Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the Senators for their contributions. We started off with Senator Seery Kearney, who brought up a condition that some pregnant women suffer from, hyperemesis gravidarum. I ask Senators to excuse my pronunciation as it is not correct. It is a serious debilitation, as the Senator rightly outlined. There are issues. There is meant to be a scheme in place but, based on the Senator’s comments, there are serious issues with that, including delays in payment. There are expenses incurred before it is possible to get into the system and there is no reimbursement available in that regard. It is something for a debate or even a Commencement matter. I will leave that to the Senator. If she does not want to table this particular issue as a Commencement debate, I will certainly ask the Minister to come in and discuss it in more detail. I thank the Senator for that.

Senator Horkan mentioned The Irish Timesand a certain journalist, as did Senator Malcolm Byrne.

On a more serious note, Senator Horkan mentioned a housing report that came out recently, which estimated that we need somewhere in the region of 50,000 to 60,000 homes per year. Senator Boyhan also mentioned this issue. There is no doubt housing is the biggest issue this country faces. It is a challenge on its own. While it must be admitted that progress has been made, we would all like to see more progress. Some €20 billion has been allocated – record funding – to try to address this issue. We have some work done, but we have much more work to do. There is a collective responsibility to ensure there is housing available for our young people as soon as possible.

Senator Horkan mentioned that the EU is celebrating its 50th anniversary and pointed out that later this year we will mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. He called for a debate on both. That is timely. EU membership has been beneficial to us as a country. We all know the benefits of the Good Friday Agreement and we are deeply indebted to everyone involved in bringing that forward. It is important that we protect that at all costs. A debate on that would be welcome.

Senators Keogan and Murphy mentioned the concerning and worrying CAMHS figures that came out this week. I can only imagine what any parent whose child is suffering from mental illness, whatever form that might take, is going through. It is a very stressful situation. In many ways, many parents and their children have travelled a journey before the parent takes up the courage of trying to seek help and they cannot manage it themselves. When they seek that help and it is not available, that adds to the stress and worry. It is incumbent on the HSE to get its house in order. Statistics were released this week which indicated that around 65% of children can get an appointment in 12 weeks. I think the target is 80%, so we are some way short of that. On the other side of the scale, almost 15% of children looking for help are waiting more than 52 weeks. That is clearly not good enough. There is a responsibility to do all we can. Senator Murphy mentioned trying to attract staff who are abroad to come back home. That is something that needs to be looked at. We need to look at every potential avenue to address this very important issue. I am delighted that there is a debate scheduled next Wednesday on this particular subject. It is a good opportunity for Members to contribute.

Senator Wall mentioned the issue of utility companies and the difficulties people experience when switching provider. Many people would say it is a challenge to try to get through on the telephone to suppliers. It can be very stressful. One can be hanging on for ages for someone to answer a phone. It is frustrating. There is an issue there. The Senator requested that we have a debate on it. I certainly will do what I can to arrange that.

Senator Wall also called for a debate on the lack of staff available for our ships in the navy, which is a big issue. He would like the new Minister for Defence to come in and have a debate on defence. I certainly will do what I can to try to arrange that as soon as possible.

Senator Boylan talked about utility companies and large-scale energy users and the levies that they should be paying but are not paying, and perhaps will not have to pay, and the cost that is then disproportionately affecting householders. That is an important issue. Going forward, energy use is a serious issue. It is important that there is transparency and fairness. Householders certainly should not be carrying an uneven burden. It is up to industry to play its part. We can organise a debate on the future of energy in this country as soon as possible.

Senator Malcolm Byrne also spoke about EU membership, the 50th anniversary of the EU and the Good Friday Agreement. We will schedule a debate on that as soon as possible. He also mentioned the comments of Pope Francis, which were very welcome. Senator Mark Daly outlined the fact that it is a crime in some countries.It is up to the church to give leadership in that regard. I welcome that the church is finally coming around and Pope Francis has made this statement. I hope it will give comfort to many people.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about issues in her home patch, specifically the West End Youth Centre winning a Pride of Place award. I congratulate the centre on that and extend congratulations to all participants in the Pride of Place awards. It is a fantastic initiative. I compliment all involved, including a village close to my home place in Monaghan, Knockatallon, which ralso received an award. Bualadh bos to them all.

