that because there is nothing there. It is a bare piece of ground. It cannot get funding through the renovation fund. Therefore, I would ask that the House call for new streams of funding for community groups, particularly coming out of the pandemic. Many of us will have been at a presentation by the Irish Men's Sheds Association. What I took from that was the impact and deep scar that still exists for many from the isolation across our towns and villages and in rural Ireland. Now is the time to invest in community supports and centres and places for people to get together.