Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be accepting the motion as put forward by Senator Craughwell and seconded by Senator Wilson.

I welcome also H.E. Ms Larysa Gerasko, the Ukrainian ambassador, to the Gallery. It is always great to see the ambassador. I thank the ambassador for her consistent attendance in these Houses and engagement with Members across both Houses. It is welcome.

Senator Malcolm Byrne kicked off this morning. The Senator spoke about the motion as put forward by Senator Craughwell, and Senator Wilson in full support. Senator Malcolm Byrne spoke also about the European Parliament declaring Russia a terrorist state. The Senator also spoke about climate and the significant weather events that we are now seeing on a much more regular basis and stated that he wants to have a debate in this House to talk about not only the issues around climate change but also the solutions that we might have.

Senator Kyne spoke this morning around Inland Fisheries Ireland. The Senator raised particular issues with the review that was conducted of the board as opposed to the organisation, the lengthy time it took for the report to be published and the seemingly convoluted way in which it was finally published. The Senator stated that he will continue to raise issues around that and is not satisfied that the report dealt with the matter correctly.

Senator Craughwell put forward a motion to this House on the famine in Ukraine in the early 1930s, the fact that it was a genocide and that thousands of people lost their lives - the Senator stated that at one stage it was 25,000 per day. It was a huge loss of life. I concur with the remarks of both Senator Craughwell and Senator Wilson in remembering that atrocity and acknowledging that it happened. As the 90th anniversary of that atrocity approaches, we all continue to stand with Ukraine, not only on that issue but also on the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Ukraine will always have a friend in Ireland. I thank both Senators for giving the House the opportunity to pass the said motion.

The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, spoke this morning about shopping and the black Friday sales that many citizens right across the country will participate in. The Senator had an important message. The Senator stated that for every €1 one spends locally it multiplies to €2.50. I thought that was €1 to €5. In any event, the message is that if one spends it locally, it boosts and benefits one's local economy and that if one purchases online, often the money goes straight out of the country and is of zero benefit to anything in one's locality or one's own place. The Senator is urging Members to shop local, to consider it being green Friday as opposed to black Friday, to reuse, to get pre-loved new-to-you and second-hand items and to maintain a circular economy as opposed to use and discard. It is an important message in advance of the sales that are currently ongoing, but tomorrow being the big day.

Senator Gavan spoke this morning around the Raise the Roof protest. Clearly, I disagree with many of the Senator's comments around the housing debate. There is a lack of acknowledgement by the Senator and others in the Sinn Féin Party of the difficulties the current Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has had to deal with. No previous Minister has had to deal with a global pandemic and a war in Europe, which has disrupted supply chains. While, of course, there are challenges and housing is the key issue for all of us here, the Senator has to acknowledge that there are major obstacles that no Minister, no matter what party he or she is in, would have been able to breeze through. Those particular challenges are so significant and severe. There is a housing crisis in many countries. It is not only here. We are not alone in dealing with those incredible once-in-a-generation challenges that the Minister is having to deal with. It is important to say that the numbers are going in the right direction. There are challenges but the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is doing a very good job in extremely challenging circumstance. It is also important to point out, as the Minister has on several occasions, that there are members of local authorities in the Senator's party who are consistently objecting to delivery of housing in their communities. The Senator cannot have it both ways. The Senator should get behind the programme of building houses and delivering houses and stop objecting because it lacks credibility when he criticises the Minister in question.