Senator Byrne also spoke about the late Sr. Joan Bowles and the work she did in the Limerick Youth Service, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Well done to it. The Senator also mentioned Shannon Airport and the great progress it is making. When Covid hit it was an opportunity for some and it looks like Shannon Airport availed of that opportunity. The CEO and all concerned deserve great credit for that.

Senator Victor Boyhan mentioned the housing targets. As I said, we will organise a debate on that issue as soon as possible.

Senator Mark Daly spoke about the EU and the Good Friday Agreement. We will arrange a date for a debate on that. The Senator also welcomed the comments of Pope Francis, as we all do.

Senator Tim Lombard spoke about the cyberattack on the HSE computer system about a year and a half ago. Letters are only being issued to people now. The Senator spoke about two elderly people who are very concerned that their personal information is in somebody else's hands. The Senator believes it would be a good idea for the HSE to have a public information campaign to alert people as to what is happening and what options are available to them. We can certainly arrange a date for the Minister for Health to come to the House on that issue.

Senator Martin Conway informed us this morning of the sad passing of Professor Michael O'Keeffe. Professor O'Keeffe was a truly inspirational man who did great work on eye care and also, as Senator Dooley outlined, in relation to pregnant women and birth. Professor O'Keeffe made a huge contribution. On behalf of all the Members in the Seanad, I extend our deepest condolences to the entire O'Keeffe family.

Senator Conway also referred to the transfer of Shannon Heritage to Clare County Council. Clearly, there are many tourist attractions in that part of the world. There is an issue with the proper funding the council will need to secure all the assets and infrastructure it currently owns and give security to the staff who work there. It will be important to have a Commencement matter or perhaps even a debate in the House on this matter. I will speak to Senators Conway and Dooley about that.

Senator Craughwell spoke about accountability and the news of the week with regard to expenses and the tit-for-tat that went on around that. I have fought a general election campaign and to be fair to all concerned, it is a fairly intense period of time. No one goes out to deliberately tell mistruths about their expenses. There is a lot that goes on and it is difficult for a candidate to have oversight of all of it. We need to give a little slack on this to all concerned. I am reminded of the old saying, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. We need to allow a wee bit of flexibility. We have SIPO to do a job and it must be allowed to do that job. There is no doubt it will deliberate on all of the goings-on of the week, if I can put it like that, and make its findings known in due course.

I covered Senator Dooley's points. Senator Emer Currie spoke about the bonus payment that was announced a good while ago. It is very disappointing that some people who operate private nursing homes have yet to receive the payment. I know the scheme is being managed by a third party. I have been contacted by some employees of nursing homes. I am glad to say that many have received the payment but others have not, which is very disappointing. A helpline available for employees to contact the third-party company that is looking after the payment. I encourage people to ring that number and if they fail to get satisfaction, they should contact their local representative to see if any assistance can be given in that regard. I am hopeful the persons concerned will receive the payment they have more than duly earned. It is disappointing that 18 months down the road, they are still waiting on that payment.

Senator Michael Carrigy spoke about the need to review the temporary business energy support scheme. Unfortunately, the energy crisis carries on and bills are getting bigger. There are issues with the scheme and it would be timely to have another look at it. I will ask the Minister to come to the House to discuss the issued. The Senator also spoke about the tourism season ahead and noted that Bord Fáilte is carrying out a marketing campaign to try to encourage more tourists to come here, especially Irish people who may not have been home in a while. This was done previously with The Gathering. This campaign will encourage them to come home and see what the country now has to offer. Unfortunately, as we are all aware, there are deep strains on accommodation and it would make perfect sense to press the pause button, reassess and perhaps take another look at it next year if things improve. The House can certainly examine this issue.

Senator Eugene Murphy mentioned the issues with CAMHS. We discussed these earlier. The Senator made the very good point that we need to be more proactive and think outside the box on the staffing issue. The Senator raised the idea of exploring the possibility of trying to encourage many of our young and perhaps not so young people living abroad to come home to assist in what we are trying to do. Perhaps now is an opportune time to have a debate on the issue with the Minister. I thank all of the Senators for their contributions.