Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is necessary. This House can shine a light in that regard because of its composition. We have much to be proud of but there is also much that we can achieve. We should also strive to do far better.

Earlier this month, the Cathaoirleach kindly accepted a Commencement matter that I put down on the pandemic bonus payment to healthcare workers. I am still getting calls from people working in hospitals who are and were on the front line right through the pandemic but who still have not got their payments. The good is nearly gone out of it at this stage in view of the fact that they have been waiting so long. Why in the name of God is it taking so long to pay people the €1,000 they were promised last January? If the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is coming in here before the end of term, which I doubt because we have not seen much of him lately, he should be asked to explain why it is taking so long to pay the pandemic bonus payment. Truly, everyone should have a date that they know they will have it by. No matter what happens, such a date should be identified.

I agree with Senator O'Loughlin regarding the NTA. We need a debate on transport. Transport is critical for hundreds of thousands of citizens in terms of commuting, especially with the cost of fuel. People now want to look at alternative ways of getting from A to B. We have a situation in my constituency where it is 30% dearer to make a journey from Ennis to Limerick or from Ennis to Galway on the train compared with what it costs to travel a similar distance from Maynooth to Dublin. It is 30% to 40% cheaper to go from Maynooth to Dublin by train than it is to go from Ennis to Limerick or Ennis to Galway. People in Clare who are studying in Limerick or Galway should have the same equality of treatment as people in Kildare who study in Dublin.