Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members who contributed to the Order of Business. Senator Conway kicked off discussions and he spoke about some of the briefing he attended yesterday. In particular, he referred to the briefing held by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO. I think many Members of this House attended it to hear some of its requests which, from my perspective, were very reasonable. It is looking to reduce class size numbers by two, which would bring us in line with other European countries. It made a novel, interesting recommendation or suggestion that there would be ringfenced funding of €20 per child for mental health services. I think we would all agree that this is vitally important. I know the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, and her Department have been engaging with the INTO. They are looking seriously at these requests from the INTO. I thank the INTO for the facilitation yesterday in briefing Members of both Houses. It is important, particularly when there is so much going on, that Members have that opportunity to focus in on an issue. These briefings are of huge benefit to Members. I thank the organisation for that opportunity yesterday.

Senator O’Loughlin started her contribution by acknowledging that today is Bloomsday, as did many other Members of this House. It is an important day, in particular some parts of the country where there are strong links to that festival. She also spoke about the ongoing issues with USIT and with US visas for students. Many of us will have received representations on that issue. Many students are missing out on flights and accommodation. They have made plans in the summer that they have not been able to fulfil because of the difficulties in obtaining their visas.

The Senator also spoke about the short-hop zone and the difference in the price of a ticket, that is, between getting a ticket in Newbridge and getting a ticket in Sallins to travel into Dublin city. The cost for Newbridge is €10.60, whereas for Sallins, it is €3.60. This is a considerable difference. The Senator has advocated for that short-hop zone to be extended and that we look at the cost of fares from different locations and to make sure they are fair and equitable. It is reasonable to acknowledge that since April, there has been a 20% reduction in all public transport fares and 50% for students aged between 18 to 22. We have seen an increase in passengers on public transport, which welcome for many reasons. It is great to see that public transport is being utilised when it becomes more affordable.

Senator Clonan spoke on two important issues, one of which was the Women’s Aid report, which presented really shocking statistics. It has been discussed by other Members as well. We have a significant problem when it comes to violence against women. There are commitments from Government and from the Minister for Justice to tackle this issue in a serious way. We have a long way to go. We fall well short of our commitments under the Istanbul Convention in terms of refuge places. This is not just a case of having a safe space to go. There are financial issues as well when people try to leave the home. There are issues around children. There are legal issues as well, such as supports to go through the court system. There is a whole suite of supports needed in order to assist predominately women who are fleeing domestic violence situations. We must also acknowledge some men also experience violence and, of course children, do as well. It is an epidemic in this country and we have to get to grips with it. We are a long way behind some of our European neighbours.

The Senator also spoke about the ongoing issues of sexual offences and the way they are dealt with in the Defence Forces. I agree with his comments that it is wholly unsatisfactory that the organisation would investigate itself in matters of this nature. I do not have an answer for the Senator on how many of those who have been accused of sexual offences have gone through courts martial and how many of those have ended up on sex offenders' register. It is a specific question, so I suggest the Senator table a Commencement matter to try to elicit a response from the Department on that. We might take it from there to see if further investigations are required through a more substantial debate in the House. However, given that the question is specific, it would be suitable for a Commencement matter.

As he has often done, Senator Ó Donnghaile spoke about the referendum presidential elections. It is a commitment in the programme for Government to hold a referendum to extend the franchise for voting to citizens beyond the island in presidential elections. I do not have a time yet as to when the legislation will progress. It is separate from the Electoral Commission that is dealing with other aspects of elections in the country. I do note the Senator comments. He has also asked for statements from the Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora. I think that he is correct in saying there have not been statements in the House on that issue, so we will request that debate but it is unlikely to happen before the summer recess. As Members will see from our schedule, even for next week, it is extremely busy with the huge number of Bills that we must try to pass in the coming weeks. We might look for that debate in the autumn session.

The Senator also requested statements on Palestine. Again, it may not be possible to facilitate that in the next four weeks, but certainly we can facilitate that debate in the autumn session.

Senator Moynihan drew the attention of the House to the fact that today is the sixth anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox, MP, in England. It is a sad day for politics, not just in England and in the UK, but on this island too. There are increasing tensions. It is becoming a more difficult job to be a public representative. We have to watch out for that here as well. I do not think we are in that space, but we could be in that space at some point if we are not careful. We want to ensure there is respectful, dignified and safe political discourse on the island.

The Senator also spoke about the lack of taxis in Dublin city, which is a problem. Some figures suggest that we are down by 20% on pre-Covid-19 levels. My colleague, Deputy McAuliffe, has called for a commission to look into this, to work with taxi drivers and to see if we can put together a better deal for drivers to encourage them back into the sector. That is a sensible solution. However, I take on board the Senator's comments. It is a particular concern for women who are trying to get home at night. If they do not have a taxi, it could be the difference between them going out and participating in the night-time economy or not going out.

Senator Black spoke about the briefing yesterday. I apologise that I did not get to it as there was a lot going. It was great that the two individuals were facilitated in having the briefing in the House. This is an issue Senator Black consistently raises on behalf of many groupings. She is always keeping that issue on top of the agenda of the House, which is appreciated by many of us. A debate has been requested on Palestine by a number of Senators. As I said, it is unlikely to happen in the next four weeks, given the demands on the schedule of the House. However, we could look to get that debate at the earliest opportunity in the autumn session in order to keep that issue at the top of the agenda and to give Members an opportunity to contribute to the ongoing debate on that issue.

Senator Ward spoke about that issue. He also spoke about Bloomsday and the unique connection between his area of Dún Laoghaire and Joyce. I concur with Senator's remarks in that regard.

Senator Mullen spoke about a particular issue. Again, I will not stray into commenting on the President’s remarks.However, I take on board what the Senator said more broadly about the need for this House to be able to express its views in a reasonable and coherent way without having any undue blockages to that discourse. He spoke in particular about the loss of life in St. Francis Catholic Church in Nigeria. I send our sympathies to the families and the community there.

Senator Malcolm Byrne spoke on a couple of issues. He referred to the Mental Health Reform report that was published yesterday and the briefing he attended regarding the LGBTQI+ community. He drew our attention to some stark figures, including that 19% of those accessing mental health services identify as members of that community, which is one in five individuals. That is a very strong statistic which shows that there is a great deal of work to be done in that space. He also spoke about the Schools of Sanctuary programme, schools that are operating a very inclusive policy, and drew our attention to Creagh College in Gorey which has just been admitted to that programme. It has been acknowledged as a very inclusive school, now accommodating 49 nationalities and 23 languages. We wish Mr. Paul Glynn and Ms Janet Wallace, the principal and deputy principal, well and congratulate them on that achievement.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about women's sheds. They are a fantastic initiative. This started with men's sheds and women's sheds are now taking off all around the country. They provide a nice space for people to connect, meet up, have friendships, learn new skills, to contribute to their communities and to try to tackle the ongoing issue of isolation and loneliness, particularly in rural areas. That can be a killer and is devastating for many people. It is a great initiative and it is nice to have some good news being raised on the Order of Business.

Senator Horkan raised road safety and asked for a debate on that issue. We will request that debate. It will likely be held in the autumn session, but we will request it at the earliest opportunity. The Senator is right about the delays with testing. That will have a knock-on impact so it is important to address that. They are unacceptable delays for something that is a requirement to drive a vehicle. The State should be providing that service. There is quite a disparity as well in how long people have to wait across different areas in the country. Some areas are better served than others. There should be uniformity across the board as to how long one should have to wait. I will ask for that debate.